"I'm Trying to Get Rid of a Few Old Habits" | Seth Hammaker on Preparing for His Return 1

Pro Circuit Kawasaki has been plagued with injuries over the last few years. Austin Forkner went out in round one of his Supercross series each of the last two years. Cameron McAdoo went out with a shoulder, Jo Shimoda missed most of the season with a collarbone, Ryder Difrancesco had a thumb injury, even the fill-in rider, Carson Mumford, had a calf injury. Mitch Payton must wonder when the bad luck will turn. Another of his riders, Seth Hammaker, has been on the sidelines since before the 250 East series even began. Seth is due to be back racing shortly, so we called him up to check-in with his progress.

For the full interview, check out the Vital MX podcast right here. If you're interested in the condensed written version, scroll down just a bit further.

Jamie Guida – Vital MX: Hey, Seth. What's up?

Seth Hammaker: Not much. Just have a little chat with you, and glad to be back on the bike after a long time off with my wrist injury. 

Vital MX: Yeah, as a reminder, you got injured right before the 250 East season opener in Houston with the wrist and had surgery. What happened?

Seth: It was about two weeks away from when I was to leave for Houston, and we were at the test track and had a mishap. It was through the whoop section, and when I crashed, I stuck my hand out the wrong way, and it snapped badly. I knew right away it was broken and then went to the hospital, and we found out the damage was to my radius and ulna. Then I also broke the scaphoid in my wrist, which was the longest healing time out of all of them, just because it doesn't get much blood flow. A couple of days later, I got surgery on that, and then it was just grinding therapy as much as I could. It ended up being almost four months. So, it was a long time off.

Vital MX: Was that longer than expected?

Seth: It was because I asked them how long it would be, and originally, they said three months. I went back for my three-month checkup, and they said, "Oh, we're going to give it another month." I was like, "Man, that sucks." I was hoping if I had gotten released, I would have been able to make the first round of outdoors and get that full season in. It is what it is, so we'll be ready when it's time.

Vital MX: Do you have hardware in there? Is it plated?

Seth: Yep, it's plated. All three bones have hardware in them. It feels surprisingly better than I thought it would when I got back on the bike. So, I'm happy about that. A wrist is not a not good injury because you need to have good mobility, and I'm happy with where my mobility is. It's just one of those weird things.

Vital MX: I noticed you've been wearing the Allsport Dynamic wrist brace. Does that make you feel more secure? How do you like that thing?

Seth: Yeah, I'm so glad I have it. Jeff  Brewer helped me out a lot by hooking me up with that thing. Having something on my wrist gives me a lot of confidence, especially on my first ride back. I would hit a big bump or something, and I wouldn't completely lock it, but it helped it from not going too far one way or the other. It makes it nice and gives me peace of mind.

Vital MX: How prepared did you feel when you were going into Houston before the injury? This is year three of your pro career. Each year you're getting a little better. So where were you at?

Seth: I was in the best spot I've ever been riding wise, mentally and physically. Everything was so good leading up to it. I was super excited to get to Houston, start the season, and see where I stacked up. I really believed that I would be going for a title this year. Things have changed with the injury, but everything we were doing was going in the right direction. As I said, I was feeling the best I ever had on the bike. That made it a whole lot worse with the injury, and to get over that. I feel I am mentally strong, and I handled it well and did what I could, but it's part of the sport, unfortunately. I've been through more injuries than I would have liked, but it'll make the good times much sweeter.

Vital MX: You mentioned being mentally strong. You've been injured in all three years of your pro career. When you go in and feel you're at the best you've ever been, and then you have another setback, what is the mental side of that? How do you deal with that? 

Seth: You put in so much time and effort leading up to the season. When that happens, it's like, "Oh, another thing. Is this really going to take me out?" The first week is always the toughest when you're down in the dumps and getting surgery. You're in pain, and it sucks. I was working on my mental game before the injury, not just after it happened. I knew what to do, and I got over it quickly in that first week. I told myself, "All right, this is what happened. I can't change it now." So, I just focused on everything I could do at that moment and put my head forward and didn't look back. I wasn't stressing about the past. I focused on getting released for outdoors; obviously, that didn't happen. That was another setback. It's about believing in yourself and everything you do to get here. It tests you, but everyone has things they're going through. Even though it was a pretty bad injury, we're racing dirt bikes, and it could always be much worse. I'm just happy I'm able to get back on the bike.

