Thread: To those wondering what happened...

During the first intermediate session of the day roughly during lap 5, Rich was in the back part of the track and crashed his bike as he cleared the hump. There were no other riders around at the time. The closest witness we have is the corner worker who saw the crash when it was already in progress. Apparently Rich somehow went over the handlebars of the bike, which proceeded to tumble and slide with him. Upon the arrival of the ambulance he was conscious and able to move/speak. After initial treatment he was transported to the hospital for further care.

EDIT: Someone had brought this to my attention so I feel that I should add to this... At the time of the crash all of his injuries seemed like they were very treatable and that he would be in and out of the hospital in short order. We hope nobody is getting the impression out of all this that we were having the time of our lives and completely ignoring the fact that our friend was in the hospital fighting for his life.

I was the first rider to come over the hump after him. As I came around 4 the corner worker was waving the yellow frantically and motioning to slow down. I coasted over and saw him laying there. He was lying on his back struggling to sit up and lift his arms. It was clear that he was hurt but he was moving so I wasn't too worried.