Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton has escaped injury after crashing heavily at Russia’s opening round of the 2021 MXGP World Championship.

The Australian charged to a solid seventh-place finish in the opening MX2 encounter after a strong start, although moto two saw him fall victim to the finish line jump that claimed a number of riders throughout the weekend.

The jump, which had a dry and slick up-ramp, saw Beaton slide out on the take-off, crashing simultaneously alongside Isak Gifting (Diga Procross GasGas Factory Racing). Lucky to escape injury, the Tasmanian rebounded to finish 11th for seventh overall.

“The day started really good with third in qualifying,” Beaton explained. “From there it wasn’t my greatest day, at least it wasn’t where I wanted to be anyway. It’s the first of 19 rounds so there’s still a long way to go and many races so it’s not over by any means.

“The class is so stacked that it was hard to make passes today but we’ll move forward from here. I’ll be working on my starts during the next couple of weeks and I’ll be back for more at Matterley Basin in two weeks’ time.”

The MXGP World Championship now heads to Great Britain on 27 June for the second round of the series.