mattjware

A King’s Lynn former Marine whose leg was amputated after a road crash is embarking on a new fast track career in motorcycle racing.
Mark Fincham, 31, had part of his leg removed after a catastrophic accident in 2007 when he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle.
Refusing to allow his injury to change his life, Mark went on to return to the Marines and, after joining Civvy Street last year, is now planning to combine working for the family engineering business with a busy programme of motorcycle racing.

Mark on the track

Mark, who was born and raised in King’s Lynn, decided to join the Royal Marines after seeing a presentation at his sixth form and being told it was difficult to join.
“As soon as I knew it was difficult, I really wanted to do it,” he laughed.
“I absolutely loved being a Marine: the challenge, the camaraderie and I loved all the courses I was able to take – I learned about nuclear, biological, jungle and Arctic warfare and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
In March 2007, when he was on leave from his duty on-board a military ship, Mark was involved in an accident which would change his life forever.
While riding his motorbike, a car took a U-turn in front of him smashing into his vehicle, sending him flying through the air and breaking his back, pelvis, leg and ankle.
“I remember various bits about the accident – flying through the air and thinking I was going to hit a tree, the paramedic cutting my leathers and looking at my leg which pointing in all sorts of different directions,” Mark explained.
“I was driven to hospital and I asked if I could be put back together. My back was set and my leg from hip to ankle was pinned.
“When I woke up, the doctor said to me that I would probably never run or walk in the same way again. I said to them, then and there, ‘cut it off, then’.”
Doctors decided not to amputate Mark’s damaged foot and he was sent to a military rehabilitation unit to recuperate.
“I knew straight away that if my leg wasn’t the same as it was before, it would cause problems to my career in the Marines. In the end, my ankle had to be fused and I had to learn to walk all over again,” said Mark.
“As soon as I could walk, I started to run but the ankle just couldn’t take it and I kept breaking it. In the end, I said to the doctor: ‘this is ridiculous. Can you just cut it off?’”
In October 2009, part of Mark’s leg was amputated, the first of three such operations, and he was fitted with a prosthetic limb.
“When I woke up and it was gone, there was a massive sense of relief. I knew another man in the Marines who’d lost a leg and knew that he’d gone on to have a great career with them, so I knew I could do it too,: he said.
“Before I had the operation, I couldn’t even bear the weight of a quilt on my ankle because it was so painful. Suddenly, all that pain had disappeared.”
Within a matter of weeks, Mark was walking again. Three months after his operation, he was running.
Throughout his recovery, Mark hadn’t lost his confidence with motorcycles, buying a new one before he was able to walk after the accident.
“I’ve ridden bikes since I was about 13 and I’ve always loved them,” he said.
“I started doing track racing days when I was about 19. When I had a lot of sick leave after the accident, I’d spend days at the track.
“I started to get a bit frustrated on the track days because I didn’t have anyone to chase. Even the racers in the fast group couldn’t go as fast as I could.”
When he left the Marines after 10 years in early 2011, Mark – who works as an engineer for his father’s company, Eurotech Precision – decided to commit more time to racing.

Mark with his new bike ready to race

Marks’s first competitive race will be at Snetterton on March 24. Beginning in the rookie class and riding on his Kawasaki ZX10 R 1000cc sports bike, he will compete in 10 races before progressing through the ranks.
“The only difference that my leg makes is that I have got an adapted gear shift because I don’t have the power in my gear-shifting leg,” he said.
“I can’t wait: I’m a bit nervous of embarrassing myself but I’m going all out to win.”
Since his catastrophic accident in 2007, Mark has had another accident while racing at Mallory Park, in Leciestershire. While driving at 120mph, he came off his bike which catapulted into a barrier and ended up in the grandstand.
“I got up and the bike had disappeared!” laughed Mark, “I was thinking: ‘where is it?!
“I don’t let myself feel scared because then you couldn’t get on the bike. My attitude is the same as the one I have for life – just get on with things and get them done.”
Mark has received sponsorship from specialist motorcycle insurance broker Bikesure, based near King’s Lynn.
Gerry Bucke, general manager of Bikesure, said Mark’s was an inspirational story.
“Mark is living proof that you can overcome tremendous obstacles in life to achieve your ambitions,” he added.
“He is a fearless young man and we’re looking forward to seeing how far he can go in the motorcycle racing world.”

Keep in touch with Mark’s season.

We’ve teamed up with four-time Superbike World Champion Carl Fogarty for 2012.
Foggy is a legend of the track, having won seven world titles between 1988 and 1999, clocking up an unsurpassed 59 World Superbike victories.
As well as appearing in our adverts, fans can win signed gear in our free-to-enter competition and Foggy will appear in a number of videos throughout the year.

Gerry Bucke, general manager of Bikesure, said Fogarty remained a hero for a huge number of bikers, and his determination to be the best would fit well with the broker’s desire to offer the best cover at affordable premiums for virtually anything on two wheels.
“We’re dedicated to offering cover on anything from a moped to high-performance sports bikes, street bikes and imports, and with Carl’s profile he can help us to stand out from the crowd,” he added.
“We’re all excited to be working with one of the all-time greats and we’ll be updating our website with new videos throughout the year.”
Fogarty, renowned for his aggressive high-speed cornering, said he was looking forward to supporting the broker in 2012.
“I’ve been very impressed with how Bikesure put a little more thought than many brokers into the types of risk they will cover,” he added.
“They will offer cover where many would just give you a straight ‘no’, including heavily modified bikes and superbikes. The staff there also know their motorbikes, which is important for many people who have specific requirements.”

