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Friends through thick and thin photo by Jim Craven Debilitating injury can�t hold back White, Pekarek By Don Hunt PHOENIX � Scott White was looking forward to racing his brand-new Honda CR 125 motorcycle. But before the Phoenix High sophomore could travel to Roseburg for his next motocross event, he got into a car wreck and broke his neck in three places. Although White spent six days at Rogue Valley Medical Center and four days in intensive car, he was lucky. The fractures to his C2, C3 and C4 vertebrae didn�t cut into his spinal cord and leave him paralyzed. Nearly three months have passed since the April 10 accident. White, who has had to wear a special brace called a halo that screws into the sides of his head to keep his neck immobilized, hasn�t been able to ride his new bike, much less race it. But that doesn�t mean the fancy two-wheeler has been collecting cobwebs. White, 15, lent it to his best friend, Randy Pekarek, who promptly won a state competition in Roseburg, took fourth at a regional event in Washougal, Wash., and qualified for the motocross amateur nationals in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., Aug. 7-12. Pekarek, also 15, needed another bike after his broke down and he didn�t have the money to fix it. "That�s way cool," Pekarek says of White�s decision to let him race the $4,800 machine. "I doubt if there�s too many guys out there who would let a guy climb on their new bike and race it." Particularly along the muddy, hilly, obstacle-laced courses that make up a motocross. But White didn�t hesitate. "It didn�t make sense to just leave it in the garage," White says. "I know how much Randy likes to race � he�s been doing it since he was 7 � and he�s really good at it, better than me. "All I told him was, �Don�t wreck it.�" The conditions at Washougal were awful due to rain and mud and � wouldn�t you know it �Pekarek wiped out four times. But the thick mud along the course cushioned the falls and didn�t damage the bike. And with everyone else having their own troubles Pekarek finished fourth in the 125cc junior stock class and fifth in the regular 125cc class. His performance earned him a berth in the national motocross event that is held annually in Tennessee on property owned by country singer Loretta Lynn. Since the regional event, Pekarek has worked some odd jobs and earned enough money to repair his bike, a 1999 Suzuki RM 125. He says he�ll race his own bike at nationals if the rules allow it � and if he can raise enough money to make the trip. Whatever set of wheels he�s on, Pekarek can�t wait to match his skills against the best amateur motocross competitors in the country. "The adrenalin rush you get from being out there is incredible," he says. White knows the feeling, and he has every intention of returning to the sport despite the serious nature of his injury. His older brother, Jeff, 20, also races, and the boys� parents are always in attendance. "It�s a family event," says Patsy White, Scott�s mother. "We�ve got videos on the sport, books, you name it. "It does worry me a little bit that Scott wants to get back out there, but who can blame him? This is his what he loves to do. We�ll just wait for the doctor to say it�s OK." That likely won�t be for another three months or so. Until then, Scott White�s bike will surely find a way to get along without him. Anyone wishing to contributute to Randy Pekarek�s trip to nationals may make checks payable to Patsy White, P.O. Box 1683, Phoenix, 97535. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA