Injury Report: Steel City
Friday, August 31, 2012 | 11:30 AMMichael Byrne – Lateral Tibial Plateau Fracture
Comment: After leading Unadilla for ten of sixteen laps, Byrne injured himself when he planted his leg in a rutted corner. The injury takes roughly eight weeks to heal, which takes Byrne out for the rest of the season.
Zach Bell – Fractured Vertebrae
Comment: Bell suffered compression fractures to his T3 and T4 vertebrae in a crash during the second moto at Unadilla. Bell is expected to make a full recovery, but will be out for the rest of the season and will miss the Monster Energy Cup in October.
Les Smith – Broken Leg
Comment: Smith broke his leg in the first moto at Unadilla and will miss the rest of the season. At least he’s got a sweet looking pair of crutches to get around on.
Kyle Cunningham – Injured Ankle
Comment: Cunningham did further damage to an already injured ankle when he hooked a rut with his boot at Budds Creek. Cunningham will return to racing this weekend at Steel City.
James Stewart – Broken Finger
Comment: Stewart broke his finger when he went down in the second moto at Unadilla. The injury takes Stewart out of action for the rest of the season.

Cole Seely - Ruptured Kidney, Lacerated Liver and Whiplash
Comment: Seel recently had a minor surgery to help with the healing process and has been cleared by doctors to start training again. He expects to be back on the bike by the end of September.
Tommy Hahn – Dislocated Shoulder and Fractured Vertebrae
Comment: Hahn crashed while practicing at the Masterpoole’s track and is out for the rest of the season.
Matt Lemoine – Broken Foot
Comment: Lemoine broke his foot when he got it caught in a deep rut at Southwick and will not be racing at Steel City.
Mike Sottile – Broken Pinky
Comment: Sottile is out for the season.
Lowell Spangler – Broken Ribs and Collarbone
Comment: Spangler’s bike cut out while he was practicing. The resulting injuries will take him out of action for the remainder of the season.
Hunter Hewitt – Staph Infection
Comment: Hewitt has been fighting fatigue due to a staph infection. He will not be racing at Steel City or Lake Elsinore.
Ryan Villopoto - Knee Injury
Comment: Villopoto is back riding after suffering a torn ACL at the Seattle Supercross. No official word yet on a possible return date, but it will more than likely be at the Monster Energy Cup.
Jarred Browne – Nerve Damage in Right Elbow
Comment: Nerve damage in Browne’s elbow is affecting his right hand. Browne is out for the rest of the season.

RV is back on the bike.
Simon Cudby photo
Nick Wey – Three Fractured Vertebrae, Dislocated Hip and Broken Ribs
Comment: Wey had a terrible crash at Spring Creek that sent his bike tumbling into the creek and him to the hospital. Wey’s fractured vertebrae have been fused, and he will not be racing for the rest of the year.
Tommy Weeck - Broken Tibia and Fibula
Comment: Star Valli Rockstar Yamaha fill-in rider Tommy Weeck broke his tibia and fibula practicing at Glen Helen and is out for the year.
Drew Yenerich – Concussion
Comment: Yenerich will miss the remainder of the season
Gareth Swanepoel – Broken Leg
Comment: Swanepoel broke his tibia and fibula at Spring Creek. He will miss the rest of the season out.
Ivan Tedesco – Hurt Knee
Comment: After taking some time off to heal up after a sustaining a lacerated kidney and broken rib in a big crash at Budds Creek, Tedesco hurt his knee at Washougal and will not be racing at Steel City.
Shane Sewell – Broken Left Humerus and Torn Left Meniscus
Comment: Sewell will not return to racing until 2013.
Matt Moss – Illness
Comment: Moss is out for the rest of the season and is focusing on getting healthy again.
Brett Metcalfe – Broken Tibia and Dislocated Wrist
Comment: Metcalfe went over the bars when his bike ran out of gas in a rhythm section at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. Metcalfe underwent surgery for his injuries and is out for the season.

