Racing/Riding and the Consequences

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Thanks for the compliments, guys.  That was a pretty personal story, and I wasn't sure how people might react to it.  I sure wish those guys could see me now, racing, writing books, coaching for STT....  I can't help but think of how well they would have fit in with the friends I have now.  They may be gone, but I think I've had enough fun since for all three of us.
This sport has provided me with the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life.  I can't imagine not being involved.  Men have been trying to explain why they engage in dangerous pursuits since the beginning of time.  Truth is, You can't explain it to someone who hasn't been there.
There are those who challenge themselves by barreling full speed toward excitement, and those who sit on the couch watching TV.  Oddly enough, no one ever seems to question the validity of a man's choices if he dies on the couch while watching TV.... ???

[EX#996]

 Oddly enough, no one ever seems to question the validity of a man's choices if he dies on the couch while watching TV.... ???

... that's because no one knows he ever existed.

[Al_Soran]

.... so true EX! It really comes down to "what is life if not lived?"

[pmoravek]

This will be tough...

...Finally, I was able to cry.  When I was done, I took the long way home.  After that night, I was OK again.
Sorry.  I know how much that story sucked.  You asked.

K3,
     Don't you dare apologize. I hope telling that story helps with the scars.

Sincerest thanks for sharing,
Pete

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

They are old scars.  The hurt has been gone for a long time.  Still, it made me remember my friends to tell their story, and that was good for me.  Thanks.

[Jeff]

I've had people I've known from email lists for years die on the track.  LeAnn Machado was one.  I knew here for several years on the CBR list (which I own).  The toughest part of her death was that she orphaned a 9 year old daughter, as her husband died a few years earlier on a bike on the street.  It's tough, but I don't know that it should affect my desire to race.

I quit street riding because I deemed it too risky as opposed to racing.  I understand that racing has its dangers and could take my life.  I do what I can to mitigate those risks and enjoy myself along the way.

I love racing.  Spend 5 minutes with me and you'll understand this for certain.  With that in mind, should I die or suffer a disabling injury on the track, do not let my fate affect your racing or riding one bit (unless I did something stupid.  Then, just learn from my mistake and move on).

I'm not necessarily "ready" to die, but I'm also not willing to give up "living" in order to stay alive.  My family understands this as well.  They have a level of acceptance that allows me to continue.  If they could not accept this risk that I take, I would give it up for them.  

It would be interesting to see a statistic on fatalities between racing and street riding, then comparing it to autos.  My sneaking suspicion is that you'd find auto & MC racing to be the safest (in that order) and MC street riding followed by auto driving to be the least safest (in that order).

In the 5 years I've been racing, the worst injury I've been witness to was Joe Wascow at Gateway.  It didn't kill him, but it did change his life, and he cannot race anymore.  It made me reflect on the incident and factors.  At this point, I avoid Gateway as I feel the track exceeds the risk level I am prepared to accept.

So what does my long-winded dissertation come to?  I don't know.  Make up you own mind, take your own risks.  Don't give up something you love just because it "could" kill you.  Tons of people die every day from heart attacks, but I'm still eating steaks wrapped with bacon!  And in the end (last racing comment), I feel the danger of dying in an accident on the way TO or FROM the track is greater than dying on the track...

Here's another good story (long) from a close friend of mine.

http://www.cbr600f4.com/secondary_pages/joe_intro.html

[Mark Bernard]

Is there anyone out there that has lost someone or known anyone close to you that has gotten seriously hurt because of motorcyles in either racing or street riding? I'm not talking about people you don't know, but a family member, or good friend.

Do you still race or ride?

Yes

[KBOlsen]

Yes, and yes.  Just ask my Mom.

Personally, if I had the choice between the trees in T2 at Blackhawk or being tethered by tubes and needles to a hospital bed for weeks on end, unable to enjoy the activities most of us take for granted...

I'll take Turn 2.

We are all going to die sooner or later.  Some of us will be so lucky as to go in our sleep or in the midst of a favorite activity... others will be forced to linger on long after our bodies have failed us.

