WSBK – Joan Lascorz: the end of my Superbike racing career –

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Joan Lascorz: the end of my Superbike racing career

WSBK - Joan Lascorz: the end of my Superbike racing career -

Joan Lascorz is about to leave the Guttmann Institute (Spain) where he has started to understand what his new life will be like. The former World Superbike rider recalls his accident, its consequences and thanks all those who supported him. Fuerza joan !

Joan Lascorz is expected to leave the Guttmann Institute in Spain in two weeks, where he has been hospitalized for five months following his serious accident in Imola while he was testing his Ninja ZX-10R, the day after the Italian event of the WSBK 2012 (read our and).

Suffering from quadriplegia (dislocation of the C6 vertebra), "Jumbo" has lost the mobility of his legs, his abdominal area and his fingers … On the other hand, he has the sensitivity of his fingers and can move his face, neck, arms, shoulders, elbows and wrists.

This irreversible handicap forces the former Kawasaki rider (Supersport from 2008 to 2010 and Superbike since 2011) to take a second start. However, the Spaniard will never forget his past as a very high level driver, nor the recent support of his family, famous pilots or anonymous bikers. Here is his statement…

Joan Lascorz speaks

"What happened to me is really regrettable. I don’t know if it was bad luck or if Imola is not suitable for a 240 horsepower motorcycle. In any case, this undoubtedly marks the end of my career as a Superbike rider, and that of a period in my life. It’s a very difficult situation and I have to be very strong to move forward. I would like to thank all the SBK and MotoGP riders for the constant support I receive from them, and all the other categories. I also want to thank all the fans, amateur bikers and professionals who have shown me their affection. The visits and conversations with Albert Llovera, Filippo Preziosi, Oscar Lanza, Isidre Esteve and Pau Bach were very precious to me".

"I would like to thank the countless doctors and nurses who took care of me, from the Clinica Mobile of the SBK to the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna. Thanks to the UCI and the Vall d’Hebron spinal injury specialist unit and the Guttmann Institute. In all these places I’ve been treated like a king".

"Thank you also to the Catalan and Spanish Motorcycling Federation, for the support that Panthera wheelchairs offer me, and especially to all my family, my father Juan who is going through a difficult period, almost worse than mine, my mother Maribel, my brothers and sisters, uncles, cousins, friends and teammates: they have all been there for me".

"All because of this wall"…

"Once out of Guttman, I’m going to have to reconsider my life, in depth, and look for financial resources that match my situation, because it’s not that easy. I will have to find new goals to continue enjoying life, but certainly more with the same intensity".

The causes of the accident

"Joan lost control of the bike entering a "right" in fifth gear after a long straight, with her front wheel grazing the ground.", details Guime Roda, big boss of the Kawasaki Racing Team."She rested at high speed on the asphalt as the bike tipped, Joan lost control and went off the track. He had just completed a series of good lap times and was about to set the fastest lap of the day against his opponents.".

We especially remember that Joan‘s injuries were not caused by the fall itself but a few moments later when, still tumbling "at nearly 200 km / h, he hit an unprotected wall near the runway".

"Sometimes I feel a great sadness thinking about this sudden change, all because of this wall. I have a lot of thoughts in my head about what happened. Other times I think hopefully what the future holds".

"I have to do a lot of relearning. It was not easy to reach the level where I was and it was the result of a lot of effort made by everyone who made this possible since the day I stopped delivering pizzas on a 50 cc at the age of 18 to start my piloting career … It is a heartbreaking injustice, but I have to face it in the best possible way. This is a type of injury that not only puts you out of the competition, but marks you for life. It’s something that I’ll live with forever".

"A sorry injustice"

"When my friends created the number 17 badge to symbolize my recovery, I never thought for a moment that it would have such an impact and give me so much support in recent months. Seeing people expressing their solidarity in the face of my accident gave me a lot of strength and I thank them wholeheartedly.".

"I was surprised to see Rossi, Dovizioso, Crutchlow, Hayden, Pedrosa, Espargaro, Johnny Hernandez, Lorenzo … and probably more in MotoGP, if not all, Marquez, Espargaro, Rabat, Rins … and more , I forgot so many … Some teams even stuck the badge on their fairings. The Caixa Catalunya Repsol Alzamora team or the Pons team continue to wear it, and many others that I surely forgot to mention. Over 10,000 stickers have been produced and it is a source of pride for me".

"In SBK, I think all the pilots use the stickers: Checa, Haslam, Smrz, Sykes, my replacement Loris Baz, Biaggi who has one near the TV in his box, Rea, Melandri, Salom who decorated half of his motorbike. In my KRT team they are found on computers, motorcycles and in the pits. Official BMWs put it on the front of their fairings".

"Sofuoglu, Morais and the whole Kawasaki family, the Kawasaki riders of the STK600 and 1000 and all Superstock riders in general. I would like to thank Fujiwara and Akira Yanagawa from Japan for wearing the badge in every race, and Japanese Team Green for putting them on their bikes. Honda Spain has one on its website, the Easyrace Cup, many friends and CEV drivers, and the Motorland circuit whose entrance is adorned with a one-meter-wide badge. thanks to Solo Motorcycle to have distributed in its magazines, and to Motocard and Kawasaki to have financed this initiative. To all the media that have taken an interest in me and gathered news despite my silence ".

"Bikers have sent me lots of emails with pictures and encouragement and although I don’t reply to everyone, I have read them all! Anyone I forgot or didn’t even see: thank you very much !"

"To all those who have invited me to events, without my attending: I first want to analyze and understand my new situation. I want to be able to relax and have my privacy. But I’m not giving up on what Joan Lascorz could do in the motorcycle world. I have received recognition from all over the world and that makes me very proud. To everyone, thank you for expressing your support !"

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