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Elton Holman was on the way to becoming one of Australia’s top supercross riders until an accident while competing in Coffs Harbour on New Year’s Eve in 1990 left him a quadriplegic.
He died twice that night yet overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to not only survive, let alone one day breathe on his own, but live a healthy life.
Despite being told he would be lucky to make it to the age of 30, Elton died just last month, on April 29.
He was laid to rest on May 11, the day he would have turned 50, with plans for a surprise birthday party turned into a celebration of his life.
Now, Jett will pay his own tribute by adopting Elton’s old supercross number on the AIM Motorsport Mustang which he races in Super2.
“Elton was an inspiration to me from as long as I can remember,” explained the third-generation racer, who normally drives Car #17 or #117 in honour of grandfather Dick Johnson.
“He loved watching me race and would always talk to me about what I needed to do to improve off the track to be the best I could be; he never stopped being obsessed with health and fitness right up till his last days.
“Even though Elton was in a wheelchair, I never once heard him complain about his condition, instead it was always positive thoughts about how to do things or how to make things easier. You could always talk to Elton about anything, and he would give you the best advice.
“I would always have the best days with Elton.
“When I was about 10, Elton lived in Surfers Paradise, and I would go in quite often and spend the day with him. I’d take my skateboard and Elton would tow me around Surfers Paradise with his electric wheelchair.
“We’d always get free food and drinks because everyone just loved him, and his infectious personality and they though it was cute that he was towing me around.
“Elton would always put life into perspective if any of us thought we were having a bad day. He would quickly point out ‘what have you got to be sad about?’ with a smirk on his face.
“He has made me look at life so much differently. The glass was always half full for him, not half empty.
“I feel I’m a much more grounded, understanding and better person from having Elton in my life for the last 19 years.”
After his accident, Elton had machines designed keep his muscles alive, before eventually being able to perform weight training in the gym, a feat thought impossible for someone who had severed his spinal cord.
Having continually defied conventional medical wisdom, he became a learning tool for doctors and nurses about how to care for someone in his condition.
It was also Elton who bought Jett his first motorbike, taking great pride in coaching him on his technique and honing his skills.
Elton’s influence has been felt in Jett’s motorsport career more broadly with advice on healthy eating and exercise, which were a passion during his supercross days and especially so after his accident.
Practice 1 for Round 2 of the Super2 Series at Wanneroo starts on Friday at 10:10 local time/12:10 AEST.
