Smets receives knee surgery.

Team Suzuki rider and five times World Motocross Champion Joel Smets successfully underwent an operation on the snapped ligament in his right knee on Wednesday and is now at home beginning his second period of recovery this year.

The 35-year-old was able to leave hospital yesterday afternoon after staying the night following the surgical procedure that lasted over an hour.

The broken anterior cruciate ligament was replaced using a donated part. Smets has little pain and now faces a three week rest period before beginning his rehabilitation in earnest.

"The operation went well and it was good to get home," said Smets. "When they opened the knee thay also repaired some small damage to the exterior meniscus and I was told everything lasted about an hour and a half. I took some painkillers in the hospital but it is not that sore now.

"The knee looks a bit of a mess at the moment and is stiff and swollen after the operation, but I now have three weeks just to keep icing the joint, doing some little exercises and letting things cool down before I can start carefully doing some swimming and cycling. If everything goes OK I hope I might be able to visit the Grand Prix in Ireland," he revealed.

The injury was sustained during a pre-season International race at Mantova in Italy and caused Smets to prematurely end his MX1 World Championship campaign. The luckless Belgian then contracted a blood bacterial infection and was admitted to hospital for several weeks.