Stoppin-In: Trey Canard
After the crash with two rods in his spine
Stoppin-in: Trey Canard, After The Crash
Type-Os and photos: Scott Hoffman
Just weeks after his horrendous crash with Ryan Morais, Trey Canard is very sore but up and around doing the best that he can after having two rods installed into his spine to support a broken back. Canard is a testament to courage and resilience to again and again return to racing after encounters with mother earth. Canard’s journey reminds us of Doug Henry when he had two bad crashes but refused to give up and he later returned to racing to win a national championship. Canard was at a recent supercross race and the line for his autograph was around the pits. He sat there in discomfort for as long as he physically could to make his fans happy. Here is an update and a few words from Trey.
Motocross.comTrey, obviously you’ve been inundated with interviews. Everyone wants to know what’s going on and how you’re doing. Give us an update.
Trey Canard: Yeah, I’m doing really well. It’s been about 3 weeks since the incident. I feel a lot better than I really, really expected so I’m excited. I’m excited to be out of the house. It’s very disappointing to be in the house—you get kind of down. So I’m glad to be out here and I’m excited to watch some racing.
Obviously there is a lot of the actual incident that you don’t remember. After seeing the tapes, what is your opinion of what went on? Was it just some freak incident or was it just racing?
I think it’s just racing. I grabbed that tuff block cover and that obviously kept me from doing the triple. I think that was a smart move on my part to not do the triple and obviously Ryan didn’t see that I’d doubled, or he thought that he could get by me and it’s just how it turned out. It’s disappointing to have to go through this but I’m just trying to make the best of it and come out next year, Lord willing, and come out really good.
Canard after the crash wearing a brace to help support his broken back
I think that definitely on the first lap, the riders need to know what their limits are and what they need to do. And if they are questionable about jumping the triple, I’d say just don’t jump it. Obviously in that heat of the moment you can never regulate that but I think it was just a freak accident. We come into this knowing that we ourselves make the sport dangerous. The motorcycles don’t necessarily do that, we are the ones that kind of push them over the edge and make the mistakes. You just have to have a understanding of that and be willing to go out there and do your best and not let that get to you. I think the AMA and Feld can do something with the tuff block covers. I think that can improve but other than that we just have to write it off as an accident and move on.
You haven’t had the best luck these last 12 months. How do you overcome something like what you have gone through and keep such good spirits and move on?
People don’t see the rough times. They see me when I’m at the races and I’m smiling and I’m thankful to be here. They don’t see the times when it is tough to get up and to keep moving. But all in all, I find my strength in God and I think that is what keeps me coming back for more and not having that fear and striving for more. I think that’s what I’m going to keep doing. I’ve made my mistakes, I’ve had my problems but I just have to have hope for what can happen and think about the possibilities.
Do you ever think about other riders that have overcome accidents like you’re dealing with and how they’ve made great comebacks. Take Doug Henry, for example
At the end of the day I love racing my motorcycle more than I hate being hurt and it’s what I feel like I was put on this earth to do. I’m thankful for every time that I get to ride. It’s awesome and nothing beats that feeling for me and the competitive nature that I have. It’s awesome for me to be able to go out there and race and try to win.
Canard on the gas at Phoenix
How difficult is it to see your motorcycle sitting out there and you not being able to ride it right now?
Seeing it sit out there isn’t too tough but when you see someone else riding it, that’s when it gets difficult like last year having replacements. I’m sure they’ll do it again this year. That’s tough but I’m glad that the 41 is still out there and I’m glad that I have a team like Honda that supports me and has been so incredibly awesome during this time.
In regard to your recovery, is there any ETA when you’ll be back?
It’s kind of just a matter of what my body does and how it responds and what the doctor says. I have to make sure to follow orders and do what I can to make it happen. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to make a full recovery and hopefully that’s what happens and you see me out here (supercross) in 2013.
As a spectator in San Diego right before the show.
There’s the possibility for anything. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow and certainly not guaranteed next year. As of now, all the doctors seems to think I’ll make a full recovery and I think that’s how it’s looking and in my brain I have no doubt that I’ll be out there but I’m not going to be overconfident or anything like that and I’m not going to focus on that. I’m going to try to focus on getting better and when the time comes, we’ll make the call when I can ride.
What’s it like having such a huge fan base? Here you are injured but the line is around the block and people want to talk to you, that must help your recovery and your well being.
It’s awesome. Especially within the sport. It’s such a family within the sport. Everyone becomes your friend and your family. Just the people I saw in the hospital encouraged me so much and the cards that I’ve received and the Twitter posts and all these things are so encouraging to see. I’m thankful for it and it’s definitely a motivator and makes me excited to come out here and it motivates me all the more to come back stronger next year.
What do you think about this season? There is a tough field this year. There are 4 to 5 top guys battling for the championship.
I think it’s the deepest field probably ever. Windham and I were kind of talking about that. Before it was like 1st through 3rd was the only option and now you can have a good night of riding and still end up 6th or 7th and you can’t be disappointed with that because the field is so deep. I think it is great for the sport. Those top 4 guys that have been up there every week are going to be the championship contenders and they’re obviously up there for a reason so I’m excited to see where it ends up.
Do you think the current title holder Villopoto can be beaten now that he has some confidence?
I can’t stand when people put people up on a pedestal like that. Yeah, he’s had the most success out of anyone. He’s put himself in the right position but the guy’s beatable and when you’re dealing with guys like Chad, Bubba, and Dunge and the whole crew, there’s guys that can win out of any of those guys. I don’t think he’s set himself apart that much. He has set himself apart but he is beatable for sure and I think that on any given day there’s a guy that can win. I’m excited and I think it’s great for the sport. And it’s awesome as a fan to come to the race and not know really who is going to win.
Do you think this championship is going to come down to Vegas?
I think so for sure. If the first few rounds have been any indication where not one single person is dominating, then there’s going to be several winners throughout the series and I think it’s going to come all the way down to Vegas.
If you’re physically able, are you going to be back on a bike sometime towards the end of the National series?
Yeah, definitely. As soon as I get the green light I’ll be out there. I’m going to try to take it slow and make sure that I do all the things right and come back strong.
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February 18, 2012 4:32 am
Deus é contigo!
“Descansa no SENHOR e espera nele, não te irrites por causa do homem que prospera em seu caminho, por causa do que leva a cabo os seus maus desígnios.”
(Salmos 37:7)