A bizarre crash on the sighting lap prior to moto one at Assen’s 18th round of the MX2 World Championship for Australia’s Hunter Lawrence hindered his performance throughout the weekend.

The Suzuki World MX2 rider came down while inspecting the circuit, hitting his head and damaging his motorcycle. He was still able to contend the race, finishing 10th before visiting the medical unit between outings.

While admitting he was still struggling with the conditions, Lawrence bounced back for sixth in race two, crediting him eighth overall for the weekend.

“We were struggling all weekend,” Lawrence reflected. “I really didn’t feel good at all, I had no rhythm or balance – it was just a tough GP. It wasn’t helped when I had a crash on the sighting lap of moto one, as I hit my head and bent my bars and obviously I didn’t have long to recover before the gate dropped.

“I went out and raced, of course, but I was struggling and came home in 10th behind Julien Lieber. I went to the medical unit after that race and got some work done and felt a bit better for race two.

“I got an okay start and made some passes and moved all the way up to sixth place, which was definitely good on such a difficult weekend. I’ve never ridden here before, it’s crazy here, different even than Lommel. I’ve really never ridden anything like it so to get eighth is pretty good overall.”

The Queensland-native still sits ninth in the championship standings as the series concludes this weekend in France.