Bad crash today at Paeroa

[The Buzzard]

I saw a very nasty crash (on the back of the circuit just past the grassy knoll) in a post classic race today. The bike was a red GSX and I never saw the rider move after the crash.

Eventually he was covered in a sheet and removed by ambulance, before the race was re-started.

Does anyone know what the outcome was? A marshall who was at the scene walked past me looking very pale and wiping his eyes... altogether a very spooky scene.

The Buzzard

[marty]

saw the chopper fly out shortly after. haven't heard anything though

[Finn]

saw the chopper fly out shortly after. haven't heard anything though

How about that toss pot on his returning lap decided he'd try and spin his side car and ended up flipping the bike tossing his co-pilot into the air and onto the road. Got taken away in the ambo and it seems the rider was happy. Jerk.

[Motoracer]

Eventually he was covered in a sheet and removed by ambulance, before the race was re-started.

Stink...

I'll be keeping a watchfull eye on this thread.

I'm hoping for some promising news..

[aff-man]

How about that toss pot on his returning lap decided he'd try and spin his side car and ended up flipping the bike tossing his co-pilot into the air and onto the road. Got taken away in the ambo and it seems the rider was happy. Jerk.

You sure that's what happened.... He seemed to lock up way before the hairpin

[kiwifruit]

from where i was standing (on the grassy knole) it looked like the sidecar lost drive, freewheeled, attempted to make the turn but got a wheel up on the hay and flipped it

looked very nasty

[What?]

That's the way I saw it, too. There was no engine noise at all - just a big crunch on the outside of the hairpin. Assuming either the chain came off or the motor had expired.

[SixPackBack]

I marshaled at Paeroa on point three, the right hand uphill corner, second corner around from the main straight end.
The red GSX [?] came around the right hander and high sided badly, we yellow flagged the race and by the time I got to the incident the gentleman was being lifted into the ambulance. Not commenting on injuries, he was alive.
The incident with the sidecar driver involved the driver cutting loose on the warm down lap and flipping it.

[What?]

I think we be talking about 2 different crashes - the one I was referring to was a classic outfit at the hairpin.

[k14]

I heard that he had a punctured lung along with other things. He had been transfered to waikato hospital last i heard. Can't remember the guys name though, think his last name was Sharp.

[NodMan]

I saw a very nasty crash (on the back of the circuit just past the grassy knoll) in a post classic race today. The bike was a red GSX and I never saw the rider move after the crash.

Eventually he was covered in a sheet and removed by ambulance, before the race was re-started.

Does anyone know what the outcome was? A marshall who was at the scene walked past me looking very pale and wiping his eyes... altogether a very spooky scene.

The Buzzard
Just a quick update guys...Greg Sharpe is still in critical care unit this morning but at least he was talking last night trying to remember what happened. He was air lifted to Auck hospital in the end(Thanks WESTPAC you guys are brilliant, the Doc at Paeroa who saved him with some quick action, and special thanks Speedmedic sending us and family in the right direction)

Gregs stable with broken collarbone,several ribs and punctured lung and poss other internals.Not the way to celebrate ya 50th birthday, we'll just have to save the ales for next weekend now

I havent seen the bike yet but the ole GS1000 will be rebuildable (Greg had just come back after scoring 1,2,&3 places at phillip Island) so i know where there is another GS waiting if he needs it

From me...anybody with photos would be appreciated so once gregs up and about we can help work out how it all happened
Ride safe guys

[R6_kid]

I was marshall on point 5 which is the the s bend after 'the hill'

Didnt see the crash happen put did see the bike land and Greg on the ground - To be honest i shat myself because we didnt get called to respond for what seemed like ages and he didnt move much, but i was relieved that he was atleast breathing when i got up to him where we provided some privacy.

From what i could tell he highsided and landed face first - his first words were 'what happened' so he probably wont remember it. Good luck to him with his recovery.

As for the sidecar... not sure of the full story. It seemed as though he tried to drift it around the corner right in front of me, but may have been slightly nudged. Either way the 'slinger' or 'idiots' as the marshalls call them, was thrown clear and landed hard. The driver was trapped underneath but wasnt injured, he did have a sore arm though.

