Calvin Vlaanderen Out, Knee | News

Mystery has surrounded Calvin Vlaanderen since he bowed out of the Grand Prix of The Netherlands, the 16th round of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship, with a knee issue. Vlaanderen did not travel to Switzerland for the next race and was soon dropped from The Netherlands' Motocross of Nations team. Yamaha Motor Europe's Off-Road Racing Manager Alexandre Kowalski mentioned that he expected to see Vlaanderen at the final three rounds, but updates were sparse beyond that.

Now, Vlaanderen has taken to social media to confirm that he did have surgery on his injured knee. There is still no official word on the exact injury that he sustained nor is there a timeline on his recovery. This is at least some clarity on the situation and where he has been since he limped to 14th in moto one at his home Grand Prix. The "complexity" mentioned in the quote below suggests that, despite previous reports, he will not race again until 2025.

"Quick update on the knee! I had a successful surgery a couple days ago; the injury was more complex than we originally thought and we had to go inside to repair it. Motivated to start rehab to be back soon."

The good news is that Vlaanderen seems likely to remain in Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP colors in the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championship, although that would mark the end of his current contract with the manufacturer. '10' sits fifth in the MXGP championship standings, but will drop to seventh before the final checkered flag waves.