God willing, I hope to LIVE until I die.

[tigerblade]

I was about *THIS CLOSE* to being paralyzed.  In fact, there's really no explanation on why I'm not.  Still, the prospect of giving up motorcycles equates to giving up a part of myself.  It's still uncertain of whether I have to give up racing, but you'll have to put a bullet in me before I'll give up motorcycles completely.  Something happens, you deal with it, you move on.

[the_weggie_man]

My son died at the WERA GNF in '97, the day after he won the middleweight class national championship riding with Mark Junge and Darryl Saylor in the endurance series.

I still ride on the street. I had already stopped track racing by then but I sure do miss it. To this day I still want to go back out there but it's not a reality for me. So I dream on and stick with the sport in other ways.

I've been riding bikes for 34 years and have been involved with roadracing in various ways for some 24 or 25 years. in that time I have lost a lot of freinds to injuries and death. But hell, they could have slipped in the bath tub ya know? You gonna walk around smelling bad the rest of your life?

Every one of those injuries and deaths left a scar in my heart and there are times those ugly scars reappear and give me some grief but I usually think of some good times I had with that person and the scars crawl back in and the good memories replace them. I nearly always walk away with a smile.

So, young Grasshopper......if you are agonizing over a freind that got hurt or died please try to remember that you have to live your life as you want. You can't let circumstances that hurt others hold you back. Keep good memories close at hand and use them often.

[spyderchick]

Amen, Gordy.

[grasshopper]

My dad got hit by a van that blew a stop sign riding his bike 4 years ago (April 27th) and killed. My Folks would have been married 30 years. I was riding with him that day and saw the whole entire thing. It happened at the intersection of where 394 ends and Goodnow road intersect in Illinois. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was getting ready to go to night school (for my engineering degree, I GOT IT by the way!) and gearing up to ride, and he was going to Chucks Place in Crete to have some fish and chips. I said hey dad! Wait up for me! Lets ride together and split off somewhere along the way. Well, we got to that intersection and he turned left to follow route 1 north and a van coming south on 394 blew the intersection at a high speed and pretty much killed him on impact. It was almost like the guy was trying to get away that was driving the van because he was still on the gas while my dad and his bike were pinned under the van. I'm not going to get too much more graffic about the whole accident scene.

The summer before that we went to the AMA races at Elkhart lake. Ever since then he kept telling me "you need to get out on the track and do some racing!"

So thats what I did against alot of my families wishes. I'm now a complete motorcycle nut case. A Huge part of my passion for this sport came after his death. Even though I've riden bikes and loved the sport all my life.

To this day, infact a someone said it last weekend, people say "Man Nick! I can't believe you still ride and for that matter RACE!"

I just look at them and tell them that I love it with all my heart!

A few friends of mine at Valley Racing (Beecher Il) had a pretty bad misfortune for their drag racing team a couple weeks ago. Lance got into a nasty woble in the traps after a run and ended up getting bucked off his bike. He lost one of his arms above his elbow!

From what I understand he still wants to race with his prostetic limb and he hasn't even got it yet.

The shop is tore up about it. But Lance is totally all for more racing. HE WANTS TO ROLL! Brian and Rally are like "How can we say no to the guy??? He has too much enthusiasm. How can you say "No, you can't race to the guy?

The big picture is, with all of the above stories told, mine, K3's, Weggie Man's, Al Sorans, EVERYONES STORIES (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) is that we all know what we are getting ourselves into. We accept the risks and know the consequences and thats that. We love racing and riding, and its a part of our lives.

I love this prayer, reminds me of the first time I was at Road America!

RACERS PRAYER

Lord I pray as I race today, Keep me safe along the way, Not only me but others too As they perform the jobs they do.
I know God that in a race, I, the rider, must set the pace. But in this race of life I pray, Help me Lord along the way.
Although I know I am a sinner, Help me to believe, that with God, I'm always a winner.


AMEN!  ;)