I wouldnt say he was happy, but i would like to say how impressed i was at the support from the other racers that were right there. The driver said just do what ever you have to do to make it safe (the sidecar) and said to rip the shell off if we needed too - he was more worried about his mate though.

Other crash that happened literally right next to me, was a guy in F3 (i think) on an RGV250 who came hard on the front brakes, lifted the rear wheel, got it settled and then highsided right on the corner sending him over the bails and the bike into them. He got up fine, but video footage showed him missing a solid steel pole by about 2cm - something that would have killed or atleast seriously injured him for sure.

All in all it was an action packed day and there were a couple of other minor accidents that arent really worth mentioning.

The wierd thing i find after seeing all the carnage and injury is that i still want to get out there and race :blink:

[Zed]

The following article is from todays NZ Herald online, note the last sentence:


Thunder rolls in Paeroa's day at the races

20.02.06
By Simon O'Rourke

It was a fine hot day, but thunder reigned supreme in the streets of Paeroa yesterday.

Scores of high-performance motorbikes were driven at breakneck speed down the main street, in the biggest annual event the L&P town has to offer.

Thousands of motorsport fans from around the North Island watched the races unfold from behind wire fences, while families sat on the banks of the Waihou River enjoying picnics among the Harley-Davidsons, Nortons, Yamahas and Suzukis.

Many more packed the town's public bars.

The event was teeming with people sporting dark shades, greying long hair, goatee beards, and plenty of black leather, and most of them were holding on to a helmet.

Budding entrepreneurs walked the streets as mobile "ear-plug stations", selling their merchandise for $1.50 a pop.

Retailers were lapping it up. Sam Sole, owner of the L&P Big Cafe and Bakery, said she wished the event was on every week. She was doing a brisk trade.

"This brings people from around New Zealand. I've got loads of customers coming in here from Auckland."

Ms Sole said Hamilton businesses should embrace the concept of street racing - referring to the city's intention to host the V8 Supercar event from 2008.

Local Paeroa man Tony Kimura estimated that up to 10,000 people attended the motorbike street racing yesterday.

"I worked on it when it first began about 10 years ago. It's just grown since then."

Mr Kimura said it was about a third of the size when it started.

Matamata man Gary Derby, owner of a Suzuki Bandit 1200, said he was drawn to the event for the adrenalin rush of seeing dozens of fast bikes race in confined spaces.

"I just love watching these experienced guys do this."

A volunteer for the Paeroa Promotions Trust, Moira Harman, was also there to see high speed. "You're standing here and you hear them, but if you blink you'll miss them."

Media and marketing manager Paul Lance said tickets had sold out.

"We think we've had in excess of 13,000 people here today."

He said speeds of 270km/h had been reached in the Formula Paeroa race, which attracted bikes in the 1000cc class.

Andrew Stroud of Hamilton won the race riding his Suzuki.

He also recorded the fastest lap time along the 1.6km course - 44.88s.

Organisers got through 18 races.

The sidecar sprint event called off because of a spectacular crash and the resulting mess it left on the track.

No one was injured at the event.

[Big Dave]

1.


Thanks - I get on good with 'Shagger' Sharp - good man - he's got the best form in the class.

Nothing wrong with open faces for low speed work - but I certainly wouldn't wear one racing or even wicking it up on the road.

[justsomeguy]

Was pretty scary seeing how long the ambo was taking with the bike crash especially after the amount of noise made by the commentator when the crash occured. Hope Greg makes a full recovery. :yes:


As for the sidecar incident:

I was the marshall on Flag duty at the curve when the sidecar crashed - the swinger was relaxed/ lounging in the sidecar as it was just a warm down drive to the pits, when the dickhead driver decided to give the throttle a bit of a twist. This flipped the car and injured the swinger pretty badly. The driver was not happy - he sort of put on a smile, but was bright red.... looked a tad embarassed.

[aff-man]

ZED: Notice they don't mention honda's in the article :buggerd:

[R6_kid]

i like it how the Heralds information is always correct... No one was injured at the event. They must be referring to the spectators.

[justsomeguy]

ZED: Notice they don't mention honda's in the article

Hey guys, please not in this thread. Thanks.

JSG

[NodMan]

The following article is from todays NZ Herald online, note the last sentence:


Thunder rolls in Paeroa's day at the races


The sidecar sprint event called off because of a spectacular crash and the resulting mess it left on the track.

