The Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team will miss the final round of the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship as Tommy Searle suffered a shoulder injury last weekend.

After his crash during the warm up on Sunday morning Tommy Searle was forced to withdraw from the races in Turkey due to a painful shoulder, but the British rider remained optimistic regarding his chances to contest the first ever MXGP of China in Shanghai this weekend. Unfortunately, Tommy still feels discomfort in his shoulder and is unable to race this weekend, even if the bikes are already in China.

It also leaves a question mark on whether he will be fit to race in the final round of the British championship next weekend as he bids to clinch the title. He has a 35 point lead over Shaun Simpson but 50 are up for grabs.

This season has been a tough one for the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, as both Clément Desalle (in Russia) and Julien Lieber (in Germany) suffered serious injuries while they were delivering great results. Joining the team for the last part of the season Tommy Searle was himself affected by minor injuries but did his best for the team until this crash last weekend.

Clément Desalle has received permission from his doctor to start riding his bike again so all team members including team manager François Lemariey now have their sights on 2020. “We all know that this tough sport can be ungrateful, and this year it was particularly tough with us. For a few weeks now we’re all focused on next season, and we’ll take this as a plus; we know the 450 KX Kawasaki perfectly and we’re convinced that 2020 will bring better results for the team and all our partners. Thanks to everyone for staying behind us in this difficult period!”