Benchracing: Describe your BEST crash!!

[KXcam22]

Here's an old one about a horrendous cartwheeling endo I did.  I'll set the scene with some background. It was 1979 and I was a hardcore 19 yr old privateer racing a 400 Maico.  With modifications, the Maico was extremely fast and handled phenominally.  I was racing the CMA canadian "senior" class which in those days was one step below pro. A hardcore MX fanatic, riding 6 days a week, I had planned on hitting 60 races that season with some AMA pro races at the end.  Lots of driving with an average of 1000 miles roundtrip to a race.  I was contesting the BC Senior openclass championship at the time, 11 races down and 3 to go, leading the championship in points by quite a margin.  There was a break in the championship race schedule so I decided to have some fun and entered a hometown race, racing on a track I built.  I won both my motos that day (I always did) and at the end of the day we always ran a one-moto GP race, any rider level, any bike, cash to enter, winner takes all.  I knew I had it in the bag.  I holeshot the start and was pulling away from the pack when..... On the start of the 2nd lap I was hitting a small jump, WFO in 4th and just shifting into 5th before the jump, probably going about 60mph or so, really flying.  As I landed the front wheel touched down slightly ahead of the rear.  As soon as the front wheel touched down half the spokes in the front wheel exploded and the rim turned fully sideways and jammed in the forks.  It was instant endo time and things were happening fast!  I felt what was happening and tried to kick myself off the bike but the initial impact had whipped me forward so that I was straddling the steering head with the bars on top of my thighs, trapping me on the bike. The bike and I did a huge high-speed slamming endo with me trapped on and rolling with the bike, slamming my face and body into the ground with each revolution. According to witnesses, we (the bike and I) managed to full rolls together before I was mercifully spit off.  On the third roll I managed to get under the bike (you know, pad the bike with your body to save it from getting damaged).  From the point of trying to kick off to ending up on the ground on my hands and knees I don't recall much, it was just a big blur.  To this day I still vividly remember crouching there on my hands and knees unable to breathe, waiting for that horrible big-impact body slam feeling to go away (I'm sure lots of people know what I mean), bleeding heavily from my nose and knowing right away that things are not right with my left shoulder.  Ouch time!  The crash was spectacular enough that the guy in 2nd stopped to help (he thought I was dead) and they red flagged the race.  It was too rough for the ambulance to reach me so after I quit hurting and got my shoulder strapped up I ended up walking back to the pits with some friends for support.   There is a pic of me in my gallery taken about an hour afterwards. Broken L collarbone, separated L shoulder, broken nose and a footpeg in the R kidney that had me peeing blood for a week.  Despite the injuries, the real problem was how to keep my championship hopes alive.  Luckily I had built up enough points that mathmatically it was almost impossible for anyone to catch me.  I missed the next two races, but to make sure I entered the last championship race 3 weeks later (I heal fast) to earn enough points so that no one could catch me!  I had healed enough and managed to start and finish each moto (but just ride around slow).  To sum it all up, I ended up winning the 1979 BC Championship and to this day I still have an ugly lump, where my left collarbone healed, as a souvenir (which I matched 12 years later with an equally ugly lump on my right collarbone - but that's another story).

I hope this entertained someone.  It was fun re-living it (now that the cartwheeling nightmares have stopped). Cam

[FuriouSly]

Cam:  I thought that was what the picture of you in a sling was from 

Since you are talking about broken collarbones, some peeps might like this one.  I went up by myself to Amargosa Sand Dunes near my home and took a quad and a bike.  Some friends were going to meet me the next morning for some dune riding.  Of course I took it easy since I was alone and checked out the hills on a quad to get a head up on the fella's (first mistake).  "Everything went fine", so I had some brews at night and hit the sack so as to be fresh in the morning.  The guys showed up with their quads and we started tearing up the sand with me riding my daughters YFZ450 quad again (second mistake, again).  "Everything went fine", so we all took a break and went out again, this time I was on my KTM520MXC (third mistake).  I forgot how slow quads are on the sand dunes, so I had to go slower than I was used to and got sloppy (fourth mistake).  I was following the quads so I didn't roost'em and leave'em when I lost the line I was riding on a small 30 foot ridge and tried to get back up on it.... three times at slow speed (fifth and final mistake of the weekend).  Needless to say after shooting back over the ridge a few times the bike had enough of my novice handling and shot me over the bars on an endo...  planting my head in the sand like an ostrich... and adding insult to humiliation...  my KTM beast landed on me...     Snap, Crackle, Pop   

Lessons learned:
1.  Don't mix and match your rides during the day unless you are very skilled at the different techniques needed to ride them (quads and bikes, very different)

2.  If you know that you are having to alter your riding skills to make up for the group or environment, then you must be positive you can handle it (slow riding a big fourstroke KTM in the sand)

3.  When your brain is saying to stop trying to recover in an unsafe situation, STOP! (could have easily just rode off the line and recovered in the flat with more speed)

I have been riding three wheelers, quads, and motorcycles for 30 years.  Don't think that will keep you from harm.  Pay attention to your gut feelings and be safe.  I have had multiple surgeries, broken bones, severed nerves, cucussions, and time staring at the ceiling.  I can say with all honesty that 75% of the time the smart side of my brain new better but I didn't listen.

