Skip to main content

Ouch II

Image
By
Gotta love Mark Webber. It would appear that the man is an accident-magnet, especially when he switches from four wheels to two.

He's revealed that he drove the last 4 races of the season with a fractured shoulder. Uh-huh. Exactly. The sort of thing where you or I would be off work for a month or so and feeling very sorry for ourselves. He apparently did it the day before a race weekend too, but didn't bother to mention it to the team.

Now I know our Aussie cousins are a touch bunch, but Jeez, mate! And how did Mr Webber do this? Well, he hadn't been out mountain biking since his previous accident that saw him start 2009 with metal plates in his leg, courtesy of trying to out-tough a 4x4 (in my experience, something generally thought of as being a definite no-win situation, unless you happen to be in a tank). For once, he came off worst. So he headed out with a mate, who promptly fell off in front of him. Even though his F1 experiences gives his some of the best reflexes on the planet, he managed to ride straight into the guy, and before he could say "Oh crap - here we go again" he was lying on the floor with busted bones again. Oopsie.

Brilliantly, he only decided to reveal this fact post-season in his new book. Christian Horner, speaking through the most gritted set of gnashers ever, said something along the lines of "It would have been nice if he'd told us" and "maybe he should steer clear of bikes". Nice line in understatement, Christian.

Mark reckons it didn't affect his driving in those crucial, championship-deciding races. I'm not going to argue with him - he's clearly one hell of a lot harder than me.

(Just starting on the stereogram tonight: Marillion's "marillion.com". Rockin'!)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Malaysian Grand Prix - Vettel hot, but not bothered

By
Malaysia. It's always hot, and it always rains. Except the 2nd part is no longer true (unless you count the drizzly bit around lap 14). Saturday's qualifying session had highlighted the fact that Red Bull and McLaren seemed well matched on pace, but also that Ferrari were struggling. Whilst Vettel bagged another pole, followed by Hamilton, Webber and Button, Alonso was only 5th, and Massa 7th, with Nick Heidfeld an excellent 6th on the grid between the two red cars. At this point, I would like to break momentarily for a small rant: How many times do I have to say Heidfeld is good? Why wasn't he given a top drive years ago? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! ARE YOU BLIND!!!?? Ahem. The Hispanias somehow managed to a) turn up b) remember to bring cars c) get both of them on the track d) actually get both of them within 107%. Pretty remarkable really. Oh, and it didn't rain. Race day looked a more likely candidate for a drop of the wet stuff. The start was exciting, with...
5 comments
Read more

A fisful of change at the shops

By
A recent day out reminded me how much the retail experience has altered during my lifetime – and it’s not all good. I could stop typing this, and buy a fridge, in a matter of seconds. The shops are shut and it’s 9pm, but I could still place the order and arrange delivery. I haven’t got to wander round a white-goods retail emporium trying to work out which slightly different version of something that keeps my cider cold is better. It’ll be cheaper, too. But in amongst the convenience, endless choice and bargains, we’ve lost some of the personal, human, touches that used to make a trip to the shops something more than just a daily chore. Last weekend, we visited a local coastal town. Amongst the shops selling over-priced imported home accessories (who doesn’t need another roughly-hewn wooden heart, poorly painted and a bargain at £10?) was one that looked different. It’s window allowed you to see in, rather than being plastered with stick-on graphics and special offers calling ...
2 comments
Read more

Suffering from natural obsolescence

By
You know you’re getting old when it dawns on you that you’re outliving technological breakthroughs. You know the sort of thing – something revolutionary, that heralds a seismic shift it the way the modern world operates. Clever, time-saving, breathtaking and life-changing (and featuring a circuit board). It’s the future, baby! Until it isn’t any more. I got to pondering this when we laughed heartily in the office about someone asking if our camcorder used “tape”. Tape? Get with the times, Daddy-o! If it ain’t digital then for-get-it! I then attempted to explain to an impossibly young colleague that video tape in a camcorder was indeed once a “thing”, requiring the carrying of something the size of a briefcase around on your shoulder, containing batteries normally reserved for a bus, and a start-up time from pressing ‘Record’ so lengthy, couples were already getting divorced by the time it was ready to record them saying “I do”. After explaining what tape was, I realised I’d ...
Post a Comment
Read more