Why Nitram won't be riding at Kembla, Conondale or anywhere else for a while.

[Nitram]

Crashed at Oran Park on Sunday just gone by, and this photo shows me enjoying a solid dose of morphine and the wonderful hospitality of the staff at Nepean District Hospital on Sunday night.

The verdict is:
-Smashed scapula (shoulderblade)
-Three busted ribs.
-Partial pnuemothorax (collapsed lung)
The moral is: stick with VMX where the ground is softer and doesn't go by so fast.
So I guess I'll be out of action for a little while.  The orthopedic surgeon said last night that it could be a few months before I can drive again. He didn't say anything about jumps, berms, drop-offs, severe corrugations or VMX in general............ but I get the impression that shoulderblades take a while to come good.
So the bottom line is that I might not be getting back to VMX for a while, and sailing could be my main form of entertainment for the balance of the year.
Have a good 2008 !

cheers,

Martin

[Tim754]

Oh dear!   (Martin think positive you will be able to fix up all the bits and pieces on your Vmxers now.Get well and about soon . Tim754. (and ask for a doggie bag to take home of Morh and pethidine and ..... )

[VMX247]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Enjoy your rest period/support your local toy shop and buy a jigsaw puzzle
ya can smile about the rugby win though.
cheers

[micks]

martin went to oran in the afternoon and the fellows said you had an off.possible collar bone, but what would they know there only bucket sorry, sorry superlites racers.i think you should do more dirt track 1st up to help get back into shape.there is no jumps,berms or get offs.as for driving, do kombi vans come with power steering?but serious i wish you a speedy recovery regards micks (leo) 95 bra.

[Lozza]

Doctors in the emergency ward what would they know? I'll put in a call to Dr Costa he had Jorge Lorenzo up and racing in no time flat.
Seriously I hope all is well.Hmmm what's the sailing equivalent of a obsolete  brand of rotary valve motorcycle or a Teutonic air cooled people mover?
Does it hurt when you laugh

[Wombat]

Jeez Nitram, that's really unfortunate, sorry to read your list of busted bits.
When I first saw the photo I was reminded of Saddam Hussein when they hauled him out of that hole.
and they hung him - ya might wanna shave that growth; why take the risk...

[brent j]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Martin

Won't be seeing you at Conondale...........

Brent

[VMX247]

Hope he makes the ride at Conodale Nationals.
I'm gonna have to learn how to spell/prononce condale,, oh well have a year to learn

[brent j]

Don't worry too much, I was calling it CAnondale the first time I posted about it.

The locals were too polite to pull up a poor lost Kiwi about it

Brent

[Wombat]

I've seen it spelled with two Ns and with one N within the same local area, so either seems acceptable.
Conn ON dale; Connondale.
The Kiwis should have no worries pronouncing that given the tongue twister place names dotted about their Island home.

[brent j]

we can't pronounce those either

[BultacoMacca]

Martin, you haven't said what happened to the bike!  And what sort of bike.

Now we, (and no doubt plenty of other forum members) will be able to compare collarbone breaks, mine's LHS too. Mine didn't hurt much till it started to knit, then it ached for a bloody longtime after that - sorry buddy, just gotta get the Pana Forte into you.  All good and strong now, but a little crooked.
Best wishes matey.
Macca

[TonyB]

Don't kid yourself, our vintage bikes can make a mess outa you too, I had exactly the same injuries last year ....busted shoulder 3 ribs and collapsed lung with internal bleeding. 

[Wombat]

Hey Nitram, just checking...how's the mending coming along?

[Nitram]

Thanks for asking Wom,

After four weeks hanging around the house, reading all my VMX magazines again (and thinking about how to make Can-Am brakes work), planning a sailing trip to a rustic island in French Polynesia (where it's warm 12 months of the year and shoulders recouperate in no time) and enjoying not facing the daily grind at work, I think I'm just about ready to tear my hair out.  Having said that, it's been great having a bulletproof excuse for not doing the washing up-  Have you ever tried doing the dishes one handed ?- It doesn't work.

The ribs and lung are OK, and laughing or sneezing no longer feels like someone has just unleashed a 12-gague into your chest.  But the shoulder blade is going to be a long time mending.  The arm is still in a sling (so I'm typing with the keyboard on my lap) and the ortho bloke reckons it'll be another two months before I can do anything useful like drive a car or use the lathe.  And he said that if he catches me riding a bike or changing a tyre before Christmas then he won't talk to me any more.  Mind you, if he doesn't talk to me then I hopefully won't have to pay another $160 for the fortnightly 5 minute chat, and that'll be a good saving !

But overall I'm not complaining-in 25 years of non stop racing I've only had four serious injuries.  Having said that three of those injuries have been in the last three years !  Maybe someone is trying to tell me something !

Anyway, I guess I won't be racing again this year, and I'll have to start from scratch with my race fitness in the new season, hopefully with a weapon 250 engine in the pre-'78 bike.  Meanwhile, just so that you Jap and wog bike riders don't forget what the fastest VMX bike in the universe looks lie, here's a little reminder !

Have fun at CRC and Conondale (or however it's spelt) and I'll see you next year

Cheers,

Martin