BRAD BAKER
P112
Interview
at my chest, right at my sternum, and just going…
"Obviously, it's the scariest thing in the world
not being able to feel and move your legs.
"I just had this pressure in my chest. I remem-
ber being carted off and my mechanic, who's one
of my best friends, he's like, 'What's wrong, man?'
I said, 'It paralyzed me, man.' My mechanic, he
just broke down."
The result was immediate. The lanky, charis-
matic Baker had ridden his last race. Transported
immediately to the hospital, he had suffered
multiple fractures to his T6, T7, and T8 vertebra.
In the hospital, surgeons fused his T3 through to
the T10 vertebrae, placed a drain in his back to
remove a hematoma, and addressed his bilateral
broken ribs. Life in a wheelchair beckoned for the
man many believed would go on to become one of
the greatest to ever strap on the steel shoe. It was
an inglorious end to a career that had many races
left to run.
"It hits your friends and your family just as hard
as it does you," Baker says. "My girlfriend, I met
her through racing. Her dad actually builds all the
race engines for the Estensen team. He's one of
the greatest engine builders in the sport. She's
a true fan and has passion. Cheering me on was
her love, too. And now that I'm hurt just going to
the races and doing that is not the same for her,
