SORE RY A CHAMP
HAZELL IN HOSPITAL WHEN CROWNED
P PORTARLINGTON motocross star Ry Hazell was in hospital nursing a broken vertebrae in his back when he found out he had claimed the Victorian J Junior Motocross S Series. Hazell, 10, blew a tyre in race two of the final meeting of the series in Ballarat, and jumped off his bike as he was losing control, crashing to the track in a horrifying incident for dad Ben.
“It was a fast jump and as he was in the air, he jumped to push away from his bike because he knew he was going to crash,” Mr Hazell said.
“He came down and tried to get back up to grab his bike and just couldn’t move properly. It was very confronting and very scary.
“Him being safe and well, that was the only thing that went through our heads.
“Nothing else mattered, no titles, whether (he’d race again), nothing else mattered other than to make sure he was fine.”
Rushed to hospital, doctors told him that he had fractured a vertebrae and compressed a number more in the crash.
But his pain was somewhat alleviated when news filtered through that Hazell had held on to win the C-grade series.
It is an excellent feat for the young star who was only in his first full season of motocross after battling illness last year.
Hazell will return to the bike this month before the Australian Junior Motocross titles, before attempting to take out the Western Region Motocross Series in which he has a commanding 35-point lead with two rounds to go.