KTM Australia press release:

KTM Motocross Racing Team rider Jesse Dobson will sit out this weekend’s third round of the MX Nationals championship at Broadford, following the detection of two hairline fractures in his pelvis.

The injury, which saw Dobson withdraw from race two at the second round of the championship at Appin, was sustained during training several days before that event, and only subsequent X-rays revealed its severity.

Fortunately for Dobson the breaks occurred in a non weight-bearing part of the pelvis, so his recovery should be relatively quick, and he hopes to be able to rejoin the team in time for the fourth round of the MX Nationals at Murray Bridge on May 22.

Nineteen-year-old Dobson, who was himself brought into the team to take the place of injured Luke Styke, is one of the hottest rising prospects in the premier class of Australian motocross, and the injury is a tough blow to a man determined to prove himself among the sport’s upper echelon.

Last year Dobson was a regular top-five finisher outdoors, running as high as sixth in the premier class of Australia’s most important motocross championship.

While Dobson’s withdrawal is disappointing to be KTM motocross racing team, it has plenty to be happy about with the season so far. Defending MX Nationals Champion Kirk Gibbs has so far been one of the fastest and most consistent riders in a very competitive MX Nationals series, and sits just two points from the series lead.

In the MX2 category, KTM Motocross Racing Team rider Caleb Ward holds an 11-point lead in the championship over Husqvarna’s Nathan Crawford.

Kyle Blunden, KTM Motocross Team Manager – “Jesse has been and seen the doctor and unfortunately he is still recovering from an injury he sustained before the second round of the championship at Appin. It was a weird crash where the bike hit him in the lower back area, and it was giving him plenty of grief before Appin so his plan there was to soldier on and cruise around and get some points. But unfortunately he was in too much pain to hold the bike properly and he ended up having another crash there and we decided it was best for him to sit out the second moto. CT scans have shown a couple of hairline fractures in his pelvis, but we’re hoping to have him back at Murray Bridge. Our focus is to make sure he doesn’t come back early and end up hurting himself further – we want him to come back healthy and do what we know he can do and get some great results. It’s disappointing, but we are very happy with how our other two riders are going this year, Kirk and Caleb are both still finding their peak and both are already at or near the top in their respective championships so we are in a fantastic position.”

Jesse Dobson (KTM 450 SX-F) – “I was really starting to find my groove after a very hectic start to the season, but I had a crash before Appin and the bike ran me over. I thought I’d just pulled the muscles in my groin and went to Appin and tried to race, but it just wasn’t possible. I got scans and X-rays and it showed two breaks in my pelvis, on the bone that the hamstrings attach to. Luckily it wasn’t a weight-bearing bone so I can still walk and carry on with my activities. But it’s one of the trickiest injuries I’ve had pain wise – it’s really difficult to do anything. So for about the last week and a half I’ve been pretty much laying in bed trying to heal up, but on the bright side, it’s only normally a 4-6 weeks thing, and I’m confident that with my nutrition and diet that I’ll be back nice and healthy for Murray Bridge. It’s disappointing to give it a miss this weekend, and I could try to race, but we are far better off not being silly about it, and coming back healthy on the softer surfaces.”