Just wanted to say thanks to WERA and Nelson Ledges staff.

I don't think anyone on here actually knows me personally.

This is my 2nd year on motorcycles (I used to race cars) and my first year racing WERA. I raced CCS last year after doing one track weekend with STT. So the learning curve has been a bit steep lol. I have had an absolute blast though, and i have no intentions of stopping any time soon.

The last North Central round at Nelson Ledges was a bit wild for me.. I had actually never been there before because I had to miss the first two rounds of the season due to weddings/scheduling. So all I could hope for was to try and learn the track as best as possible in the first two practice sessions... 1st session was really cold and I realized after lap 3 that I was the only bike out there. "Hmm maybe this isnt a great idea" I thought.. Then on lap 5 of practice I tucked the front coming into T4 and slid for over 100 feet into the grass.. Luckily me or the bike didn't tumble but it completely destroyed the left side of my bike. clip on, rear set, shifter, all the body work, belly pan etc..

Luckily, I had made some pals this year and within minutes of getting back to the points I had 4 people ripping things off the bike as I grabbed all my spares. We were able to get the bike ready for practice 2 and I got a tow from someone. I felt much much better.

Made grid for all the Saturday races and picked up a 2nd place in one of them. Unfortunately in the last race of the day I slid the front hard coming into T4 again and decided to try and pick the bike back up before it tucked.. When doing so, I ran out of racetrack/talent and went into the grass and yeeted myself off the bike.. hard..

Bike tumbled, and I ended up landing straight into my left collarbone.. pretty much obliterating it. I knew right away I had broken it, but whenever i crash I try to get onto my feet ASAP because I don't know if my wife can see me or not, and I don't want her to worry. However, before I could get all the way to my feet a corner worker had somehow sprinted all the way to me and was helping me back up. (this fella was no spring chicken either)

The EMT's also basically sprinted to me and were very quick to asses my "hey put your hand right here under my leathers, I'm pretty sure this is broken, can you confirm?" Everyone took great care of me and I'm really appreciative of that.

Also, the pals I made in the paddock took it upon themselves to completely pack up my race trailer, tool box, both my canopies, pit bike, EVERYTHING. While my wife drove me to the hospital for X rays, etc. All we had to do when we got back was literally hook up the trailer and head out.

Also, HUGE props to my wife for never ever pulling a trailer in her life to just say "whatever, I gatta figure this out" and drive us 5 hours home (starting at 9pm) and back the trailer into our driveway. She rules.

In the quick packing and commotion that my pit pals did, we actually left the track with a rental transponder.. I didn't even realize it until Tuesday, so I gave the head office a call.

I just want to say how great Emily was to talk to on the phone. She informed me about the excess medical insurance program they have. I had no idea about this. I am very fortunate to have some amazing insurance, but I went ahead and filled the form out anyway. I doubt I will hit the required deductible for them to take over any billing because of my own coverage deductible and max out of pocket being rather low. Emily also let me know that i will receive credits for the races I missed on Sunday. I had no idea that these were things that WERA did for its racers, and I think it's great. So thank you guys for that. I usually race 3-4 classes a day, so it can add up sometimes. Especially on double header weekends.

As for my injury, I had surgery the following Friday and I'm feeling really good. They had to put in a long plate and about 10-11 screws. When I say I obliterated it, I mean I absolutely destroyed my collarbone. The surgeon told me that it had broken into 5 pieces and 3 of them were just floating around in there. I'm healing fast but recovery will prolly take longer due to the plate literally just holding chunks of bone together waiting for my bones to bridge itself back together.

I'm bummed mostly because I was really looking forward to racing the GNF's. I was doing pretty decent in 2 championships.. Came into the weekend 2 points away from #1 in B Superstock... I ended up finishing 4th and 5th in the B classes, but if i didn't get hurt I would have done a lot better.. There's always next year. My wife is bummed because we just started mountain biking this year and now I'm all banged up and cant go.. She also doesn't feel comfortable riding alone yet. (she crashes a lot)

Also, this is the longest I've ever gone without working since I was 16.. (3 weeks now) I'm going insane. Im not a big TV guy, so I've just been watching different seasons of MotoGP and WSBK. Then I play video games, annoy my cats and wife and just go to bed. lol

Can't wait for next year.

Just wanted to say thank you to WERA for everything. As well as all of the corner workers EMT's and the awesome competitors I've met this year You're all great and i hope you have a great off-season. See you all in 2021!!

 

I'm glad you wrote that out. Very cool!

 

Racers rule, wera rules and track workers rule. Glad you're okay!

 

Glad you're in good spirits, awesome attitude. Take care of your injury, and do what the docs say, don't be a hero until you're healed.
Yea the track folks are very cool, racers, track staff, WERA staff, wives, they're all there to have fun, and be safe.
I remember about 12 years or so ago, I guy from Chicago on a brand new Ducati, new trailer, new truck, everything new....laid his bike down in the last session of a track day. All he did was scratch his bike up pretty bad, and his wife rushed him to the hospital, he was ok, just brake a couple bones. About 4 strangers loaded his bike up, all his gear, and locked his trailer. I did take us a while to figure out this new fancy bike restraint system....TRS.

 

Wera and Co is a great org with great peeps!

 

Glad you made it back home. I was wondering how that went when I was on my drive back home on Sunday.

I'm the one who you asked to help get you out of there after dark. My friend Charlie (on the scooter) was the one you followed to get you out of the track.

