Gibsons' Eric Tietze captured the 2004 Pacific North West Motorcycle Association series last week, but it came with a price.
In his race last weekend, Tietze and his family travelled to Washington State for the last event of the year.
Hoping to get his eighth first place finish, which classifies as a perfect season, Tietze had expectations for a great weekend.
"On the Saturday, I went for a practice ride with friends. Within the first five minutes, I went down on the bike, injuring myself," Tietze said. "I ended up with my first did-not-finish (DNF) of the season."
Tietze tore up his knee and is scheduled for an MRI later this month. Surgery is likely and he is hoping to be ready to next season.
"I'm certainly happy to win the series title, but it's not the way I wanted to end the season," he said. "I was hoping to train all winter. Now who knows what's going to happen."
The year-end awards ceremony will be held on Nov. 21. Tietze will be awarded with his winning plaque and jacket.
The weekend before, Tietze travelled to Williams Lake for an event on Thanksgiving weekend.
On Saturday, Tietze and son Keaton completed the 40 km poker run and both had a great ride.
"Sunday was race day. There were 19 racers in my class and 106 racers in total," Tietze said. "The start was fast and I was in third place heading into the bush. "Williams Lake is one of the faster races with lots of gravel roads, open fields and tight woods. I rode hard and managed to pass all the riders ahead one by one with speeds up to 136 km on the road sections. I finished first doing two laps (84 km) with a six-minute lead - it was a great weekend all around."
