Bad news for Thad Duvall of Rockstar Energy Drink Husqvarna, who is expected to be a contender for a variety of off-road championships this year. After taking second overall at the Grand National Cross Country season opener last weekend in South Carolina, Duvall suffered a severe crash at the opening of the US Sprint Enduro Series on Saturday at the GTR Complex in South Carolina as well.
Duvall hit a tree hard and had to be removed from the track in an ambulance. Thad posted details about the injury on Sunday night:
Thanks to everyone who got in touch. Unfortunately, I cut a wrong tree with the pin of my foot and it threw me into another tree, stopping me instantly. Resulting in collapsed lung, broken collarbone and some fractured ribs on my back. I want to thank @r_sipes very much for staying with me. Billy and @ussprintenduro handled it so well and I am grateful for the team I had in the forest taking care of me. Fall 7 times, climb 8 again, we’ll be back 💪🏻
The GNCC series continues this next weekend with the Wild Boar GNCC in Florida, and then runs again with The General GNCC in Georgia the following weekend.
Duvall hoped that 2021 would be the year when he would finally win that elusive GNCC Championship. Duvall fought Kailub Russell for plate # 1 for years, but now Russell is no longer competing in the series. If Duvall misses the next two races, which seems likely considering these injuries, it would probably end his hopes for the title.
Ryan “The General” Sipes, now competing in a Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull GasGas, actually sacrificed his run on the U.S. Sprint Enduro to meet Duvall in the forest. As such, the series decided to average all of Sipes’ test times during the day to give him an overall score, rather than letting a test (which he sacrificed) ruin his entire weekend.