No one was injured at the event.

You gotta just LUV ole aunty HAROLD
best we bikers apologise profusely for the mess left on the streets of Paeroa, but Im sure the citizens of Paeroa are only to keen to see us JAFFAs and others come back next year!!!
I think that the marshalls, the medics(including Speedy), and the Auck motorcycle club deserve big thumbs up for the largest and best Paeroa of the last 15 years

[Shaun]

Yes I was referring to racing.

Although I ve seen a nasty jaw fracture..ie nearly torn off, from a open face road rider.


OPEN FACE HELMETS ARE BULLSHIT!! THEY SHOULD BE BANNED FROM THE RACE TRACK AND IDEALLY FROM THE ROAD

We the tax payer pay to fix these people, if they had been wearing a full helmet there would be no injury to repair

Hope the person in this accident learns from it

[marty]

hey there could be a heap of second-hand cheap open face helmets for sale on trademe soon....

[Lou Girardin]

I thought the Herald report was quite positive. (if inaccurate)

[sAsLEX]

From me...anybody with photos would be appreciated so once gregs up and about we can help work out how it all happened
Ride safe guys

talk to that young un of yours, had a lady come up to me who I sent on to KK who had some photos of the incident.

Hope Greg gets well soon, and was good to see logo doing well with the bie finally running good,

[justsomeguy]

Our Advanced paramedic was still outside the circuit from previous crash. FIV was there straight away. Stayed on scene to stabilise before extrication.

I didn't mean - get to the guy - I meant how long they were taking to sort him out. It wasn't a simple - hi you ok, cool, off you go - 2 min check up - so that (to me) meant there was something serious happening - which was the scary part - compounded by how serious the commentator made it sound.


No it didnt he was fine.

Glad he's got no lasting injuries. What about bruises? The fella looked rather shaken and real sore.

[Big Dave]

Although I ve seen a nasty jaw fracture..ie nearly torn off, from a open face road rider.

Mate - I know what you are saying and acknowledge the risk. I ride around it.

Conversely - how many badly busted collarbones from low speeders caused by a full face have you seen?

And what about those guys on the Vincent at the classics - he was in an open face with his cheek 50mm off the deck going up the hill - made me wince watching him.

[Two Smoker]

I hope Greg has a full and fast recovery...

[Finn]

OPEN FACE HELMETS ARE BULLSHIT!! THEY SHOULD BE BANNED FROM THE RACE TRACK AND IDEALLY FROM THE ROAD

We the tax payer pay to fix these people, if they had been wearing a full helmet there would be no injury to repair

Hope the person in this accident learns from it

And so should boob tubes on fat chicks but there ain't nothing you can do about it.

I don't object to the small amount of tax I pay going towards fixing bikers faces up. I do object to my money fixing up diseases related to obesity. I had the unfortunate experience of having to take a friend of mine to Middlemore last week. Everybody there was fat and smelt funny. What a shithole.

I would wear an open face too if I wasn't jewish but I got sick of cleaning snot off my headlight.

[Kickaha]

As for the sidecar incident:

I was the marshall on Flag duty at the curve when the sidecar crashed - the swinger was relaxed/ lounging in the sidecar as it was just a warm down drive to the pits, when the dickhead driver decided to give the throttle a bit of a twist. This flipped the car and injured the swinger pretty badly. The driver was not happy - he sort of put on a smile, but was bright red.... looked a tad embarassed.

Do you know what number or colour/colours this outfit was?

[sunhuntin]

only saw one accident on the track..a green bike...think it was after the sidecar race...was around the side, near the pits i think. got a couple of pics of after the accident, was too busy shitting myself for the rider to take a pic during the event. bike sorta seemed to bounce around while the rider danced on top before they parted ways. he stayed down for a lil while, sorta crawled up onto all fours and stayed there before going to the bike. he walked away ok.

couple of accidents on the road though...cars only no bikes that i saw. one car upside down in a ditch on the road between paeroa and waihi on sunday morning...happened not long before i went passed.

