5:40pm Thursday 22nd July 2010
Exclusive By Chris Flanagan
In the final chapter of an exclusive series with Neil Hodgson, the Burnley-born Superbikes star tells how the dangers of high-speed racing were never far from his mind – and how he intends to enjoy retirement.
NEIL Hodgson’s time in America was a reminder of what deep down he always knew.
He had seen friends die riding bikes, and will forever remain grateful that he was spared the same fate during his career.
He came close. In March last year, a motocross accident in California left him with broken ribs, a punctured lung and horrific injuries to his left arm and shoulder.
For a moment or two, he thought that was it.
Eventually that would be the accident that forced him to retire, after aggravating the same injury in his comeback race in the British Superbike Championship in April.
But he knows things could have been much worse.
“I’ve had some good friends die over my career,” said the 36-year-old from Burnley.
“It’s a tough sport. The worst thing for me was a very good friend of mine died at the TT – David Jefferies, from Yorkshire.
“He was an incredible guy and a similar age to me. He was one of those guys who just loved life and was a real character.
“I was in Germany at the time, and when you hear the news it really breaks your heart. You think of him, all his family, his mum and dad.
“My mum, especially, always worried about me. My dad will have worried, but he would never openly say anything.
“I know my mum’s relieved now that I’ve retired. She’s pleased for me because I’m in one piece.”
Even on the track, the dangers were never far from his mind.
In America he raced at Daytona, where British motorcycling legend Barry Sheene famously broke his leg, arm, collarbone and ribs in an accident in 1975.
“I must have gone round that big banking where Barry Sheene crashed thousands of times, and 90 per cent of the time I thought of him,” said Hodgson.
“At that point you’re doing about 180mph, you’re pushing into the bike because of the G-forces of the banking and you just think, ‘Imagine if your tyre blew now’. That’s what happened to Barry Sheene.
“To explain it to the layman, I always say you know people die on motorways but you still go on motorways. We all think it’s not going to happen to us.
“At the beginning of your career you crash a lot, but you learn from your mistakes – just as long as it doesn’t scare you or hurt you too much, which it does to a lot of people because some have bad injuries early on. Some get scared, which is understandable.
“Imagine going down the motorway and jumping out at 70mph with a leather suit on. It’s more like 120mph for us.
“But the fear of failure is far greater than the fear of injury. That is such a true saying.
“I was always petrified of failure, and never petrified of getting hurt.
“I’ve broken plenty of bones – my legs, kneecaps, ribs, wrists, bones in my back.
“But I’d still love my son to go into racing, although I wouldn’t want my daughter to.
“My son is two and on his birthday I got him a bike, so I think that sort of tells the story of what I’m thinking!
“People say I’m crazy, but I always say that motorcycling has given me a wonderful life.”
Hodgson’s four years in the American Superbike Championship, after leaving MotoGP in 2004, were somewhat frustrating.
His highest championship finish was fifth.
“It was a really well paid series and very competitive but there was no atmosphere at the events, which I didn’t really enjoy,” he said. “But I enjoyed living there. I lived in southern California overlooking the sea and woke up every morning wondering, ‘How did I get here?’.”
Publicly at least, for a period Hodgson exchanged a war of words with Blackburn rider Carl Fogarty – the four-time world Superbike champion whose footsteps he was following in.
But the pair were always able to laugh about their media comments, and they remain friends.
“When I retired he sent me a text,” said Hodgson.
“It cracked me up. It just said, ‘Welcome to the scrap heap, I’ll call you in a week or so and take the mickey. Foggy.’ “That’s just classic Fogarty!”
Now Hodgson is planning for the future. Television commentary and the progression of his involvement in property development are on the agenda.
“I’m retired now and you think, ‘Should I have carried on?’,” he said.
“But with how weak the shoulder is, in this sport you’ve got to be 100 per cent strong.
“I can’t commit because I can’t push off the bike.
“I’m hoping the urge to race won’t come back, but I think it’s going to happen.
“I’ll probably start thinking, ‘I’m fit again and I could still do it.’ “It’s easy to remember all the good times but you’ve got to be realistic and remember the tough times.
“I’m also genuinely excited about the prospect of doing something different. From nine to 36, I’ve had tunnel vision.
“It’s only now I’ve retired, you stand back and think, ‘I want to do something else and chill out a bit instead of stressing’.
“And since I announced my retirement, people have been really nice.
“I’ve always had really good support from people in Burnley.”
Click on the links below to read the previous chapters of Neil Hodgson's story.
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