Alsop Thankful for ‘Near Miss’ At AUSX Opener
KTM Racing Australia’s Jet Alsop entered the Opening Rounds of the Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) at Redcliffe following a pre-season incident, leaving the young Queenslander with just one ride on the bike after medical clearance for several broken ribs prior to Round 1.
After hitting the track for the opening SX3 Free Practice session, Alsop would quickly gel with the Redcliffe track, piecing together rhythms and the flow of the track within the opening few minutes.
Whilst sitting at the top of the practice times in the SX3 seeded group, a small judgement error in a rhythm saw Alsop clip a triple and head over the bars, aggravating his rib injury in the process.
After consultation with the Team and Racesafe Medical staff, it was deemed in Alsop’s best interest to withdraw from the Opening Rounds of competition and focus on preparing for a return to AUSX later in the season.
“Obviously I’m super disappointed with how today went, but we have to take the positives. I had one ride on my practice bike on a Supercross track prior to Redcliffe, we didn’t get time to test my race bike and to have the speed and flow I felt early on was really encouraging,” commented Alsop.
“I’m not sure what happened in the rhythm, I tried a midsection triple that nobody in SX3 was jumping at the time. The bike reacted differently to what I had anticipated and I almost rode out of it. In hindsight, I should have kept to the base rhythms and finished off Free Practice, but as a racer when you are feeling good, sometimes you have to pull the trigger to get that confidence for the edge in Supercross. I don’t have a return event set just yet for AUSX, but my intention is to be back for at least a couple of Rounds before the end of the 2024 Season. Thanks to the team and all my sponsors for their continued support, I’m looking forward to finishing off this year with some positive progress in Supercross.”
Alsop will now consult with his medical team, riding coach and KTM Australia to develop a plan for a return to AUSX competition prior to the end of the Championship.
Images: ID Media Group
