In the sports of motocross and Supercross, the saying “you’re only as good as your last race” rings more true than it might in any other sport. Fans are often quick to forget riders that have been out of sight, and in a sport where injuries are prevalent, that can really play mind games with an athlete. Take that fact, pile on two back-to-back serious injuries that keep a rider out of action for nearly a full season, and it can really do a number on a rider. This is when loving what you do and having the drive and desire to do it are put to the real test. This week’s Inside Story dealt with exactly that.
Last week, Wil Hahn returned to racing after breaking his back in January and then breaking his shoulder and ribs in March. In his first race back, Wil quickly reminded anyone that forgot, that he’s a force to be remembered. After over seven months away from the sport, he jumped into a very competitive series and surprised many with a very solid sixth overall. Since we’re gigantic Wil Hahn fans at MotoXAddicts, we decided to give the GEICO Powersports/Honda rider a call, find out how he felt Red Bud went, and talk about some of the battles he went through in coming back from the series of injuries.
Here’s how our conversation went:
Welcome back to racing, Wil. I guess I’ll start with what you did in your first race back. That was huge! To come back after what you’ve been through and get sixth overall is a pretty big deal. How did you get it done?
It was a was a long process for sure. It was definitely tough to step back in not knowing where I was at. I’m not going to lie: I struggled in practice. I guess [it was] nerves and everything–being out of it for so long and stepping back in. I expected to be a lot better in practice, and I was a little bit bummed out on myself. But, like you said, it ended up turning out pretty well.
In moto one, was it the intensity and getting used to it that caused you to struggle a bit in the beginning?
Yeah.Well, there was that, and on lap three, I stalled it and I was really bummed on that. I really felt like I could have had two solid top-six motos, and I stalled it. It kind of flustered me, and it took me a long time to get back going. I actually never felt like I recovered from that the whole moto.
I was wondering about that because you were right there, and then you just disappeared.
Yeah, I lost a lot of positions and a lot of time, and it made me a little bit hesitant in the corner I stalled it in. It was just a little bit of everything. As good of a weekend as it was, it was a hard weekend just because learning, my nerves, just everything.
In the end, though, were you able to accomplish everything you wanted to accomplish?
Yeah, I went in there, and honestly, my goal was top seven. I set myself a realistic goal before the weekend and told myself, “Top seven, I’m happy. Top five, awesome. We can build on that.” I left there with a sixth and split the difference. I was happy.
It was awesome to see you up there all day long. How nice was it to finally be able to race your new ride?
Yeah, I’ve gotten to ride it all year, it feels like. I guess not all year, but it feels like it. I’ve gotten to ride it plenty, and I’ve never raced it. It was cool the way I started that second moto and how all that happened. I was definitely happy.
Yeah, that holeshot in moto two was monstrous. Are those GEICO Powersports/Hondas that fast?
Yeah, our bike’s that good and my mechanic can pack a hell of a gate. (Laughs)
(Laughs) Is he sitting right next to you?
(Laughs) No! I wish he was. He’d laugh. I guess a couple of guys were asking him last week, “What did you guys put in that motor?”
He was like, “ Nah, if I told you how I packed the gate, I’d have to kill you. But it’s all about how you pack the gate. All Wil has to do is dump the clutch!” (Laughs)
What kind of boots is he running for the gate packing?
I don’t know. It’s funny. It was perfect timing, honestly.
It was awesome to see you up there. How did the pace at the front feel? Was it about what you expected or a lot more?
It was a little bit more than normal, but that’s what I’ve been working on too. I feel like I have a really good technique on starting, and it really paid off.
By the looks of moto two, all that time off from the back–and, then, shoulder–looked like it was spent dialing in the starts. Well, that and, of course, the gate packing. (Laughs) Pretty much everyone knows how the back injury happened because it happened at a race, but the shoulder injury happened away from racing, so most don’t know what happened. Can you tell us when and how the broken shoulder happened?
It was in March, like the eighth.
So, you were back riding from the breaking your back really soon.
Yeah, I got cleared for my back, and everything was good to go. It was my second day back riding back home. I took it slow and started hitting a few jumps and was like, “Alright, everything is feeling good.” Everything felt normal. There was this downhill section, and I high-sided right at the top of the downhill. I ended up catching the next jump before I went down, so I got air, and unfortunately, it was a high-speed part of the track, but I really wasn’t going for it at that point. I don’t really regret anything ’cause I don’t feel like I could have done anything to prevent it. I wasn’t doing a moto or anything crazy. It was a bad crash–bad enough to where I was knocked out for a while, so I really couldn’t tell you what happened unfortunately. Yeah, a stupid crash basically. I didn’t see it coming, don’t know what I did wrong and don’t know how to prevent it. (Laughs) At the end of the day, it was just one of those deals. I wasn’t meant to be out there for some reason. It ended up that I broke the top of my shoulder blade real bad and ended up breaking my number three or four rib.
Well, there goes my next question. (Laughs) I was going to ask if you were thinking “damn, not again” as you were going down, but if you were unconscious, I guess your next thought was, “How did I get here?”
When I came to, it was the weirdest thing. In my mind, I never stopped riding. I never crashed. It was so weird, and I remember telling my brother that. I don’t remember getting squirrelly. I never stopped riding, and all of a sudden, I wake up and you guys are all sitting around me. I don’t remember anything until I was walking into the ambulance. It was weird. I remember seeing them for a minute, and walking back to the truck, but I wasn’t coherent until I got into the ambulance. And that was a little bit later. (Laughs) They were talking to me for a while, and they said that I wasn’t acting hurt. Then all of a sudden, Tom [Wil’s brother] said that I said, “Hey, my shoulder is broke. Let’s go to the hospital.”
