As anticipation mounts for Australia’s Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) team announcement, world championship regular Jed Beaton has ruled himself unavailable for the Assen event as a number of injuries have taken a toll on the Tasmanian.

Beaton, who’s been dealing with numerous injuries since the beginning of the season, has been sidelined for the past month with a fractured sternum, prompting him to return home to Australia in order to allow for a complete recovery.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider expressed his desire to represent the nation, although with minimal bike time and just four weeks to prepare, the former Australian MX2 champion believes he won’t be at a competitive level in time for the prestigious race.

“I’ve been asked a couple of times now to do it, but with the circumstances that I have at the moment, it would be quite a push and it’s probably not personally beneficial to do it – I’ve been riding at 80 percent all year with little injuries,” Beaton explained to MotoOnline.com.au in an interview earlier this week.

“For sure, I’d love to do it and get my best result for the team, but at the moment, I’d rock up at 70-80 percent and not be able to get my best result. I don’t want to feel like I’m letting the team down – hopefully they pick three strong riders and can battle up front for a good position.

“My main focus is getting myself to 100 percent, getting healthy again and just having no injuries. All year I’ve come back early and tried to push the boundaries a little too much, and I think with MXoN, I just don’t have too much to get ready and I’ve had four weeks off the bike.”

The announcement for Team Australia has been somewhat delayed compared to previous years, most likely due to Hunter Lawrence’s (Geico Honda) recent knee injury. Confirmation of the squad is expected to be released imminently.