Unfortunately during Race 1 at SMSP for Round 2 of the ASBK season Luke suffered a nasty high-side and was ejected from his bike. We sat down with Luke and he has provided us with more of an insight into his injuries and what the 2024 race season looks like going forward.
What is the extent of the injury?
I have fractured the fifth metatarsal in my right foot. This is bone that sits directly behind your little toe in the centre of your foot. I underwent surgery on the Tuesday following the race to realign and fix the bone in place with a plate that spans most of the length of my foot. I will need a follow up surgery later to swap the plate for a smaller one. There is, however, no concern about any long term impairment.
What is the recovery time currently looking like?
6-7 Weeks without bearing any weight then a follow up at around 3 months to determine if the plate can be swapped or if bone grafts will be necessary.
It’s fair to say that you’ve had glimpses of strong pace recently but you have also had a few injuries and bad luck plague your push forward. How do you cope with that mentally when you can see a step forward in front of you but can’t get the consistency you need to capitalise on it?
The glimpses of pace are the key. It's clear that we have been making steps forward with the new bike and with my riding, and while we have been unlucky that the crashes I've had recently have all been high-sides that have put me in hospital, we aren't in crisis mode. If we had the same amount of issues but all of the crashes had been low-sides, I believe we could actually be in a fairly positive position at the moment. I've been working with Race Centre for many years and know that we have everything we need to capitalise when our fortunes are kinder.
Do these types of blows make it hard to keep the fire burning?
People often like to joke to motorcycle racers that we must be a crazy. The fact is that we aren't and it's only human for doubt to creep in at times. The biggest thing I remind myself of is that I am in a very rare position. In a sport most people can never access, I have a team of people I admire around me and an opportunity to do something I find truly special. I want to see myself as the kind of person who grabs that opportunity.
Do you think there are any positives you and the team will be able to extract from this pretty crap situation?
In any situation, if you aren't learning from it, you aren't paying attention. Things feel pretty grim when you can't walk and can't work, and I know the team feels it too. But if we ever achieve what we're setting to, it will be thanks to the way we handled our worst days.
All of the Race Center team and extended family are wishing Luke a speedy recovery and are looking forward to his return.
