The Crash

This post is mostly for my friends who ride on the race track.  I know that whenever I hear that somebody has gotten hurt, the first question I have is 'How?'  The fact is that I don't remember much from the day of the crash, and I'm not entirely sure how I got hurt, but here's what I believe happened.

My leathers after they got done cutting them off me

I decided to do a track day at CMP (Carolina Motorsports Park) on April 22nd.  I wanted to test some changes I had made to the bike over the winter, and some of my friends were planning to ride that day.  When the date got closer, it looked like it was going to rain, so I moved my date up to April 21st.  My friends couldn't come that day so I would be riding alone.

This was the first track day I had done without a friend at the track, and the first track day I had done with the track day provider, Turn One Track Events.  I had some misgivings about the track day provider because they run cars and bikes on the same day, but my friends assured me they had ridden with them in the past and it was well run and safe.  I have no reason to dispute that opinion.  I don't think the provider contributed to my accident in any way.

I arrived at the track late Friday night, and set up my pit before I went to bed.  I slept in my van on an air mattress as usual.  Saturday morning, I took the bike through tech inspection, and made myself some coffee.  Bringing a coffee maker to the track was a first for me, and I enjoyed having it while I was getting ready.  That's the last thing I remember clearly from the day.

I know that Turn One runs the cars before it sends the bikes out, and a vaguely remember getting my gear on while the cars were on track.  I also vaguely remember that I was a little bit late getting on track for my first session.  I was okay with that.  I didn't want to rush to get on track.

I believe the crash happened on my first lap.  I believe I was caught off guard by the changes I had made to the bike over the winter.  I had changed the tail section of the bike to one that moves the seat an inch lower than I was used to.  This lowers the center of gravity of the bike and rider, but it also moves the rider's weight down and back.  I think it probably took weight off the front wheel of the bike.  That would have the effect of making the bike turn slower.  If I went through the kink at full throttle, it may have caused the bike not to turn fast enough to stay on the track.  I think that's what happened.  The kink is by far, the fastest turn on the track, and I should have backed off the throttle, but I don't usually have to do that, so I didn't.  I wasn't careful enough after making changes to the bike, and I rode off the track at well over 100 miles per hour.  I actually vaguely remember riding to the edge of the track.

Crash site

The damage to the bike was light, but it seems obvious that I was knocked unconscious.  I probably fell and was knocked out as soon as I left the track which prevented me from curling up in a protective position while I waited to stop sliding.  That's what happened to my friend, Wes, and it resulted in him being badly injured in a crash that should not have been severe.  I suspect that like Wes, I flopped around limply on the ground at high speed.  I suspect that this resulted in the severity of my injury.

I vaguely remember a paramedic telling me they were going to have to cut my leathers off.  I asked him why he had to tell me since they were going to do it regardless.  I'm sure by that point the helicopter was already inbound.  It may have been on site for all I know.

I don't remember the helicopter ride at all.  I do remember a surgeon telling me about the surgery to fuse my spine and asking my permission to perform it.  I asked him if I had a choice.  He said I had an option to do nothing, but that it wouldn't be a good idea.

Somehow, several of my friends got contacted, and my brother-in-law found time to come down and pick up my stuff from the track.

I'm not sure when I first realized exactly what had happened to me, but I do remember that kept my sense of humor about it.  At least I tried to.  I'm still trying.