Get Well Soon Frong

[ForsakenReality]

Hey Sammi, it sucks that you had to go through such a horrfic experience. Please follow doctor's orders adn take care of yourself as best you can. Hope to see you out there soon kiddo.

ditto.

 

[tanstaafl26]

Frong-just read the thread. Good luck with your recovery.

Edit: Any updates with his condition?

 

[karlitos]

Um, yeah. You might want to consult with Wayne Rainey on that one...

Rainey already had a compressed vertebra (from a recent crash). He was warned. The bike feel on him (if i recall correctly).

 

[Barnaby Wilde]

Get Well Soon...

Sorry to hear about this, especially the part about not being noticed as missing for a whole hour!

This month's City Bike (I think?) had a mention about a motorcyclist being found in a Berkeley canyon by some hikers. The rider had been there for a long time; it was just a skeleton!

Perhaps we need one of these: http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/personallocatorbeacons/

 

[Hooli]

Re: Get Well Soon...

This month's City Bike (I think?) had a mention about a motorcyclist being found in a Berkeley canyon by some hikers. The rider had been there for a long time; it was just a skeleton!

Ewwwww...

 

[JeffKoch]

"Track days are dangerous" -- big news. There's obviously implied danger at any track day. They can't be held accountable for your mistakes, and that's why the waiver exists. However, I prefer that the track I go to be least dangerous and that the track organizers are itnerested in the safety of the riders BEYOND bare minimum.

Thunderhill is one of the safest tracks I've been to for run-off. Ever ridden at Sears Point? Even with the upgrades, there are places you really, really don't want to crash. And those upgrades only came from Big Corporate Sponsorship money, which is aimed squarely at bay-area car racing fans, not from an extra "few bucks" per motorcycle track day rider. As a result, Sears is safer, but it's nearly impossible to get track time there, and even when you can get it, it's much more expensive than a Thunderhill track day. Laguna Seca is an even safer track, and even more difficult and expensive to get track time at.

If you hold every track to MotoGP standards then there won't be any tracks for motorcycle trackday enthusiasts and amateur racers to go to. And if you're not comfortable with the very good (but never perfect) level of safety at Thunderhill, you're free to never attend another track day there.

 

[racercutie]

What a freak accident! Poor thing sitting out in the heat with broken limbs and such.
A broken femur is extremely painful too.
Heal up well, heal up fast!

 

[Roundboy]

Oy Y vey

Well well well well well...........just read this entire thread.......

Dude good thing you got that insurance huh? You just paid for that ther' Helicopter Insurance didn't you dude.......wow never expected you'd have to use it huh?

Now to think after all this time dude....look how much fucking love on this board there is for you. PEEPS REALLY SHOWIN' THE LOVE HERE ALMOST BRINGS A TEAR TO MY EYE.

hEAL UP AND Get back on that horse soldier!!!! and don't let anything stop you. You are a fighter and have always stirred the shit pot just the way we like it here.

Everything aside brother: I wish you the best. You know it's been trash talking here and trashtalking there. That's just good ol' TMU livelihood razzin and as DOnoman said ribbing yah just a bit. You know we live for another Frong Post.......

I have wathced my friend almost die of heatstroke and it ain't cool brotha....literally. Can't imagine it in leathers......

Heal up and get back up on your feet soldier....everyone seems to be praying for you......

Even me....

Sir Knight of the Round
The Chef

ROUNDBOY
Jesse

 

[fubar929]

ONE accident is ONE too many.
This doesn't happen at world class tracks.

Accidents can happen at all tracks, world-class or not. Track days without crashes happen, but they're the exception rather than the rule in my experience.

This track has terrible run off. If you've ever gone off roading you'll discover 1-2 feet dips covered in grass, a rather bumpy ride. There's no levelled gravel that you can slide on. Not even flat ground. That means your simply LOW SIDE can end up flipping the bike and you a few times, causing a lot more damage than if you just slid.

Yes, I understand that there are many ruts at Thunderhill. It's not uniformly bad, as you seem to think, but there are places were it could be vastly improved. As I suggested: it would be nice if they could grade the run-off areas to remove some of these ruts.

But, unlike Laguna Seca and Sears Point at least you're not going to go head-first into a concrete wall! The only track in CA with more run-off room than Thunderhill is Buttonwillow.

FYI, anytime there is a surface transition, it's possible for the bike to flip. If you'd spent any time at the track, you probably would have seen this. Hell, I low-sided in T1 at Buttonwillow, which is about as flat as you can get, and managed to damage both sides of the bike!

Gravel, in my opinion, just makes it more likely that a rider who goes off-course will crash and, if he falls down at speed, makes it more likely that the bike will dig-in and flip. Sure, it'll be easier to see when this happens, but it won't necessarily be any safer. In fact, I would argue that gravel is less safe for motorcycles than well-graded, hard-packed dirt.

I certainly hope this IS taken to court and makes the tracks safer.

You are truely naive, aren't you? If this goes to court, the most likely outcome will be that the track will declare bankruptcy and close. Tracks that remain open won't have money to make any improvements; it'll all be going toward raised insurance rates.

