Victorian MX2 contender sets three month rehabilitation goal.
Proformance Yamaha’s Kale Makeham is on the road to recovery after sustaining a broken femur at the inaugural running of the Rhythm X event in Tasmania on 19 November.
Battling for a top spot in the first supercross elimination main event, the Victorian took a hard fall after a soft line took away his momentum over a triple jump.
“We were in the first of the main events and I was going well,” Makeham told MotoOnline.com.au. “I took a different line off the triple, but the dirt was really soft and it took all of my speed away and sent my weight forward as soon as I left the up ramp.
“It was pretty much all over as soon as I left the up ramp, so I bailed and basically came down on my feet pretty hard. As soon as I hit the crowd it was pretty obvious I had snapped my femur, my leg was bent up all sorts of ways and that was basically it.
“It was a clean snap of the femur and it has all been pretty straight forward as far as the surgery and everything goes, I’m now well on the road to recovery.”
Makeham remains optimistic as he begins his recovery, looking forward to the less complicated rehabilitation process following multiple shoulder injuries in his career.
“For me, I’m excited about the recovery, I’ve only ever done shoulder joint injuries, which are a tonne of work, so hopefully this is pretty straight forward,” he explained. “I’m setting myself a goal, which is three months to be back on the bike, but if I’m not 100 percent there’s no way I’m going to get back out there and risk it.”
Currently in talks with the Proformance Yamaha squad for 2017, Makeham admits he will not line up for next year’s Motul MX Nationals season opener unless he feels fit to battle for wins and podiums.
“If I could be back at 100 percent by three months, I think that would give me time to be prepared for next year’s opening round of nationals,” he added. “But as I said, I’m just going to do everything right and take my time to make sure this thing is 100 percent and never bothers me again.
“As of right now, I’m not signed, but it’s looking like I will be doing a pretty similar deal to what I did this year, that’s definitely an option. With this injury it’s a bit of a guessing game on how soon I’ll be back, I’m not just there to fill the gate, I’m there to race and do well.
“So unless I’m 100 percent, you won’t see me out there, but hopfully I can get back to 100 percent and be there contending for race wins and podiums come round one.”