Simon Crafar explains how a “terrifying” accident became the turning point that ultimately led him back to the MotoGP paddock.
The turning point in Simon Crafar’s post-racing career came when an accident left him lying on the ground in Romania, feeling like “the bottom half of my body was nailed to the road”.
The New Zealander suffered serious back injuries after being hit by a car while helping plan the 2009 Red Bull Romaniacs hard enduro event.
Unable to walk for almost a year, the lengthy recovery and rehabilitation prompted the 500cc Grand Prix winner and WorldSBK podium finisher to reassess his life after racing.
Speaking on the latest edition of the Crash.net MotoGP podcast, Crafar, now Chairman of the FIM MotoGP Stewards, explained:
“I did my apprenticeship as a motorcycle mechanic in New Zealand, so I was always very interested in all the tech stuff while I was a racer, probably too much!
“I’d spoken to Mats Larsson, the boss of the race department at Ohlins, and said, ‘I want to be an Ohlins tech after I finish racing’. So we did a deal and I went to work for Mats.
“As you see on TV, it’s normally tyre technicians, suspension technicians, the data guy, crew chief and rider who are all in a huddle together in the pits.
“It wasn't intimidating for me to just change position in that huddle, which was a big advantage. And I learned so much from my workmates and Mats to back up the tech side.
“But that same year my son was born, who's 25 now.
“Mats gave me a contract for the second year, including the money I wanted. But I realised that if I sign this, there's a good chance I'll end up divorced. Because my wife's at home in Andorra with no support and I'm on the road most of the year.
“I realised I can't do it, which is why I ended up back on a bike in BSB, which wasn't the right move. But I didn't know what else to do and still be with my family.
“So I had to figure out another way.”
Crafar admitted that the transition from professional racer to normal life was ‘brutal’.
“It's not easy to stop riding. I've carved out this career path, and looking from the outside it might seem smooth, but as they say you don't learn from the good times, you learn from the bad ones.