A shoulder injury resulted in the early exit of GasGas Racing Team’s Noah Ferguson from Appin, the MX2 contender absent from the second moto after an inspired effort saw him complete qualifying and moto one with a broken left collarbone.

Ferguson started the season in fine-form, qualifying fastest at Wonthaggi and was ultimately awarded third-place in the season-opening moto at the Victorian venue.

However, the number 29 broke his left collarbone and sustained further damage in the week prior to Appin, making for an immensely challenging day out. He qualified 27th in the difficult conditions and finished race one in that position before the decision was made to sit out the remainder of the event.

“We’re not 100 percent sure of the extent of the shoulder injury at this stage, but it definitely made for a hard day at Appin,” Ferguson explained. “I completed race one, but I wasn’t strong enough to finish inside the points, so from that stage, we decided to sit out the second moto.

“That was the safest option because I was pretty much just riding with one arm on the bars. It’s unfortunate, but I have to take it as it comes and see if we can get everything sorted beforehand for Wodonga.”

Ferguson will undergo further medical evaluations this week in a bid to be fit for round three of the Penrite ProMX Championship at Wodonga, Victoria on 16 April.