Image: Supplied.

An ankle injury sustained in Italy will force Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP rookie Kay de Wolf to miss the MXGP of Portugal – and potentially more rounds – while focusing on his recovery.

Following further medical evaluations, the decision has been made for the Dutchman to sit out upcoming rounds of the Motocross World Championship while the team continues to monitor his progress.

The injury interrupts what has been an encouraging first MXGP campaign for the 21-year-old, who currently sits inside the top-five of the standings and recently celebrated his second podium finish of the season in Latvia.

“It’s obviously a real disappointment because the crash was completely out of my control, especially when we had built some good momentum over the last few rounds,” de Wolf commented. “Right now, the focus is on recovering properly and making sure everything heals as it should.

“We still have a few more checks to go through and take some rest. From there, I want to keep building and put myself in a position to fight for a podium at Lommel. I’ll do everything I can to come back fit, healthy and ready to go.”

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team manager Rasmus Jorgensen added: “This is a very frustrating situation, [because] Kay had built some great momentum and was learning a lot with every race.

“Injuries are unfortunately part of this sport, but for it to happen in the way it did makes it even tougher to accept, especially for Kay. As always, we are fully behind him, and together we will do everything in our power to make sure he returns as soon as possible.”