Where’s Simon ?

A "could have been a worse ending" story

Where’s Simon ? 

That was the question Dad, Richard, was asking himself when he noticed his son was not around. Richard and Simon Lansdaal had planned a pleasant afternoon riding the MX and trail loops at Maddix Park. Dad went round the trail loop leaving Simon to expend his energy on the MX track. It was surprising Simon still had energy to spare.  He had competed in the very challenging Opurau Enduro Champs the day before!

But when Dad returned, Simon wasn’t to be seen.  Dad checked with some other riders. Maybe Simon had followed him onto the trail loop. But no, Simon hadn’t been seen on the loop and a second check gave the same result. So Dad decided to walk the MX track.

As he approached the sharp northern hairpin after the road crossing, he heard loud shouts for help.  Simon was found lying in the undergrowth.

So, what had happened ? Simon had been heading towards the hairpin when the throttle on his  bike jammed.  He went straight up the berm, launching himself off the berm into a 40 metre jump, clearing two pongas on the way, shaving the head off a third and dropping nearly 20 metres down into a bush covered gully, still with his bike revving at full throttle.

The ambulance was called and duly arrived, followed by 1. the fire brigade, bringing a stretcher adapted for bush retrievals, 2. the police, not sure why, and 3. the press who “just happened to be coming up to take some MX photos”.

So where is Simon now ?  Simon is still in Tauranga hospital but making good progress His dislocated left shoulder was reduced on Sunday evening. He had a rod insert into his broken right femur on Monday afternoon. He has a brace on his right elbow to stabilize it as it chipped and dislocated. He can get out of bed and take short walks now. We are hoping that he will be allowed home next week but this is dependent on how physio goes.  

We wish him a prompt recovery.  Things could have been worse. (He might want to look at a career in supercross, or maybe FMX, if he can just perfect his landings - just joking).

This serves to remind us that, even though we do our best to ensure it is as safe as possible, motorcycling CAN be a dangerous sport. It is important to keep an eye out for, and on , fellow riders.  Thanks heaps to all those who helped get Simon and the bike out. It was much appreciated. You can always count on bike riders to pull together if/when the need arises. Thanks guys.

And the bike ?  Sad news. Simon’s new bike revved itself until it seized.

And, a note of advice:  If your throttle jams, don’t panic, pull the clutch in, if you can, of course.