If you sat down with Josh Grant in July, and asked him about his year so far, he would have said that it was a very good one. He started it out with a win at Anaheim Supercross, and just kept going, proving that he is one of the sport's top new racers. When we joined up with him, he was in the midst of a great outdoor season, coming right off a strong finish at Washougal MX Park that put him in second place in the overall standings of the Lucas Oil Ama Pro Motocross Championship. We initially planned to follow Grant through what he called his fun weeks–the couple week break between AMA Pro Motocross races–in order to get a glimpse of what Josh was like outside of the intense racing atmosphere. So, we went to his house, hung out at the practice track, had a great afternoon at Brian Deegan's Metal Mulisha Compound, and were all set to meet up at the party that is Surfercross.

But then, things changed. Josh went to LA to compete in the Moto X Super X event at the X Games, and in the second lap of his qualifying race, he crashed. After a night in the ER, he found out the extent of the damage: he had a fractured left heel, three stress fractures in his right foot and ankle, and strained ligaments. Suddenly, Josh went from being in the race for the overall AMA Pro Motocross title, to wondering if he would even be able to ride again this season. After such a crash, most people would stop, rest, and recuperate. Josh, however, isn't just everyone. Just three weeks after his crash, Josh was determined to be back on a bike. We followed him through his re-hab, and watched as he coped with his injuries, and attempted to finish out the season.

The following photos are all from the days right before that injury, when Josh was hanging with the Metal Mulisha, and practicing at the Yamaha test track. Those two days really did capture what living in the world of Southern California motocross is all about. Josh went to Deegan's house with the intention of practicing whips, but after watching his friends like Ronnie Faisst and Todd Potter practice all their tricks, he decided, spur of the moment, to try a backflip himself. As you can hear in the video [link to webisode], Josh had never done a backflip in his life–with or without a bike. But, he rode over to the foam pit, and spent an afternoon trying to nail the trick, all while Faisst, Potter and everyone else cheered and coached from the side.

Josh Grant at Brian Deegan's Metal Mulisha Compound

Josh Grant practicing his whips

After watching Jacko, Potter, and Faisst work the jumps at Deegan's, Josh decided it was time to hit the foam pits and attempt his first-ever backflip.

Faisst showing that getting out of the foam pit is not so easy

Potter flipped Josh's bike for him to show it was possible

Grant's Backflip Attempt

Faisst Helping Grant Out Of The Pit

End of the Day

The next day we headed to the Yamaha test track nearby Josh's house

Grant got in some practice for the upcoming event