Image: Octopi Media.

Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda has been cleared of any broken bones after injuring his lower left leg in St. Louis, with scans this week expected to determine the extent of any other possible damage.

Shimoda – who came into the weekend just 14 points outside of the lead – was caught up in a multi-rider incident at the beginning of the 250SX East heat race.

The defending 250SMX champion didn’t return to action for the rest of the night, however, it has been confirmed that he avoided any broken bones in the impact. He’s dropped to fourth in the standings, now 36 points behind Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) following the 250SX Showdown.

“Not much to say about my weekend,” Shimoda recalled. “I wasn’t able to finish a lap in the heat race. I was trying to avoid a rider crashing in front of me and ended up getting landed on. Alpinestars medical told me that there were no broken bones, but possible ligament damage. We’ll know more when I get an MRI.”

Honda HRC Progressive team manager Lars Lindstrom added: “A bittersweet night, which is common in racing when you have two riders that are championship contenders. Jo never got a chance to show what he had, and we’re doing everything we can to help him get back to being on the bike.

“Initially, it looked really serious, but now I’m more hopeful that it’s only a minor setback. Hopefully, we’ll know more after an MRI, but weight on the foot seems to be okay.”