People say you don't need a diesel tow a trailer, but it makes it a lot less stressful to tow with one. You had the perfect set up for her to tow with for the first time.

 

Falling down aside, you almost got the full Nelson experience!

What’s the full Nelson experience? Well, you gotta race past the ambulance with your knee down. THAT, is the full Nelson experience.

See you next season!

 

Oh man I forgot about this! At first my wife and I were gunna crash in a hotel room and come grab the trailer in the morning. But she was kind of amped still over the whole situation, and also had the smarts to think about how little room that paddock has. She figured with never towing anything before and only ever driving my giant truck 3 times, it would be a dick move to try and get out of there while everyone was trying to practice/race. So we headed back to the track. Thanks so much for the help! she was kind of geeked to be able to drive a half lap of Nelson Ledges to get out through the access road. lol I had a nice big dose of Fentynol in me so IDGAF about much. I just ate Flamin' Hot Cheetos until I fell asleep on the way home.

The diesel truck is nice. I wouldn't have bought it if I knew once I tried bikes I would sell all my race cars.. lol I needed something that would haul a large enclosed trailer for a car.. That's why I have that giant thing. I got a good deal on it, and without a trailer I get 25mpg on the highway.

 

Just curious about the suit you were wearing? Assuming non air bag?

 

AlpineStars Missile suit. It's airbag compatible, but i just never pulled the trigger on it.. That's changing for next year. My surgeon and I think it was likely my helmet that broke my collar bone though. Just based on how displaced the 2 main pieces were from each other, and the "shattering" of the pieces between them. Not sure how much the Airbag would have helped..

In the first crash of the day, my airbag light module was ripped out of my left arm and destroyed.. So I made need to either have my suit repaired or just get a new suit and make this one the rain suit..

 

Glad your ok Billy and on the med see you next season

 

Fantastic to hear you're in good spirits. The paddock is the best place to meet new friends. The thing i miss most besides just riding on track, is just all the BSing that you do in the paddock.

Was there a certain Uncle in the pits?

 

The airbag should prevent your helmet from moving that much

 

I was cracking jokes with the corner workers and the EMT girl both times. My wife said. "if you're trying to get that girl's number, just go ask her.. no need to hurt yourself"

She's a good sport. lol

 

Sounds like your attitude is only eclipsed by how awesome your wife is.

Congrats on both fronts.

 

This is an awesome thought. Kudos to you for realizing how selfish this sport is and how much we torture our loved ones with every lap. I still remember my ex wife telling me, "What you don't realize is that you're out there having the time of your life, and I feel like I'm going to throw up until you pull back into the paddock."

You're definitely a good dude. BUT... Stop doing that! An old riding buddy of mine jumped to his feet after a big MX crash and made it a few steps before he collapsed awkwardly. Turns out he was running on adrenaline and didn't realize he'd broken his femur. The bone severed his femoral artery and he was bleeding out into his leg. Of course I don't know if the damage was immediate or if it happened when he tried to walk it off, but it changed how I behave after a crash.

It's better to tell your family and friends that if you crash, you're probably not going to move for a bit. Tell them not to worry. If you're not in impact zone there's no reason to get back to your feet immediately. Not only will it give you time to take inventory, but it will offer them a few moments of comfort if you're unconscious and aren't stationary by choice.

Glad you're healing up. Keep up the good attitude!

 

The wife gets anxious when I'm out there and the track goes quiet due to a red flag....First thing I do when I get back in is check in at the trailer. She has it down pat by now, if it takes more than 4 or 5 minutes after the "quiet" she knows to be looking for me riding the trailer of shame.

 

I definitely do a quick inventory check before I get to my feet. I've broken a decent amount of bones in my life. My screen name on here is an actual real life nickname among my friends. I grew up skate boarding, and i was known for skating really really fast. When I crashed I would often ragdoll and flop around down the ramps, stairs, ledges, etc.. One day an older friend said "every time you crash it looks like a god damn train crashing. I don't think its ever going to end." 20 years later 3-4 pals of mine still call me Trainwreck. LOL

As far as the racing, my wife kind of gets mad and annoyed when I crash out of races, but she doesn't seem to care much when it happens in practice ( as long as i'm OK of course) If i crash in a race she usually is first to inform me " did you know on the lap before you decided you didn't want to ride the bike any more that you were .6 seconds behind the leader, podium top 5, etc."

I guess shes the crew chief.. even though I do all the work and all the racing. lol

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you are going to continue racing, you should look into getting a riding coach....some one like Geoff May.

At your lap times, you should not be crashing. There is either something wrong with your bike or your riding style or both. I rode with Geoff a couple years ago and he changed the way I think about riding and bike set up. I have multiple different springs for different tracks because of information gained from him. I also pay very close attention to tire temperatures and pressures (readings before and after every session or race). Working with a suspension tuner, trackside, might also be very helpful.

Another thing to consider is having a bunch of people around you "helping out". I know it's nice to have hands around, but I've set my personal best lap times with very minimal help, usually just one other person helping. I've found more than that becomes a distraction and I can't focus on what I want to work on for the next practice session or race. I try to choose my pit neighbors very carefully. It's either people I don't know at all or people that I know very well and we can help each other. That's not to say I wouldn't give someone a hand if they needed it, but when you don't know someone at all, you kinda keep to yourselves.

As you found out, crashing sucks and cost more than just a wrecked bike. These are just somethings I realized after eight years of racing.