bsb medical
Round
8- Knockhill
8 - 10th August 2008
16.5°C
and sunny ... at least on Friday morning, when we could also see the hill
and Edinburgh from the Medical Centre. The view then came and went throughout
the rest of the weekend, reaffirming the saying "If you can see the hill,
it's going to rain. If you can't, it is raining" There were some impressive
showers but the new drainage meant the circuit didn't flood and we didn't
have to join the marshals in undertaking civil engineering buidling watercourses
in the gravel traps. The changing weather did make for difficult tyre choice,
fast changes and some interesting racing.
The
fact that the caravan is a firm fixture within medical circles was confirmed
when the entire team, bsb and local, helped manoeuvre one in as close to the
Medical Centre as humanly possible.
Helga cooked supper for everyone on both Friday and Saturday nights (from the caravan) and lunches were nice and long - 16.5cm as measured by (old but unused) ETT !
Craig
Jones - untimely death
WSB 3rd August 2008
The entire medical team would like to extend their deepest sympathies to Craig
Jones' family and friends, following the accident during the World Supersport
race last weekend. A lot of us have known Craig for quite a few years and
will sorely miss him.
Round
7- Oulton Park
18 - 20th July 2008
When the weather man said "intermittent heavy showers in all regions"
he wasn't joking! Patches of hot sunshine were followed seconds later by people
running for cover in the flag huts as it poured down! Parts of the circuit
flooded but the huge flock of geese at Lakeside were having a lovely time
- going for walks in the Ten Acre Field during the practice day, before all
the cars came in and used it as a car park on Sunday. Other wild life spotted
included a weasel making his way along the tyre wall at Cascades and the inevitable
wagtails that seem to be at most circuits.
Luckily the liquid sky stayed in the clouds for most of the day on Sunday, allowing some good racing including two excellent Superbike races. Congratulations to Tom Sykes!
The medical team would like to request that other 'bsb staff', either indoor (Race Control) or outdoor (marshalls) take better care of themselves at the end of each day. Stopping falling objects with feet and lying around worrying others that you're unconscious will not be tolerated!
Round
6 - Mallory
27 - 29th June 2008
Sunshine
interspersed with rain saw people having to put waterproofs on ... then off
... then on - and then we still managed to get sunburnt.
Despite these tribulations, all members of the medical team, at all times, were like coiled springs ...
Round
5- Snetterton
13 - 15th June 2008
First
casualty of the meeting was a member of the medical team - although, due to
patient confidentiality, the identity and area of injury cannot be disclosed.
The first day was sunny, Toby was busy grabbing birds and the pub meal that
evening was very enjoyable - particularly Zain's decision not to go for the
vegetarian option, following discussion comparing the washroom facilities
at Snetterton to an all-male sauna.
The second day also had good weather and Helga (aka Mrs Blunstone) undertook
mass catering and produced a superb evening meal of chilli con carne, rice,
garlic bread, strawberries, cream... A domestic crisis looms as her husband
has volunteered her services again in the future, he said she enjoyed it!
Oil and rain on the third day delayed some of the racing and caused cancellation
of the last Superstock race, but otherwise, it was a really good meeting.
Round
4- Donington Park
24 - 26th May 2008
Back
to Donington Park for the fourth round. Unfortunately the usual campsite had
been booked to others, so we all moved outside gate 20 (sort of behind the
Esses) Despite the wind, the campers managed to get their tents and gazebos
erected. The caravan crowd did not get away though - they had to help as the
largest tent took 10 people to keep it from blowing away.
Various
habitats, including the gazebo, were home to the cooking skills of the physios
and John.
Round
1 again - Brands Hatch GP Circuit
10 & 11th May 2008
Some
excellent racing with glorious weather. Medics turned various shades of pink
and bright red, depending on how often they remembered to put sun cream on.
Cindy
had a meal to celebrate her recent birthday - but the real birthday boy was
nowhere to be seen!
Does anyone know this man? 
Round
3- Oulton Park
3 - 5th May 2008
There was mixed weather at Oulton Park with rain making
tyre choice for the Superbikes difficult. Some good racing and ground post
medics weren't all blue with cold when they came in at the end of the day.
Round
2- Thruxton Circuit
18-20th April 2008
Finally, a meeting without snow and the start of the championship
and some racing!
