Youthful Australian talent Hunter Lawrence says he is still returning to full fitness ahead of this weekend’s MXGP of Belgium at the notorious Lommel circuit, which will mark the 14th round of the 2017 MX2 World Championship.

The Suzuki World MX2 rider was sidelined for a number of weeks after compressing multiple vertebras, however made his return to racing at the Czech grand prix two weeks ago despite limited bike time.

The Queensland native posted an impressive 8-8 scorecard for seventh overall at Loket, and with additional time on the bike between rounds, Lawrence is eager going into what is essentially a home grand prix for the now Belgium-based teenager.

“I’m definitely looking forward to Lommel, I think everyone is,” Lawrence explained. “Although I’m not sure how many people will be saying that afterwards as it’s always a brutal experience.

“Since Loket, I’ve tried to do as much riding and quality bike time as possible. I think my fitness is getting better, bit by bit I’m getting it back. It’s still not what it was because of my incident but we’re working on it to make the best it can be for the weekend.

“It’s nice to have it as a home grand prix and a home grand prix for the team so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can have a good weekend.”

Lawrence currently sits 10th in the series standings after missing two rounds, with his best finish coming at the German grand prix where he lodged an incredible second overall result.