After a horror-crash with Jay Smith at Round 1 - Three Sisters, Josh Jasper mounted a remarkable comeback at Round 2 - Teesside to take a comfortable victory in Supermoto B Race 1.
In the opening laps of the final A race of the weekend at Three Sisters a collision coming into The Esses put veteran Smith and 2022 U21 champion Jasper on the deck. Jay Smith managed to get straight back up and was immediately checking on his fellow competitor as the marshals and paramedics arrived on the scene moments later.
Over to Josh:
I’d got a really good start and was in 4th coming down the back straight. I got on the brakes into The Esses, and I thought I was in a really comfortable position, but as I got to the middle of the corner, I heard Jay shouting “Josh!” and then I was waking up at the side of the track!
It’s weird because normally you can hear the bike when someone’s coming up the inside of you, but I had no idea he was there. He came to see me afterwards and apologised, he just out braked himself, got on the kerbs and had nowhere to go. It happens.
With the race stopped straight away the A.M.F. Husqvarna rider had time to do a quick inventory of what was hurting.
I thought I’d broken something. At the time I remember thinking this pain is killing me, my back and my whole left side was numb, so I knew something was wrong. It got better once I was in the ambulance, and they gave me some morphine and gas and air though! But I think I must have been laying awkwardly on the side of the track because my shoulder was so stiff.
Safely stabilised trackside, Josh was taken to the local hospital where he had a full body CT scan to make an accurate assessment of the extent of his injuries. All things considered; the news was good:
They were great at the hospital - I got in really quick. Loads of injections though and my god I hate needles. It was only about half an hour after the scan that I got the results. I knew it was good news when they took the neck brace off, and they told me it was just bruised lungs and bruised kidneys. I was pretty banged up, but nothing was broken. Such a relief: if you miss a round that’s the season done really.
With the race falling on a bank holiday and not getting out of A&E until nearly midnight, Josh and his dad stayed at the circuit overnight. Next morning Jay came in again to check on his fallen comrade and make another apology. The trip back to Sussex was rough:
When we stopped on the way home for some food I couldn’t move, my dad had to go in on his own: I couldn’t walk.
In the days that followed Josh even considered calling time on a promising career.
It was on the Tuesday that things got really bad. I had to take a whole week off work - I just couldn’t move. I even thought the CT scan might have been wrong: I’m still in pain now nearly two months later and I did start wondering if this is worth it: what if I end up in a wheelchair or something? I was so close to jacking it in.
I think it was because I had to stop everything - no motocross, nothing. But I had a chat with my dad, and we decided that we should go to Teesside and see what’s what.
Of course, it took no time at all for the thoughts of early retirement to disappear:
Once we got to the track I was like, yeah I miss this.
A solid weekend followed with a win in B Race 1 and two solid finishes in A Race 2 and 3 on Sunday, preceded by a great Saturday.
It’s a clear indicator of Josh’s future BSM champion status that despite racing with bruised lungs and kidneys just four weeks after he was lying in a CT scanner with a neck brace and no feeling in his leg that he’s not especially happy with his Teesside performance: “I had a good Saturday, but Sunday was just horrible.”.
He goes to Rowrah in much better health, and confident after a stellar 2022 Rowrah performance that saw him make Superpole:
The injuries are feeling much better now, I’ve been out on the motocross bike. Top 10 is the target, and I’d love to make Superpole again. I’m hoping for rain!
Tune in on bank holiday weekend: May 27/28, completely free on YouTube, for Round 3 of the Tripz British Supermoto Championship from the glorious Rowrah circuit from Britain’s beautiful Lake District.