After establishing himself as one of the standout performers of the season with podium results in Enduro 1 in South America and day one at the GP of Euskadi, the Yamaha rider saw his season curtailed with a catastrophic crash on day two in Spain.

Pushing hard for victory, Bourgeois lost control of his Yamaha as he launched from a drop-off just metres after the start of the enduro test.

“I can’t remember a lot about the crash. One minute I was racing hard and the next I wake up in an ambulance – in between that is blank,” laughed Marc when asked about his crash.

“I think just before the drop-off my bike caught a bump and it kicked really hard. At that moment I was already committed to the jump so there was nothing I could do to save it – I was a passenger.”

Lucky to escape with minor injuries he now faced a race against time to be fit for the GP of Italy in Castiglion Fiorentino at the end of June. But as time ticked by he quickly realised that goal would become a reality.

With podiums in Chile, Argentina and Spain, Marc was having a brilliant season © Lynn / Enduro21.com

“Immediately after the crash I travelled to Paris to get examined. My doctor told me that I was lucky not to have broken anything but after three weeks I was still in pain so I went back to him. I explained my situation, but again he said everything was normal.”

Knowing that something was wrong, he sought a second opinion where further tests revealed a broken bone in his wrist.

“When I got a second opinion x-rays showed that my wrist was broken and I was given a cast to wear. It’s frustrating because my new doctor said that if he had seen the fracture earlier then it would have been possible to race in Italy.”

However, with the Frenchman now finally on the mend, when does he hope to return to competitive action?

“It’s disappointing to have missed out on a good result in the championship through injury but I feel that I’ve already showed people what I’m capable of. It’s important not to rush back but instead return when I’m 100 per cent healthy.

“My goal is to race in Sweden. I hope to be back on a bike at least one week before that race. I’m not expecting to be back to my normal speed straight away but instead will use both Sweden and Finland as preparation for the final round in France. If I came finish on the podium at my home race then it will be a good end to a difficult year.”