Justin Weeks and Doug Henry Battle
at Extremity Games 6
Author: Corey Bixby, BIG Multimedia
History was made this Memorial Day weekend when two past champions made their return to motocross racing after years of struggle and hardship. Both paralyzed from the chest down, Doug Henry and Justin Weeks mounted their custom-fitted motorcycles and raced against some of the fastest amputee and paraplegic racers in the world at a challenging Baja Acres Motocross track in Millington, MI for the 6th annual Extremity Games on May 28, 2011.
For the racers and fans in attendance, Extremity Games was an incredible sight to say the least. In spite of their "disabilities", athletes like Justin Weeks and Doug Henry put down some of the fastest and most exciting laps the Baja Acres track had ever seen. Families and fans, young and old, lined the fences to cheer on their favorite riders as they battled a sandy and rutted Baja Acres track that received a considerable amount of rain the week leading up to the event.
"With heavy rainfall earlier this week, some racers were reasonably concerned," said Jim Wazny, director of Motocross for Extremity Games and amputee racer. "In spite of the weather, Baja Acres groomed out an awesome track, and everyone had a great time."
With two exhibition motos, and another two Extremity Games motos, the Limb-Loss (i.e. amputee) and Limb-Difference (i.e. paraplegic) riders had a full day of racing ahead of them. The 1st moto had both classes dropping together, with newcomer Nick Mardis grabbing the holeshot, followed by Mike Schultz, Doug Henry, and the rest of the field in tow. With the green flag out, Schultz had the lead, closely followed by Mardis, and then Wazny and Henry close behind. Meanwhile, Weeks was beginning to learn some fast lines and started closing quickly. In the end, Schultz finished 1st, followed by Henry, Weeks, and the rest of the field.