Empire Kawasaki’s Luke Clout has indicated a back complaint in moto two is what derailed his chances of landing on the podium at round two of the 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship in Horsham, the former champion initially displaying blistering form.

The New South Welshman made this presence known throughout moto one, controlling much of the race until crashing out of the lead with less than two minutes to go, ultimately remounting to salvage a P4 result.

Clout made a strong start to race two and was positioned inside the top three during the opening laps, however the number four was evidently suffering from what is now known as a back issue while he struggled to maintain the pace of the leaders to salvage sixth for fifth overall.

“I was riding very comfortably, and unfortunately, the old Horsham shiny dirt caught me off guard and I went down [in moto one],” Clout recalled to MotoOnline.com.au.

“I felt okay [in moto two], and then pretty much on lap one or two my back started having this shooting sensation down my whole back – I must’ve tweaked my back in the first one. I just tried to tough it out for 15 minutes and then it just got worse and worse. It’s really frustrating – I think I left a win out there today.

“I’m very disappointed – we left a definite podium I think, but we’re there and that’s the main thing.”

Following a missed opportunity for the Kawasaki entry, Clout now sits sixth in the championship standings, 27 points in arrears to red-plate holder Jed Beaton (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy. The ProMX series will now head to Gillman in South Australia on 5 May for round three of the championship.