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Yippee, Yippee, Ouch!



OK Gang, 
Here it goes,  Sad to say but I'll have to cancel my reservations at the Pisgah Inn for the Blue Ridge Rallye in August (anybody need a room?)

I took the Sprint out to the track this last weekend, and boy what a time I had.  It was my first experience on the track so I was a bit naïve but I learn quickly.  Driving on the road will never be the same as a track is so much better.  It didn't take me long to learn how to lean way off the bike and really increase my cornering speeds.  I was soon passing R1s and super hawks (In these cases I'll credit rider more than bike) making me feel pretty good.  While the sprint (97, 885) is not the meanest machine on the street, it pulls its own very well, and I got many compliments on its performance in the pits.

By the afternoon, I was feeling very good, and when passed would get very aggressive.  The result; on my last turn  while chasing an R6 and a Bandit 1200 (no chance, just wanted to keep up is all, and maybe catch up in the braking) I really threw the bike into the sharp left hander. I didn't just scrape the center stand which I had been doing all day but rather went over it, lifting the rear wheel and loosing traction.

Going down wasn't bad at all  I didn't get a scratch or bruise from that.  I guess that I went down at about 50 MPH.  It was all so sudden, what really sucked was when the bike clipped my left foot as it went by.  This part really hurt!!!  

It took hours for me to get to the emergency room and receive a diagnosis.  Fibia broken clean through about six inches above the heel, and Tibia cracked at the bottom.  8 screws, 4 inch plate, and no load bearing cast for three weeks.  Lots of morphine the fist night after surgery, and now Vicadin and percoset.  I'm really getting tired of the crutches, my arm pits are getting sore, and as a self employed contractor, I'm finding that the medical expenses and bike repair are the least of my financial woes.

I'll get over it soon enough, and I can't wait to get back out to the track.  I met a lot of great folks out there, and everybody was very helpful.  I even sat on my buddies F4 yesterday, however shifting would be a bit of a stretch:^)

I was told that my riding techniques were flawless, it was the bike's limitations that brought me down.  In retrospect however, that does mean that my techniques were flawed because I am the one that pushed the bike beyond what it could do.  As I was new to the track, I now know that I should not have had my center stand on the bike.  I feel that this is something the technicians should have pointed out sooner. Oh. Well lesson learned the hard way.

As for the bike, it suffered very little damage.  It was the first thing that I looked at after going  down.  Since I removed the signals, mirrors, side plastic and brake light, the expenses there were kept to a minimum.  I broke the left clip on, foot peg, and some minor scrapes to the left front fairing.  She's in pretty good shape.  BTW, I was using the stock seat as opposed to the corbin saddle.  I just did not feel that the corbin saddle is quite maneuverable enough for the track.  My new Shoei RF-800 red Manako TC-1 also got out without a scratch.  As this was only three days old, I really would have cried about that.

I'm certain to get back at it hard as soon as I am able.  However, I don't think that I will be able to make the Blue Ridge Rallye.  I'm sure you'll understand.

Happy riding y'all

Greg "Diggity Dawg" Watson


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