Joel Milesevic showed strong form upon return from injury to race to a pair of top five finishes at a round of the local Belgium Motocross Championships at Dürler on the weekend.

The 2012 Victorian Motocross champion, riding for Diga Racing, fared well in a field that featured 450cc and 250cc bikes in direct competition.

“The first moto was good,” said Milesevic. “I got a good start but I got boxed in coming into the first corner so I was back in the pack.

“I made my way up to sixth position by the third lap and managed to stay there.”

He improved his result by a place in the second moto to round out a comprehensive performance aboard his KTM.

“I had a great jump off the gate but I spun a lot and lost the good start I had,” continued Milesevic. “I was right down the back again but again worked my way up through the pack and got to ninth position after two laps.

“At about the halfway mark of the race I got into fifth and stayed there across the finish line.”

The results saw him finish fifth overall in the combined MX1/MX2 class, and third overall in the standalone MX2 class, a top result considering his lack of experience on such a surface.

“The track had a rock-hard base, and we rode on and off it all day, which made it slippery.

“I have never ridden a track like it in my life. I also made some pretty memorable passing moves over MX1 riders who were on 450 four-strokes.”

Milesevic will continue to race selected rounds of the Belgian championship throughout the year as he focuses his efforts on his FIM European Motocross Championship which resumes in France on 9 June.

He is determined to bounce back after a disappointing first round where he became mixed up in another competitor’s accident and failed to qualify for the main moto.