Four weeks after breaking his collarbone in a Moto 2 crash in the Unadilla National in the Pro Motocross Championship, Jo Shimoda returned to the track Friday to practice for Round 1 of the SuperMotocross World Championship.
“My collarbone is going to be about four weeks now so it should be pretty strong,” Shimoda said in the pre-race news conference. “My scar’s not completely healed so the goal is to get out front and try not to get roosted.”
Shimoda took the first practice to get comfortable on the bike. He posted the 10th in that session and then found some speed in Practice 2, posting the fifth fastest lap of 1:46.138 on his fifth lap. That was 1.2 seconds slower than the leader Haiden Deegan.
It was uncertain if Shimoda would be able to return to racing in such a short period of time. When he left the series after Unadilla, he was fourth in the combined SMX points standings. He lost only one position after missing the next two rounds.
Shimoda was aware that he was injured in the Moto 2 crash.
“I tried to lift my shoulder up, and when you break a collarbone, you get this numb feeling right away and it feels super weak, but not like that much of a pain,” Shimoda told the media. “I felt the grind in my collarbone, so I just laid down and kept it steady.”
Shimoda’s fast recovery is further underscored by the lack of practice he had since the accident. He has spent only three days on a 250 bike and one of a 450.
What else has he been doing?
“Mostly spent time on a PlayStation 5,” Shimoda answered.
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