Suzuka: one step away from death
The 8 Suzuka hours last Augustpenultimate round of the 2022 Endurance world championship, seemed to be able to concede to Gino Rea one of the last opportunities to conquer the world title that season on his Honda of the FCC TSR Honda France team, shared with Mike di Meglio and Joshua Hook. A goal that was actually achieved, also thanks to a heroic performance by Rea in the 24 Hours of Spa, when he returned to the pits on foot after the chain fell, allowing his team to then reach the podium. However, at the end of the championship, the Briton was unable to celebrate that success in person: the free practice sessions of the Japanese stage, in fact, were almost the end of the existence of the English rider, victim of a very serious accident from which he came out with a brain trauma and with several fractures and serious injuries. In the days following the episode, she really feared for her life, or at least for her mobility once she recovered.
The return to the saddle
Instead, on the eve of the 2023 world championship, Rea is not only smiling again and recovering almost completely seven months after that accident, but he also has another goal to achieve: that of get back to running. In the first appointment with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 33-year-old will be regularly present at the Parade Lap to directly feel the affection of the public, made up of many enthusiasts who were waiting for nothing but good news about his health conditions. The next step for Rea, however, will be to warn him as a competitor, moreover after one recently closed test session in Cartagenawhich allowed him to get back on track: “Right now I’m in Spain to train and continue my rehabilitation – commented Rea in an interview released to the official channels of the EWC – I am fine and feel better every day. We were all very worried at first because you never know what long term effects a brain injury can have, so I feel very happy and lucky to have recovered to where I am today. I still need time, but the road is the right one“.
Thanks
In addition to reassuring about his condition, Rea above all wanted to thank all the people who have been close to him since the accident, in a period characterized by constant concern about his condition: “The last seven months have been extremely hard for me and for the people around me – he added – I am especially sorry for them, who had to face such difficult moments with me: my wife Isabellain particular, she was great with me, and without her I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today. A big thank you goes to my familywho has always been by my side. I also have to thank my manager too, Terry Rymer, for all your support. I thoroughly appreciate every single comment from everyone, so thanks to everyone who has shown support. Also the donations have been incredible (we intend to close the page GoFundMe at the end of this month)and that’s why I was able to go through the long rehabilitation and had such a rapid improvement, so I’m forever grateful to each of you who contributed. My most important message is ‘thank you’ to all the people who have shown me their support. It never goes unnoticed. This goes out to all the fans who have reached out to me and to other top level pro riders who have reached out to me.”
The biggest project
In the interview, Rea also returned to talking about the Suzuka accident, focusing above all on his sense of anger at what happened that day during free practice. In addition to this, the Briton nonetheless remarked on his willingness to return to racing, trying to indicate the times for his return: “Unfortunately, I don’t remember much about my stay in Japan. I just have a few flashbacks of some places – he said – but there is frustration. It was an unfortunate event that took a big toll on me with an injury that takes time to recover from. I have to have patience to overcome this injury, also because I want to get back to the same level as before, and that means getting back on top and trying to win EWC races again. It’s a championship that I really like and in which I think I’ve settled in. In my career I’ve been happy to participate in a category if I’ve been competitive, and I’ve felt that way almost everywhere but in EWC I feel almost at homeand I totally found it in Honda. This is the situation I would like to relive. I’m optimistic about this plan, but it takes time to get there. Ultimately, I believe that moment it will come very soonbecause my progress has probably been better than many thought. Even the doctors expected it to take longer. I tested my motocross bike and went on a trackday on a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, and it was a surprise for me and the people around me. It’s difficult to indicate an exact time, but I can’t wait to do more training to gain more feeling with the bike”.
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