Wil Hahn out 3-6 Weeks with Fractured Hip
CORONA, Calif. – Bad luck reared its head and bit GEICO Honda's Wil Hahn for the second consecutive year.
Following a 2011 beset by injury, Hahn will now miss three to six weeks of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Lites West season after fracturing his right hip during training on Wednesday at the Honda practice facility in Corona, Calif.
"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."
Team manager Mike LaRocco said that it's too late in the week to find a substitute for Hahn at this weekend's race at Chase Field in Phoenix.
"We didn't know how bad Wil's injury was until after he saw the orthopedic guy Thursday," LaRocco said. "By that time, the truck had already left for Arizona and it was too late to find someone to fill in Wil's spot. So we'll just have Kevin Windham and Eli Tomac racing for us this week.
"We just feel sick about this for Wil. He had been so strong on the bike in practice and at A1, and to see him have a setback like that makes your stomach turn."
Hahn had a triumphant return to Supercross racing last week at the season opener in Anaheim. At Angel Stadium, Hahn won his heat race by several seconds and finished eighth in the 250cc main. Hahn lost the entire 2011 SX season with a broken back suffered during practice at the season opener.
"I'm totally bummed about it," Hahn said. "I rode so well at A1. Now I'm going to have to sit out. I'm going to follow the doctor's orders so I can come back and finish the season strong."
In the meantime, LaRocco said he has a short list of riders he's considering for the substitute role during the time that Hahn is sidelined, and would consult with team ownership before a move is made.
Practice on Saturday gets under way at 12:30 p.m. PST from Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. The main event gets under way at 7 p.m. SPEED TV will air the event live starting at 9:30 p.m. EST.
