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To Crash a Motorcycle at 140 mph

Written by Henry K. Rumph    Tuesday, 14 July 2009

To Crash a Motorcycle at 140 mph BY NICKY HAYDEN, 27, MOTO GP RACER The rain started after the second lap. My helmet has a tinted shield, and I was having a hard time seeing where the deeper puddles were. Le Mans is a 2.6 mile course, and it was raining harder on different parts of the track. Puddles were changing from lap to lap. Coming into a turn on lap 26 of 28, I hydroplaned. It wasn't the kind of fall where I had time to think, I can correct this. It was instant. I went forward off the bike, but the impact wasn't too hard because I immediately started tumbling sky, ground, sky, ground. It felt like I accelerated on the wet pavement, and then more once I hit the grass. Like a Slip 'n Slide. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my bike flip, and knew they'd be bringing Out the butter for it, 'cause it was toast. After about 150 yards, I came to a halt in the gravel. Somewhere along the way, my visor got pulled up, so I was lying there with a mouthful of dirt. Tasted pretty nasty. It all knocked the wind out of me pretty good. I tried to catch my breath and started taking inventory. Moved my toes and feet, then worked on up to my head and shoulders. Sitting there in the gravel trap with the adrenaline going, I didn't feel any physical pain yet. It was all frustration. Hayden will race in the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on September 14. To Watch Your Son Crash a Motorcycle at 140 mph BY ROSE HAYDEN, 58, HOMEMAKER I was just trying to see if he was moving. I've been around this long enough to know when something is not right, but this time I couldn't tell right away. I've seen crashes and thought the person would get up but didn't. You never know. I don't think I talked to anybody. When I saw him moving around, I knew we'd be all right. The team took me by scooter in the pouring rain to the medical center. I called my husband, who was tracking the race on a computer. All he could see was that Nicky didn't turn in a lap time. I'm sure he was hoping it was a mechanical issue.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 July 2009 )