Whilst some people braved the elements and built a medical snowman (complete
with stethoscope) others displayed a hither-to unsuspected degree of commonsense
and stayed well within the warmth of the Medical Centre
(the white splodges are not my camera playing up - they're snowflakes!)
First
it was freezing cold - then it started snowing ...
Small children started to make snowmen, the riders did a question-and-answer
session in the canteen and the circuit staff still managed to be incredibly
happy and helpful despite standing out in the blizzard directing traffic!
A
few hardy and brave riders ventured out on two wheels once the track and run-off
areas were cleared - other teams headed for Spain!
However,
we did get the red bags checked, paperwork done, the orthopaedic kit rationalised
and took lots of photos of pretty snow scenes. It was also a gentle introduction
to the physiotherapists, Sam, Noel and Rich.
Gundi
Steffen's leg
Having won their championship, Steve Carey and Gundi went
to Oulton for some sidecar racing 'just for fun'. Unfortunately they got into
a wobble going up Clay Hill, Oulton on the warm-up lap. Steve nearly saved
it, but they hit the grass and the outfit crashed. Gundi's broken her tib
and fib (shin bones) and is currently in the Countess of Chester Hospital
having an operation to fix it. Apart from her leg and little finger, she's
fine. Steve is hobbling about with a lot of bruises which he won't show us!
Thank you to all who looked after them at the circuit and all who have sent
their best wishes.
By the way, the
sidecar just has fairing damage (because all riders will want to know how
the 'bike' is)
Bike
Sport Awards Evening - in aid of the Chris Jones Riders'Fund
The
Bike Sport Awards Evening is being held at the National Motorcycle Museum,
Birmingham on Saturday 24th November 2007 (yes, coincides with the International
M/C Show at the NEC) Tickets are £50 each and include a 5-course dinner, awards
ceremony, special guests and entertainment
There are awards for champion riders (from national and club championships) rookie riders and most promising rider.
If you wish to come, download the booking form , send Claire Fennell a cheque and ask to be on a table with the medics (if that's what you want) and, depending on numbers, the organisers will do their best. If you want to be on another table, the minimum booking of two tickets applies.
Thirteenth
Round - Brands Hatch
Mild and misty mornings did not manage to delay practice
and Sunday was sunny. The racing went well - all the results can be found
on the mst timing web
page. There were only a few injuries, diagnosed with the help of the Xray
machine (from the Chris Jones Riders' Fund) thereby letting the riders off
a possible 3.9 hour wait in A&E and the Xograph UltraSound machine was
instrumental in diagnosing a very painful haematoma. Non-racing highlights
included the unveiling of a mini made in honour of Ollie Bridewell, an excellent
TV dinner eaten whilst watching the rugby, courtesy of Mr and Mrs Dennis,
and parties in the paddock on Sunday night.
Thank you to everyone who was part of the medical team this year - and hopefully we'll all be back next season.
Twelfth
Round - Donington
Friday started of cloudy with heavy rain and very strong
wind for most of the day. Luckily the weather improved for Saturday and Sunday.
Although there is usually a sigh when lunch is delayed because we have to
remain on post for the pillion rides, this weekend it was the high point for
the team as Mr Branfoot was the pillion! We have immense respect for JR for
his part in this and for not chucking Toby into a gravel trap. The ear-to-ear
grin that Toby has had ever since may be something to do with relief!
< it's an orange and yellow cling-on!
<
relief! and that's just JR!
Thanks again to Brian and Gemma for this account and the pictorial evidence.
Eleventh
Round - Cadwell
Sun, sun and more sun all weekend - this year that makes
a nice change! Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea shared the victories but even
though Kiyo came second in both races, he still has a 41 point lead going
into Donnington Park.
Away
from the racing, those of us who were camping or staying local visited Louth
(centre of the north's night life at BSB time) for an Italian meal on Sunday
night.
< medical team
at work
< who's is that chair Toby?
If you are going to Donnington Park please do not leave your post during the pillion rides as you may see a well known doctor taking part, (he will take his normal hat off, I am told, and use a crash hat ) just feel sorry for JR if he drops, it as most of the medical team will not stop laughing! Also the same doctor may be at a newsagent near you very soon.
Tenth
Round - Croft
Known for being cold and windy, the far north east was
actually quite warm and sunny with just a couple of showers on race day (of
course) and a slight breeze to keep the tents flapping noisely all night -
but at least it drowned out some of the snoring. Thanks to Mrs Burnage and
Mrs Pooley for the fine evening cuisine - and to Paul's obviously younger
brother for electricity and the nightly screening of Big Brother.
