A rash of injuries in 2011 made Wil Hahn's first season with GEICO Honda a lost one, but the always-smiling pro said he's healthy and ready to turn the 2012 season into a winning one.
"You almost have to mark last year up as a do-over," Hahn said. "If life had a reset button I would hit it."
Hahn missed all of last year's Monster Energy AMA Supercross Lites West season after he broke his back during practice at the season opener in Anaheim. He recovered to race a few times in the outdoor season before more injuries ended his comeback.
Now with a few months of recovery, racing can't resume soon enough for the Oklahoma native.
"I've been doing my homework," Hahn said. "I've got my body real healthy and happy. I'm looking forward to getting back out there."
The 2011 year wasn't a total missed opportunity for Hahn. He spent much of his times on the sidelines as an active part of the GEICO Honda team, learning to better evaluate video.
"I feel like we grew as a team," Hahn said. "We worked a lot when we trained at (team manager) Mike LaRocco's house in the summer. Even when I was hurt, I still made it to a lot of the races. I tried to help our other riders out as much as I could.
"It was my way of turning a negative into a positive. 'How do you become a better rider when you are stuck on the couch?' You have to study stuff and help your team get better. It's helped me grow as a rider and grow up as a person."
Hahn raced three times during the outdoor season in 2011, but would like to recapture his 2010 form when he finished second in the Supercross Lites East Series and 10th during the outdoor season, despite missing four of those races to injury.
"I'm trying to make the most of this chance," Hahn said. "I don't have any hype going into this year. I'm out to re-establish myself as top rider and do what I know I can do."