Thoughts and Prayers to OmniGLH

[sdiver68]

Jim Ptak went down hard in turn 7 and was taken to the hospital.  :( Apparently, he messed up his left wrist and shoulder pretty bad...requiring surgery and will be in the hospital at least until Wednesday...last report I had Sunday afternoon.

Anyway, Jim, get better, and everyone's thoughts and prayers can help lead to a full and speedy recovery :)

[lbk]

 :( Sorry to hear about this. Jim take care and get better man!

[KBOlsen]

John was watching as Jim went sailing off into the muck.  We sat anxiously as the minutes ticked by without any sign of a rider popping out of the weeds.  My heart sank when I saw the bike on the trailer.  I caught up with DanO later in the day and could see he was still pretty upset about it all.

 :(

Hopefully Jim will heal as quickly as he rides... and be back soon.

[r1owner]

Damn!   :'(  My thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery Jim!

Glad to hear that the injuries are recoverable and not life threatening.

[TZDeSioux]

dang.... you mean he cracked up that lovely green suzuki? I hope you heal fast and hope to see you at the track soon! Take care of yourself chief!

[tigerblade]

 :(

[MightyDuc Racing]

Sorry to hear that! :'(  Get well soon.

[Chef]

MAJOR DITTO !

jimmy mack, when are ya comin back, JImmy, ohhhh jimmy mack....

dont keep us waitin......


Ike

[Doc]

My thoughts and prayers are w/ you Jim!  Heal fast and get back in the saddle!


Doc

[lil_thorny]

jimmy,
don't keep us waiting, we need yer speed out there!
get well and make sure Dan-o gets that Suzi , haulin
A. S. S. again. i'll be disappointed if you aren't back for july races!!!!
Benj.

[Super Dave]

Keep us updated...

[chris_chops]

Here's to a speeddy recovery. :)

[Speedballer347]

I saw Jim Omni at the hospital Sunday and he was in very good spirits.  
He was pretty bummed that he wasn't the source of the crash, more like the victim  :'(

He is "OK" but has some painful & time-consuming injuries.  I hope he'll make it back this season, but.....   ???

DanO can fill ya all in better than me, but that's everything I know.

Good luck Omni!!! 8)

[Steviebee]

was T7 always a place for crashes, seemed like several others went down in 7 last weekend.  Me included (totally my bad) ?

[Super Dave]

Seven sometimes has to do with how you approach it.

[Jeff]

Turn 7 as Dave mentioned, can have a funny effect on a rider.  You're coming into it a lot faster than you think (or at least you CAN come into it...).  This can freak people out.

The amount of crud that was on the outside of the track in that turn didn't help either...

I was chasing down Brian Baker, and blew T7 which put me in the crud.  As I slid sideways toward the outside of the track, Purk came around me.  

In a later race, I managed to come around Mike Chachere when he blew the turn and did the same thing.

[OmniGLH]

thanks for the words guys.... i didn't know i was so well liked  :)  i am doing ok.  was released from the hospital on tuesday because my surgeon was going out of town, and the OR was booked.  So i'm scheduled for "next week sometime"... i'm hoping monday.  i did a good number on my left shoulder (broke it in 4 places, and lots of little fragments floating around.)  it is by far the most physical pain i have ever felt.  also broke my right wrist so doing anything (i.e. typing) sucks.  doc says no racing for at least a year, but maybe with the help of some stuff dave told me about (thanks for the email) i might be able to make RA in august (??)  

what happened was i was out in the expert practice since a) missed the am session and b) dano, diver and baller were all going out.  had just started getting back up to a good pace, started hitting my old brake markers, etc. Didn't seem to be holding anyone up, i did a lot of passing actually.  So anyways...  WOT through the kink into 7, hit the hooks, was a little wide but no big deal.  out of nowhere some A** with a white plate hits my right side just enough to nudge me off the pavement and into the mud.  at that point it was all over.  i know experts like to rub and stuff while racing... but in practice?? NOT COOL.   i can't help but think it was deliberate.  i just wish i knew who it was that did it....

anyways, thanks again guys.  great to meet cary, todd and nicole... and good to see diver and baller again.  thanks to everybody who loaded my stuff up for me.

[MightyDuc Racing]

Sorry to hear that Omni.  :(  Hopefully that p.o.s. will read this and have to go on feeling bad about themself for it.  Get well soon.

[Super Dave]

I didn't know you got hit....  I don't like that.

