Petrov Out - Seewer In For Latvian MX

Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe was dealt a blow today when Petar Petrov was advised to miss the Grand Prix of Latvia and the 10th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend.

The Bulgarian was attacking the German sand of Tensfeld in practice for the latest fixture in the ADAC MX Masters last Saturday when he felt movement in his left shoulder and painfully had to withdraw from the meeting. The limb was not dislocated but some ligament damage had taken place and upon scans by renowned Belgian specialist Dr Claes, the number '152' was warned against competing in Kegums.

It is hard news for the factory-backed MX2 Grand Prix team who had already lost the tenacity of Harri Kullas for the rest of the season after surgery on his left knee last week. Petrov will spend seven days resting and assessing the strength of the joint before attempting to practice next Wednesday under the watchful eye of the squad and with strapping and support from Ortema. After the run a decision will be made if Petrov can look towards the Grand Prix of Russia the weekend after the trip to Latvia.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe was however encouraged to learn that electric Swiss teenager Jeremy Seewer - who scored impressive points on his Grand Prix debut in Belgium last month - will be able to join the awning. Seewer (pictured) has the full backing of his mXteam 91 set-up and will commit to his original plan of the European EMX2 series (the feeder competition to Grand Prix of which there are six meetings remaining and Seewer is currently a lofty second in the standings) but will house his RM-Z250 with the GP crew.

The 17 year old has been swiftly scaling the steps to international recognition. The Suzuki stalwart took third position in the 2011 European EMX125cc contest and currently leads the Youngster Cup of the high profile ADAC MX Masters Championship. Seewer caught the attention of many by steering the RM-Z250 for his country at St Jean D'Angely in France for the 2011 Motocross of Nations.

"We are talking about a special talent here and one that has been with the Suzuki family for a long time," commented Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe Team Manager Thomas Ramsbacher. "Although we would have preferred to have Jeremy's company in better circumstances, he represents the philosophy of our team and project; and that's taking some of the most promising and exciting talent Europe has to offer and helping them reach the top. We have already shown this with several riders and we are all very keen to see the possibilities of Jorge Zaragoza and Brian Hsu in the coming months. Jeremy, with his mXteam 91 framework, now becomes part of the goal and we couldn't be happier to welcome him."