Husqvarna Enduro Racing’s Glenn Kearney successfully contested Kilkivan’s opening rounds of the 2016 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship despite fracturing his shoulder blade just two weeks prior to the event.

In order to keep himself in the E1 championship hunt, the veteran off-road contender opted to head to the Queensland double header event armed with mild pain killers, strapping tape and plenty of courage.

The first day of competition was proved tough for Kearney, admitting the thought of retiring from the event did cross his mind, but the factory Husqvarna team manager and rider stuck it out salvaging valuable points with a seventh on the day.

“For me yesterday was a struggle with the speed and the heavy braking demands on my shoulder – today suited me better,” said Kearney. “I used a lot of strapping tape and just a few Panadol and Nurofens. I was thinking about throwing in the towel yesterday when it was hurting and but I stuck with it and got some class points.”

Kearney returned for round two with improved movement and increased confidence, eventually finishing the event with a fifth in E1 and 12th Outright, satisfying finishes for the New South Wales native.

“Today I thought I’d be fairly sore but the shoulder felt looser so that was a confidence booster for me,” he added. “I managed fifth in class, I think I was only eight seconds off second, and 12th outright. So I was happy given what we had to work with.”

Kearney will continue his recovery process and return to action at rounds three and four of the championship on 9-10 April at Portland in New South Wales.