Nathan Crawford says he was ‘just surviving’ after suffering a heavy fall in moto one at Matterley Basin’s opening round, the Queenslander still making a respectable debut in the MX2 World Championship.

The Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider was running near the top 10 during the first outing on Sunday before coming up short on the uphill triple, forcing him to the ground heavily.

He remounted and bounced back for a P18 result, while he managed a strong 10th place finish in the final moto to wind up 14th in his first appearance on the world stage.

“In race one I got a mid-pack start, but made some good passes on lap one,” Crawford explained. “I was hovering around 10th position and then had a big crash and after that I was just surviving and trying to get through the race.

“In race two it was an okay start, but not great – so I set about battling my way through and ended the race in 10th place. The second race was definitely better for me and that gives me something to build on.”

The MXGP World Championship heads to Valkenswaard in the Netherlands this weekend for round two of the series.