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Video: Brad Baker's longest lap

Apr 28, 2019

The harshest reality of racing is that no matter how fast you are, how unworldly your skills, how great your victories, it can all come to an end in a second.

And of course I don't just mean death, which is a terrible risk but a very simple one. Far more complicated is an injury that ends a racing career, leaving a young person who has always been focused on one singular goal to find another.

That's the challenge Brad Baker faces after a seemingly minor crash last year in the X Games left him unable to walk. As this video shows, Baker is using the determination that made him a fierce competitor on the track to get him through the adjustment to a new life.

The first example that usually comes to mind, when we think of a racer trying to build a very different Act Two to life, is MotoAmerica principal Wayne Rainey. He has certainly proven that a lot can be accomplished in life once the racing abruptly, painfully and unexpectedly ends. His success, though, shouldn't be a reason to underestimate the challenges that Baker or other racers face.

Four years ago, Spain-based U.S. racer Kenny Noyes, who was then the Spanish Superbike champion, crashed in a what should have been an uneventful morning warmup session. He was in a coma for more than two weeks, and life since has been a battle toward recovery. He recently posted a video clip of himself walking without any aids, even a cane. Considering the grace and speed with which he used to ride a motorcycle, that slow gait may seem a faltering thing. But like Baker's hard work, it really shows a triumph that's harder earned than any race win.


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