Friese races this weekend in St. Louis

~ The local professional motorcycle racer is mending quickly after a serious crash

Vince Friese will perform Saturday night at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis when the AMA Supercross circuit pays a visit.

And the Cape Girardeau native is just happy to be riding anywhere after a race accident last month that had the potential to end his second professional season and more.

Friese, who had a career-best sixth-place finish in Supercross Lites earlier this season, suffered serious facial injuries March 27 in Jacksonville, Fla., when a competitor landed on him during a race.

"I broke my face and my nose and stuff a few weeks ago," Friese said.

Friese, who rides for MotoConcepts Racing, elaborated on "face", saying he broke bones in his cheek and around an eye. He also suffered a facial cut that required 50 to 60 stitches.

The accident occurred when Friese missed a gear in the whoop section -- a series of mogul-like jumps -- of the course and a competitor came off a jump and struck him in the head.

"I think maybe a foot peg or something got in there and got me, like went through my helmet and cut my face," Friese said. "My helmet was broke pretty much in half in the front."

Friese, 19, has broken numerous bones from head to toe during his racing career.

"I was thinking like after I got my face sewn up that I was lucky, because whatever it was that got me went through my cheek and all the way into my mouth," Friese said. "I was lucky it didn't go a little bit higher and get my eye or something."

Friese had surgery and plates inserted the following Friday in Cape Girardeau. He was racing eight days later.

With a two-week break in the schedule after Jacksonville, Friese did not miss an event as he returned to action last Saturday.

"I was pretty surprised when my surgeon said my face was going to be pretty sturdy with the plates and everything," Friese said. "It was sore taking my helmet on and off and sore riding."

Friese qualified for the main event in Houston but said fatigue took over.

"I think I was still pretty run down from surgery and everything," he said. "I got tired and crashed and just kind of cruised around and finished the race. I was just glad to be riding."

Staying on the track has been difficult this year. In his second race of the season he placed sixth in the main event, which beat his previous best of eighth place last season in Toronto.

"That was good for me, but I think I can do better," Friese said. "I had a little bit of a rough season there and a little bad luck. Being up there for one of them at least, knowing I can run up there, is good."

After Atlanta, he placed 11th in both Daytona, Fla., and Toronto.

He then began a rough stretch at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where he "bit a hole in his tongue" and sprained tendons in his hand when he crashed. That forced him to miss a week of training, and he returned with the mishap in Jacksonville.

"I really haven't been getting in as much riding in as I would like," he said.

Despite his injuries, Friese has competed in all seven East Coast tour events and sits 14th in the standings. However, he said he's feeling a little worn down from the surgery and a return to rigorous training as he prepares for St. Louis.

"I'm hoping I'll be back 100 percent," Friese said. "You know, I'm sure I'm not going to be quite as good as I would have been had I not gotten hurt or anything, but I'm going to do the best I can."

He said he will have a lot of family and friends in attendance for Saturday's race, which is the last of eight events on the East Coast tour.

"I'm excited for it for sure," Friese said. "The dirt in St. Louis is always one of the best."