It was a painful victory for Mark Allan in Round 4 of the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series at Willowbank Raceway last weekend.
The winner of the Modified bracket braved a dislocated knee prior to his Round 3 triumph over Mike Bailey “popping” it back in and climbing behind the wheel of his Spitzer Drgaster.
“I actually hurt my knee (hyperextension) a few weeks back playing touch footy and it had been a little sore and weak which contributed to the dislocation,” explains Allan.
“I was in the staging lanes with Mike Bailey in the third round of racing and wanted to wish him luck and check what lane he wanted. When I’ve turned to go back to the dragster, I must have had my foot planted and out she popped.
“I fell to the ground and knew straight away what I had done because I could feel my knee cap through my fire suit pants on the outside section of my leg, and the pressure of me holding it, actually pushed it back in.”
Having dislocated his knee approximately nine years ago, Allan knew he needed to keep on the move because once he stopped; it would tighten and begin to swell.
“It was obviously hurting, I could still walk around albeit with a limp, and with the adrenalin jumped in the dragster, checked I could still use the brake fine and decided I could still run.
“My partner is a nurse in emergency and I was going to get her to check it after the run. Getting the win and being late in racing the turn-around times were only long enough to throw some fuel in the car and get back to the lanes.
“We kept winning and didn’t get a chance to finally look at the knee until after the final, my partner knew the ambulance drivers from work and pulled them up.
“I was getting out of my fire suit and we noticed the knee wasn’t actually completely back in its correct position. It was decided then that I needed to go to hospital and have it checked out, but I wanted to collect my silver Christmas tree.”
Understandably the medics on hand did not want Allan to stay on his feet accompanying him to presentations and carting him straight to the hospital once the silver Christmas tree was in his hands.
“By this stage the pain had really set in and the adrenalin had surpassed so I was feeling fairly second rate. The trophy was completely worth it. During racing the semi final was the toughest race against Chelsea Leahy – we had a hold up and I had been strapped in the dragster for a while.
“I was still moving my leg inside the cockpit to try and keep it loose but there’s not much room inside a dragster once you are tied in.
“The elation of winning and knowing that I was racing my best mate in the final with my family and my daughter getting to see me in my first final since she was born was the catalyst that kept me going.”
Images courtesy: dragphotos.com.au