Just as Chase Van Sant was ascending further up the 2023 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, his season ended abruptly.
 
During Q1 of the NHRA Texas FallNationals in Dallas, Oct. 13, Van Sant hurt his left knee while piloting his Suzuki.
 
“Basically, nothing was broken or torn; it just really took all the skin off the front of my kneecap,” Van Sant said. “I was hanging off the side trying to fight the wind, and I just hit a bump, and the bike compressed a little bit, naturally the way it does when it hits a bump, and it (his kneecap) just smoked the ground. It only touched for a quick second, but I think it just hit hard enough and went through the skin.
 
“The way they did the surgery was interesting. There was a Plan A and a Plan B. Plan A was they were going to do a Flap Surgery. They cut up the inside of my knee and up my quad and moved soft tissue and everything over the bone. Plan B was to get a skin graft. Going into surgery, I didn’t know what was going to happen, and Plan A worked. I have a gnarly fishhook-looking scar that’s running up my quad and the inside of my leg. The chances of the skin living and getting my mobility all the way back was way higher this way, so it worked out well.”
 
Van Sant also likes the results he has seen from rehab.
 
“The biggest issue I had wasn’t from the injury itself. Where I got the most problems was being in the immobilizer for four weeks,” Van Sant said. “It just took all my quad muscle and stiffened everything up. Getting the strength back has been one of the hardest parts, but it’s coming around well. I wrapped up my physical therapy (Jan. 4). I was doing physical therapy twice a week for five weeks.
 
“I’m pretty much cleared to do anything I want. It’s not quite 100 percent yet, but it is good enough to do some exercises and workouts, and it shouldn’t be an issue to get on the bike. I will be ready to test and race here soon.”

Van Sant was forced to miss the final three races of 2023 – Dallas, Las Vegas, and Pomona, Calif.
 
He entered Dallas fifth in the points standings and dropped to ninth at season’s end. Van Sant still won NHRA’s Rookie of the Year honor.
 
When Van Sant does get back on his Suzuki, which he rides for White Alligator Racing, he will be equipped with new gear.
 
“The NHRA came out with a rule change at the end of this year because of Angie (Smith’s) incident (she suffered two broken feet and severe road rash on Sept. 30 during qualifying in St. Louis), and my incident and our injuries. NHRA is mandating that we have Kevlar sandwiched in between two layers of leather in high impact areas, like our elbows, shoulders, hips, butt, knees; it all has two layers of leather and a layer of Kevlar in between them now.”
 
Kevlar is a synthetic fiber of high tensile strength used especially as a reinforcing agent in the manufacture of tires and other rubber products and protective gear such as helmets and vests.

 
“My suit is being made as we speak, and I’m hoping to get it here next week and try it on,” Van Sant said. “I use Vanson to get my suits, and they have always offered this, and there are a lot of Sportsman guys who have this kind of suit, so I’m not concerned at all about it fitting or feeling weird. It may feel a little bit stiffer in some areas. I think it was probably overdue, and I’m glad NHRA stepped in to do something because the racer and we are always going to do the bare minimum. We are going to do whatever is the most comfortable and saves the most weight. I think this is good. The speeds we are going now, this is going to protect the riders a little bit.”
 
Van Sant said his team is planning on doing some testing in mid-February. The PSM 2024 season gets underway March 7-10 at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
 
“If I had to ride the bike today, I think I could do it,” Van Sant said. “It is nothing crazy as far as the pain goes; it just the stability of my knee. Just for my sake, I would like to be a little bit stronger than I am right now and have a little bit more stability than I do. I’m very confident that in the next couple of weeks, I will be right where I want to be.
 
“We were No. 5 in points when we got to Dallas, and we were gaining on No. 4 and No. 3. I don’t see a reason why we can’t be in the Top 5 in points this year. I would obviously love to win a championship and win some races, but you just never know. It takes so much to win one of those things. I just want to bring the best I have every chance I get to go down the track. If Crew Chief Tim Kulungian and the team and me are doing the best we can, we will be in for a good year.”
 
This season, Van Sant will be joined at WAR by a new teammate – veteran rider Chris Bostick, and he’s looking forward to welcoming Bostick into the fold.
 
“I have got to know Chris over the years. He’s a great guy,” Van Sant said. “He and his wife are great people, and I’m super excited to get to race with him this year.”

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