That’s crazy. So you get a moment of clarity and you instantly know your broken? That’s a trip.
Yeah, I told Tom, “My shoulder’s broke. Let’s go to the hospital,” and he said, “Really?” and pulled my jersey back. Then, they were like, “Yeah, let’s go.” It’s so weird how your mind works when your coming back from that. I don’t remember being in pain laying on the ground. I remember getting up. They pulled me up, and I was fine, but then all of a sudden it was time to go.
Was it a pain you had felt before that led you to believe broken shoulder or just one of those things where you just knew?
No, it was just that the sharp pain I had was so high up on the shoulder blade that there was only one thing it could be. Unfortunately, when you end up getting hurt as much as some of us do, we can get our Ph.D. in knowing what is hurt. (Laughs) It’s not that sweet. We end up knowing more than the doctors knows. It’s broke, dude. Let’s not waste my $40 on an X-ray. (Laughs)
Many motocrossers are going to read what you just said and know exactly what you’re talking about. (Laughs) Did you have to go under the knife or did everything heal without surgery?
No surgery. Luckily, it healed normal. I was pretty lucky. I jumped right on it in rehab. I was pretty fortunate I did that, or I wouldn’t have been back as soon as I was. Lots of rehab and long days in the doctors office, but I’m happy I did that now.
Yeah, It’s amazing what you guys have to go through mentally and physically to get back into race shape from injuries. It’s amazing what you guys come back from sometimes.
It really is ’cause this one took a pretty bad toll on me. I’m not gonna lie; the first couple of weeks were pretty tough for me. I don’t think it would have been that way if I wouldn’t have just come back from that. I broke my back and just got cleared to do normal things like road bike, but I couldn’t ride. I did that for almost two months before I even rode. Then, I get a dirt bike back in my life for two days, and then I’m all the way back at square one.
What kind of recovery time frame were they giving on the shoulder?
At first, they said five weeks to heal. So three weeks goes by, and I go back to get a check up, and they tell me two more months. That was kind of tough to swallow, as well. The first couple of weeks was also one of the most painful injuries I’ve had. It was twice as bad as my back–just being uncomfortable. The ribs and the shoulders were fighting each other the whole time. Unfortunately, it was a real shitty deal. (Laughs) I couldn’t have done it without my whole family and the team.
That’s awesome, and GEICO Powersports/Honda is behind you for 2012 as well, right?
Yeah.
Well, then you get to go win a title for them and let them know it was worth it.
Exactly! (Laughs) That’s what I plan on doing–repaying them for all their patience.
I will not be surprised for a minute it you do just that in 2012. You sure reminded everyone that forgot where you might have been this year if not for injuries real fast at Red Bud. This sport has a tendency to forget quickly when riders are out with injuries, but one ride like Red Bud, and they’re quickly reminded.
Yeah, it’s nice, but I’ve had a good fan-base behind me this whole time–everyone on Twitter keeping up with me and the guys at DMXS keeping me going. You know, you’re always forgotten quickly, and you’re only as good as your last race. It had been awhile before Red Bud since I had raced, so it can make it tough on you.
Yeah, you were probably one of the least forgotten riders that I’ve seen that’s been on such a long hiatus. You even picked up a little commentating action with SPEED TV. Maybe a future career for Wil Hahn in the booth?
(Laughs) I’m getting better at it. I don’t know. We’ll see.
It was fun to see–little start hints and what not. Keeps your face out there if nothing else.
Yeah, absolutely. As long as I get to take Weigandt’s job. That’s the only job I want to take. (Laughs)
Sorry, brother. You’d be the ex-Pro, so you’re stuck with Emig’s job as the color commentator. We need you guys in the booth breaking it down.
Ahhh… See, that’s not fair. Okay, I guess I’ll replace Emig. (Laughs)
Alright, well back to talking about racing. Now that you’re back–no championship pressure and just racing to race–what are your goals for the rest of the Nationals?
Well, I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you I wanted to be up on that box. I feel like that’s what I was hired for. For me, it’s mainly building my career back up for next year. It’s getting ready for twenty-twelve, and I’m going to go out and put in some solid rides until then. That outdoor-to-Supercross break is long, and I want to leave on the best possible path I can.
Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think you would be on the box before the season’s over. Curious, though, is the team sick of all that Pro Circuit domination yet?
Uh, yeah, I think we all are a little bit, right?
Yeah, I’m all for more diversity on the box. (Laughs)
Yeah, I’m ready to get the whole team up there. I’m ready to sweep the box. Why not get top four while we’re up there? I think we’re ready to tackle it as soon as possible. We’ve been taking baby steps with it, but we’re making progress. As a team, we’re growing right now, and we’ve been up at Larocco’s training and testing with each other every day since Red Bud. It’s been good getting to know each other on a personal level and support each other. Whether it’s me helping someone or them helping me, it’s a group effort. It’s nice to feel ourselves come together as a group.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for you, Mr. Hahn. I, as always, wish you good luck with the rest of the season and in the future. My next race is Washougal, so I will come by and bug you.
Thanks a lot, and it’s always a good time. I’ll see you at Washougal.
