Image: Supplied.

Finishing fourth in the opening moto at the MXGP of Asia, Jed Beaton was primed to challenge for a spot on the overall podium until a clash with a local rider on lap one of the second outing denied him of the opportunity.

The former Australian MX2 champion has been surging into form over recent rounds after injuries at the beginning of the year resulted in a slow start the season, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider finish just shy of the box in race one at Semarang.

In the incident in moto two forced Beaton to come from behind, ultimately salvaging 11th in the 17-lap encounter, granting him seventh overall.

“It’s certainly been a mixed GP for me and the team,” said Beaton. “I really felt like I could challenge for the podium today, but the second moto put an end to that. The track had some tricky places but generally I felt good and found a nice rhythm. There weren’t so many line choices, so keeping mistakes to a minimum was really important.

“I got a good start in the first moto and made my way through into fourth behind Thomas. I really wanted to catch him, but I just ran out of laps. But I finished the race feeling good.

“The second race was frustrating – a local rider fell in front of me on the first lap and I had nowhere to go. I certainly wasn’t able to show what I had after that. Now these two fly-away races are done it’s back to Europe and Loket.”

Beaton is ranked 10th in the championship standings despite missing two rounds, as the MXGP World Championship returns to Europe at Loket in the Czech Republic on 28 July.