Simon Reid says he will 'do whatever it takes' to resume his racing career after a season-ending crash

Simon Reid has vowed to do all he can to recover in time for the start of next season after smashing his right leg in a crash at Oulton Park.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Banbridge man is facing a recovery period of up to six months after breaking his femur and tibula and fibula when was high-sided from his Yamaha in a freak crash during free practice at the Cheshire circuit on September 24.

Reid, who was competing in the Junior Superstock class, spent eight days in hospital in Liverpool before returning home to Northern Ireland.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is the latest setback for the 25-year-old Ulster rider, who missed two rounds at Donington Park National and Cadwell Park after testing positive for Covid-19 in the summer.

Simon Reid is facing a recovery period of up to six months after shattering his leg in a crash at Oulton Park. Picture: David Yeomans Photography.Simon Reid is facing a recovery period of up to six months after shattering his leg in a crash at Oulton Park. Picture: David Yeomans Photography.
Simon Reid is facing a recovery period of up to six months after shattering his leg in a crash at Oulton Park. Picture: David Yeomans Photography.

“When I start physio I’ll do whatever it takes to heal up as quick as I can,” Reid told the News Letter.

“I’d like to be on my feet for Christmas but I’ve no idea how long the recovery will take, but I’d say I’m looking at a good six months anyway. There’s a physio in England who has worked with a lot of sportspeople, he worked with Glenn (Irwin) and

Gee Atherton, the mountain-bike rider for Red Bull, and he’s supposed to be fantastic, so I’m going to see if I can do a few stints with him.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’ll also look at getting to the hyperbaric chamber when I can and actually today (Wednesday), I’m going to have some laser treatment, which is supposed to speed up the healing process.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get back on the bike again because I’ve got to be able to turn the page on this. I’ve had the hardest year ever, with so much bad luck, and I just have to do right by myself – I can’t let something like this beat me.”

Reflecting on the crash, Reid says he was left baffled by the cause of the season-ending incident at Oulton.

“I was just cruising basically in FP1 and I came into that second chicane at Oulton, the slower one, and was completely off the throttle and gently braking into the corner,” he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But just as I started to come towards the apex the rear came right around on me and it high-sided me. It was a slow crash and the track was basically dry, but there must have been a slight dampness or a skiff or rain – maybe some kind of residue on the track. It just aggressively snapped and fired me high up into the air and I came straight down on my leg.

“I thought I’d broken my pelvis initially but the force of the impact broke my femur and my tib and fib. I can’t begin to explain the pain but they got me to the hospital and I had an operation on my femur on the Saturday, and they put a rod in,” explained Reid, whose father Brian is a two-time Formula 2 world champion and five-time Isle of Man TT winner.

“I had to wait until the swelling went down before I got the operation on the lower part of my leg. I had lost so much blood during the operation on my femur that it left me anaemic, and I just felt really ill during those few days.

“No one was allowed in to see me and I was on my own, which was one of the worst things about it. I was in hospital for eight days but it felt like months.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Reid is now concentrating on managing the pain from his broken bones at home, but the resilient Co Down rider’s main objective is to be back on the grid for the beginning of the 2022 season.

“Situations like this make you doubt yourself a lot but you can’t just roll over and give up,” he said.

“This is wee buns to what my dad had when he last crashed! He broke his femur, tib and fib, arm, shoulder and wrist – the only thing he could move was his left leg.

“The worst part is over now that I’m home. I just have to accept it and get on with it.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.