Australian fan-favourite Hunter Lawrence has revealed a ‘freak accident’ has sidelined him indefinitely in the 2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, the Geico Honda ace experiencing a rare engine failure on the face of an up-ramp while training this week.

The Queenslander, who captured a moto victory at Spring Creek last weekend, released a detailed statement of how the incident unfolded, where he ultimately suffered a broken collarbone that will likely require surgery.

“Hey guys, so a freak accident happened yesterday while I was out training and we had something break in the engine at the top of a jump up-ramp and [it] locked up,” Lawrence explained. “By the time I let go of the handlebars I was already lawn darting into the ground.

“My team pulled a part the engine ASAP and what we found was a freak accident and what part broke we normally run for 100 hours and this part only had three hrs on it! So it wasn’t my team’s fault – we are digging to the bottom of it to prevent this happening again.

“Thank you to my team for supporting me in times like this and everyone else who rides this rollercoaster of a sport with me, as of now we are unsure of the time frame I am out for, but [I’m] getting checked up today, most likely surgery is required. [I’m] so sorry guys – I’m speechless.”

Lawrence is currently ranked fourth in the 250MX championship standings as Washougal’s ninth round looms this weekend.