Race 1 Wanganui Street circuit, Boxing Day.

Qualified 6th behind Richard Scott, Pete Daniels, Pete Sales, Steve Bridge, Stu Loly. In second practice had a low side in turn 2 after losing the front end under brakes, but minor damage and was ready to go for the race. The
bike had felt very flighty under brakes in Turn 1, especially when hitting the bumps. I should have investigated this further... Quite liked the circuit, and was looking forward to holding on to the front row, and hopefully getting past a few of them. Certainly felt that I could go a lot quicker.

Collapse on the curb. Can't breathe! Try to relax and draw in gulps. OK. I'm still in one piece. Lift visor. Can't see. All double vision and out of focus. Take off my helmet. Some nice lady is telling me to relax. Seddo
turns up out of nowhere and takes my helmet and gloves. I see Scotty picking himself up off the road, and I apologise profusely. His immaculate bike is no longer so, and that flash magnesium Yoshi points cover is dust.. Sh*t I hate taking people out.

Ambulance people gather me up and put me in the wagon. Feel OK. They tell me to raise my arm and other callisthenics stuff. "No worries, you haven't broken anything mate!" I get driven back to the pits and the first aid
caravan. A friend, Gary Koornneef brings my clothes and cell phone, and helps me get out of my leathers and changed. I feel OK, but apparently look awful.

Off to Wanganui A&E. Get wheeled into a corner and left. Woooo. Big pain in Left side, getting worse by the minute. Get taken away for X ray of collar bone. I tell them to take snaps of Left abdomen as well but get ignored.
Back to A&E. Pain worse. Nurse gives me some meds. No effect. Get more meds. Still no effect. Get Morphine, takes the edge off. I am worried about Kidney, and get told I have to Pee so they can analyse. Can't do it. Nurse
decides to put catheter in. (Yes right up the eye of the snake... Nuff said)
Stuffs it up and inflates balloon in area of prostate. Pain severe. Taken to ward. Nothing out of catheter. Next nurse removes it and puts another one in, properly this time. Wasn't pleasant, but relief on bladder and Kidney is
immediate. Catheter bag immediately full of blood. Not a good look. My Girlfriend Meredith arrives from Wellington and is pretty shocked at the state of me, angry that our holiday is now stuffed. I ring my mum. She has
already seen the whole incident on the 6 o'clock news TV3, and is not impressed. Get a few visitors including Scotty, Pete, Bob Toomey, Seddo, Dosser and co. Feeling much better. Nurse comes in, clamps off the catheter,
makes me drink a litre of radioactive muck and wheels me off for a CAT scan.
MMMmmmm. NOT nice pain coming back again. By the time I'm in the machine, I'm climbing the walls. The kind operator releases 20 mls or so, and the pain ratchets down a bit. Still not good. More Morphine. That night joined
by Pete Sales who has broken a knee cap and ripped a rib off his sternum. He looks even worse than me. Tells me he will be out next day. Dreamer. We compare horror stories, and both sleep a lot. (Pete got out 4 days later.)

Next day, Specialist sees me. Concerned about Kidney which is leaking blood and Urine into Abdomen. Says I need to go to Palmy or Wellington so they can bang a Catheter right into the Kidney. Sounds like fun. No facilities at
Wanganui to do that. 3.00pm, and I get taken by ambulance to the airport, get my own private plane (thanks ACC) and taken to Wellington. Meredith Follows in my ute, and gets a 120km/hr speeding ticket for her trouble. She
tells the cop the story, and that it's not her car, but he's having none of it and writes it out anyway. There's a name for you mate!! If anyone sees a traffic cop in the area with a big scar across his face, he's the one!

In Wellington, it's time for another CAT scan which picks up what Wanganui missed. Collapsed lung, stuffed Kidney, split Spleen, broken rib. 5 days later, and I talk my way out of Ward 29, and stay nearby in Wellington for a
week, before getting driven to Auckland by ever patient Meredith (Now known as Nurse Ratchet!!).

To everyone at the track who helped, Seddo, Gary and Co. Thanks Heaps.

To the Ambulance staff, Wanganui Hospital, bloody brilliant. The care was first class. Sure there were a few mistakes, but nothing really, and no expense was spared in my care. The health system is alive and kicking guys,
and that's good to know.

To the wonderful nurses on Ward 29 in Wellington, and my specialist who let me out 4 days early, Thanks a lot mate. I can't speak highly enough of the nursing staff who have to endure some pretty horrible clean up jobs, and put up with whinging bike racers.

To all the visitors and well wishers, Thanks heaps guys. Made me feel like I wasn't alone.

To Mum who flew down from Hamilton just to check I was really still alive, thanks Mum. Sorry for the heart attack.

Most of all thanks to Meredith whose "holiday" was spent in and out of Hospital wards. She's still smiling????

Yours in Racing!!

Smithy.