didn't get to the practice day at manfeild on the friday due to having to attend a friends wedding. so after leaving home at 5am on the saturday, we got to manfeild tired, but ready to go.
I'd just installed new Ohlins internals in front forks (thanks Kerry!) so was going to use the practice sessions for all they were worth. 1st session, into the 1:16's which was the fastest I'd ever been round manfeild, but new leathers were still tight and restricting my movement on the bike, still felt a bit tired and i knew i should be able to get into the 1:14s or 1:13s this weekend. That's not the pointy end of the field, but i'd be happy. New front end was working well. Bike no longer chattering under heavy breaking and downshifting - far more controlled. So a few tweaks later, all was looking good for the second session.
Second session, 1 lap in, someone hurtled into the side of me from behind into the hairpin. I didn't have a chance, the bikes got locked together and i was thrown down hard. Marshalls tried to keep me down, but with the dust blowing in my face I had to try and get up before being hauled off in the ambulance. When they took leathers off the source of the problem became apparent. There was a deep gash in my elbow, down to the bone. This was cleaned up and 6 stiches put in to hold everything together. I was also given a 3 hr standdown from riding as my helmet had taken a significant whack on the back of my head. So no way was i going to get out for the qualifying session and the weekends racing was over.
Back to the track briefly on sunday morning to pck up license and watch the first 600 race before heading back to wellington to see a gp....
...so on monday morning, off to see the doctor. She took one look and said "oh, dear". infection had set in and arm was red and swolen. so got prescription for anti-biotics and pain killers. Then she sent me to the radiology place down the road. just in case. So after waiting there a while, i got the x-rays and they said "you're off to fracture clinic". I didn't thik it would be that bad, as i still had plenty of movement in my arm, and it didn't really hurt all that much.
But after a few hours waiting i finally got to see the registrar. The problem was that a piece of bone from the end of the elbow had broken off, the issue here was that was the bit that holds the tricep muscle on, so the muscle has pulled the fragment up into the arm. The couldn't operate cos everything was still so swolen. So they pulled the stiches out, and replaced with steri-strips, so the wound isn't closed as tight and the goop can get out. And i've got to go back next monday when they are going to decide if they are going to operate to re-attach the bone fragment and tricep muscle to the elbow.
So it looks like riding at Pukekohe will be extremely unlikely :-(
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Originally Posted by scracha
Didnt look good when they kept you down. Heal up fast.
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