Rene Hofer injury update – testing in December?
Red Bull KTM MX2 rookie Rene Hofer had his first Grand Prix year cut short twice in a frustrating and painful 2020. The Austrian finished in the top five of the season-opening round in the UK (2nd in the second moto) and then had to bide his time with the rest of the MXGP series as most of Europe went into a Covid-19 enforced lockdown. Upon resumption of racing in August Hofer made it to the second of the triple headers in Latvia before a nasty crash broke his left shoulder and again forced his team to park the #711 factory bike.
Hofer flew from Riga to Austria and has since been dealing with post-operation recovery and rehabilitation that should see him back in the saddle by next month. “I’ve been at the Red Bull Athletes performance centre in Salzburg doing my rehab for two months,” the eighteen-year old said in October. “I should be ready to ride again in December but we don’t know yet if we’ll get back on the bike straightaway or get the plates in my shoulder removed first. We’ll decide at the end of November. We’re firmly looking at 2021, so there is no hurry now and I can focus on my rehab properly.”
Hofer has watched teammate Tom Vialle soar to the top of MX2 in just his second term. The former EMX125 and EMX250 star has meanwhile had to tackle the difficulty of being on the sidelines where pain and anxiety can create some tricky moments.
“I would say the boredom is the hardest part of any injury,” he opines. “At first you’re happy that the operation is over and the pain is either gone or it’s much less. When I broke the shoulder I was almost 24 hours in the hotel with just painkillers but as soon as I got to Austria I went straight to hospital and was in the hands of some great doctors and facilities. There is a relief involved with getting fixed. But then once you are home and you really cannot do anything then boredom sets in. If you can bring yourself to watch the races then it even makes you pretty sad sometimes.”
Hofer knows he has some catching up to do when he returns to the KTM fold but having returned from a back and pelvis injury in 2018 while he was leading the EMX125 championship he is already familiar with the task, in spite of his tender age.
“It’s strange because after you come back from injury and start riding again then you are a bit careful in the beginning but then after some weeks and months you become so strong – also in the head – that you don’t even think about what happened and everything you went through. Confidence is a powerful thing!”
Words: Adam Wheeler
Pic: Infront Moto Racing
