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This is a sad history...
Friday,
the 7th of May, I left Lisbon with my 3 month old blue R1. Me and some
friends * went to Jerez de La Frontera, to watch the 500cc Spanish Grand
Prix. It's a 375 mile trip and we have chosen the most twisty itinerary
available. I mean, over 250 miles of mountain twisty back roads, slow turns
and fast sweepers, it was great fun !
* We were 10 bikes, 5 Yamaha YZF-R1, 1 Suzuki GSX-R750, 1 Honda CBR 600 F, 1 Honda CBR 1000 F, 1 Ducati Monster 900 and 1 Honda Africa Twin.
We had a great time in Puerto de Santa Maria (small fisherman's village with great night life...). Read all about it at the 1999 Jerez de La Frontera Report
Monday morning, 10th of May, time to return to Portugal. We decided to
use the same itinerary. Fine with me, I must have ridden those twisty roads
over 10 times (Jerez regular...) but the difference between going to Spain
and returning to Portugal was our physical condition. 3 nights of bad sleep
(3-4 hours sleep maximum), 4 days eating only McDonald's & shit, crazy
riding 4-5 hours a day, having done over 690 miles / 1.100 Km in the previous
3 days... We were so tired, in fact I was exhausted...
We
were really riding hard (average speed over 120 mph / 190 kph), braking
very late, entering corners way too fast, so shit just had to happen...
and it happened to me ! I was following a friend's R1, waiting for the
right time to outbrake him and overtake. It was a short straight with a
right turn. A car appears, it was already inside the turn, he decided to
overtake him (low visibility), I braked hard, down shifted to 2nd
gear, overtook the car just after that right turn, engaged 3rd gear and
went all the way to 110 mph / 175 kph...
But it was a S turn. After that right turn, there was a 100 meter straight
and then a very tight left turn. I got distracted (I was targeting the
R1 in front of me) and didn't realize I was way to fast for such a tight
turn... I hesitated for a second, braked very hard and tried to get the
bike as much as possible to the right side of the road (remember : this
was a left turn)... As my rear tire touches the white paint on the right
side of the road, it starts to slide, so I stopped braking with the rear
brake and used the front brake harder (to its limit). Because I was braking
so hard with the front brake, the bike's front end refused to dive in and
turn. The bike was now pointing to the protective rail **.
**
I don't know if this is the correct word, but what I mean with Rail is
those huge pieces of metal, fixed to the ground, meant to avoid drivers
from going off the road.
I had 2 choices :
First : Was to quit braking, counter steer and dive the bike the harder I could and try to make the turn. This seemed quite impossible as I was way faster than I should be and the tarmac was very dirty near its edges (it had gravel). I would most probably fall down and hit the rail from below, taking the risk to get decapitated or at least get very seriously hurt.
Second : Keep on braking, in a desperate attempt to stop the bike before hitting the rail.
I
went for the second option... but the bike didn't stop... and went into
the gravel FACING the RAIL. I HIT the RAIL at approximately 55 MPH / 90
Kph... the rear tire raised in the air, spiting my body OVER the RAIL.
What probably saved me (besides being so lucky...) was STANDING UP on the
pegs as I realized that crashing was inevitable.
The accident took place in a twisty mountain road, near a Spanish town called Aracena. After hitting the Rail, the bike slipped under it and kept sliding approximately 15-20 meters downhill, until it crashed against some huge rocks that were at the bottom...
I
was evacuated by ambulance to the nearest hospital. I managed to get away
with some bruises, some contusions, lots of superficial wounds but no broken
bones ! Every dog has his day ! That one was surely mine ! I was wearing
Dainese full leathers, Clover back protector, Dainese gloves, Shoei helmet
and Alpinestars GP boots.
I had some difficulty walking during the next 2 weeks, due to the wounds in my left leg but I am recovering really fast and hope to be back on the streets in 2 months time ! Everybody that saw the accident (or the bike's condition) predicted a lot worse...
The
bike... not a pretty sight... the fairing (front and side panels) are broken,
the tank is completely destroyed. The radiator needs to be replaced,
the frame and forks are bent... add to that labor and you can imagine...
As I have my R1 fully insured, I will probably get a new one in 2-3 months time. However, the next one will be the red/black & white one (WSB color scheme).
The
bike had 3 months and 3.000 miles / 4.800 km (what a
waste / shame !)...
I forgot to mention... I had a OHSHIT shock, so... What else could I expect ? ;-)
Ride safe !
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