Premier class rookie Joey Savatgy was forced to sit out majority of Saturday night’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross round in Glendale after suffering a concussion in the opening heat race.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider made a critical error while challenging for position, and was later deemed unfit to ride following a post-race examination by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit under strict concussion protocol.

“I was feeling really comfortable on the bike all day,” said Savatgy. “The team and I were prepared to redeem our results from last week, but unfortunately, I made a mistake in my heat race, which caused me to sit out the rest of the night. It’s only the second round of a long season and I’m looking forward to using the experience and improving each week.”

The number 17 is hopeful of a return this weekend at Anaheim 2’s third round, although he’ll have to undergo a further concussion test to ensure he’s safe to ride. It’s been a rough start to his maiden 450SX campaign, finishing 16th at the season-opener.

The main event on Saturday was taken out by Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) – the first of his career – following a red flag caused by a heavy fall from Malcolm Stewart (Smarttop Bull Frog Spas MotoConcepts Honda).