Cycle News Staff | May 19, 2021
Scott Sheak Passes From Injuries (updated). On May 1, former factory motocrosser Scott Sheak was hospitalized after sustaining injuries when he crashed while training in his home state of New York. Unfortunately, Sheak passed away as a result of those injuries, and other complications, yesterday, Tuesday, May 18. He was 47 years old.
Scott Sheak, 1974-2021
Sheak first made a name for himself as a top-ranked amateur racer while a member of Kawasaki Team Green. He graduated to the pro ranks in the early 1990s and eventually got a factory ride for one year, 1997, with Team Honda as a 125cc rider. Sheak finished out that season third behind Ricky Carmichael and Kevin Windham.
Sheak rode for a number of top teams through out his career, eventually retiring from professional racing in 2002 after suffering a series of concussions. His last National was at Hangtown.
Sheak stayed in the motocross industry for a while, becoming the team manager for Plano Honda. He then worked for the WBR Team before moving over to the factory Kawasaki squad for a short stint there.
Sheak’s love for racing and motocross never completely went away, and he went on to compete in the vet classes at the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. In fact, Sheak was training for this year’s Loretta Lynn’s race when he suffered the accident.
Sheak is survived by his wife, Amy, and two stepchildren.
The Road 2 Recovery Foundation has been working closely with the Sheak family to help them navigate this unforeseen tragedy and have set up a fund to help them offset the immense costs of his hospitalization and care; they will continue accepting donations in his memory, with all funds going to support his family. You can donate here on Scott’s R2R Fund page.
(May 4, 2021)
Scott Sheak was hospitalized with spinal-cord damage following a severe crash during practice in New York. Road 2 Recovery has opened a fundraising campaign to assist with Sheak’s medical bills.
The following is a press release from Road2 Recovery…
Encinitas, CA (May 4, 2021) – Retired professional motocross/supercross racer Scott Sheak suffered a substantial practice crash last Friday at Walden Motocross Track in New York while preparing for an upcoming Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Motocross Regional Championship. When Scott was approached, he was found unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse at the site of his crash. He was rushed to MidHudson Medical Center, where he was stabilized then transported via helicopter to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York, where he underwent surgery to stabilize the cervical spine in his neck.
After arrival at Westchester Medical Center, it was determined that Scott had sustained a collapsed lung and fractured cervical spine, as well as a severe concussion, damage to the spinal cord and major soft tissue damage. On Saturday, May 1, Scott underwent surgery to stabilize the C7 vertebrae with rods and screws and they decompressed the spinal cord. At this time, Scott has no movement or feeling in his extremities due to the excessive swelling and damage to his spinal cord. It is still too soon to know if the paralysis is permanent.
At this moment, Scott’s recovery process is unknown but it is expected that he will have an extended stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and months of physical therapy. The Road 2 Recovery Foundation has established a fundraising campaign to support Scott as his medical bills are expected to be substantial. As always, R2R is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) and your donation toward Scott’s fund is tax-deductible.
Scott Sheak’s R2R Fund- https://road2recovery.com/cause-view/scott-sheak/
As more information on Scott’s recovery becomes available, we will update his R2R page HERE. We encourage folks to leave positive messages of support on Scott’s R2R page for him to read.
For more information on Road 2 Recovery, upcoming events and athlete updates, visit road2recovery.com or click here to make a donation.
