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I would like to commend you on your initiative and comments on motocross safety.  I am 30 years
old and race a lot. I have been injured on many occasions. All of which I regret. Most were freak things where I was using caution and riding sensibly. Once a rock flew into my brake rotor 4th gear pinned. Not much I could do... nothing I did wrong... Broken collar bone. I have a 3 and 5 year old boys who both ride pw50's and the 5 year old races.  Never have we sat at the gate, have I failed to ask my son "what are we going to do" his reply is "be safe and have fun". As a father my worst fear is a serious injury to my children in a sport I got them into. I race A class and hold two state championship titles. One year I was in a very close race for the title and I got second. Had I done an unsafe jump at one of the races, I likely would have beaten the season winner and taken the title. He beat me by two points in the end. At the race I spoke with other riders about that jump. It was do or do not. There was no in between. It was a big jump, peaked landing, and immediately flowed into another similar jump. If you erred at all on the first one, there was nothing you could do... you were going off the next one like it or not and the next ones landing required pin point precision.

Why?...I said. What are we trying to accomplish with a jump like this...someone is going to get seriously injured on that jump. It turns out a month later, my friends and I were going back there for a practice day. When they came to my house, I got very sick in a matter of minutes (like the stomach flu). I said go without me, I will try to come later if I feel better. Later on I felt fine but did not go. Later on I got the call. My friend, John, was in a life line helicopter in critical condition. He hit that jump, landed a hair long. His suspension was fully rebounding as he hit the face of the next. It kicked him pretty bad (tail high) and he nosed into the landing ramp. The bike went over forward. Here is the bad thing. As soon as you land the second jump...only 10-15 feet begins a big whoop section. He flew into the tall whoops head first and landed on his head right into the whoop. With his bodily force, he folded his back.  John was hospitalized for a very long time and is now in a wheel chair. I got him in touch with David Bailey who is one of the kindest persons I know. He helped John cope with it and gave him moral support. John is forever in a wheelchair. The promoter of that track had a choice. He could have built the landings more rounded and forgiving and it would have made no difference to anyone. Instead he chose to make it very technical. A persons life is forever changed as a result of his decision. I do not blame the promoter though. John is the one who made the choice and it was his alone. The problem is we all want to win. We all hate to roll what our buddies jump. It is a macho sport. Track builders NEED to realize that they create the risk for the rider to chose to do... or not to do. The problem is the rider is under pressure to do the jump. If promoters make jumps safe, riders will not have to make those risk choices. What can happen will. We take risks every time we throw a leg
over the bike. The key is to attempt to acquire the same thrill we all love, but minimize the risks in doing so. Landing ramps need to be forgiving so that riders are not faced with forgiving themselves for
trying it. One promoter that does a great job of that is Larry Read of Read's racing. They operate 4 tracks in Indiana (hangtime, D&D, Fulton Country, and Trojan) and 1 in Oklahoma (Guy Coopers track). They have jumps up to 120 feet, and plenty of air, but safe forgiving landings. I have not been back to the track that John was paralyzed since.

Sincerely,

Jason Struble

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I was looking for information for my speech on MX safety and came across your site and thought, 
"This site is right on." Anyways, first off thank you for looking into this issue.

I was reading in Cycle News this afternoon (the most recent addition, sorry I don't have the 
date or issue or whatever, but there was a long and good editorial from someone about road race 
rider safety. Although it dealt with road racing it had many good points. I just thought I 
would share the info with you and thank you for the site.

Chris Riesenberg #448

Rich's Response: Chris, road racing safety is terrible in the U.S. At least some of the riders do criticize the tracks and I believe it was John Urlich (magazine guy) who raised most of the money for the air fence.

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Received 5/28/02:

I have had a lot of experience in motocross. I am 13 years old and ride with  friends all the time and have jumps in my back yard. I have doubles and a 5 and a  half foot ramp in my yard. I partially support your idea, I think tracks should  have no more than two doubles, and only one triple with enough room to get speed. I do not support Super Cross or Arena Cross. These tracks are way too tight and the obstacles are way too close together. Super Cross should only allow pros to ride. Motocross tracks are way more fun because you can run wide open with few jumps. But, on the other side, riders should have enough common sense to know their own ability level and what they can do and cannot. I also agree with you on the flagman deal, they should have training and should be over eighteen.

Sincerely, 
Taylor Throckmorton

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E-mail received on 5/4/02:

I agree that the jumping thing has gotten out of hand. Baja Acres in Birch Run Michigan started to follow the big jump fad and then quickly went back to nothing but tabletops after a 125C rider came up short, went over the bars, and broke his neck. His family and twin brother were there and had to watch it all. They cleared the pits for the chopper to land and take him away. 

