Partially paralysed biker gets the trackday itch after lapping Donington Park on converted Aprilia Tuono

A motorcyclist from the Forest of Dean, who got back on a bike after losing the use of his left arm in a serious road traffic accident, has capped off his recovery by completing his first-ever trackday.

Joseph Parry, 33, who rides a specially converted Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory took part in a two-day event at Donington Park run in partnership with the Rider Development Group on Facebook – enjoying in-depth classroom sessions as well as a full day on the 2.49-mile circuit.

“How do you put it into words,” Parry told MCN. “The journey from the crash – so the last two-and a-bit years – has just been the hardest thing I could ever put into words.

“As I said to you the last time we spoke, riding a bike is the only time I don’t feel disabled. It’s the only time I feel like it’s just my brain, my spirit, my body, my soul, just doing something without my body getting in the way and getting to do that on track – the sensation of grip just blew me away.”

Joseph was involved in a collision with a van in 2022 that left him with a severe brachial plexus injury. Speaking to MCN earlier this year, he explained: “I pulled all the nerves out of my spine, paralysed myself from the side of my throat, down to my fingertips, including my left pec and my left lat. So, pretty devastating damage, and I’ve got a permanent break in my right hand.

“Where that hand was on the handlebar, the bar went through my thumb, shattered my forearm into three pieces, dislocated the elbow, broke multiple ribs, and I got a stent.”

Despite these injuries, Joseph completed a 1000-mile tour of Ireland earlier this year, and now plans to get more involved in track riding in the future.

“I was literally flat out and trail braking – like really fricking hard into corners and, letting off and going around corners,” he recalled. “It was just insane. It was just absolutely unreal.

“I just I just felt like I was flying, I wasn’t disabled anymore. I was just flying. It was it was such a perfect way to take the last two and a half years of tension and just release it.

“It’s life changing, so life changing that I’m now going to be buying a track bike and focusing on doing track stuff like as often as possible, because it just it’s incredible and it made me want to live again. It was that strong. It made me want to live again. It’s just insane.”

Joseph’s off-track tuition was run by club racer, Steve Rapa who organises novice day events as part of larger trackdays.

Facebook group admin Rhiannon Ghezzi-Frowde said: “I started the group because I’ve lost friends, and I don’t want to see people either die, or quit biking, because they are scared of their bikes and have never been taught how to control them properly.

“I wanted to make a place where the group mentality was to discuss and understand rather than putting each other down and hiding insecurities,” he continued. “I do the novice days at my own expense and with no charge.”

On top of his tuition, Joseph also met MCN’s Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves, who was also at Donington to test his long-term KTM 1390 Super Duke R Evo.

“He just generally cared and was just interested in what you’re talking about. He offered me some, advice because he said that he taught the track for years,” Parry added. “I don’t know him at all, But I couldn’t have asked for a better experience meeting someone, that I respect, to be honest.”