Australian motocross rider Luke Clout will be back in front of Australian audiences in October. (Photo: Pro BMX)
Australian motocross rider Luke Clout is itching to get back on the bike and compete again.
The 27-year-old suffered a nasty leg break in April, and has been rehabbing hard in hopes of riding in front of Australian audiences come October.
Three months on, progress is slow but steady. Clout spoke to The Inner Sanctum at last week’s announcement that the FIM World SuperCross would be coming to Marvel Stadium.
“It’s getting there… I’m about three months now, I had a check up with the surgeon last week,” Clout said.
“[I’m] another couple of weeks off, in the gym and cycling and stuff like that. It’s getting better week by week, should be on the bike in a couple of weeks and then the real pre-season grind starts.
“I’ll get ready the best I can for Round 1. Probably won’t be 100 per cent, but we’re going to be in a good place to be honest.
“The injury… was pretty bad, but the worst is on the back foot now. I’m looking forward to the next few weeks and getting back on the bike.”
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While cycling and doing gym work has helped Clout physically, the mental game is a completely different side of the recovery.
He’s struggled across his rehab with self-doubt and uncertainty.
“You’re injured and you can’t do certain things, but you know it’s going to get better,” Clout explained.
“It’s just the mental kind of thing; ‘am I going to get back to where I was?’ Hopefully as the time goes on I start riding and I get better… I think the mental side goes away and it’s more just trying to get physically ready.
“It’s weird the way it works. The way it’s all going and the way it’s gone and the way I’m progressing week by week we’ll be right to go by October.”
SuperCross in Australia
Starting in October at Marvel Stadium, the FIM World SuperCross Australian round will be hosted in Melbourne for the next three years.
With 10 teams and 40 riders, it will be a huge return after numerous events were cancelled across the past two years due to the COVID pandemic.
Clout raced last time the event was in Melbourne, and is looking forward to the opportunity.
“2019 we came here and there were 30, 40 thousand people and it was exciting,” he said.
“This year’s only going to be bigger… there was near 40 thousand here just for an Australian round. Having World Supercross status is only going to bring people more. Expect it’s going to be pretty large.”
Clout and his fellow racers will get the chance to compete against Australian motocross legend Chad Reed, who last week announced his return from retirement.
A three-time World SuperCross champion, he is the most decorated Australian in the history of the sport.
Looking up to Reed as one of his sporting idols, Clout is excited at the prospect of testing himself against the best once again.
“I think every kid that grew up racing motocross [idolised him], Chad was over there [in America] at his prime,” Clout said.
“We looked up to Chad, I think we all still do respect him and what he’s done. He’s still the best Australian ever to do it. It’s cool for him to come back, but we’re racing in the World Supercross now and I want to be the top Australian rider.
“That’s my plan, to be the top Aussie and have some good battles along the way with Chad.”
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