After his heavy crash at the Lausitzring and then needing to sit out the Czech Republic Grand Prix the following weekend, Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin should be back on the factory bike for the Belgian round of the FIM Motocross World Championship this Saturday/Sunday.

Paulin was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion and heavy bruising to his left leg from the spill while leading in Germany almost three weeks ago. After hospital observation and recommencement of his training programme this week the French star – just one of three MX1 GP winners in 2013 – is expecting to be back in the gate for just the second visit by the series to Bastogne.

“I needed one week in the hospital in Nice for observation but since then I’ve been able to start training again…slowly,” he said exclusively to OTOR. “It felt strange at first but better each time and last Sunday was my first back on the bike.”

“The first couple of laps were a bit scary – like I was drunk!” he admitted. “But I settled down and the motos came back to me. I am now pushing like it is the winter time to be ready for Belgium.”

Paulin was pressurising Tony Cairoli for the top spot in the MX1 standings at one point but has not stood on the podium since his win at Maggiora in June. His two-race absence has seen him fall from second to fourth in the series with just three rounds remaining.