Wayne Gardner FACING THE DEVIL

The way Wayne Gardner tore his Honda’s windshield during the 1992 Suzuka GP was really something. At the same time theatrical, so desperate, almost solemn: the energy, the movement, the quickness. The stage was the circuit’s gravel. Rain coming down, some smoke appearing where the water came in contact with the hottest parts of his bike, especially the exhausts. He had just crashed, the crowd under hundreds of multicoloured umbrellas, staring at his figure, most of them in some sort of amazement.

And the show had just begun.

The fans were there for the first round of the season. The Rothmans-branded fairing was badly damaged, as was the Australian rider’s ankle after a crash he had during practice. Few people heard the sound of the windshield cracking, no one remembers it. Memory does not play any part in this kind of situation. It was pure instinct that pushed Gardner to restart and ride again, harder than before. The marshals helped