Motoracing: Luke George back to 80 percent

If Kawasaki rider Luke George requires some real life inspiration for his comeback from a heavy crash at the final round of this year’s Australian Motocross Championship, he should look no further than road racing star Blake Leigh-Smith.

Smith, the reigning Australian 125 GP champion, got caught up in another rider’s highside at Sachsenring in Germany on June 21, suffering five broken vertebra, five broken ribs, two broken bones in his foot, a broken scapula and punctured lungs.

After initially being placed in an induced coma, Leigh-Smith eventually returned home, and his comeback meeting was at Eastern Creek in the latest round of the Woodstock Bourbon Australian Superbike Championship from August 7-9.

And, despite still suffering ongoing effects of his injuries, Leigh-Smith’s comeback was spectacular, with pole position followed by a clean sweep of race wins.

“I hadn’t ridden the bike (Aprilia) before Eastern Creek, but straight away I felt good on the bike and was on the pace from the first practice,” Leigh-Smith was quoted as saying in the latest edition of Australian Motorcycle News.

Meanwhile, 19 days since his crash, George is now back to 80 percent health and should return home shortly.

Doctors have attributed his dramatic recovery to his extreme level of physical fitness, and it’s now anticipated he will return to 100 percent fitness and be able to make a return to racing.