Courageous Worksop man visually impaired from motorbike accident sets national record

In 2015, two days after Christmas, Nigel Limb was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident which left him in a coma for almost two weeks with brain damage and permanent sight impairment, with no peripheral vision.

Almost six years on from his accident, Nigel has now made national history after setting a record for unassisted visually impaired rider from a standing start over a distance of an eighth of a mile.

As of August 8 2021, the new record now stands at 9.24 seconds and a whopping speed of 76 miles per hour.

Despite his accident, Nigel, who now lives in Lincolnshire with his wife, hasn’t stopped riding since he got back on his bike in 2018.

“On a motorbike, you let the clutch out as fast as you can, and of course, you can go head over heels over the bar. It's not like being in a car,” he said.

“Nerves are good, because if you're nervous it means that you're not taking stuff for granted.

“You can't just sit at home all day for the rest of your life can you?”

On the day of the drag race, Nigel, 56, also had a special visit from a father and his partially sighted son, who has a lifelong dream to drive a car.

The two travelled from Darlington to Melbourne Raceway in York so the 11-year-old boy could meet his hero.

“That actually meant more to me than setting the record.

“The fact that I can possibly inspire a young kid, who’s going to be visually impaired all his life, to try and achieve as much as he can.

“I lived a successful and happy ordinary life, so when it got taken away, that was pretty major to me mentally. I wanted it all to disappear.

“So the fact that I can now live a fulfilled life, if part of me living that can inspire other disabled people, not just visually impaired, I'm hoping that I can inspire anybody to get out of their comfort zone.”

Nigel has also been invited to Santa Pod Raceway in Northamptonshire on Thursday September 9 as a VIP for the press day.