P106
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
T
wo moments within a fort-
night, apparently unrelat-
ed, but inextricably linked.
Both awakening deep emotions,
and both in their way adding life-
affirming humanity to the often
unavoidably callous hedonism of
motorcycle racing.
The first came up on YouTube
in early November, under the
title: Wayne Rainey Rides Again.
The title says it all, but the short
film said much, much more. Se-
rial 500-class champion Wayne
Rainey, now 59 and paralyzed
from the chest down for almost
half of his life, was back in the
saddle. The R1 Yamaha was
slightly modified—a special seat
material, so he was secure in the
saddle, cleats on the footpegs
and a hand-operated gear shift.
And a group of guys holding the
bike upright to set him off and
catch him when he came back
to the pits at the end.
The rest was simple but bril-
liant. Rainey got the feel of it,
and by his second outing was
up and down the gears, lean-
THE HUMANITY OF CHAMPIONS
It's always a
sad day when
someone as
great as Jorje
Lorenzo calls it
a career.
