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Sidecar racer dies after
track accident
20 April 2004
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By JARROD BOOKER
Mike Corbett
knew the risks he was taking when he raced.
But the Christchurch sidecar racer was hooked on the adrenalin rush.
"He always said, if his day was to come he would have loved it to be on the track," his partner of eight years, Cheryl Leybourne said.
Michael Philip Corbett, 31, died last week in Christchurch Hospital's intensive care unit, six weeks after a horrific accident in the South Island Sidecar Championships at Ruapuna Speedway left him with severe injuries, including a broken neck. He fought for his life with Leybourne by his side every day, but eventually succumbed to pneumonia after a serious lung infection took hold.
As well as not getting the chance to marry Leybourne, Corbett has left behind his greatest love of all, six-year-old daughter Tabitha.
"She's taken it so strong. She's been really, really brave," Leybourne said.
Corbett had dreamed of being a speedway racer since he was young. He saved his money from boyhood jobs on newspaper and milk runs to reach his goal.
"He loved the adrenalin rush. It was just like he was flying. He just loved it," Leybourne said. "We were always out there with him."
Corbett lost fellow racer Murray Williams last year in another accident at Ruapuna Speedway. Yet he was philosophical about the risks.
"He always said you could just walk out the gate and get hit by a truck," Leybourne said.
"He was outgoing, funny, bubbly, and cheeky. He constantly had a smile on his dial, even when he didn't feel like smiling."
A funeral will be held in Upper Riccarton tomorrow.
The Ruapuna track that Corbett was racing on was criticised by some racers as not being up to scratch.
Christchurch Speedway Association president Gary Jemmett said the track was "heavy" because of recent rain, but was passed by Speedway New Zealand and considered fit for racing. Corbett's death was a big blow for everyone in local speedway circles, Jemmett said.
"He was a young man who had been around our speedway for a long time. He had a lot of friends here."
A memorial would be organised by the association.
