Asked to stop racing as a condition for a promotion

Seems reasonable. They want to help you heal. Is that worth not racing? That’s for you to decide. 

From your post, they didn’t say to stop riding completely. Just racing and taking risk. That’s reasonable and fair to me. You’re not a pro getting paid to race or take risks, but you are getting paid for a specific job. You’re still pretty young and have a lot of years left in you. Take the money, the promotion and the compromise and enjoy it. You can race again at a later time. Just enjoy riding and getting more money. 

The USAF really made my boy jump through hoops to enlist. Multiple concussions and 2 plated bones got their attention and he had to do a battery of tests to be accepted. So racing is over for us for now. Maybe he will come back to it in time, maybe not. Life will go on either way but I sure do miss our time at the track together.  1000s of hours over many years. Change is constant tho and sometimes you sacrifice. 

Only the insurance company cares.

Use an alias for racing, if you get hurt tell them it was an organized meet, not a competition.

In this job market and economy? ...And you don't even have to fully stop riding?

I'd take the money.

It has nothing to do with labor laws. The employer can have stipulations on the job and if he agrees and then violates the agreement then he can be fired. For example CINTAS is a large company and they have a NO TABACCO stipulation to work there, you take the job and get caught using any Tobacco product you are fired on the spot and its not just at work its anywhere and even on your own time. CINTAS has  great health benefits because they only hire non tobacco users so they can be picky who they hire. 

Hell the OP will never make money racing so he should take the money and just ride for fun. 

yea im unsure how theyd even know you are racing.... like just don't tell them? 

There aren’t results online for tracks in the UK?

You can get killed walking your doggie!

I’d be looking for a new job. They look at you as a slave, that they can’t control. 

I occasionally fall off a ladder working in my yard...

Ask for conditions of how to spend your free time.The time your away from work is your time.

Try a negotiation 

No luck on any of those

Brush up on your CV and seek employment elsewhere 

If my employer told me I couldn’t do a recreational sport .i would seek new employment……

I’ve been at my employer for 32 yrs I’m number 20 from the top on a seniority list that holds 146 .

I am actively seeking a new employer for different reasons

Yeah, remember when both Army and USAF were main sponsors for SX/MX at various times and using it as a recruiting tool?  Then once you join they tell you that you are not allowed to ride!  😵  I actually had a buddy in the AF that was threatened with a line of duty investigation for an MX injury.  His CO actually backed off when he showed him some USAF SX sponsorship media!  Remember, MX injuries are bad, but it's totally fine to blow your knee out on the unit basketball or softball team !

FGR01 : "Remember, MX injuries are bad, but it's totally fine to blow your knee out on the unit basketball or softball team ! "

Yes- the 'two faced' aspect of that sort of thing is despicable.

In the over 5 decades of me having many operations - and not that many due to my Motorcycling -  I've encountered that nearly constantly.

So, I'm very direct with my bringing people up short when they start in on "Motorcycle Injuries", and Not Riding MCs. Be they the average person, or, Medical People / Lawyers etc. I tell them to pull their head in, politely, unless they keep on with the crap. 

My earliest Ortho, that did a Huge amount of work on me over many years, was Not the usual "you shouldn't do that" type.

 He was the head Ortho for the RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force - ( as well as his Private Practice) , so dealt with all sorts of injuries, and, his best line was "You can Die Falling off a Roadside Curb - Live Your F**king Life To The Full". And, he Really hated how So Many of his fellow Doctors would slag MC injuries, whilst promising to others, to  "Get You back On Your Skis / On the Field etc" as soon as possible. I wish I could find an Ortho like BJ Collins again.

As to the Original Poster's dilemma, I hope he sorts it out to His benefit.

I've never had a job tell me I can't ride, but I took off for 12 months between last year and this year to prioritize a project I was working on. I thought to myself "I'll stack some extra cash, stocks, and valuable experience" 

All of that happened, but I also gained 35 lbs from Mammoth 24 to June 25. I was depressed. I would make an excuse and push getting back on the bike longer and longer. I had a shorter fuse with those around me, I wasn't as happy in front of my kids, and I was probably a worse husband because of the self loathing that comes along with each passing month off the bike. 

Now I look at the money I made and I have turned down multiple next job opportunities and contracts because they want me to grind like I did and now I know I'll never sacrifice time off the bike uninjured again. Jobs come and go but you'll never ever get seat time missed back again in your life. Once the opportunity is gone it's lost forever and all you have is what's ahead if you're lucky. 

Keep riding.   If you ever get hurt again, tell them you fell off a ladder.   That's actually what my boss told me to say years ago when i missed some time.   I found out later that he rode too, but was totally hiding it from the company.

All jobs come and go.

Don't do something that you're going to regret later based solely on money.

Take the position and keep riding. Nothing they can do about it. 

Hell no and I'm not sure if I would laugh uncontrollably or flip out. Probably a combo of both in no specific order. First at the thought I'd even consider that for any reason but also for thinking that's an acceptable thing to ask or demand of an employee for any reason.(One exception, if your missing to much or underperforming bc your hurt or sore that's different) if it were me and I agreed  I doubt I'd last 6 months. When I stopped racing everything else fell apart and was depressed. I won't say what you do when you go home is none of there business. Your actions reflect on your employer good and bad. There only concern should be if your a good person or not. If your hobbies include being arrested, attending kkk rallys, being an asshole or being a quad rider then that's understandable. Racing dirt bikes isn't morally wrong. Just about every person i've met at the races no matter how successful they are in life or on track are nice people. 

I left a job that paid me $20,000 more a year to work someplace that allows me to ride and race more. Through this current job I was connected to a Supercross team that I know get to work with regularly which is still surreal to me. Not everything is about money. You made the right choice. 

My insurance policy has a clause that they may not cover if injured during competition.  The biggest problem I've had is that they always assume it was an auto type accident where my car insurance would be involved and I have to jump through the hoops to demonstrate it was off-road.  

I work in an office, so I used to get shamed for injuries but they didn't direct me to quit.  I did remind them once that adult softball is one of the most injury prone sports and we had an office softball team.  Funny thing is, when I've gotten hurt on the mountain bike, it was a completely different reaction.  I don't think people realize how healthy you need to be to ride moto.  

if he died today they'd start trying to replace him tomorrow.

They've got a right to ask and you've got the right to say no.  You each just have to own and be content with the outcome of your choices.  

And if he has kids next year, crashes and is paralysed, he’ll have no medical insurance & can’t support his kids. 

It’s important to realise when to grow up.
 

Just because he doesn't take the job, doesn't mean he can't get insurance...

The same EXACT thing happened to me in high school, except is was with my basketball coach. He pulled me aside one summer and told me that I had to make a choice: basketball or dirt bikes. I would never race or even practice moto during basketball season, but he still didn't like it.

He was absolutely stunned and couldn't believe me when I chuckled and told him how easy of a decision that would be. I walked out of that gym that morning and never looked back. One of the best decisions of my life.

A lady in my neighborhood was killed recently while walking her dog. A car lost control and ran her over on the sidewalk. Could happen to any of us. No one looks back at the end of their life and is happy about the chances they didn't take.