TT racer who survived 130 mph crash wants to pay back to people who saved her life

A TT racer who doctors feared would be paralysed for life after a 130mph crash has returned to the Isle of Man determined to give something back to those who helped him.

 

Fiona Baker Holden, from Cumbria, was thrown from the bike in the accident while riding in the sidecar with her father. “I caught up with the bike in front of me and before I knew it, two weeks had passed and I had an accident,” Fiona said.

“We collided at 130mph. I think I was thrown 20 meters in the air, hit a tree and fell back onto the track.

Fiona broke her neck and doctors feared she would be paralyzed for life, but five years passed and she returned to TT to support her partner.
John Holden still races on the Isle of Man despite the risks. “I have a funny philosophy: When your time is right, it’s your time,” John said.

“I lost my sister to cancer 10 years ago. You’ve got to move forward and do what you love, when you love.” \”It’s dangerous, I’ve lost friends. It’s a risk but you always think it won’t happen to you, you try to cover all possibilities and make sure everything is safe as much as possible. possible.\”

Despite his accident, Fiona still arrives to support him. “We’re a team, and I help him succeed on the track,” she said.

“I’m always here for him, I never stop him from doing what he does, that’s what it’s all about. I totally care about what he does.”
After the accident, Fiona received treatment at the Walton Center in Liverpool and now she and her partner want to give back.

The couple plan to hike Mount Everest alone to raise money for the center that saved his life. “The care and attention I received from the Walton Center while I was there was nothing short of amazing,” she added.

“As I lay in my hospital bed at the Walton Center, I felt I had to do something to thank them for the great care and attention they gave me. They basically saved my life.”

But despite the risk and trauma of an accident, Fiona keeps returning to the track.

“I keep telling people it’s like a bitter divorce, where you still love the person you broke up with. “For me it’s an inexplicable necessity. Sometimes I don’t know why I’m doing it, but I have to. Freedom, I do it right away. \ ”

Here you can find out more about Fiona’s efforts to raise funds.