Practice went well although there were a few incidents at Clerveaux. Although each initially involved riders and bikes, the majority of falls were by marshals and medics as they discovered that a thin sprinkling of gravel on top of concrete acts like marbles. One particular rider displayed the Lynx Effect and got up very smartly as marshals and medics seemed to pile on and around him. He obviously decided that it was a dangerous place to stay!
World
Superbikes - Brands Hatch
Keeping
to the theme of food, that has been noted to be a feature of this page, it
wasn't so much what was eaten (thank you Jason and Jo for the marvellous chilli
and puddings) it was more whether it could be kept down, as various people
felt compelled to try the more gravity defying fairground attractions.
|
<
Paul Burnage had a particularly good weekend as he didn't lose any of
his passes on the reverse bungee ride this time and also found a new
friend. (the new friend's owner was most upset, because he said that
Paul was giving a drink to the wrong end!)
|
< lunch time 
The
weather was a total contrast to the last few meetings, with sunshine and clear
blue skies. The racing was excellent with Toseland's double win being a very
popular outcome.
Ninth
Round - Mallory Park
Sadly, on Friday, Ollie Bridewell had an accident early
in the practice session, sustained critical injuries and died. Our thoughts
go to his family, Marcus, Liz, Charlotte and Tom as well as his team, nb Racing.
A popular, well-known rider, Ollie will be sadly missed by a lot of people.
Grey skies, rain again and a totally waterlogged circuit delayed practice
on
Saturday and seemed to underline the general
mood of the paddock.
Grid positions for racing on Sunday were based on Championship positions and
racing did get underway.
Thank you to all the medics who stuggled through floods, traffic jams and
endless diversions to get to the meeting - and home again afterwards.
Eight
Round - Oulton Park
Less rain - in fact the Saturday was actually sunny! However,
the weather had been so miserable, that most people stayed in hotels or friend's
houses. Highlights of the weekend, apart from the obvious racing ones, were
the number of puddings consumed - and in particular, Toby's plum pudding -'nuff
said.
Seventh
Round - Knockhill, Scotland
What happened at Knockhill? ... it rained ...and rained
...and rained. Apart from the obvious clues (wet overalls) we could tell because
there was virtually no sight of the mountain - or much else in fact! The marshals
were stars, undertaking significant groundworks in the gravel traps helped
(or was it hindered?) by certain members of the medical team. The only bit
of blue sky was celebrated by a fly pass by the Red Arrows.
After racing on Sunday, we're
glad to say that all members of the medical staff (no names) did manage to
get home despite the disruption of Glasgow airport by other, non-bsb,
medical staff.
Sunday's racing was dominated by a serious event during the restart of the Supersport race. Three riders were injured, two very seriously. After stabilising treatment at the circuit, both were transferred to hospital in Dublin. Steven Neate is recovering from a significant head injury and arm fracture. Sadly, Guy Sanders sustained critical injuries and died later that evening. The bsb Medical Team would like to send our best wishes to Derek and the rest of Guy's family and to Norma and all at Gearlink Racing. We'd also like to thank the bsb Officials, Racesafe marshalls and Northern Ireland and Mondello members for their professional response.
Returning
to the theme of the medical web page, that a rather-to-perceptive friend from
the marshalling community pointed out, plenty of eating was done when celebrating
Stubbsie's ***th birthday (no, it's not three figures - yet) in the campsite
on Friday night. Toby proved that he can do more than just upset riders by
tweaking their broken limbs by making a motorbike birthday cake. A man of
many talents - but possibly not as many as Stubbsie!
Many
went for a pub meal on Saturday and it was nice to be joined by members of
Race Control and put some faces to the voices on the radio - thanks Stuart.
There seems to be a lot of discussion about which logo for 'bsbmedical' people prefer - so scribble down your suggestion and send/email it. We'll put them all on the website and chose which is most popular
Second
Round - Thruxton
Even better weather than Brands and the team struggled
on despite sunburn, severe facial pain and a gnat bite. Culinary highlights
for this round were dodgy milk and very fizzy water. We stayed in the usual
place, just up the road, which is still prepared to have us back next year!
very congenial surroundings 
First
Round - Brands
It was great to see everyone again, the weather was fantastic,
racing good and we got fed (mostly grated carrot as usual)