Thoughts and Prayers

[voncon]

Hey guys / gals;

My very good friend, Justin Desterhouse, crashed yesterday at Arroyo Seca Raceway. At first they thought nothing was broke, but he couldn't sit or stand up straight. They were going to release him, but his wife protested and demanded a second look.

A couple hours later he was being air lifted to El Paso with a broken back -- I must be an ass, because all I can picture is a rainbow colored tee shirt with "Brokeback Racer" on it, as a get well present. Any way I still don't know when to expect him home. His gear is on its way to Albuquerque where I have the task of assessing damage.

We were supposed to go to the track today to watch the race, but got the call last night - not to go.

Thoughts and Prayers are greatly appreciated.

Kurt

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Sorry to hear it, hope he recoveres soon and fully.

[Nick_Ninja]

His wife did the right thing. The medicial system sucks sometimes. Hope he recovers without problems.

[BigE]

He's got my prayers Kurt. Hope everything else is going well for ya down there.

[jplracing]

I hope he recovers quickly

[voncon]

Well I got the TZ250 back today and it doesn't look all that bad. A footpeg, a few scrapes in the brand new paint, and a clutch lever.... most parts are in the spares kit. The way I heard it was that the motor began to seize coming out of turn nine. As he corrected and over-re-corrected traffic got all catywompus around him. He ran out of options and as things closed in on him - he went over the top.

It was on the way out of nine as he was just getting back into the throttle, so at least speed wasn't such a big factor -

He had this thing tuned tight and I gues it got a little ticked off. I've heard that these things usually make 70 -80 hp and his was about 85 hp at the rear wheel. It just had the top end redone as well.

Preliminarily speaking.... it looks like a TZ250 is on the market - they are saying he won't be able to ride anymore.

Thank you all for your support even though I ran to Albuquerque

Kurt

[Devaclis]

I hope your boy gets well soon. A few of us here know what it is like to have a broken back. The jokes are fine, the best wishes are better.

Dev

[rybo]

Kurt,

Justin is in my thoughts. Please keep us up to date with his condition

Scott

[suzinpink]

Think possitive. The power of the mind is a wonderful thing. Prayers for you and his family!

[dapper]

Kurt,

Justin is in my thoughts. Please keep us up to date with his condition

Scott

[voncon]

Brokeback Racing

Trying to make light of a bad situation... Justin Desterhouse of Albuquerque fame had a bad get off this weekend. Exiting turn nine of the technical Arroyo Seca Raceway, his recently rebuilt Yamaha TZ250 began to sieze.
Having trouble adjusting to his new line with traffic all about, the bike jerked him over the high side. Although the speed was not that great as nine is a technically tight turn -- Desterhouse was thrown down hard. Quickly he was taken to local emergency facilities.
Initial x-rays looked fine but Desterhouse could not manuvuer himself - stand up or sit. The nursing staff in a matter unbecoming civil servants wanted to discharge him. His spouse Christin would have nothing to do with it - she knew something was drastically wrong.
A follow up resulted in air lifting Justing to El Paso due to a broken back, along with a broken right hand. The Lesson? Don't crash or race in non-metro areas.
Medical professionals held Desterhouse for a couple days and fashioned a custom back brace for him --- Surgery is not a necessity at this time... something about break vs. fragmentation. As I write this, Desterhouse is on his way home to Albuquerque.
Did I forget to mention he is one of my best friends?

Kurt

[pilot]

Ouch. A backboard at every race is a must.

[tripledigits]

Best wishes for a complete recovery!