After an on again off again rookie supercross season, the fate of Canidae Motosport Kawasaki’s PJ Larsen heading into the 2009 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships was anybody’s guess. His results from his first three outdoor nationals at the end of the 2008 season left much to be desired, but his flashes of raw speed in supercross gave notion that he might be a guy to watch out for. Despite an unlucky first moto at Glen Helen, which included a flat tire and a 19th place, Larsen showed true promise with consistent top ten finishes. After an 11th in moto two at Glen Helen, two top 10 motos for 9th overall at Hangtown and running in a solid 8th early in moto one at Freestone Larsen was quickly beginning to show up on the media’s radar. Then the bottom dropped out. A wash out at Freestone resulted in a broken wrist and a possible end to his rookie outdoor season. Read on to find out all the details.

Hey brother, so let’s cut to the chase, what’s the diagnosis on the wrist?
I’ve got two doctors that say it’s broken and one that says he can’t see any breaks in it, so I’m having an MRI done for him here in about 30 minutes. He pushed all around on it and said that if he pushed like that on someone with a broken navicular then they would have punched him in the mouth and I just looked at him and said that I couldn’t even feel it.

Maybe you’re such a bad dude that even if it is broken that it doesn’t hurt you?
I don’t know, man. I just don’t know.

So you have yet to do anything with your wrist? It’s not caste or anything?
I’ve had it in splint for about two weeks but that’s about it. I mean I’ve been working out still but that’s all I can do. I can’t ride or anything yet.

For story purposes take us back to the get off?
Well, we were at Freestone and everything was going pretty smooth and 20 min or so into the first moto I ended up going down in the sweeper in the back and cart wheeled it and got up and was able to finish the race in 12th. After the moto it was hurting me pretty bad so I got it checked out at Asterisk and they didn’t see anything in the x-ray. Then I went out for the parade lap for moto two and it was just hurting so bad that it wasn’t worth it. I just felt like my hand was going to come off. I decided to pull off that moto and not run it because I didn’t want to crash and hurt something even worse. I actually went to the doctors two days after that and got an MRI done and they said that I had broken my navicular. So that’s where we are at right now two weeks after, just trying to figure out how long it’s going to be and everything else.

What’s the standard amount of time off for a navicular break?
The doctors have given me a spread of 2-12 weeks. So who knows? Anybody’s guess is as good as mine as to how long it’s going to be. I’m at my third doctor now and am having more MRI’s done and having more x-ray’s done and just trying to figure out when I’m coming back.

What sucks is that it seems like you had found a comfortable pace outdoors inside the top ten. You were improving every moto.
Yeah, my worst moto was a 19th at Glen Helen when I had a flat tire. The second moto after that I was in 11th and finished right behind Wharton. And then the following weekend I go out and get two top tens at Hangtown and then the first moto at Freestone I was running 8th in the first moto until I went down and I still finished up 12th. That right there shows that I was going to have four motos that were right there in the top ten and I was consistently getting better every week. The progression was there, the speed was there, I just didn’t need to have this injury. But I feel like I was for sure a top ten guy and still am a top ten guy, we just need to figure out how long I’m gonna be out and then move on from it and keep working and come back whenever I’m allowed to come back.

So it seems as if your plan is to make sure you heal up properly and ensure you come back 100%?
Yeah, exactly. You know, it’s my first year as a pro and it’s not like I’m planning on retiring after this year so I’m not like, “screw it, I’ll just ride hurt and bare the pain because it’s my last year and I’ll let it heal after.” From this point on I still have the rest of my career to look forward to. Whether it’s one more year or 20 more, it’s still the rest of my career and I don’t want this to affect it.

No doubt, you certainly have to take the smart path. You did get a few races in outdoors last year, but all in all this is your rookie year. Are you just going to consider this a learning year?
Yeah, and no matter what, even if you're the champion and the best out there like Ryan Villopoto, you're still learning. So I've now got six outdoors under my belt between last year and this year, so it's not like I don't have any experience at it. I know exactly what I'm getting into, and exactly what it is like. At least I'm not getting hurt at the end of supercross and missing the entire outdoors, then not knowing what it's like.

And, obviously, it seems you were a bit better prepared for outdoors this year than last year. Are you still working with Ryno?
Yeah I'm still working with Ryan Hughes, and I'm obviously better than I was last year, even though the results don't show it. We're definitely on better equipment, on a great team, a good trainer, everything is going good besides one little injury.

So what does this do for you contract wise? You're up with Canidae Motosport Kawasaki at the end of the season, correct?
Yep, we're up after this year. But for me, I stand by what I have right now. In all reality, we're trying to get back for Millville and I'm not sure it's going to happen. No matter what, I'm not going to go against a doctor. Like I said, this is the first year of my career. Then again, if I have to take the entire 12 weeks off that a navicular takes, I'm missing the entire outdoors. I feel like I definitely didn’t do as good in supercross as I should've, but I still ended up top 10 overall and missed two races. Supercross was pretty tough for me; there were like 15 really fast guys, and you had to get good starts. I only got one of those, and that was at Phoenix. It was just such a big learning curve from practicing to pacing during the race; just so much to learn. A lot of guys look at it and say, "Tenth, that's great!" and then others say, "Tenth? That is not near your potential." But I also have to look at it like this was my first time ever doing it. My first time ever racing supercross, my first time out there racing with those guys. I definitely don't think I raced up to my potential, but it was a great learning year and next year will be way better. I've got one year under by belt, which is nine races, and you learn so much in those nine races that the following year is going to be that much better.

So what is your mentality on all this stuff? When do you start thinking along the lines of winning a title?
Well, you're always thinking championship, championship. But, also you have to wait for the right time, the right moment. Everything has to fall in place perfectly for that championship. I mean, look at Dungey; he's been one of the fastest dudes for the past three years, and it took him that entire time to finally win a championship. So everything just has to fall into the right place. Basically, I just have to go out there and do the best I can. If I leave the track knowing I put my all into it and get a third place, then great. If I leave the track with a 15th place, then I was only good enough for 15th place that day, then I know I put my all into it, and that's all that matters. I don't look at it as the finishing positions; I say I'm going to try my hardest, and want to leave that day knowing I gave it my all.

So back to the injury, you're going to get another MRI?
Yeah, that's what I'm going to do, and I won't know results until about next Wednesday, so basically a few more days before I finally know. Best case scenario we go to Millville, and worst case scenario is Supercross 2010.

Well, if you can come hang out man, we'll be your friends at the races!
You know what, I may have to come to a few of them if it ends up I can't race. At least drive to Steel City from California and then go back to the homestate of South Carolina after that.

Best of luck with your recovery, Mr. Larsen.
C’ya, Buddy!