The Big One

By Jacob Asuit

One of the things I am most passionate about is racing. I love racing of every kind, especially Lemans and Formula 1. Though nothing is quite as near and dear to me as motocross and supercross. As a kid I would start counting down the days until the next Atlanta Supercross, the day after Atlanta Supercross. I couldn't wait to get on my KX100 and escape into dream land, pretending to be Ricky Carmichael. During my time at Eagle Ranch I would sit on the porch listening to the Moto GP superbikes any Saturday we stayed at home. Fortunately for me, the ranch was close enough to hear everything going on at Road Atlanta. Our school did an incentive program with the Kevin Schwantz racing school where the top 3 scholastic achievers earned a suited up 170 mph ride with a pro on the back of a Suzuki GSXR 1000 around Road Atlanta. Can you imagine who was a top 3 achiever? Not only did 3 of us get to ride a superbike, our entire small school got a tour of the Panoz racecar factory and we were given the day to ride indoor pro go karts at the Road Atlanta Training Facility. How lucky were we? In hindsight, it was probably one of the most influential experiences of my life, and definitely gave me an even bigger passion for racing that has grown enormously over the years. Now I find myself staying up until the early hours of the morning watching west coast Supercross, yelling at the TV when Eli Tomac sets off the finish line fireballs. I am guilty of a bad mood the next day if the results aren't what I was hoping for. Ive been a Tomac fan since the #43 RM85 days, I remember watching the 2007 Loretta Lynn Championship on TV. A lot has changed since then but one thing is clear, riding has always been my escape. Everything that troubles my mind disappears when I'm on a bike. Everyone has their thing right?

For me there is no wrong way to ride a motorcycle. I love the road with all its curves and I love the dirt with all its bumps. Early December of 2022 I had a freshly groomed track that was ready to rip up. I went out for a good practice session but a few laps in I lost focus and made a mistake that landed me a little crooked. Throughout my years of riding and flying dirtbikes I've had my fair share of good wrecks with plenty of cuts, bruises, sprains and concussions but this was the first time I had done anything this serious. Lucky, I thought. Against my better judgement I chose to go to the 'nearest' hospital and not the 'good' one. I had nearly ripped my right index finger off and smashed the little finger, the small hospital decided to stitch it up and send me home. A day later I ended up in the emergency observation unit, septic from the lack of cleaning by the previous hospital, After three days and two surgeries I walked out with external pins in two fingers all fixed up. Fast forward to June of 2022. I rebuilt the track during my breather following the last work stint. I felt good, refreshed and ready to get back to practicing for the upcoming moto season. Although I had just recovered from injury, it wasn't in the front of my mind. I couldn't wait to get back in the air and I set off testing the new track. Long story short I ended up in the trauma unit with a neck brace and 25 hospital staff around me. After an immediate CT scan it was confirmed that no organs or spinal damage was done. A relief. But xrays revealed that I had broken my Tibia and Fibula on my left and right side with multiple pilon fractures, a compound fractured right foot and a tibial plateau type 3 fracture in my right knee. My legs were 100% done for. I had done what riders call 'a big one'. I then spent 2 weeks in the trauma unit. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it was hell. The first room I was in happened to be one of the few that overlook the helicopter pad for life flight, with a first class view of the east facing horizon. I laid there for a week before moving rooms, watching one helicopter after another. Sometimes 7-10 flights a day bringing people in. The first day I was too drugged up to think. But on the third day as I watched the most beautiful sunrise, God spoke to me. I was rushed with emotion as a flight came in. I thought, how foolish have I been to ever complain about anything? Many of these people coming in didn't get to see this sunrise. I reached out for God begging for forgiveness and prayed deeper than I have ever prayed. During my two week stay I had 5 surgeries. I now have 6 titanium plates, 45 screws and 10 pins hiding under my scars. I was terrified every time I went under and the trauma unit is a scary place to wake up. All I could do was pray that God let me go home soon to see my family. ​

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

After leaving the hospital, a lot of things that I had questioned about my life started making sense. During my stay, the people I thought cared for me never showed up at all. And the people I didn't show enough care for on the daily showed me more care than I deserved. Funny how things getting serious will separate the two. I learned some truths throughout my two accidents that would not have been revealed to me without them happening. I do believe everything happens for a reason, though we may not need to know the reason. Faith in God is all we need. I would go on to spend 6 months in a wheel chair, and during that time is when my life changed the most. Some family visits made me feel that as if disabling myself wasn't bad enough, it was more negatively impactful on the business flow than anything else. The words "When are you coming back to work?" and "What have you done in the last 6 months?" echoed in my mind more than any part of the wreck. I had been used like a dish rag for years and years for someone else's gain, and when I took myself out of the shop I was useless. I watched as all the years of work I provided turned into dust on the floor. I repeatedly asked myself, 'Were we not family before everything else?'. God delivered on my request for clarity. My years of self doubt from manipulation swirled around in my head. I felt defeated, more than ever before. But I didn't realize that without removing myself from the situation that gave me so much doubt, I would never truly understand any of it clearly. So with a new point of view I made my decision to never return to work in the 2 Jakes knife shop. There is nothing quite like your ability to live a normal life being in question to change your life for the better. I'm thankful for the lessons, as hard as they may be sometimes. Without them we will never grow. I'm happy to be able to talk about it, it's good to get it all out. Today by the grace of God and after 4 months of intense therapy I am back on my feet. I can get around and do things somewhat normally again with my trusty cane. I am ready to get to work again, this time for myself and putting God first.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13