Minnaar takes one last win before undergoing surgery

Following a season plagued by frequent shoulder dislocations and a broken scapula at the World Championships in Fort William, Scotland, Greg Minnaar underwent surgery on his left shoulder on November 2.

The operation was scheduled for one and a half hours to repair cartilage damage and re-attach tendons in the front of the shoulder, but the damage in Minnaar's shoulder was severe enough that the operation took over two and a half hours. The damage caused from his crash at worlds had rendered the rear cartilage of the shoulder so badly damaged that it too had to be repaired and a tendon was re-attached using four screws.

Following the operation, Dr. Mark Ferguson of the South Africa Sports Clinic was confident in the likely results. Minnaar, who faces an eight to 10 week recovery, said, "Although right now there is a lot of pain and discomfort, my main focus is to get home and start a full and speedy recovery."

Just one day prior to his surgery, Minnaar participated in a celebrity car race called the WesBank Celebrity Blacklist Car race series. He defeated 30 other celebrities in the race against the clock in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"Losing by six 100th's of a second in the car, is no different to losing in a downhill race where the times are just as close and the slightest error can cost you a win," said Minnaar, who took his win in 1'28.82" by a whopping three seconds ahead of Sasha Martinengo in second place (1'31.41")

"It was an awesome experience to drive a race car like that, and with a single lap to count. It made it just as nerve wracking as racing a downhill event," said Minnaar.