At its heart, speedway is a risky business. Injuries are, unfortunately, par for the course, although the steely resolve of the riders who entertain us often produces an almost unnatural pain threshold. Getting up and dusting themselves down after the most horrific of crashes is commonplace, as are the many occasions when riders knowingly drop the clutch in the full knowledge that they have broken bones, ripped cartilage, and other injuries that would lead stars of other sports to spend lengthy periods in the treatment room.
Having only ever broken a finger and a rib, my understanding of how speedway riders typically deal with those emotional “mind over matter” moments, when the pain and discomfort would have most mortals seeking refuge in bed, was close to zero; consequently, my grasp of the incredible examples of bouncebackability – a term invented by Iain Dowie in 2004 when he managed Crystal Palace Football Club, and now a dictionary word – where a rider enters the fray more prematurely than seems humanly possible, was also next to nothing.
Bumping (metaphorically) into Lewis Kerr in the Oxford pits during last season’s campaign, I instinctively knew that I had located an ideal guide to explore this unique terrain and better quantify the Dowie addition to literature.
What can you tell me about the horrific crash at Peterborough in August 2015 that left you in a coma?
Lewis drew a deep breath and admitted that it wasn’t the nicest thing ever to happen to him, but thankfully he has no memory of the crash whatsoever, adding, “In terms of recovery, there was no problem for me getting back on a bike since I couldn’t recall what had happened.” He went on to reflect that things could have turned out so differently for him if he had remembered.
Casting his mind back to before the incident, Lewis could vaguely picture a busy schedule of three meetings on the trot beforehand, but had no memory of where he was riding, or in which competition. This twilight world existence was amplified when he was discharged from hospital and returned home; a place where he had lived for three years with his wife Jessie, yet it was totally unfamiliar to him. “This was pretty scary and for a period of time we lived with my parents.”
Although many casual observers may struggle with the concept of failing to recall such a momentous event, what Lewis experienced is natural. Darlene McLaughlin MD, psychiatrist, and clinical assistant professor with the Texas A&M College of Medicine, explains that if the brain encounters devastating trauma, it has a mechanism called “dissociation” that simply blocks out that moment, preventing the encoding of any memory. Summing up this process she adds, “The brain will attempt to protect itself.”
Lewis later returned to the critical care unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge to thank staff personally, and experienced further disorientation as a result; recalling this moment, his testimony was haunting: “I couldn’t believe I’d been one of those patients.”
Family and friends were fantastic and the list of people who came to visit his bedside was overwhelming, yet, as he modestly put it, “Not that I knew they were there at the time, but the support was incredible.”
How did you manage to bounce back and when?
Lewis acknowledged that his rehabilitation period was tough. “On the outside I looked fine, but I wasn’t great if I’m honest; suffering with headaches for months afterwards and being unable to use my phone for about six weeks – I couldn’t physically operate it.”
His stay in the critical care unit represented a hospital record: ten days in duration – the shortest ever! In typical racer style, he bugged the staff to release him as he was convinced that he was fine. Once home he realised that he wasn’t in a good place.
“I had to learn to walk properly again and couldn’t even take a shower on my own. It was really tough.” Even the simplest mobility, taken for granted by able-bodied people, was challenging in the extreme.
Despite this, after ten weeks, Lewis was back on his bike; this time cycling in order to regain his fitness and motion, with the burning desire to prove those onlookers who had doubted he could ever recover from such a harrowing episode wrong.
At this juncture I was keen to focus upon his spirit of positivity, a trait I’d personally witnessed during a previous trackside conversation. How did he remain so optimistic during a period I perceived to be dark and, at times, unyielding. His answer was both heartwarming and uplifting and should be a reminder to all of us who face any sort of setback in our lives. “Jessie was pregnant with our little boy Cooper at the time, and we were buying our first home together. There was an awful lot to be positive about.”
After a gruelling winter of fitness training Lewis returned to the track; by his own admission, the first half of the season was tough. Mechanical problems didn’t help, albeit he didn’t shy away from a brutal appraisal of his frame of mind: “Subconsciously, I may have been riding a bit safer.”
Probing how Lewis mentally deals with the ever-present threat of serious injury he enthusiastically replied, “I do like testing myself and setting demanding personal goals. I want to be the person who comes back, and I guess this typifies my mindset,” adding with a broad smile, “I absolutely love riding bikes as a job too!”
Have you had any particularly dark moments, and, if so, how did you deal with these?
Three years later Lewis broke both his legs at Kings Lynn and for the first time in his career a darkness descended upon him. “Although it wasn’t life threatening, I just couldn’t believe it had happened again. In both this, and my previous major crash at Peterborough, I’d been knocked off, so it wasn’t even my fault. I admit that I asked myself the question: do I carry on?” But once again Lewis defaulted to his ability to prove the doubters wrong. It was evident this was part of his life narrative, adding, “Even in my younger motorcross days, I wanted to show everyone what I was about and what I could do.”
Have you ever defied medical advice – if so, when?
Somewhat coyly, Lewis gave a couple of examples of him turning a deaf ear to medical advice. “I broke my collarbone in 2021 and had it operated on and plated. Seven days later I took to the track as I needed to get back for an important meeting.” But perhaps the most obvious moment of rebellion occurred after the double leg break. “I was so frustrated and angry that I removed my casts, thinking I was OK, a lot earlier than I was told I would be ─ but I wasn’t! On returning to the hospital the doctors went crazy at me!”
Looking more specifically at the current safety measures within the sport, Lewis reminded me of the fact that, in his first year riding speedway, air bags were not compulsory. When asked about what other steps could be taken, Lewis made a persuasive pitch: “Slow the bikes down. They are so fast these days ─ and temperamental. It would be nice if they were a little slower; as a result, we would probably end up with better and safer racing.” And who could argue with that?
When injury-free you have always entertained us – what are your career highlights?
Winning the 2022 Championship Pairs with Charles Wright whilst representing the Redcar Bears at Oxford was a cherished moment, with Lewis summing it up in his customary positive tone: “That was a cool night!”
Also, triumphing in the silver helmet at Redcar twice in a row was sweet, although tinged with a little disappointment: “It was rained off this year and I was going for the hat-trick, something that I think hasn’t been achieved since the 1970s.”
When you finally hang up your goggles what’s next for Lewis Kerr?
On leaving school, Lewis completed his carpentry apprenticeship and during the winter break he is back on a building site; once he calls time on his speedway career, he has this vocation to pursue. However, having spent a truly fascinating time with the newly signed Oxford Spire and Berwick Bandit, I think Lewis has another calling as a sports psychologist.
The fact is that any trauma – physical or mental – can make or break us. Lewis has lived through the most horrific suffering, but he chose to bounce back and also welcomed to the world his beautiful daughter Elodie. It isn’t necessarily easy, but the story of Lewis Kerr is an account we can all learn from.
© Ian Kirke 2023
@ianjkirke
All photographs reproduced with kind permission from Lewis Kerr.