Image: Octopi Media.

250MX newcomer Kayden Minear says that he’s ‘a lot further ahead’ in his recovery timeline than expected after sustaining a major thumb injury at the High Point National, indicating that a return for the final stages of Pro Motocross could be a possibility.

Minear, who signed with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing late last year, impressed at this year’s Hangtown National Scouting Moto Combine, taking a convincing 1-1 performance that earned him an early professional pro-class promotion.

Upon debut at Thunder Valley, the 18-year-old posted an 18-12 moto scorecard for 16th overall, before an incident during qualifying one week later at High Point resulted in a damaged ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).

Despite then racing to a P18 finish in Pennsylvania, further scans – following a short trip home to Australia for visa purposes – revealed the need for surgery in the following weeks, immediately placing him on the sidelines.

“At High Point, I struggled a bit in qualifying, and obviously I ended up damaging my UCL joint in that session,” Minear told MotoOnline. “I raced through the pain during the day, then I had to go back to Australia to sort out some visa stuff, and then I came back, tried riding, and my thumb had gotten a lot worse.

“The team trainer ended up sending me off for a scan, which showed that my whole UCL joint was snapped off the bone, and it also snapped the ligaments. There were no other options after that, I had to get surgery and get it fixed, which brings me to where I am now.”

After plans to contest Loretta Lynn’s were benched, Minear was initially penciled in to return for SMX Next at the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Final in Las Vegas this September, but a faster-than-expected recovery has both he and the team considering an expedited return.

“We’re now a month post-operation, and I think I’m a lot further ahead than I thought I would be,” he continued. “It’s feeling pretty good, and I’m starting to get a lot more mobility back into it. In speaking with the team, if I am ready to go, I’ll jump back in and do those last pro races. We just have to wait and see how it feels when I am back on the bike – it’s just a waiting game.”

A two-week break in the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship schedule will see action resume with the Ironman National on August 9, directly followed by consecutive rounds at Unadilla and Budds Creek.