Team Suzuki World MX2 rookie Hunter Lawrence endured another tough couple of motos at Kegums, Latvia, on Sunday, but continues to show the type of speed that will soon see him factor at the front of the world championship.

Lawrence was forced to come through the field in both motos for a 10-26 finishes, as a crash cost him of a better result in the second moto. That put him in 16th overall for the weekend and he’s now P15 in the standings.

The talented young Queenslander has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his first MX2 campaign under the management of grand prix legend Stefan Everts, vowing not to give up as he puts the pieces of a very complicated puzzle together.

“I made it as difficult as possible for myself by starting from around 30th position, but then made my way up to 10th so I was really happy with how I rode,” Lawrence said. “I think I probably would have got the award for most passes in that race for sure, so my speed and ability on the track were really good. Second moto I had a bit of a better start and was again clicking off the positions, moving up inside the top 20 again, but I slid out with another rider and lost some time.

“I got back up again, continued to make some more passes but on the big step-down I cross-rutted which sent me over the bars. It was a pretty big crash but I picked the bike back up and I felt fine after a couple of laps but it’s a disappointment to finish that way after showing so much speed during the races. Thankfully though I live to fight another day so we’ll keep working and won’t ever give up.”

Lawrence was the lone Australian behind the gates in the MX2 World Championship in Latvia, with Jay Wilson recently opting to return home to Australia full-time and countryman Caleb Ward was also absent on the weekend. He declined to release information on the matter when contacted this week.