RACING, TEXAS, AND HOSPITAL VISITS

I had a race in Texas so we left on Thursday and headed to Los Angeles to race the Loretta Lynn qualifier on our way.  We had practice on Friday and raced Saturday.  The race was at 333MX and the track was very different from what I am used to racing.  I was able to finish out the day with two 1st place trophies.

As soon as the race was over my family got into the van and drove 24 hours to Texas.  My parents took turns driving and I slept most of the way.  We were all very happy when we got to Texas and arrived at the Freestone track.

We had a day to get settled, sign in and walk the track.  I also did a photo shoot and video for Leatt.  (I will have a separate post about Leatt later and how wearing a neck and back brace saved me again)

We got a really good nights sleep and I was ready for practice on Tuesday.  My bike was looking awesome with the new graphics, Fly hooked me up with new gear, and I was ready to go.

My first practice was great.  I was getting used to the track and put down some great laps.  In my second practice things did not go as well.  On the second lap my bike didn’t seem like it was running very well.  I thought it would clear out and I kept riding.  When I was going through the rollers my bike bogged and I didn’t clear the jump.  I went head first into the face of the jump and my bike hit me in my back.  I immediately knew that I was pretty hurt, but I wasn’t sure what was wrong.

After going to the hospital, getting advice from some great friends and some new friends, I got transported to a Children’s Hospital.

I was strapped down and they did a lot of tests.  I had and MRI, CT Scan, and X-rays.

The doctors found I had a fractured T1, T2, T3 and T4 vertebrae, a broken T5 vertebrae and pulled ligaments in my neck….. along with a lot of cuts and bruises.  The doctors said I was very lucky that my break did not move any farther at all.  I am so lucky that I was wearing my safety gear.

After a couple of days they finally let me sit up but I still couldn’t get out of bed or walk.  The doctors did more and more tests to make figure out what they needed to do to make sure my back and neck were stable.  Donnie from Yamaha drove for hours just to come and check on me which was very awesome!

The next day I finally got to get out of bed and move around a little.  I was able to go sit in the team room and play video games.

The doctors finally released me to head back to California.  My parents took turns driving but we had to make a few stops along the way for me to rest a little.  I really want to thank everyone for all the get well wishes.  So many people reached out to myself and my parents and it meant a lot to all of us.

Now I am in a back brace and I have to meet with my doctors in California so I can figure out what is next for me.

#WIENERFAM JOSH HERRIN SUPERBIKE CHAMPION

This last week I found out that one of my #wienerfam guys was going to be practicing close to my house and my family decided to go check it out.  Josh Herrin  is a 2010 Daytona 200 Champion, 2012 AMA Superbike Rookie of the year, 2013 AMA Superbike Champion, and 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion.

I met Josh when I was hanging out with the guys from Wienerschnitzel a few months back.  It was so cool to go and watch what he can do on two wheels.  The Meen Motorsports team was working hard doing some testing on the bike with Dunlop.

Josh took time away to talk about how he was feeling on the track and what they were working on.

Watching him ride was so crazy.  Those bikes are so000 fast!

I got to sit on his bike…its a little different than my bike.  How do you think I fit?

Thank you Josh for letting my family come out and watch you ride.

…and thank you to Meen Motorsports for the hospitality!

#WIENERFAM

CONSISTANT FINISHES THREE WEEKS IN A ROW

Two weeks ago I raced a Loretta Lynn qualifier at DT1.  It had rained a lot right before that so the track was a little muddy for practice and got really rough throughout the races.

I had a few really good starts and some good battles out front  I was able to finish up the day with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

The next weekend I raced a Road To Mammoth race at Oatfield.  Again the track got really rough as the day went on.

I battled back and forth with my friends and for the third week in a row I finished with an overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finish.

Both weekends I had a lot of fun racing and pushed myself to get back up to speed after being off my bike for so long.  Getting my starts back and my speed consistent has been tough but I am working hard to get better everyday.

I am happy to be back at the track!