38 | SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.auIT WAS ONLY a few weeks ago
that I was sitting on the
startline for a local dirt track
when, in the race ahead of
mine, there was a big crash. It
got me thinking about how
long it had been since I had
been injured.
A quick count on the fi ngers
told me it had been fi ve years
since my last injury. The next
part was a little weird as I was
thinking ‘I wonder if I’ll ever
have to have surgery from a
motorcycle crash again?’
I soon snapped out of it, as
my race was about to start.
The rest of my day went really
well, with me only missing out
on two wins and heading home
healthy and loving bikes as
much as ever.
On the Tuesday of the
following week it was
-5degrees at home so I
decided I’d change some of the
engine oils on the Beta demo
fl eet, as they were due. My
plan was to gear up, do a few
laps on my grasstrack, drop
the oil and then move on to the
next bike.
I was onto my third bike
when, about a quarter of the
way into the lap, I decided to
enter a fi rst-gear right hander
that I have ridden for the last
25 years about a metre wider
than I normally do (top). The
grass was about axle height
but I was going pretty slow [for
Grabbo, that is] so I didn’t
think twice about it.
Before I knew it, something
caught the front wheel,
twisted the handlebar and
fl icked me over the front. I was
having a little laugh as it
happened so slow while also
thinking what the hell did I just
hit when I felt a massive thud
on my left shoulder.
I was soon gasping for air,
not doing really well and
thinking: ‘Great, is this how my
life ends, from a fi rst-gear
crash on my parents’ property
on a track I have ridden for the
past 25 years?’ Luckily, I
started to get some air back
into my lungs with some
shallow breaths.
It took a few good minutesto sit up and realise the bike
had fl ipped after me and
slapped me on the shoulder.
The fi rst few minutes I was
thinking maybe I’ll come good
and be back warming up
gearbox oils but as the
minutes ticked over I realised
that wasn’t happening.
As I broke my left collarbone
in the 2007 Australian Safari I
knew the pain I was starting to
get from that area wasn’t good
and after a quick feel with my
right hand I knew it was
broken. Next thing I was
thinking the house is at least
two kilometres away so I need
to pick the bike up and ride.
But now I could feel a whole
new pain coming on and it was
a similar area to the part of my
spine that was repaired from
crossing paths with Skippy in
the 2012 Condo 750.
With every movement I
could feel bones clunking that
shouldn’t so I decided to play itBACK TO EARTH
GRABBO COPS A REALITY CHECK IN THE HOME PADDOCK
safe and just shuffl e my way
back home.
After a phone call I got my
wife to drop my broken, sad
self to hospital and it wasn’t
long before it was confi rmed
from X-rays that my collarbone
was indeed broken and the
other pain I was feeling, luckily,
wasn’t my spine but four
broken ribs that they can’t do
anything for.
I just need to suck it up and
let them heal. The collarbone
broke right next to the plate it
needed from the Safari crash
so that meant it was surgery
for me again to remove the old
plate and tidy it up with a new
one. To be honest I wasn’t too
upset about this as the 2007
repair job was ugly. The wire
looked and felt horrible.
I was happy that the surgeon
did keep the plate he removed
from my collarbone (top) as it’s
been on a few adventures with
me and also helped me win a
lot of cool races. As usual the
nurses and doctors at the
hospital were saying: “I hope
you have learnt you’re lesson
this time,” but honestly I’m just
hanging to get back on my bike
and get into it again.SOIL SAMPLE
BEN GRABHAM
KING OF
THE DESERTIT TOOK ME A FEW MINUTES TO
REALISE THE BIKE HAD FLIPPED AND
SLAPPED ME ON THE SHOULDER