INSTAGRAM | @brianmoreau104

2020 TAMPA SUPERCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

The 2020 Tampa Supercross was set to be Brian Moreau’s debut with the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM team until a crash in the first moments of the day’s Free Practice session caused an unfortunate injury that puts the future of the French rider’s career in question. Moreau went down in the lane of jumps at the endzone of the stadium and was unable to get himself off of the track, which prompted the assistance from the Alpinestars Medical Unit staff and then an ambulance ride to a nearby hospital, where he was admitted for surgery.

On Sunday morning, Moreau’s family confirmed in an update (originally posted in French) that he had suffered a fracture to a vertebra in his back and that surgery was done shortly after the crash to stabilize the area. Moreau will remain in an intensive care unit at a Tampa hospital until the full extent of the injury, particularly if there was damage to the spinal cord, becomes clear over the next few days.

Moreau’s move to the United States happened in the offseason, as the French rider had prior Supercross skills in Europe and spent the past seasons in the MX2 division of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross World Championship. The Supercross experience was partly why he was picked by KTM to be part of the rebuilding efforts with Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM in 2020 and he is one of three rookies on the squad (Derek Drake and Pierce Brown are the other first-year pros). Although he is young, Moreau moved to the United States by himself (his parents and siblings were unable to come with the way some other families are able to do) and he has been looked after by Marvin and Mathilde Musquin.

The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM team has not yet shared more information about the rider and injury, but a press release is expected to come at some point in the next few days. We will share more updates as they become available.

The statement from the family is posted below…

“hello to all.

We wanted to inform you about the’s state of health.

Hit in the vertebrae, Brian had surgery last night at Tampa hospital. Surgery is good and Brian woke up. He is currently in intensive care but doctors will not be able to decide on his condition in several days…

Brian is a very brave and strong boy and is aware of everything! 💪 💪 💪 💪 💪

We wanted to thank all the people who support us.

Of course I do not thank the people who, on the other hand, still allow themselves to criticize him in such moments!

We will keep you informed when we know more.

Moreau family…”

UPDATE MONDAY FEBRUARY 17 2020 | Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM has released an update on Moreau, which reaffirms the statement made by the family on Sunday and included a quote from Troy Lee. More information on Moreau’s recovery will come at a later time…

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brian Moreau suffered a major crash during Saturday’s Free Practice session at the seventh round of the AMA Supercross Championship in Tampa, Florida. The French rider was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a fractured vertebra in his neck. Moreau is in stable condition at this time as he awaits further information from doctors.

The Moreau family released an update on Sunday morning via social media stating: “Hit in the vertebrae, Brian had surgery last night at Tampa hospital. Surgery is good and Brian woke up. He is currently in intensive care but doctors will not be able to decide on his condition in several days…Brian is a very brave and strong boy and is aware of everything!”

TLD/KTM Team Owner, Troy Lee: “Brian is a very tough kid and we know he will tackle this injury and do whatever he can to make a full recovery. Everyone at Troy Lee Designs and KTM are fully supporting his recovery every step of the way. I want to also thank both Marvin and Mathilde Musquin for all the support they have given Brian from the very first day he showed up in California. Mathilde has been at the hospital with Brian since his crash and has been amazing to work with during this difficult time.”

KTM North America, Inc., along with the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teams are sending positive thoughts to Brian and the Moreau family at this time.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 18 | Stephan at LeBigUSA has been in constant contact with the Moreau family and forwarded a message from them our way Tuesday night. It stated Brian currently cannot move his legs, but he has more feeling in his back than the day before. It also explains Moreau’s mother has made her way to the United States from France and gives thanks to Mathilde Musquin, the KTM race team in the United States, and the hospital in Florida. A translated version of the message has been posted below.

“I would like to thank you all for caring for Brian. First of all I’d like to say that Mathilde Musquin has been amazing through those very tough times. She’s managing the situation with great care. She is a guardian angel for Brian. Marvin is very worried about Brian as well. He went to see him and supported him too. In addition, Troy Lee Designs, KTM and Red Bull have also been very supportive. Tyler, team manager, is with Brian all the time. Brian’s mom arrived Monday night in Tampa with his younger sister. He is surrounded by loved ones. Regarding the hospital he is in, staff personnel have been very attentive since Saturday. Before even getting to the hospital, the doctors were waiting for him, knowing exactly the extent of his injury. It was a priority for them. They even cleared the CT scan room in order to be able to go into surgery as fast as possible. Regarding his injury, Brian still doesn’t move his legs but today he gained a little bit of feeling in his back compared to yesterday. It gives us hope. We all are with him and we believe in him. Thank you again for Brian.”

UPDATE MARCH 3 | Brian Moreau has posted his first update since the crash. After two weeks of treatment in the United States, he was medically flown from Florida back to France, where he will continue his recovery. Moreau was assisted on the trip by Mathilde Musquin, who has been a sort of guardian to the teenager since he arrived in the United States late last year.

In his post, Moreau expresses gratitude for all of the messages of support that have been sent his way and to the team for sticking behind him. The upcoming weeks will be very difficult, as Moreau will start his full-time therapy routine, a task that he says has some uncertainty but is something he is ready to take on.

A number of riders and teams have pitched in to help Moreau’s Road 2 Recovery campaign, which is at 11-percent of its desired 200,000-dollar fund.