Vital MX: Were you mentally strong enough that you were able to sit down and watch the first round of Supercross in Houston and follow it?

Seth: I was able to watch them, but it was tough. I like to watch everything. Supercross, outdoors, I watch qualifying and every moto all the time. I even go back throughout the week and watch them over again. For me, it's like learning. I'm not out there, so why not try and take some things and learn from the guys? There are plenty of good guys. I'm watching Jett and Hunter (Lawrence), trying to take stuff from what they're doing and how they ride. Their technique is unreal. I think I've been able to apply some of that getting back on the bike, too. So, I think it's good. 

Vital MX: Pro circuit has had more than its fair share of injuries over the last few years. I'm sure Mitch (Payton) is over there stressing and ready for you to return and have a healthy season.

Seth: He definitely is. He's been really good throughout my injuries and everything that's going on with the team. It's a bummer to see not only for me but all my teammates. I want to see them out there. I want to see the team do well because I know how hard everybody works. As far as my injury, he was helping me out so much and was like, "I believe in you. Let's get it healed and get back out there." We talked about returning to outdoors, and he said, "We're going to do it the right way. Whenever you're ready to come out swinging, that's when we're going to race," I'm all on board with that. I don't want to go out there and not be where I'm supposed to be. 

Vital MX: Do you have a projected race to be back? 

Seth: I'm thinking Red Bud. Nothing's set in stone, but that's where my head's at. I feel that's very realistic. At first, I was thinking of High Point being from PA, but I think the weekend off gives me an extra two weeks, which is a ton of time. That will help me get a little bit more endurance. I've been off the bike for a while, but honestly, I feel solid. I worked on my endurance a ton while I was off the bike, so I'm in a good spot. 

Vital MX: You're contracted through 2024, so you're good there. I assume your goal, once you come back outdoors, is to get gate drops, build stamina, and work on some race craft. I would think race results are secondary.

Seth: Yeah. It's been a while since I've raced, but there's nothing like those tracks, getting that race craft, and riding with those guys. So, the goal is to get that experience. It's going to be cool with the races at the end of the year. I think I'll be more than ready to go by that time, and that'll be good for me to get some outdoor races in before that. I'll ensure I'm ready and ramp it up for that. That will be a good extra series, and I think those tracks will suit my style.

Vital MX: Now that you've been back on the bike a bit, how are you feeling? It's a new Kawasaki 250F, and I've heard that some guys are not super happy with it. How do you feel about your bike setup?

Seth: Yeah, getting back on the bike was good. I feel my endurance is good. I'm working on some technique stuff, trying to get rid of a few old habits that I've had, and this is a good time to do it. As far as the bike setup is concerned, I haven't tested a whole lot yet. I'm going to start this coming week as I am up to full speed now and want to get the bike fully tuned in for me. Right now, I'm on the same setup as the outdoors last year, so it feels good to me. It can be a little bit better, but the guys have some stuff for me to try, and we're going to work on it, and I think it'll be good.

Vital MX: You just mentioned trying to change some old habits, some technique stuff. Can you give me any details? What are you trying to fix?

Seth: A couple of things. Outdoors, I could stand a bit more and use my legs. In Supercross, the bumps aren't there. You can get away with sitting and railing the corner if that makes sense. Also, in Supercross, everyone's point-and-shoot. You want to open up the track as much as you can, but it's not as important, and the bumps aren't there. So, you can really get on the gas and brake really hard. In outdoors, it's more about keeping your momentum everywhere you go and not being so hard on the brakes because then you're in the bumps, cutting off the corner and right on the gas again. I think keeping the momentum up, standing a bit more, and using my rear brake a little less is a big one for me. It's tough when you're riding so much because you get into that habit, and it's hard to shake them. Since I've been off the bike so long, doing it now is the best way.