Image: Supplied.

Moto3 prospect Joel Kelso’s Czechia GP came to an abrupt end prior to Sunday race day, with the LevelUp-MTA rider sustaining a fractured metatarsal bone in his right foot as a result of a violent highside in free practice.

After what had been a challenging stretch of races for the 22-year-old, Kelso was eyeing a return to podium form at the Brno circuit, pushing the envelope onboard his KTM during the final practice session on Saturday morning.

Kelso commenced his third flying lap after switching to a fresh tyre for the session, only to lose the rear-end at turn one and later discover a fracture in his foot, subsequently being declared unfit ahead of the race.

“Overall, the opening sessions in Brno started well for me – we felt strong on the used tyre and when we switched to the new compound the pace was good, so we were feeling positive,” recalled Kelso.

“Unfortunately, on my third flying lap, I lost the rear at turn one and had a pretty violent highside, with a heavy impact to my foot. They detected a small fracture between the third and fourth metatarsals.”

The Moto3 World Championship season now enters its annual European summer break, giving Kelso – currently sixth in the standings – one month to recover from his injury and return to form across the remaining 10 rounds, which commences once more at the Austrian GP in August.