Kyle Cunningham makes his return at Steel City.
Simon Cudby photo
Dillon Huddleston – Broken Scapula
Comment: Huddleston is undergoing physical therapy and hopes to be racing at Lake Elsinore.
Sayaka Kaneshiro - Injured Wrists and Ankle
Comment: Kaneshiro sustained injury while practicing for RedBud and is out for the season.
Myles Tedder – Broken Foot and Labral Tear in Shoulder
Comment: Tedder crashed at Budds Creek on the last lap of the first 250 moto, breaking a bone in his right foot and tearing the labrum in his left shoulder. Tedder was looking at a three week recovery, but opted to take some additional time off to have surgery to repair a nagging problem with his shoulder. Tedder may be back for the final race at Lake Elsinore.
Amanda Maheu - Torn Labrum
Comment: Maheu’s injuries will keep her out of competition for the rest of the year.
Darryn Durham - Dislocated Shoulder and Torn Labrum
Comment: Durham injured his shoulder practicing before the start of the outdoor season and is out for the season.
Dean Wilson - Injured Shoulder
Comment: Wilson attempted to race Hangtown with a shoulder injury sustained in supercross, but it didn’t work out. Wilson underwent surgery, and is likely to miss the rest of the outdoor season. In the meantime, Wilson is keeping himself busy by Tweeting interesting pictures.
Bryce Vallee - Lacerated Liver and Kidney, Two Broken Femurs, Three Pelvic Fractures, Shattered Left Elbow with Radial Nerve Damage, Fractured Collarbone and Multiple Fractures in Lower Spine
Comment: Vallee suffered a horrible crash while leading a race at Pala Raceway. After being landed on multiple times, he was airlifted to Palomar Hospital and underwent two surgeries, with rods inserted in both femurs and three plates and 33 screws used to repair the left elbow. After multiple surgeries, a month in the hospital and much hard work and therapy, Bryce is now walking again much to the surprise of his doctors. With the help of Eddie Casillas of Asterisk Medical and Charles Dao of ICON Sports, here is a video of Bryce walking for the first time on May 30th at the ICON facility in Murietta, less than 2 months after the crash. Donations for medical expenses can be made at www.brycevalleemx.com.

Matt Lemoine will miss Steel City with a foot injury.
Simon Cudby photo
Jimmy Decotis - Torn ACL
Comment: Decotis crashed while practicing and tore his ACL. The injury effectively takes Decotis out of action for the rest of the year.
Chad Reed - Broken Tibia and Fibula, Broken Ribs, Broken T6 Vertebrae and a Torn ACL
Comment: Reed is back on the bike, but won’t be racing any of the remaining Nationals.
Trey Canard - Injured Back
Comment: After a terrible crash in Los Angeles, Canard was released from the hospital on January 29 and was able to return home. Canard is back on the bike and plan on returning in 2013.
Know of an injury we’ve missed? Email our man Aaron Hansel, [email protected], and he’ll handle it.
Share this article:
Did you like this article?
Check out THE DARK KNIGHT
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.Tyler Bowers has become a star on the Amsoil Arenacross circuit, but the often-controversial racer just hit another peak—a surprise win at the 2013 Las Vegas Supercross. Page 148.




Ya forgot to add me on the list? I got up this am and stepped on a thumbtack it is stuck in my big toe! Trying to get to my toe specalist to see what to do about it???
I dunno but it hurts. hope the doc can do somethging before Sat! I might not be able to watch the races!
Depressing,,,, get well soon guys!
and girls!!
I have had many of injuries racing just trying to make a little pun out of em.
Gee I counted 16 of the injuries and did not count anything twice that I have had and yes I have had some not mentioned above. Hey we race we get hurt.
Hey AMA, please encourage the bike manufacturers to make the bikes even faster, and even more tractable so that 110% of that power is transfered into forward motion, so the riders are forced to scrub even harder, rail berms and ruts even harder, and generally ride a machine more capable of going that fast than a human body is. We may be able to reduce the field of stars down to about 3 that finish a season halfway healthy by 2015. Oh, wait that happened this year.