HQVA press release:

Husqvarna Factory Support racer Nathan Crawford has seen his supercross season reach an early conclusion after suffering a broken leg at the second round of the Australian Supercross championships at Jimboomba, south of Brisbane, last night.

Bouncing back from a disappointing round one, Crawford displayed excellent form in his initial outings on the track, however the exciting teenager crashed on the last lap of his heat race when he came up short on a triple jump.

The Husqvarna FC 250 rider sustained breaks to his left tibia and fibula, effectively ending an impressive 2015 race year in which he finished sixth in his rookie MX2 motocross season and made the podium at four separate tracks.

Fellow Husqvarna factory support racer Luke Arbon put his best foot forward but couldn’t quite find the flow he needed to post back-to-back podiums in the SX2 category after a sensational start to the season at Bathurst just a week ago, in which he finished third. Arbon finished sixth in the SX2 main event, which was won by Jimmy Decotis ahead of Jackson Richardson and Wade Hunter.

With the ranks of Husqvarna Factory Support racers looking decidedly thin, it comes as welcome news that premier class rider Jessie Dobson is expected to return to the saddle of his Husqvarna FC 450 for the next round of the Australian Supercross Championship in a fortnight’s time.

The talented 18-year-old suffered a meniscal tear in his knee in a training accident during the closing stages of this year’s MX Nationals series, and missed the opening rounds of the Supercross championship.

Luke Arbon – FC 250: “My night was a bit average. I was third for the first couple of laps and then just struggled. In the heat race I was battling with Clout for the lead, and I missed a gear in the rhythm section and came up short and hit my chest on the bars and that knocked the wind out of me, so I was a little bit out of rhythm. In the final I rode okay at first and was in third, but then got a bit tight and couldn’t find the rhythm. The track was real technical – during the day when it had some grip it wasn’t that hard, but it got sun-baked and then when they watered it, it got really slick and suddenly very really technical. I’m disappointed that I didn’t loosen up a bit and kind of let the bike slide more. I’m sitting fourth now a couple of points off Clout which is okay. The bike was really good, in the first few laps when I was manning up and really hitting the whoops it was great but then I tightened up …it was just all me.”

Nathan Crawford – FC 250: “I was riding sick, until I broke my leg. The day started really well, I went out in free practice and I was solid, felt really good and got everything dialled straight away. In timed qualifying I pretty much picked up where I left off and just tried to hit my marks. I ended up qualifying fourth so that gave me a good gate pick. In the race I was running probably fifth but I had a little moment in the whoops and went off the track and back to seventh. I fought my way back to third on the last lap, and then got really bad wheelspin before the triple and it kind of high sided me, in-swinging off the upramp. I didn’t quite make it and the impact broke my left tib and fibia pretty low. So that’s me done. I’ll take the positives… I had the speed and was catching Clouty who was out front, but now it will have to wait until next year.”

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