Someone fucked up here and they need to take responsibility.

Yep. That person would be frOng. He signed a waiver, rode at his own risk, fucked up, and crashed. I hate to say it, but it's true. Anyone who deals with rider education could see it coming...

Perhaps you've never ridden off track at THill. I am much less likely to get hurt by falling/sliding in gravel than going through a bumpy ride that ends up flipping me and the bike.

You're much more likely to fall in gravel than you are on well-graded dirt. Gravel is not the miracle cure here! Look at what happened to Wayne Rainey in a world-class gravel trap at Misano!

Ever slide on rocky surface? Maybe not. What about pebbles of gravel? Now think which one would hurt you more or less.

I think if you hit a solid object at speed, it's going to hurt no matter what it is! Gravel isn't exactly cushy stuff... Maybe we should do an experiment? Fill up two pillow cases half full: one with dirt, the other with gravel. We can swing them around fast, say 20mph, then smack them into someone, say you. Which do you think will hurt more?

 

[mike23w]

Frong I am so sorry that you not only dumped but that you were alone after your get off in the hot sun and leathers. I hope you heal up well and get back on your next bike of choice and continue to do what you love-ride.
Please do let us know if there's anything you need during the upcoming days, weeks and months and I'm sure there will be a large group of us who will lend assistance.
Melissa

Melissa said it right. Whatever we can do we'd be more than happy to help. I read BARF a lot and it wouldn't be the same if the (in)famous Fr0ng weren't around.

Heal up quick Bro - Mike

 

[fubar929]

Rainey already had a compressed vertebra (from a recent crash). He was warned. The bike feel on him (if i recall correctly).

Rainey crashed at a GP-class track in Misano, Italy during the Italian Gran Prix. He and his bike went into one of Misano's much-vaunted gravel traps. The bike, and Rainey, dug in and started to flip. During one of the flips, the bike hit him in the back.

What's the moral of this story? Gravel is not a goddamn panacea, you morons! And it certainly won't stop freak accidents, like this one, from happening...

 

[HiggyB]

All the way at the end now and I just want to chime in with some love and support. Heal up Fr0ng.

Best wishes and godspeed my man.

 

[ForsakenReality]

"And if you're not comfortable with the very good (but never perfect) level of safety at Thunderhill, you're free to never attend another track day there."

Again, that's a pointless statement. The world is not black and white and I can be uncomfortable (as you should be even at GP level tracks) and still go out and have fun. I don't the purpose of such comments. Leave the deciding to me, ok?

I've never been to Sears Point but I have been to Laguna Seca which I can vouch for.

When I first started riding at THill I actually thought it was safer than average with plenty of run off. Of course it's better to have run off than walls, but that being said Thunderhill's run off in 1 and 2 is "just" bumpy at best. A crash in either of the two turns is likely to land you in a hospital, which is mostly preventable.

I understand cost is concern for everyone, including me. I think your tune will change if you ever crash at THill (hopefully not) and are seriously hurt *because* of the bumps and poor run off.

Thunderhill is one of the safest tracks I've been to for run-off. Ever ridden at Sears Point? Even with the upgrades, there are places you really, really don't want to crash. And those upgrades only came from Big Corporate Sponsorship money, which is aimed squarely at bay-area car racing fans, not from an extra "few bucks" per motorcycle track day rider. As a result, Sears is safer, but it's nearly impossible to get track time there, and even when you can get it, it's much more expensive than a Thunderhill track day. Laguna Seca is an even safer track, and even more difficult and expensive to get track time at.

If you hold every track to MotoGP standards then there won't be any tracks for motorcycle trackday enthusiasts and amateur racers to go to. And if you're not comfortable with the very good (but never perfect) level of safety at Thunderhill, you're free to never attend another track day there.

 

[squidhunter]

I didnt read through all 17 pages of this thread, but I wanted to say a few things.
I remember when fr0ng first started posting, and contrasting from how he acted then as a rider and a person to how he is now is amazing. I have a lot of respect for you for turning yourself around bro, I hope your recovery is just as sucessful. Heal up quick. Heal up strong.

 

[slo1]

Frong,
I hope you get well soon, this kind of accident scares the heck out of me. I was just thinking of doing a trackday and the idea of what happened to you is totally crazy.

 

[bxr140]

He may have been conscious for awhile unable to have anyone hear his calls for help and because of the heat and shock, eventually passed out.

Jesus, I REALLY hope not. Just thinking about lying helpless out there--concious--freaks me out. Staring up at the sky, watching the clouds go by...or at the little dry pieces of grass blowing in the wind...then the sounds of motorcycles in the distance become fainter and fainter as you slowly start blacking out.

Fucking scary.

Dunno about Frong, but that would cause some serious mental trauma in my [admittedly unevolved] brain.

Get well soon dude! Don't know you, but that's irrelavant.

As far as who's to blame...I think its anyone who has had the lack of imagination to see something like this happening. I'm one of those people. I would have never thought someone could run off and not be found.