Cam, surgery is the only way to go for a really bad collarbone FX.  Surgery in three days of break,  inpatient at 10am - walked to the car from the hospital at 1pm.  Sling for 1 week and rehab for 6 weeks.  Not like the butterfly brace scenario.  Spent the next 2 months chilling from work and taking trips with the family.

7 inch titanium plate - 9 stainless steel screws - no range of motion/strength deficits

Sly

[ebers17]

Well, I'm a fairly young kid at 20, but I've had one that I'll never forget ( and neither will my dad!).  I used to race flat track when I was a little kid, I had a PW50 that was set up for it, had the tires and pipe and a little work to it, it was plenty fast for me and had my share of wins.  Well it was my last season, I was 8 and we did a couple scrambles (not hare scrambles, they were like TT races but it was had fine gravel, it was alot of fun).  Well durring practice, I was out front, and right before practice I remember my dad telling me to experiment with different lines on the track.  So on the last lap, I was going wide around one of the last turns and I ended up way wide, I remember clipping one of the bales of hay that lined the track, causing me to flip over the bars that sent me to the middle of track.  I remember trying to get back up to my knees to get back to the bike, when I saw a flag man going crazy.  Thats where I blacked out for a bit, as the kid behind me didn't have time to react and ended up running my head right over!   I couldn't move for a second, but as I was lying on the ground I remember seeing my dad at a full sprint along with a ton of other people, it was kind of a blur though!  I ended up being o.k, I came too after a bit, and I got up under my own power after they checked me over.  The ambulance drove me into the pits, and they told me that everything was o.k, and if I wanted to continue racing the rest of the day I could.  So I did and ended up 3rd that day, that was my best finish at that track too that year!  I still have the helmet I was wearing that day that has the war wounds from the incident, I'll never let that helmet go!  I didn't walk away with any injuries, but just a good story to tell to all my friends!
-Seth

[bellracing2]

I used to race open b at our local track , we practiced at a secret track we set up behind a new housing development . We all rode there a million times , then 1 weekend I went to practice on sat afternoon (we raced on fri nites under the stadium lites) and I did not ride the track slow to make sure it was god to go . BIG BIG BIG MISTAKE !!!!!!! I didn't know that from Thurs afternoon to Sat they started to cut half of out dirt away to backfill foundations ! So I was in 4th gear tapped out down the back straight and all of a sudden there was no more ground and fell about 15 ft into a tractor rut , the ft end instantly washed out and threw me into the ground ! My arm was bleeding like a stuck pig and there were chunks of skin hanging off my arm that resembled a wad of hamburger ! I had to get up , start the bike , load it in the truck , and drive home so my mom could take me to the hospital . That was a scary situation to be in when your by yourself ! That was the last of my racing and I have been scared to death of jumps since then ! I then went to racing ice ovals with the quads . I still have dirt in my arm from that day 20 yrs later . I'm also not fond of doctors !

[KXcam22]

Sly,
  The xrays are sweet!  Wish I had those. I definitely would have benefitted from the screws and plates although the lumps look kind of gladiator like at the beach.  I broke the right side 12 years later.  No longer racing, I was working my butt off managing a large industrial construction project, 14hrs a day about 5 months straight with no break.  I was sick & tired of working so I took my (1987 CR500 then) bike out for a fun 1-hour afternoon ride to clear my head.  I was playing on small double jump when I nosed the front wheel into the 2nd and went over the bars. No big deal except the bike went straight up in the air and then straight down, right on top of me and pile-drivered me into the ground.  Snap!!  The other collarbone broke in half! The worst part was that I couldn't take time off to recuperate unless I wanted to get fired.  I had to strap it up in a sling, grit my teeth, eat some painkillers (this one hurt) and get back to my 14 hr a day schedule.  No fun but an amusing memory!. Keep the stories comming. Cam.

[gowen]

Well, the worst crash I've encountered was the two I just recently had onroad.. But since this is an offroad site, would be tuning my KX500's carbs with Cam.

I took my KX to a new interstate we were building (then, it's built now) and was working on the carb tuning and doing top-end runs. I decided to test a new needle I got from Sudco and went out in the rush of the moment without a helmet or gear, just shorts/pants and tennis shoes.

