1978 - Two 1978 dates will long stand out in the minds of family, friends and the many fans of road racing star Pat Hennen. On June 5, the personable 25-year-old veteran established an absolute record around the treacherous 37- mile Isle of Man public roads circuit. Minutes later, he crashed at over 130 miles per hour.
Unconscious, Pat was transported to a Liverpool hospital for examination and treatment. Miraculously, he suffered no broken bones or internal injuries. But the extent of his head injuries was largely a matter of speculation.
For nearly 11 weeks, family members maintained a constant vigil. They were told that Pat could regain consciousness in a matter of days, weeks or even months. If at all.
Almost as suddenly as he had crashed, Pat regained consciousness on Friday, August 25th. And the only lasting effect from the crash was his inability to recall details of recent racing.
Those who have enjoyed watching one of the world's finest road racers in action will certainly be happy to see Pat up and around again. His, thankfully, is an Isle of Man crash story with a happy ending.
Continually making progress in his epic battle to fully recover from his Isle of Man injuries, Hennen was obviously moved by lengthy standing ovation at an AFM awards banquet.
Pat Hennen continues to make spetacular progress in his recovery from the Isle of Man crash that left him in a coma for 11 weeks. Recently Hennen rode a motorcycle for the first time since the June, 1978 accident which occured just after Hennen had set a new Isle of Man 500cc Senior lap record. "I couldn't believe it," said Hennen after his first solo on a Honda XL250. "That was really good. It was really important to me. I think that before long I'll ride down to the hospital and say "Take a look at this,doctor."
Earlier, Hennen received a lengthy standing ovation at the American Federation of Motorcyclist (AFM) awards banquet in Berkeley, California. An introduction of Hennen by AFM officials brought over 300 racers and friends to their feet in a resounding burst of applause. Hennen began his road racing career with the AFM, an amateur club.
Hennen was the first American to win a 500cc World Championship Grand Prix, riding a Suzuki to victory in 1977. Until his 1978 Isle of Man crash, Hennen was the top contender for the 500cc Championship, according to Kenny Roberts, who went on to win the title after Hennen's wreck.
Unconscious, Pat was transported to a Liverpool hospital for examination and treatment. Miraculously, he suffered no broken bones or internal injuries. But the extent of his head injuries was largely a matter of speculation.
For nearly 11 weeks, family members maintained a constant vigil. They were told that Pat could regain consciousness in a matter of days, weeks or even months. If at all.
Almost as suddenly as he had crashed, Pat regained consciousness on Friday, August 25th. And the only lasting effect from the crash was his inability to recall details of recent racing.
Those who have enjoyed watching one of the world's finest road racers in action will certainly be happy to see Pat up and around again. His, thankfully, is an Isle of Man crash story with a happy ending.
Pat Hennen continues to make spetacular progress in his recovery from the Isle of Man crash that left him in a coma for 11 weeks. Recently Hennen rode a motorcycle for the first time since the June, 1978 accident which occured just after Hennen had set a new Isle of Man 500cc Senior lap record. "I couldn't believe it," said Hennen after his first solo on a Honda XL250. "That was really good. It was really important to me. I think that before long I'll ride down to the hospital and say "Take a look at this,doctor."
Earlier, Hennen received a lengthy standing ovation at the American Federation of Motorcyclist (AFM) awards banquet in Berkeley, California. An introduction of Hennen by AFM officials brought over 300 racers and friends to their feet in a resounding burst of applause. Hennen began his road racing career with the AFM, an amateur club.
Hennen was the first American to win a 500cc World Championship Grand Prix, riding a Suzuki to victory in 1977. Until his 1978 Isle of Man crash, Hennen was the top contender for the 500cc Championship, according to Kenny Roberts, who went on to win the title after Hennen's wreck.
