Peter Lenz, a 13-year-old motorcycle racer, was killed after a tragic accident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway yesterday. What happened reads like every motorcycle mom’s worst nightmare. From the New York Times:
Peter Lenz of Vancouver, Wash., fell off his bike during the warmup lap for Sunday’s first race at Indianapolis and was run over by another motorcycle, driven by a 12-year-old. Medical workers immediately placed Lenz in a neck brace, put him on a stretcher and began chest compressions while taking him to a hospital.
Several hours later, he was pronounced dead.
The first reaction for most is to wonder why on Earth a 13-year-old child was racing a motorcycle at Indy. Let’s hope the upcoming scrutiny of the sport keeps a few things in mind before people declare that the victim was too young. Surely he was too young to die, but he certainly was not too young to race
At age 11, he earned the “expert” license from the American Federation of Motorcyclists, and in March 2009, Lenz became the youngest rider ever to win an AFM race. This year, competing in the U.S. Grand Prix Racers Union series, Lenz had four wins, five podium finishes and was leading the MD250H classification in points.
From all appearances, the choice to ride the bike was made by Lenz and his parents together. Columnist Bob Kravitz of Clark County, Washington’s The Columbian tries to come to terms with the choices of others:
We don’t understand. We can’t understand. But they will get on their bikes again and they will test the limits again, and they will do it with the uncomfortable knowledge that there’s a chance, just a chance, they may be next.
Exactly – from the outside, it does not make sense. But from the inside – the parents and the kids who race – it is risk that they are willing to take together.
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