Rather than focusing anger towards TH, PTT, other trackday organizers, the "A" rider, or anyone else that was there (or that has ever been there) though, I think the point must be made that steps MUST be taken to ensure such an incident doesn't happen again. Running off the track and getting 'effed up happens. Lying there for an hour does not.

Once is bad enough. I would submit that if anyone shows up for a riders meeting at TH and this incident ISN'T specifically covered and the steps to prevent a repeat aren't CLEARLY outlined, you are doing yourself, Frong, and every other rider out there a disservice by sticking around.

 

[bishop]

Rainey crashed at a GP-class track in Misano, Italy during the Italian Gran Prix. He and his bike went into one of Misano's much-vaunted gravel traps. The bike, and Rainey, dug in and started to flip. During one of the flips, the bike hit him in the back.

What's the moral of this story? Gravel is not a goddamn panacea, you morons! And it certainly won't stop freak accidents, like this one, from happening...

it was not that there was gravel it was there there were the rumble stirips in the gravel (speed bumps) that they now no longer use. and that fact that the lip of the track sent him into the rumble strips

 

[bishop]

i was there at the track and they gathered everyone at the end of the day and informed us that he had gone up the hill behind the corner worker booth and back down the other side behind it.

im sure someone will start another thread about how ptt is run and ill leave my rants for there

anyway get well soon frong.

 

[l8nighthype]

Fr0ng, Sammi, I don't know you beyond your postings on the board...but I wish you the best and I look forward to meeting you. Sorry if I spelled your name wrong, I've seen it a few different ways here...

-Eric

It’s too bad this 'get well' thread had to be tarnished with petty bickering and arguments.

 

[ForsakenReality]

Accidents can happen at all tracks, world-class or not. Track days without crashes happen, but they're the exception rather than the rule in my experience.

Accidents happen at all tracks. The point is that some rider's lives could've been saved or damage prevented IF they were at a world class track with proper run off.

Yes, I understand that there are many ruts at Thunderhill. It's not uniformly bad, as you seem to think, but there are places were it could be vastly improved. As I suggested: it would be nice if they could grade the run-off areas to remove some of these ruts.

But, unlike Laguna Seca and Sears Point at least you're not going to go head-first into a concrete wall! The only track in CA with more run-off room than Thunderhill is Buttonwillow.

FYI, anytime there is a surface transition, it's possible for the bike to flip. If you'd spent any time at the track, you probably would have seen this. Hell, I low-sided in T1 at Buttonwillow, which is about as flat as you can get, and managed to damage both sides of the bike!

I've spent enough time at the track to have low-sided down 5 when it was raining, with the end result of the bike being flipped and both sides sustaining damage.

What this has anything to do with run off I don't know. Talking about that there's "always" a possibility is dull. We all know that gravel is not a fail proof solution, no one says it is. However having levelled gravel run off would've prevented a lot of serious injury in THill turn one, not just for fr0ng but many other people who crashed there.

Gravel, in my opinion, just makes it more likely that a rider who goes off-course will crash and, if he falls down at speed, makes it more likely that the bike will dig-in and flip. Sure, it'll be easier to see when this happens, but it won't necessarily be any safer. In fact, I would argue that gravel is less safe for motorcycles than well-graded, hard-packed dirt.

Perhaps what you don't understand is that when the track ends, there's no flat asphaly after that. If you're crashing you're in the dirt with ruts, bumps, and weeds that are much MORE likely to get you SERIOUSLY injured than falling in the gravel.

You are truely naive, aren't you? If this goes to court, the most likely outcome will be that the track will declare bankruptcy and close. Tracks that remain open won't have money to make any improvements; it'll all be going toward raised insurance rates.

I don't know how much it costs, but I can't imagine that asking a farmer down the road to flatten the surface just a bit would cost them an arm and leg, although it would make a world of difference.

Of course if they make improvements without any intervention, all the power to them.

Yep. That person would be frOng. He signed a waiver, rode at his own risk, fucked up, and crashed. I hate to say it, but it's true. Anyone who deals with rider education could see it coming...

Yes, and if he crashed in the gravel and taken to the hospital as soon as it happened, not an hour later, his injuries wouldn't have been as serious.

A waiver is not an end to all means.

You're much more likely to fall in gravel than you are on well-graded dirt. Gravel is not the miracle cure here! Look at what happened to Wayne Rainey in a world-class gravel trap at Misano!

Again, no one said it's the miracle cure or that you won't fall in the gravel. The INJURIES AND DAMAGE sustained however would be night and day compared to THill ruts. Most likely it'd make a difference between flipping and flying or sliding.

I think if you hit a solid object at speed, it's going to hurt no matter what it is! Gravel isn't exactly cushy stuff... Maybe we should do an experiment? Fill up two pillow cases half full: one with dirt, the other with gravel. We can swing them around fast, say 20mph, then smack them into someone, say you. Which do you think will hurt more?

The point is you slide in the gravel. It's flat more or less. You don't "hit it" like a wall, you hit it and slide on it, it's highly unlikely for you to be launched in the air, let alone compared to ruts at THill right now..