Mosport VRRA – CMGers in recovery

Some updates on the two CMGers who crashed out at the recent Mosport VRRA races:

Firstly CMG occasional-contributor Richard Perrin who had a very nasty
crash at the end of the back straight on his GS1000 and suffered
serious back injuries as a result.

Richard and wife Moe (the one not in the dress …) at Sunnybrook.

He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital and from there airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto where he underwent a five hour surgery on his back to fix an incomplete T5 vertebrae (a broken back).

Unfortunately there is some nerve damage.

According to Richard’s posting on the VRRA forum last Saturday "Sensation exists in diminished form from above belly button to toes. Am now able to wiggle my left toes and weakly turn my left ankle (big improvement today). It will be a wait for swelling to reside and nerves to rediscover paths before we know extent of possible recovery…."

In typical Perrin style though, he adds "Currently am fighting the Battle of the Bowel Movement. On third day of escalation: various laxatives, suppositories, coffee, enemas and narcotic blockers, prune juice and take-out Thai Food."

The latest news is that he’s sitting up (which helps relieve the pain somewhat), able to explore Sunnybrook by wheelchair and continues to get some sensation back below the waist. He’s blessed with a great family, numerous friends and an attitude that is nothing but upbeat. Oh, and he’s already had the occasional victory in the Battle of the Bowels! 🙂

All of us at CMG wish Richard a speedy recovery.

And now to CMG contributor Steve Bond who also managed to sustain some substantial injuries at the Mosport event in an accident that would have done Mr Seck proud. In his own words:

Bondo rushes around the course on his Honda Hawk so that he can do it all again on an SR500.

The VRRA’s Mosport vintage festival was going very well for me until approximately 2:46 pm on Sunday, August 16, when it all went so horribly CMG.

The Saturday heat races went well. I finished 8th on my 1988 Honda Hawk in the Period 4 (bikes manufactured between 1983 and 1989) Lightweight class after starting 28th, managed another 8th in Period 3 Lightweight (motorcycles between 1973 and 1982) on a borrowed Yamaha SR500 and actually managed to win the Middleweight Production heat on the big single.

I felt a twinge of impending disaster when I saw that the Middleweight Production final was directly after the P4 race. I finished 9th on the SR in the P3 final and on my Hawk, I felt awesome, hanging with the leaders for most of the race before finally snagging 8th.

By the time we got the SR started and transponder switched, the bikes were on the grid so I had to start from pit row. Mike Willis, the pit marshall warned me, “Remember that your tires are cold.” Yeah-yeah-just-let-me-out.

I blasted onto the track, passed a couple of guys and came up to three riders in turn 9. I got on the concrete patch and the next thing I knew, I was looking down on the SR from ten feet in the air.

Moments before it all went CMG on the SR500 …

A week later, my shoulder blade is (to use complicated medical terms) “shattered” and I have two broken ribs. No surgery is required but I’ve got to keep the shoulder immobile for four weeks while the shards and pieces knit themselves together. 

And it’s totally my own fault.

I went from my Hawk with a rigid frame, supple sorted suspension and sticky racing slicks directly to an SR500 with none of the above.

I was upset at having to start from pit lane and stupidly tried to win the race on the first lap without the benefit of an “out” lap to warm the tires.

But this all pales considerably with what our friend Richard Perrin is going through right now. Let’s all direct our positive thoughts and energy towards a complete recovery for Richard.

Steve Bond