Order that bone stuff ASAP.  It will work miracles.  D'Amico wasn't supposed to walk, let alone ride, I think.  Lots of little examples.  It really works great.

Stay away from caffeene, that messes up bones, along with alcohol.  Protein is good.  Fill up so you have something for your body to build with.  Make you're doctor into a babbling moron when you TELL him that you're gonna race in August.  

[lbk]

Not trying to rain on anyones parade, but I would be carefull about TELLING the Dr. something if your medical insurance is covering it. They can refuse coverage of any reoccurring problems if your Dr. didn't approve the activity.

Just something to keep in mind. Racing is expensive enough if you had to take care of your own medical expenses it woudln't even be possible. Just my .02 I had a street crash and the medical insurance was very curious why my automotive insurance didn't cover it, and what the exact details were, and I have the same policy as Jim since we both work for the same company.

[lightweightgp]

i would not suggest that anyone withhold information from a treating physician.   the Doc. has to have all the info there is in order to treat his patient properly.  Do NOT lie to your doctor.

[harb990]

Hey Jim - It was nice to meet you also - maybe you can come down to Gateway with Dano this summer and be the pit boss.   ;)

Good luck in your surgery (I had my shoulder rebuilt after I separated it in a 4-wheeler accident) make sure you do your re-hab, I feel that is an important step in total recovery.

Keep us up to date on everything.

Later
Cary

[Super Dave]

Harb...  I just put together who you are...LOL!

Glad you made it through the cold Blackhawk.

[harb990]

Dave - Just think of me as the one who has the striped bike   ;D

Cary

[Super Dave]

It looked cool.  (Not as cool as OmniGLH's green Suzuki...[that's why you crashed!])

Reminded me of some of the Lucky Strike Suzuki's that were ran in WSB in the early 90's.  Way cool!

[dave333]

Hopefully that p.o.s.

Huh? P.O.S.??  I don't like the idea of crashing cause of someone else, but that is a risk all of us take ANY time we are out there.  This is a contact sport, at triple digits.  Hello in there, Duc!!!

Heal soon Jim...

[Bernie]

Order that bone stuff ASAP.  It will work miracles.   

What bone stuff?!?!?  Don't hold out on the rest of us please! ;D  I've been taking all sorts of bone and joint supplements, but haven't found any miracles for my stubborn injuries.

[Super Dave]

http://www.seacoastvitamins.com/EthicalNutrients/bonebuilder5.html

It's called MCHC normally, but I can't spell what that is.  

One of my instructors is a labratory scientist.  He pointed me to it when I broke my hand, racing related but not while racing.  I went back to the doctor after two weeks, the bone was pretty much healed.  He used it himself for a broken bone.  Jason D'Amico, a guy that was instructing with me, got in a horrific street bike accident.  I don't even think they found is patella...

Anyway, multiple fractures, internal injuries, etc.  He wasn't supposed to ride or maybe even walk again.  He's riding and instructing.  The doctors are pretty dumbfounded by it.  

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Man, that whole getting hit thing sucks.  I understand how it can happen in a race, but in practice it should not happen at all.
I've been hit by amateurs while I was still wearing my shirt and hit by experts when I would try to pass them in a combined race.  I think there are a few idiots out there who can't stand the thought of someone less experienced being faster, so they behave poorly.  This will never be a problem for me, because I recognise that the only way for me to be the fastest it to rent the track all for myself!!!
While still wearing my shirt, I had someone SLAM me in seven after I had passed him in six.  This was during practice.  Then he came looking for me after the session to tell me what an idiot I was.  Bad move on his part.  Funny thing.  After I finished adjusting his attitude, I never saw this guy at a race again.  And no, I didn't lay a finger on him.  But I made him a promise, and his disappearing act leads me to think that he took me seriously!

[Bernie]

Thanks for the link, Dave! :)

[dave333]

I understand how it can happen in a race, but in practice it should not happen at all.

please explain...

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

In a race, you're flat out.  There is no room to hesitate or waste time.  You make a choice, the guy you're passing makes an unexpected move, and you hit.
Practice is practice.  There is no need for leather peeling, paint scraping, no-mercy passing in practice.  People who collide with other riders in practice need to learn a little patience.  It sounds like Mr Omni was the victim of an impatient or fragile-ego'd racer who couldn't show enough restraint to avoid a colission during a meaningless practice.
As the English would say, "Bad show!"