For me, anyway….. Long post Warning
I’ve been out of circulation for a bit due to a crash I had at Motiva Motor Speedway.
For me this is the hardest report I’ve ever had to write.
For track riding there are a few things that you will always hear. Hold your line. Don’t look behind, as it’s the passing rider’s responsiblity to make the pass cleanly.
It was my first class of the day, I was really looking forward to it, since practice had gone so well. My left wrist was healing up finally, and it seemed like I was finally able to brake hard with out it going numb. I was on my 250, which I just love to ride, it makes me giggle everytime I get on it.
This is the one class where the competiion is just Fierce, as all the bikes are stock. We had 12 riders on the grid and I’m in a great grid spot on the second row. I got an good start, hit the first corner in 3rd. I fell back a spot, not too surprising, as the guy who got around me is quite quick, and he usually get better starts. The 250 racing is really close, no one is really able to pull much of a gap on anyone else. The first 3 riders, did get some distance from the us (myself and 4 others), we were slowed down my all the passing and repassing that we were doing. Dicing it up with those 4 was the most fun race I’d had in ages.
The second to last lap we all came up on a lapper, I had fallen back two spots was sure I could make them back up in the section I was stronger in. As long as the lapper didn’t make me loose too much ground. I set up to go around the outside of him in the next turn, this move sets up the next turn perfectly and give me the inside line. I’ve done it more times then I can count.
However, as we started into the turn, the lapper stood his bike up and crossed over in front of me. I went hard to the brakes, started to change my line to go to the inside of him, when he started to come back toward me. Even with me on the brakes so hard that I did a stoppie, the closing speed was too great, I colided with him hitting his exhaust, so hard that we both went down.
I went over the bike from right to left, hit the clippon and then tumbled about 15 feet to the dirt. By the time I stopped and stood up the bikes were laying in the dirt. The lapper, was on the ground about 10 feet from me. I relized very quicky that standing up was a really bad idea. So I sat down, and then decided I needed to lay down, hoping it make me feel less like throwing up. It didn’t.
The closest corner worker got to me and kept telling me to be still when I sat back up so I could throw up. I asked her to take off my helmet since my right hand didn’t seem to want to work. She wouldn’t, but one of the racers who’d come back around after the red flag (he’s tech and safety) so he needed to move the bikes. He undid it for me so I could take it off. He asked me if I was going to live, I told him no. He smacked me on the shoulder and said I was just fine.
The medics arrived about that time. They helped me get some of my gear off so they could check me out before moving me. As we got my right glove off, I noticed my thumb wasn’t were it should be. I tried to move it, and discovered it would move a bit, it didn’t really hurt so I grabbed and pulled. It went back into place, and I was able to move it a bit more. The medic was kneeling next to me with a dumbfound look, and said, “I can’t believe you just did that!” I told him now was the perfect time, while I still couldn’t feel it. He agreed. Then was checking the ribs, that I’d smacked on the clip ons. Dang, that hurt, as did my left elbow, and left hand. Both hands, hurt, damn, what bad luck.
After deciding that I didn’t have any floating rib breaks, they let me stand up and walk to the ambulance. That was when I discovered my right ankle was messed up too. They kept me in there after we got back to my pit, taking vitals and looking over the rest of me. The one guy was really worried about the ribs and interal bleeding. Since my vitals were out of whack. He wanted to call for a transport, I refused. I have worked as an EMT, I know when it really needed. I made a deal with them, that we’d check it all again in a bit and if it didn’t improve, I’d get someone to take me to the ER.
Things back in the pits are a bit fuzzy for me… I know that, my ribs hurt to the point that it was hard to breathe, and I didn’t feel up to checking out the bike. Which is a bad sign for me. I could see from where I was sitting that the tail section was destroyed, rear set was bent, there was a black mark on the fender and fronts on the left side, and the left clip on was really bent. The rest of it looked alright. I did get to see my helmet, as one of the guys came over to check on me and he picked it up off the ground. It was rashed, all the way around, visor was scratched, the spoiler was broken and it had a dent in it. I know that my leathers from what I could see sitting there had new holes in them on the left elbow and left hip.
The worst part of the day is when one of the other racers, who is friends with the guy collided with came over and started to yell at me for running his boy off the track. Telling me that I have no busines riding if I can’t pass a slower rider with out taking them out. I was dumb founded. I’ve been racing for 8 years, this is the first time I’ve ever touched another racer, and even though I really do feel bad about hitting him. Anyone who races with me will tell you I’m smooth, and I’m very polite with my passes. I’m one of the most careful riders out there. This dude’s yelling at me and insulting me so just pissed me off and got me so upset I didn’t know what to do.
This whole incident wouldn’t have happened if he had held his line.
I’m pretty sure that is why when the medics came back to recheck my vital signs, they were worse, and they begged me to go to the ER. I’m sure it had a lot to due with my being able to breathe was gettting harder too.
I had one of the club board members who wasn’t racing take me to the ER. By the time we got there, I was calmer, my vitals were almost normal. I did pretty much end up getting a body X-ray to find out if I’d broken anything.
The final tally on the injuries, was a mild concussion, pulled muscles in my shoulder and neck on the left side, sprained rt ankle, left pinky finger, right index finger, dislocated rt thumb, bruised ribs on the left side, and bruised left elbow with some rash I got through the leathers. The ankle was so bad they gave me crutches and by the time I left I couldn’t put any weight on it. Lets just say that crutches with messed hands, is the PITS!
I ended up missing a couple of days of work and then worked at home a few days. Over two weeks later, and I’m still limping, my rt hand is still in a brace, and my left elbow/ribs have some spectacular bruises. The rash is healing up nicely, but is already scaring. I haven’t seen the bike, yet. My friend and sponsor took it back to his shop. I haven’t been mobile enough to get into the trailer to check out my leathers or helmet more.
I was very thankful for the fellow racers who packed up my stuff and to Kelcey who drove my truck and trailer to the ER. He then drove me home and unloaded my other bike and stuff that could sit in the trailer. He parked it, unhooked it and locked it all up for me.
I still go back and forth from feeling horrible about hitting the kid and being mad that he put us into this situation. I felt much better after talking with one of the racers who was behind me, he agreed that I had no way to avoid the kid and it would could have been worse if I didn’t try all the things I did to avoid him.
I also talked with the head corner marshal who was close to us when it happened. He told me the kid had been coasting into the corners and dropping the clutch mid corner, causing him to lose control of the bike a few times. This kind of explains a lot about why he wasn’t able to hold a line in the turns.
This was his first race and the day before was his first time at the track. Now, I’m all about helping new riders at the track and trying to get new racers, but I’ve now rethinking this a bit. I’m thinking that this kid had no business racing, and should have done more trackdays before he took the race school. I don’t mean to sound like I’m blaming him, but I do think he’s just as responsible for this as I am.