Was only half way through the second session and circulating at a reasonable pace smoothly and confidently. The bike was running well, I was feeling realy good and had convinced myself at that point there was no need to push any harder as the rest of the day was still ahead of me. I had been running with 2 other bikes just ahead of me, honda SP2 and an early model gsx750. The three of us had all been running at a near identical pace. I was happy to follow them both to watch their lines and to make changes to my own to compare the difference on entry and exit. All in all things were pretty cool.
Having had the past 48 hrs to reflect I can now see the events and circumstances that led to my demise. Early on in the session it was clearly obvious that the rider of the SP2 had sparky knee sliders, given the large showers of sparks being generated through several corners. The first time around I had been fairly close behind him and the first time he touched them down my attention had been diverted to them and had taken the briefest amount of concentration from me mid corner. After several corners of the distraction I decided simply to let him pull ahead instead of trying to pass. No worries, I let him pull out a gap of about 15-20m down the front straight which was when the GSX came past me. Once again no worries, if he wanted to be in front of me then so be it so I gave him a little room also. As I said we three were all pretty similar in speed so this was about how we stayed for the next 5 laps or so.
This is where I see the chain reaction begin almost a full lap before the incident. Coming through the down hill back section through the right left right I see the GSX make a mistake, possibly wrong gear, which saw him exiting onto the short straight before pit entry off line and slowly. As I had been keeping my distance I rolled off the throttle and allowed him to re-compose himself. Once again no worries. Through the second last corner I saw him pin it trying to make up lost ground. He arrives at the final corner onto the main straight off line ( centre left of track instead of far right) and braking early. I stay out wide right through the corner and once again allow him room on the exit. Down the main straight I move to the far left of track and give him another 10 - 15m ahead, thinking at this point that this bloke is realy riding at or beyond his limit.
Into turn one I decide to try a different line from that which I had been taking. I stayed out wide, braked earlier and turned in later than I had before which I found realy worked well and was talking myself through it in my helmet when two things happen. First I notice that I am carrying alot more corner speed than the 2 ahead of me and secondly the sparky knee sliders fire up right in front of the GSX just before the exit over the rise which appeared to give him a bit of a fright as I saw his brake light flash briefly and he baulked. Now I am carrying alot more speed out of the corner and simply pass him to his right. The SP2 pulls away as I head down the back straight. I am flat shifting at 11000 and my bike is setup with shorter gearing which gives me top gear just before the slight left bend and drop / dip on the back straight I estimate my speed to have been around 240 - 245kmh. The bars go light through there and give a slight wiggle, nothing too dramatic.
This is where everything goes to absolute shit though and another point in my life when time stands still. Along the straight I had moved to the left of track to both give myself plenty of room to turn in at the next corner and also to allow anybody else to pass me up the inside if they were going to brake later. I had just, and I mean just maybe .5 of a second earlier rolled off the throttle a good 20 m before the 100m(?) marker when there is a black and grey bike buried hard into my right leg running along parallel to me. I basicaly have time only to think WTF before I next hear a thud and the sound of plastic and metal on tar. I am now traveling down the track on my back at a right angle to the track looking backwards as my bike is also traveling at a right angle and on its rhs. I am literaly pushing on the tank and upper fairing trying to hold it off as it was attempting to go over the top of me. Now not only does time stand still but as some of you know from this kind of incident there is absolute clarity in your thinking, because its at this point that I think to myself " Obviously leather has a higher co-efficient of drag against asphalt than alloy and plastic". I also have the thought of "go with it stay loose". I eventualy come to rest face down in the grass a good 8-10m to the left of the track with my bike another 20m further down also on the grass directly opposite the marshal station. I am looking at a bee hovering over a dandelion and the first thing I do is mutter "hey hows your day then?"
I didn't black out at all but certainly had the shit knocked out of me. I did a systems check and found I could move my fingers and toes and that I could move my neck but I couldn't move my left arm and about all I could do was lay there watching as bikes filled past through all the debris slowly, all of them looking at me. I raised my right hand to show I was conscious and waited for some assistance. The other bike stayed upright I believe.
To wind up, I ended up in the northern hospital overnight with a dislocated left shoulder, broken little toe, broken left index finger and severe bruising to both legs. Along with every muscle and joint aching like I have been put through a wringer. I only got a glimpse of my bike, and turned away cause I didn't want to look at it, as I was leaving for the hospital. I still haven't seen it as it's been trailered back to a mates place. I believe it's a total loss, but I will asses it when I get it home
As for leathers and helmet. Well they certainly did the job as there wasn't any claret spilt, but unfortunately they are no longer useable.
This has taken a while to type one handed but there are a couple of things I would like to just add.
1. To the bloke that hit me if you read this ( I am not sure if it was the GSX, but I am assuming it was) I know that nobody would do this to another rider intentionaly and I was told that you were quite upset and wanted to apologize afterwards. What can I say? I am not a hard arse that wants to extract revenge but I am saddened that your actions have taken away my bike which was extremely precious to me and is going to be a long time in replacing. I accept your apology, but be careful you dont run into my missus cause she wants to sue you.
2. My best mate Berns. Thanks for getting her home from the track and for all your concern. One in a million.
3. My Dearest and most loving Evangeline. Behind every good man there is always an even better woman
nothing worse than someone elses attitute and incompetance causing you to come unstuck...