I'd been riding this interstate (5 lanes on each side and about 30 miles undeveloped) for months while they had not finished grading it.. And this day I decided to do a top end-top gear run down the highway to see how the mid range and top-end was effected to the needle.. Ran wide open full on throttle and went about 1/2 mile at full speed and decided to take the side ramp off to do a u-turn back, but before I noticed anything the road ended abruptly, it ended up they cut out a spot of a bridge.. and it was too late for anything.. So, I plan on running off the edge into thin air and RIGHT before the end of the road, they cut out a rut for errosion and my front wheel hit it sending me over the handlebars at full speed, as I did not even have time to start hitting the brake. I flew down the hill and landed on the side of the second hill arms first, next face and then chest. I ended up snapping my wrist/arm, hip and got 3rd degree burns when the bike hit the rut, my poor uncovered leg rubbed the pipe quite unforgivenly and did some serious tissue damage (still have the scars). My lips were melted to my teeth from impact and my face was torn apart, but just rash.. It is a miracle I am alive from the impact and amazing how it happened.. No helmet and face first into the dirt from flying through the air @ around 90 or so mph. What is even more amazing is I landed in a soft dirt spot from water which saved my life and what was even more amazing is that just about 5 ft. further and I would have landed on a pile of rocks set for keeping the hill from eroding. I'm lucky to be alive after that.   

Also had another close call before that one, a few of my friends and I were out riding on some powerlines that we rode all the time. I decided to start up a serious FLAT out race on my '93 YZ250. Full on, took a corner sliding and hit a streight and as SOON as I hit that , went wide open and noticed a large oak tree down right before a hill and tried to brake around it and was too late, hit it hard enough to bend the forks and crush the front tire and soared through the air (dejavoo?) and land in the trailway sliding for a 20-30 ft. Was wearing my gear except chest protecter.. Snapped my shoulder, and alot of skin loss. I have X-Rays of my collarbone too, I'll have to dig them up and post them. Ended up tearing my pants and shirt off while sliding, and cracked the back of my helmet.

Those are my two worst accidents off road.. My two onroad were pretty bad.. I'll take some pics of my wadded R1 and it will speak for itself .. I'll spare you guys the street accidents and keep to dirt. haha 

[kx666]

it is kinda funny hearing everyones story becuase i have done somthing similar to each. and i am sure i am not the only one cringing and grabing body parts that at one time were injered at each story. i guess i should share one? ummmm....

ok, i was 14?? and i was ridding my banshee at the dunes. the sun was starting to set. i went off a jump, nothing big i was probibly only geting 70 or 80 ft. in the air i was blinded by the sun and quickly became disorented... it looked like a helicopter landed upsidedown in the sand. i have no memory of the crash itself. the next thing i know everyone is standing around me and i have no clue why. i get up dust my self off and of corse, if you fail at somthing you have to keep doing it untill you get it right... over 3 hours later (i was in a little pain and wanted to go back to camp) i went into the restroom to take the browns to the superbowl when i noticed a pool of blood. upon ferther inspection there was a hole THROUGH my leg, not into through. almost all of the meat was gone, 2 tendens were still intact and luckly my leg bones were ok. I do have to say Reeds Port OR had THE Best hospital... i dont know how many stiches there were the doc lost track of count at about 300. i am not shure but this wreck also may have contributed to finding out when i was 18 that my back had been broken 3 different times and my neck once.

[ben]

Cool thread.  OK, here is my story:

It was 1984 and I had just graduated from high school.  I had a 1983 Honda CR480, and I was pretty good at riding wheelies.  I would start in 2nd gear, get the front end up, and then ride the wheelie, shifting into 3rd, 4th, and then 5th gear.  I could actually ride them pretty far.

Anyways, I had just washed the bike, and a few friends were over, so I decided to impress them with my wheelie-riding ability.  I jumped on the bike, no gear of course, and proceeded to ride a wheelie down the street.  The front end came up, and I shifted into 3rd, and then 4th, and then as I was riding it by my friends, I looped it over backwards!  I slid for a long ways on the road, and I had some serious scrapes on my elbows, back, and legs.  No broken bones, but as I was sitting there regrouping myself, my vision went away, but I never lost consciousness.  It was real weird.  My vision came back, and I went inside the house, and I sent my mom to the drugstore to get bandages and a lot of Neosporin ointment.

I dreaded my dad coming home, and when he did, his first question was whether or not I was wearing my gear.  After hearing me saying no, he just shook his head.

It was funny, that night I had a first date with a girl I really liked, and when I went to pick her up, I had all sort of bandages on.  I didn't want her parents to see me like this, so I didn't get out of my car, and I just honked my horn in her driveway.  Her parents probably thought I was a punk (maybe they were right?) but she came out and we went on our date and she was very sympathetic to my injuries!

Anyways, I am almost 41 years old now, and when I do a wheelie now, it isn't more than 6".  I can look at my left hip, and I still have a tattoo consisting of road tar underneath my skin.  And what do they say about tattoos?  Oh yeah, a permanent reminder of a temporary idea!

--Ben

[kx666]

nice one ben... its no fun wrecking trying to show off