Tommy Hahn has had a rough go of it the last couple seasons. After winning his first moto and overall at Steel City in 2009, Hahn was held back by a multitude of mechanical problems in 2010. This year, a shoulder injury prevented him from reaching his true potential. A brand new season is just around the corner, however, and Hahn is looking forward to putting his woes behind him and having a successful season in 2012. We got in touch with Hahn to see how his recovery was coming after his recent shoulder surgery.

Racer X: Your shoulder held you back for a good part of this year. Give us a quick rundown on how you got injured, and how it affected your performance this year.
Tommy Hahn: It started out at Dodger Stadium. I had a crash in the whoops during the main, and separated my shoulder a little bit. I fought through it to try to get back on the bike as soon as possible and keep riding. I’ve had a history of this shoulder popping out for like, ten years. It’s done it once or twice a year for the last ten years, and every time I would think it was just fine, it would do it again. So it started in supercross this year in L.A., and I hurt it again practicing at home during the outdoors. I popped it out, and I didn’t even really crash, the bike just kind of got out of control on me and the bars yanked my shoulder out. At that point, it was time to get it fixed. I went to Dr. Ting, and he cut it open and fixed it all up.

Did you have any other injuries this year?
Yeah, I cracked some ribs in Atlanta, and re-injured them at Budds Creek in the first moto. I had a pretty bad year as far as stupid little mishaps go.

Hahn was hampered by injuries throughout 2011, but is expected to be 100 percent by next season.
Photo: Simon Cudby

How has your recovery been going?
It’s been awesome. Dr. Ting tightened the capsule in on my shoulder so the ball won’t fall out, and I started riding a week ago. It’s been awesome, I haven’t had one bit of pain. I took the right time off, did all the right exercises and rehab for it, and it feels great. The rest of my body is sore, but my shoulder feels awesome. I’m so stoked.

So you’ll be at 100 percent for 2012?
Yeah. I’m at 100 percent. My shoulder is fixed, and I feel great on the bike. I’m hungry, I haven’t been off the bike for that long for a long time. I got back on the bike, and I felt like I can actually ride again. It felt normal. Nothing hurt, and I didn’t have to worry about my shoulder falling out, so I can definitely relax a bit and ride better now.

Do you have anything lined up for next year?
I have some negotiations going, but I have not signed anything on paper yet. Things are getting pretty close, and within the next week or two it’ll be all done.

Thanks for your time.
No problem.