Steve and I (Rick) booked a Yamaha Track Day at the Donington Circuit, where Yamaha provide the bikes (red FZR600s race prepped but nothing extraordinary) with tuition from professional riders. You went out in groups of 3, in our case that was Steve, myself and Lee Pullen (a professional racer, RIP).

On the very first session on the second lap, following Lee Pullen coming out of the Esses into Goddards, the rear suspension on Steve's bike bottomed out, the tyre lost traction and "low sided" Steve and the bike into the verge and tyre wall. Riding about 10 yards behind Steve, I saw everything. Hitting the verge first, there was an EXPLOSION of grass and earth before he and the bike tumbled into the tyre wall. For about 2 years on the TV, you could still see the evidence where this tumble occurred.

The session was stopped and Steve and wrecked bike recovered. Steve, conscious but in pain, was ambulanced to Queen's Hospital in Nottingham. Steve broke his arm, hand and wrist in several places and damaged his shoulder. These injuries took several months to substantially heal.

I finished the day's sessions (like you do) and collected Steve from hospital in the late afternoon. Of the 25 or so customers that day, 13 ended up in Queen's and 13 bikes were wrecked. The nurses were not impressed at all.

On the way back to Northampton in the car, I reminded Steve that he no longer worked for an earthmoving and civil engineering company and to be more careful in future. Steve was worried that his injuries might prevent him from the trip booked to the Isle of Man TT in three weeks...

On arriving home that evening Steve received a "welcome" from Jilly...like the nurses, she was not impressed either.

RICK.

PS - this was the time before phones had cameras, so unfortunately there are no photos.