British Superbike racer John Reynolds crashes hard on the final practice round at Brands Hatch.
He would break four ribs on his right side, puncture his right lung and shatter his left collarbone. The accident also left him with what turns out to be career-ending injuries to his neck and back.
Reynolds said that he has practically no memory of his crash during that fateful Friday practice at Brands. "I don't remember much really. I came out of Druids, went down the hill and ran off the track. Simple as that."
Commenting from his hospital bed: "When I hit the barrier it was like a switch in my head flipped. Instantly I knew it was time to stop. I had received a warning with my broken leg earlier in the year (February, 2005). I see this as a final warning and I’ve made the decision to stop racing, more for my wife Shelley’s sanity and for the good of my family than for me."
The legend that is John Reynolds began in 1987 with a win on a vintage Velocette at Caldwells to winning the British Superbike Championship in 1992, 2001 and 2004 including a run of 11 consecutive podiums at the start of 2004.
Not bad for a lad from Kimberley, Nottinghamshire.
