salty 2,202 Posted January 29 Bit late to post this this as he actually passed away on January 9th, but sad to hear the death of Lokeren survivor Garry Hay. Good obituary in this weeks Star. Having escaped with minimal injuries at Lokeren it was so sad when the following Australian season he suffered life changing injuries which left him wheelchair bound. Haven't seen it mentioned on this forum - apologies if it has. RIP Garry AUSTRALIAN SOLO SPEEDWAY RIDER GARY HAY, 77, DIES - Speedway Illustrated News 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E I Addio 15,845 Posted February 28 (edited) On 1/29/2024 at 8:53 AM, salty said: Bit late to post this this as he actually passed away on January 9th, but sad to hear the death of Lokeren survivor Garry Hay. Good obituary in this weeks Star. Having escaped with minimal injuries at Lokeren it was so sad when the following Australian season he suffered life changing injuries which left him wheelchair bound. Haven't seen it mentioned on this forum - apologies if it has. RIP Garry AUSTRALIAN SOLO SPEEDWAY RIDER GARY HAY, 77, DIES - Speedway Illustrated News I’ve only just noticed that sad announcement. Always a double tragedy when a rider suffers life changing injuries as the innocent victim of track crash. Does anyone know the circumstances of the crash and how he rebuilt his life subsequently ? Edited February 28 by E I Addio Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
salty 2,202 Posted February 28 50 minutes ago, E I Addio said: I’ve only just noticed that sad announcement. Always a double tragedy when a rider suffers life changing injuries as the innocent victim of track crash. Does anyone know the circumstances of the crash and how he rebuilt his life subsequently ? There was a double page feature on Garry in Backtrack No 99, which was the issue dedicated to the Lokeren disaster. The crash that ended his career took place at Liverpool on December 23rd, 1970. A first bend incident involving Paul O'Neill which is described as an "unfortunate accident" with no blame attached to riders or track. It outlines a 10 year legal battle Garry had with Liverpool raceway, which he eventually lost. Partly because the event in which the crash happened was the NSW Solo Championship so Garry wasn't seen as an employee of the Promoters that night. He also missed out on compensation for the Lokeren tragedy. Regarding his more recent life it says he lived with his wife and two children on the island province of Catanduane, a one-hour flight from the Philippine mainland. His Biographer, Tony Webb describes his life thus - "a simple life in an idyllic environment. He is rich in a life that is simple in its needs. Garry's physical well being is maintained by regular massage and a strict diet based on coconut milk and the produce that the family grow on their property" Further reading...."Wheels of Fate - The Garry Hay Story" by Tony Webb. Speedway Books (defunctspeedway.co.uk) Hope that helps.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
