We catch up with injured MX2 rider Jed Beaton for an update on his recovery, his plans for the rest of the 2018 season and what's in store for next year.
The 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship looked like the breakthrough series Australia’s Jed Beaton needed to put him on the motocross map, until an unfortunate crash at the MXGP of Great Britain left him with a broken left tibia, fibula, right ankle and a number of ribs. Now the 20-year-old is likely to miss the remainder of the 2018 championship as he recovers at his European base in The Netherlands.
Beaton is still in severe pain as a result of the severity of his injuries but mustered the strength to give ADB an update on his recovery.
ADB: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Jed. How long do you think you’ll be out, what’s the expected recovery time?
JB: From my first visit to the doctor in late June they say I’m looking at about a three-month recovery process at this point. I have another check up with my surgeon this week and they should be able to give me a more accurate timeline for my recovery.
ADB: How are you feeling now we are a couple weeks on from the crash?
JB: I’m not feeling too bad. At times it’s still sore but that’s to be expected. It just takes a bit of time for the pain to go away with any broken bones. The really crap thing is I have two pretty bad breaks in my legs and they are taking a lot more time to stop hurting.
ADB: What exactly did you break/damage in the crash?
JB: I actually crashed twice. The first crash was during my qualifying race on the Saturday and that’s when I broke some ribs but I kept riding. Then came the big crash on Sunday where I ended up with a compound fracture to my left tibia and fibula while also breaking my right ankle. Both required surgery. They installed a rod in my left leg and a plate with six screws in my right ankle.
ADB: How did the crash occur?
JB: To be really honest I don’t know exactly what happened. One lap I’m hitting the biggest jump on the track as hard as my bike goes then the next lap I hit it my bike was half upside down that I had to jump off. When I think about it, I don’t know what happened at all!
ADB: With the expected recovery time of three months what are your plans for the rest of the year and 2019?
JB: I’m still unsure when I will return to the GPs. I know this injury will take a while for a full recovery because it’s both legs not just one. Also, with GPs you are riding against the best in the world, so you can’t go back racing unless you are 100% otherwise you’ll just look silly. It all depends how the recovery goes really. I will know more in the next few weeks!
As for 2019, I’ll be racing in Europe again and I can’t wait to see what the season holds for me!
