My track day crash - broken collarbone

[AngelFZ]

This sucks big time!!!!! I'm sorry to read all the bad things here, at least there are positive things after this whole mass!!!!

I have been with my brother (helping him) on a couple of car track sessions and they have worked out pretty well, of course there are risks of something unexpected happening, but that "unexpected" should not come from human fault or irresponsibility.

I hope you heal fast and completely,

 

[Kazza]

But did ya have fun?...

Just kidding....

So sorry to hear about your crash. It could have been a lot worse.

Insurance won't cover this in Australia - they actually have spies at track days, just in case :shakehead:

Heal fast :thumbup:

 

[marke14]

Well it happened on the third lap of my $125 track day, so no I really didn't get to have any fun!

Yeah it's not my auto/moto insurance that is covering my injuries, it's my health insurance which in the USA is through my employer. It's funny, I recently asked one of our health insurance reps if I was covered doing something dangerous "like rock climbing, sky diving, or racing motorcycles" and she said yes, I would be covered. :thumbup:

The bike will be expensive to fix because it's all out-of-pocket.

 

[abraxas]

Oh dude what a bummer!!!
Dunno what would hurt more, the shoulder or the track bike

I've also had WTF moments like that on trackdays, part of the reason i'm not a fan. No fun if you're dodging over testosteroned squids.

Heal up soon!

 

[greg]

i guess people don't understand that trackdays aren't race days, there's no need to try and be the next rossi (and let your ego outweigh your talent )


hope your injury heals quickly and properly

does make me a little bit more worried about trackdays now. last time i had one or two guys cut me up on corners. fair enough if you want to overtake me, but don't take my line and then slow down, making me brake in a corner!

 

[jrevans]

Heal up soon!

I used to do a lot of track days back in the late 90's early 2000's. Like other have said, there always seems to be a portion of the crowd who thinks its a real race going on.

One of my scariest moments was when I was at Pocono (East Course) coming off of the banking, getting ready to come into the infield. You're coming from the fastest section, so you're hard on the brakes, and then you make a left into the infield section. Well, I brake, hang off to the left and start my turn and a bike breezes straight ahead across my brow! Somebody had blown the turn and decided to go straight through the cones at the end of the banked section, but they decided to do so on the inside of me instead of outside of me. Moron! I swear it was mere inches that I missed the guy. I had blown that turn before and went through the cones, but I made sure I went above any other riders.

It used to be that different riding clubs attracted different riders. I used to ride with Reduc and they were the best. When I joined, they had a policy that you had to work an event as a corner worker once before you could ride on the track. That gave everyone a good idea on how trackdays worked. In the early 2000's they cancelled that policy, but the sessions still seemed to be pretty orderly.

Other clubs at the time like Nesba and Team Pro-Motion seemed to be more profit-oriented and had more crashes than Reduc did at the time. Unfortunately, Reduc "merged" with Sportbike TrackTime and my lifetime membership got transferred to them. I say unfortunately, because that apparently decided to give up on the East Coast, and now the club that I'm a member of doesn't offer any track day events anywhere near me. Oh well, I don't really own a suitable track day bike anymore anyways....

I do miss the track, having not done a track day since 2004. It definitely made me a better rider.

 

[marke14]

Thank you jrevans and everyone for your reply. I agree that certain trackday orgs who put on the event seem to have different levels of jackassery, and the jackasses who flock to them. Then again, on any given track day, you could have bad eggs show up at a good event. Cest la vie.

I had my second post-operative appointment today, and I have an x-ray to share with you guys:

A larger version is attached for posterity You can see the 8 screws, including the two holding the little "flap" of bone in place.

The healing is going pretty well. The pain is subsiding although my ribs still hurt pretty good. I feel torn up on my left side still for sure, but I will be going back to work starting Monday, so that is good (sort of ... it's been great not working too, but what a price to pay).

The doctor says I can start doing range of motion exercises now but that I can't start PT for another 4 weeks. I have a call in to see when I can start running again (my wife and I are half-marathoners, so I am anxious to get running again ASAP).

 

[Wavex]

Time to book your next trackday

 

[Lefty]

Mark, I'm glad you're healing up so well although it probably seems like it's taking forever.
Your positive attitude will make your recovery that much quicker speaking from experience. :thumbup:
It was really cool to see you at the pre-ride dinner when we came down south. Next year I expect some riding from you though...:spank:

 

[callmegandhi]

Wear you gear!! Thanks for posting pictures of you leathers and the helmet you were wearing! I love showing my helmet to people who think that helmets "aren't cool" from an accident I had 9 years ago. Glad to hear you are OK!

 

[Kazza]

So glad you're healing up Mark.

That x-ray picture makes me feel sick

Ouch!

 

[lonesoldier84]

Wow that sucks man. I know I'm from a smaller riding community than that which frequents Willow but your complaining doesn't strike me as unfair. That lack of a follow up would never happen here.

Anyway, heal up and get back at it. You're lucky not to have a short riding season to contend with.