It’s not always easy for a 22-year-old to get insurance for a modified motorcycle.

But James Pheby was on a to a winner when he scooped a year’s free insurance from Bikesure in a competition with Visordown, which has saved him a cool £1000.

His Aprilia RSV1000R has a bored out engine to 1060cc, plus a non standard air filter, dynojet kit and custom lights, but that’s no problem for a broker which specialises in finding cover for modified bikes.

These pictures were taken at Cadwell Park earlier this year, and James says he usually uses his road standard Honda CBF Hornet on today’s busy and not-always-perfect roads.

Both bikes are covered on the same Bikesure policy, with all modifications covered on a like-for-like basis. The policy is also discounted because James, a hydraulics engineer from Thame, Oxfordshire, is a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

James carried out all the modifications himself, with the exception of the bored out engine and Dyno tuning, over a two-month period, but this does not add to the premium – if it’s got an MOT then  all the modifiations are covered.

The other modifications were undertaken by Gavin and Shaun at MSG Racing, based in Aylesbury.

“It’s a lot of hassle getting quotes for modified bikes, but I’ve had no problems with Bikesure,” said James.

Robert Balls, of Bikesure, said “We love modified bikes. We can’t get enough of them. We’re particularly keen if it’s a bike that the rider has owned for a while and done the

work over a period of time.

“It shows they are an enthusiast, passionate about their machine and someone who’s put their own blood, sweat, tears and creativity into it.”

The thinking goes that this type of owner is extremely likely to take good care of their machine.

“The sort of person who does that has an emotional attachment to that bike and, as such, in our eyes, it can make them a better risk than someone who’s just gone and bought the latest sports bike off the shelf,” says Rob. “It’s quite possible that we can get

them a better deal than they would get on a standard bike.”

With a long history of insuring vehicles for disabled drivers, Bikesure (part of Adrian Flux Insurance) was the natural place to turn when a Norfolk-based mobility charity needed cover to drive a 1932 trike through the Swiss Alps.

The 1932 Argson trike

The journey was a recreation of Denny Denly’s 1947 adventure on the Argson trike – the forerunner of modern mobility scooters – and was ridden by writer Dan McIntyre along with Lewis Hamilton’s brother Nicolas and Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Denly contracted polio while in the navy, and was invalided out of the service after he was paralysed from the waist down.

Having not yet realised his dream of seeing the Alps he set out alone on his 1930s Argoson 147cc tricycle, reaching heights of almost 8,000ft (2,900m).

Mr Denly also founded the charity that has now become Disabled Motoring UK. He was made an MBE in 1959 for services to disabled people and died in 2010.

Five people recreated Denly’s trip, including Sergeant Andy ‘Dinger’ Bell of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers at Swanton Morley, who helped to restore the vehicle for the journey. He was needed as the trike, which has a top speed of 35mph, regularly broke down.

Graham Footer, the chief executive of Disabled Motoring UK, said that Mr Denly had been a “trail-blazer’ who had “inspired many people to become independent”.

Bikesure can insure all types of motorcycles and tricycles, including those modified or adapted for disabled people.

Bikesure stepped in to save the day when a charity motorcycle rally to the famous Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp needed a Great Escape of its own.

The team of riders making a pilgrimage to the camp made famous in the film starring Steve McQueen were left high and dry when their insurer pulled out with just one week before their departure date.

But Bikesure agreed to provide cover free of charge for the seven Triumph Bonneville bikes, which set off from the former RAF Biggin Hill airport on Saturday, June 4.

The rally, which aims to raise more than £10,000 for Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion, was organised by serving Metropolitan Police officer Peter Spowage, who admitted to bursting into tears when underwriter Robert Balls agreed, in a telephone call,  to cover the bikes.

Great Escape riders make their way through a poppy field

“I hardly slept a wink over the bank holiday weekend,” said Peter. “I’d put the past two years of my life into this project and now it was in real danger of not going ahead.

“Then I took that wonderful call from Rob, and it was just unbelievable – I’m 54 years of age but I’ve no problem saying that I burst into tears. Bikesure literally saved the day.”

Mr Balls said the broker was delighted to help out, adding: “Our friends at insurers Groupama gave us a very competitive rate and we’re happy to cover the cost to help ensure that as much of the funds raised as possible goes to Help for Heroes and the Royal.”

The riders pose at the home of the Desert Rats

But, as Peter said, the journey is about much more than seven bikers on a jaunt across Europe. In February this year Private Conrad Lewis, the son of one of the team’s sponsors, was killed in action in Afghanistan.

“This is not about me or about the guys riding the bikes, this is about remembering those officers who were killed in the escape, and about Conrad and all the other young men and women who are killed or injured in the current wars,” he added.

The journey will be especially poignant for Colin Kirby-Green, whose father was shot after successfully breaking out of the camp in March 1944. Mr Kirby-Green has never visited his father’s grave, and will also visit the town of Hrabuvka in the Czech Republic where his father and fellow escapee, Canadian airman Gordon Kidder, were recaptured and executed.

For more information about the Great Escape 2 visit www.greatescape2.net, and to donate visit www.greatescape2.net/donate.html

And finally, this takes me back to watching this great film as a child: