Kenny Noyes tells his life story of racing and coming back from the darkest abyss

But there's strength in looking straight at the worst that can happen. There's also hope in looking at the story of someone who was able to come back from very nearly the worst.

That's why Kenny Noyes wrote a book.

In 2015, Noyes, born in Spain of American parents Dennis and Heidi Noyes, was defending champion in the European Superbike series. In a pre-race practice session, he crashed and his motorcycle bounced off a tire wall and hit him in the head.

The Glasgow Coma Scale, used to rate a patient's condition, has three categories. The lowest score in each category is one point, with the highest being four or six. No response equals one point. When Noyes was evaluated at the hospital, he rated a three. He could have been less responsive only if he were dead. There was the possibility he wouldn't live, then the possibility he would never walk or talk again.

When Noyes finally began emerging from the coma, he was certain he was 16 years old, not 36. He didn't recognize his wife and refused to believe his brother was really his brother. How could he be 16 and have a younger brother in his 30s?

What has followed has been a long and hard recovery. With tremendous help from his family, Noyes has learned again how to speak clearly, how to walk. Much of his journey has been shared on social media and now he has put his story in book form.

"With this book I want to show that there is hope and that, although the injury is very serious, there is always the possibility of improvement," he said.

The book is about more than just his injury and recovery, however. He also talks about his racing career, from getting started in flat track to racing in the Moto2 world championship.

I briefly met Kenny Noyes by chance in December of 2007. In those final days before the financial crisis, motorcycle manufacturers' spending on press launches was at its peak and Kawasaki rented the Losail International Circuit in Qatar for two days to introduce its new Ninja ZX-10R to the world press. Somehow, I got an invite.

The first morning, a bus took us from our hotel to the track and I took an empty seat at random and introduced myself to the guy next to me. It was Kenny Noyes, who was there writing for one of the Spanish magazines in the off season. I immediately stuck my foot in my mouth, saying something about his father instead of asking about his racing career. I'm sure he must have been tired of guys older than him asking about his father. But after the look of annoyance flashed across his face, he was gracious.

That press launch was the fastest I ever rode on a motorcycle, in the corners because my personal skills were at their peak then and in terms of top speed because of Losail's long front straight. But one of the many memories seared into my mind from that trip was braking hard for turn one and watching Noyes pass me like I was a braking marker, the rear of his Ninja light and waving slightly back and forth under braking with that fine, unnerving desert dust feathering off his tire. Then he tipped into the corner and disappeared.

It was an instructive moment. And it's a sobering moment now to think that I can ride a motorcycle better than Kenny Noyes. Nothing about that feels good or right, by the way.

The book includes a forward by Wayne Rainey, three-time 500 cc world champion and co-founder of MotoAmerica, one of motorcycling's greatest examples of someone who has come back from a life-changing injury to make an entirely new but also meaningful life. Lots of people call Rainey one of their heroes, and he now says Noyes is one of his. Noyes is self-publishing his book and you can buy a signed copy directly from him at his website. The hardcover book costs €25 plus €15 shipping outside of Spain. I've ordered my copy.