A damaged Husqvarna FC 250 forced Jed Beaton to retire from the opening moto at Matterley Basin’s second round of the 2021 MXGP World Championship, the Australian suffering a heavy fall after battling inside the top five.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider looked strong all morning and was in the fight for a podium in race one, however the Tasmanian was thrown to the ground after being awkwardly kicked from a braking bump.

Despite the DNF and heavy fall, Beaton bounced back in the final encounter, putting on a spirited charge to cross the finish line in eighth position.

“As soon as I went out for the first lap in practice I felt great on my bike,” Beaton reflected. “I loved the track and then in race one things were going really good. I got into fourth and was just biding my time, finding some good lines and letting the track dry out before making a charge.

“Unfortunately, I caught a bump wrong and had a pretty big crash. I hit my head and my bike was too bent up to continue. It’s a real shame as up until that point I felt awesome out there. In race two I lined up to give it a good go and finished eighth.

“Not where we want to be but it’s early in the season and there’s a long way to go. My starts were good so despite the crash there are some positives to take away from this weekend.”

Beaton sits 10th in the MX2 standings after two rounds, with the series now heading to Maggiora in Italy on 4 July/