ATV Pro Nic Granlund Suffers Serious Injury at ITP/Yamaha QuadCross Event

A fund has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank for donations to support NicÂ’s recovery.

Jun. 15, 2009 By
San Bernardino, CA – Nic Granlund participated in the May 24th ITP QuadCross Championship Series at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA. On the first lap of the Open Pro ATV Class second moto he crashed and sustained a debilitating injury. A fund has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank for donations to support Nic’s recovery.

The track had been used the day before for the AMA Motocross Nationals. Nic started the day with a solid race and finished sixth in the first Moto. In the main event, Nic came off the line strong and was among the first few racers into the first turn. As Nic railed the first turn, another quad bumped him sending him and his quad over the berm and off the track. He was able to recover, but several quads passed by as he maneuvered back onto the race track.

Nic Granlund has always been known as an aggressive rider and, once back on the track, he pinned it as he gunned down the rider in front of him. He did not lift off the throttle as he approached a 65-foot step-up. Nic launched off the face of the jump and suddenly the quad stalled and dropped out of the air leaving Nic in a 15 foot freefall. Nic landed on the downside of the jump without his quad and shattered his femur and hip joint into more than 35 pieces.

Nic spent eleven days at Arrowhead Trauma Center in Colton, CA after a five-hour reconstructive surgery of the hip that Dr. Hopkins said was the worst hip trauma that he had seen in his 10 years as an orthopedic surgeon. The doctors had to insert a two-foot titanium rod into the center of Nic’s femur and then secure the rod with a 4” screw just above the kneecap. Two large bolts were installed to connect the rod to a newly rebuilt hip. The surgeon commented that Nic’s muscles were so strong that they bent medical tools while working on him.

The prognosis is promising, though Nic faces a long road to recovery. He is residing in San Jose, CA the first 6 weeks of recovery. He plans to return to Las Vegas as soon as possible and will begin physical therapy at that point. Nic knows it will be tough - but he’s confident that he will overcome this challenge with the support of family, close friends, and the racing community.

“I am not ready to announce my retirement, but I will be out of the garage and off the track for a long period of time according to the doctor,” said Nic. “Everyone’s support has been overwhelming; it goes to show what a tight group of racers are out there every weekend.”

There have been many calls and messages from racers, friends, and fans around the country wanting to know how they can help Nic. In response to this outpouring of support, a fund has been established in Nic Granlund’s name through Wells Fargo Bank (Acct. 6478349860). You can contribute to the fund by either transferring funds from an existing Wells Fargo account or by visiting a local branch location. Or, you can send a check to Niclas Granlund c/o Maria Werth, PO Box 18755, San Jose, CA 95158.

To contact Nic Granlund, please email him at icgracing@gmail.com

Nic Granlund would like to thank his Sponsors:

NGR, Lonestar, Fox Shox, SWICK, Skat Trak, TORCO, DWT, CTRacing, Quad Tech, Fasst, Precision, Hinson, Triumph, ITI, Maxxis, Velocity Filters, Streamline, Dragon, ARP, SHIFT, and JSR

About Nic Granlund:

Nic has been racing for 25 years. Born in Sweden, Nic started his career at the age of 14 racing dirt bikes. Nic is one of the most successful multi-disciplined racers in the world. Early in his career, Nic won the 1996 Novice 1200 Runabout JetSki World Championship. During a race in which Nic was racing a two-wheeler, a friend could not race and asked Nic to race his ATV. He was a natural and was soon racing in Mickey Thompson Stadium races. Nic began to win and turned pro, racing a combination of motocross and desert racing. Over the past five years, Nic helped pioneer ATV Supermoto racing and won the Supermoto championship four of the last last years. Most recently, Nic and his partner, Greg Stuart, have dominated the Best in the Desert Series, winning six of the last eight races. Very few racers succeed in more than one style of racing and Nic’s success in ATV MotoCross, Supermoto, and Desert Racing is unique. Most recently, Nic has been teaching ATV racing and a high percentage of his students find their way to the podium.


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