Throwback Thursday: Damon Buckmaster’s Strong Laguna Seca Comeback (1999)

Larry Lawrence | March 2, 2023

Australian Racer Back on Track after Breaking His Neck in Training Accident

In this week’s Throwback we travel back in time 24 years to May of 1999 and the AMA Lockhart Phillips 750cc Supersport Series race from Laguna Seca Raceway. This photo shows Damon Buckmaster racing his Chaparral Suzuki GSX-R750 in front of Mario DuHamel (No. 96), Josh Hayes and Grant Lopez. It marked the return to racing for Buckmaster after he’d broken his neck in a motocross training accident three months earlier. Despite being rusty from time off the bike and riding cautiously on top of that, “Bucky” was still running a solid sixth in the race before his faceshield fogged over forcing him to retire. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Buckmaster came back the next day and finished on the podium (third) in the 600 Supersport race!

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