[NodMan]

I didn't mean - get to the guy - I meant how long they were taking to sort him out. It wasn't a simple - hi you ok, cool, off you go - 2 min check up - so that (to me) meant there was something serious happening - which was the scary part - compounded by how serious the commentator made it sound.
.
Speedi and his boys did brilliant work at the scene and that Trauma centre before Westpac arrived
Good news from Hospital Greg was moved out of critical care while I was there this afternoon so waiting now to suss out/rebuild shoulder
Thanks Saslex...KK said a lady came up to him but he was focussing on his race so didnt get her name but I think she must have got to Vincewith footage cheers

[froggyfrenchman]

The outfit that flipped at the esses was right in front of me, I have spent time operating speedway sidechairs, and seeing the speed he was entering the corner with his swinger "relaxed" i winced before you could hear squealing tires. For the record, he did change down quick and loud through the turn, wether that was coz his brakes had packed or if he wanted to spin it for the crowd is somthing i dont know. Glad to see all the other outfits came back to offer some privacy to the swinger lying face down not moving.

I was truly disapointed and sickened by all the people taking pics of him lying there, how would you feel if it was you on the track?

[Finn]

I was truly disapointed and sickened by all the people taking pics of him lying there, how would you feel if it was you on the track?

If I was him I'd be more pissed off that the rider actually caused it in the first place. He was trying to be a hero and spin the back out for the croud. Then he proceeded to hold his arms high in the air like he was happy with his mistake. He laughed too. He should have his license revoked. Looser

[Joni]

umm Finn, are you sure that you know exactly what was said and what the circumstance was?

My partner and I happen to know a lot of the sidecar guys that were out there yesterday and they generally DONT snigger and laugh when their swingers go down...

:spudwhat:

[froggyfrenchman]

From where i was standing, the rider's "yay im ok" signal ofarms in the air was very short lived, he quitened down instantly apon seeing his mate on the deck. As i said to my girl, you have to be a certian kind of madman to swing, and know/trust the rider incerdibly well. As someone that has riden sidechairs..... there is no way i would spin it without knowing where the madman was on the bike and making sure he knew what was about to happen.

I am not saying he threw it sideways on purpose, the speed he entered the corner and the fact he downchanged on the apex sugests to me he had a braking problem. I dont know the facts

[drummer]

I saw the incident re sidecar out of corner of my eye. I didn't hear any squeals or anything that would point towards heavy braking. however the commentator really was fast on blaming the crash on showing off. I think that was a bit fast on the judgemental stakes. Any racer of even some intelligence knows safety on the slow down lap is especially important. The team involved were by all accounts experiments and winners. I tend to believe it was a mechanical failure combined with a slightly too relaxed approach to the corner. Also from what I observed at the scene, the rider was very concerned and was with his swinger whilst he was being stabilized. My thoughts go to the post classic injured rider as well... keep positive!

[Finn]

umm Finn, are you sure that you know exactly what was said and what the circumstance was?

My partner and I happen to know a lot of the sidecar guys that were out there yesterday and they generally DONT snigger and laugh when their swingers go down...

:spudwhat:

Of course I couldn't hear what what said. I saw what I saw. The rider caused the accident and his proceeding actions where that of a jerk.

It is irrelevant that you and your partner are side car groupies. Read what one of the marshals said about the incident in this thread. There were about 20 people around me that saw what happened and made comments about his actions afterwards.

[Kickaha]

It is irrelevant that you and your partner are side car groupies..

I resent that,there is no way I am a sidecar groupie I am much more like a sidecar slut :yes: as I'll let any of these guys take me for a ride :bleh:

It's not really irrelvant when you know the guys and how they behave,and know that none of them would deliberately set out to injure the swinger and certainly wouldn't be happy about doing it, if he fucked up he'd be the first to admit it and I know he's already been given a crank up by at least one other crew, he didn't come off unscathed either as he apparently has a break/fracture in his elbow

Haven't heard first hand from him, but there was talk from another team that a rose joint in the side had broken which contributed to the accident

[bluninja]

Sorry to hear about Greg's injuries. Glad that he's improving. Hope somebody can pass on my best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

[Krusti]

How about that toss pot on his returning lap decided he'd try and spin his side car and ended up flipping the bike tossing his co-pilot into the air and onto the road. Got taken away in the ambo and it seems the rider was happy. Jerk.

Outside axle snapped!