When competing in professional motocross racing – or any other action sport for that matter – there is always a high risk of injury. Hundreds of seasons have been caught short throughout the history of motocross, and some careers have been ended altogether due to serious injury. The 2012 Supercross season is no different, and more than a few unlucky riders started the season off with a fresh injury.
One of the most highly publicized injuries is the broken collarbone suffered by Trey Canard. Though it was actually suffered before the start of the season, the injury was enough to sideline Canard for at least the first round. The resilient rider healed quickly, however, and did make his return in Phoenix for the second round of the 2012 Supercross season.
Another rider injured prior to the start of the first round of the 2012 Supercross season is Michael Byrne. He too suffered his injury during preparation for the new season, breaking both his nose and his neck. The rider was testing out a new bike suspension system on Christmas day when the crash occurred.
PJ Larsen is yet another popular rider to sustain injury prior to the 2012 Supercross season. His injury came just one day after the announcement that he would be racing for JDR Motorsports/JStar/KTM in the Lites West Region series. He suffered a broken hand in a crash during practice, but he is expected to be ready for the Lites East Region series. Ryan Marmont is filling in for him in the meantime.
Rider Josh Hill, with the Dodge/Sycuan/Hart and Huntington Kawasaki team, suffered one of the first major injuries in a 2012 supercross race. Hill went down hard in the first turn at Anaheim, and ended up breaking his tibia as a result. He is expected to miss four to six weeks. His team has not announced plans to replace him.
Will Hahn also suffered his most recent injury during practice, but it was during preparation for Phoenix when his injury occurred. Hahn was practicing at Honda’s facility in Corona, California, when he fell over and fractured his right hip. Hahn also missed a great deal of the 2011 season due to injury, as well, and had only just made his supercross return at Anaheim less than one week prior to the crash. He was reached for an interview after the incident, where he was given the chance to explain exactly what happened.
“I’m just shocked, numbed,” Hahn said. “I was training this week at the Honda track and things were going great. I went over a step up, landed awkwardly, fell over and landed hard on my right side. I felt sore when I got up. I went to the doctor and X-rays showed something was wrong. I went to a specialist on Thursday and he said my hip was cracked. Now I have to sit again. I can’t believe it. I’m not even bummed. I’m beyond that.”
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