Since that day all doubles and step-ups have disappeared. There is still a rhythm section of doubles, but if you can't clear the first one (which is flat if you come short) you can't even attempt the rest, so it is pretty safe. I think this is better, since 90% of the riders there aren't ready for any big jumps. Local racing is meant for family fun, not big air showmanship. 

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Finally, most of our feedback is positive from riders who want to improve the sport. On 4/23/02 we received these three e-mails in a row with positive feedback.  These guys sound like they aren't afraid to talk to track owners and district reps:

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Hi,

I just wanted to drop you a line and send you some information. I ride on a couple of different tracks, male, 34 yrs old and love to ride on the track. I have a mortgage and other bills to pay and can't afford to come up short or have a problem with the bike and end up getting hurt so that I can't work or worse yet seriously hurt, but I love to ride.

Mohave Motorsports has a track in Kingman, Arizona that I find very rider friendly, for newbies and us old guys or for even those who don't have it in them to do the double or triples. Mitch, the track owner, has elected to use table tops instead and make the track much safer for its riders. It also serves to make races a lot closer in that those who want to jump the distance can and others don't have to or can only jump it halfway. I enjoy his track and have fun. www.mohave-motor-sports.com.

Las Vegas Moto Cross park is another place that I love to ride. I've been riding it for the last year and have noticed that every time I go to practice on that track someone has been getting hurt and taken off in an ambulance. The track is far more technical than that of the track in Kingman. I've also seen the owners taking steps to reduce the injuries, by sometimes removing sections of the track, changing the track and also filling in doubles and triples (making them into table tops).

Thank You again,

Keith Hinkle

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I've raced motocross in the 80’s and have traveled to race many tracks in the U.S. By 1990, I was no 
longer racing and had moved on. I recently started racing in Georgia and was shocked to see the 
degradation of track safety and at best, the lack of progression. Case in point...

Track in South Georgia had a rider killed on a double jump. New owner's concern for safety lead them to fill in the double to produce a safety double (step down table top)...good decision!  During the race I attended (April 14, 2002) I noticed only three flaggers, one of which had fallen asleep during a moto. 
Same day of racing, a young rider crashed on a step up and due to the lack of a flagger at that obstacle, the rider was hit by 6 other bikes over a time span of 30 seconds (time in which it took the parents and spectators to run over to the crash site and stop more bikes from becoming part of the pile). End result, the young rider was removed from the track by paramedics and was in the ambulance when I decided to not race the second moto and left. 

While waiting for the above young rider to be removed from the track, a spectator still in the bleachers was suddenly surprised when the wooden planking under him broke causing him to fall until he caught himself on the metal under framing. The whole time the track announcer was talking about how safety was their first concern.

I understand the hardships of running a motocross facility and can sympathize with the owners, but I can't understand or agree with negligence. I love the sport and want the best for it! I agree with you and would like to see the industry promote track safety. I would like to see the AMA step up to the plate and provide incentive programs for track safety improvements. How much does it cost to buy a couple of extra flags and pay for, or arrange for, 18 or older folks to spend a few hours at the track providing adequate "heads up" flagging for the riders?

As a responsible person, one should not turn a blind eye to what can lead to the downfall of the sport we love. Stand up for common sense and promote rider safety...let's all have many more years of exciting and fun racing!

Sincerely,
Bobby

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This is great that you are speaking on behalf of our kids, I am from Alberta, Canada and we have the same issues here. Some track operators have no clue how to build a safe and challenging track. Injuries are always pegged as rider errors never track errors. I would like to see an official
track rep sign off on a track before it's raced on. Any thoughts on this?

- Gordon

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I believe your effort could very well save this sport. The misguided efforts by promoters and manufacturers that 'extreme' tracks are the way to go. This effort to drum up sensationalism and revenue could paradoxically become their downfall. They are literally eroding their core business - the riders! Why are the manufacturers paying contingency money at these tracks? Is AMA track membership just a matter of paying a fee without regard to safety? That's how these organizations are treating their customers? Are they somehow affiliated with the tobacco industry? If so, perhaps this would make more sense.

Ron

I have to say, it is very comforting to see that someone has concerns with safety in MX racing. While I agree that racing has inherent risks involved, I also firmly believe that is no excuse for ignoring the problem. I am involved in the local racing scene in my area, as an ex-racer and as an event referee. I see the issues you talk about regularly and have similar concerns. I am also a Safety Professional by trade (Canadian Registered Safety Professional) so understand the theories of risk management quite well.

I applaud your commitment, but wish to convey some concerns. Take care as to not make the issue too high profile, until the point where the grass root level can attain reasonable responses. The idea of table tops vs doubles/triples is a no brainer in my opinion. Track side control of barriers and obstacles are also no brainers.

I would be interested in hearing any suggestions you have for attracting and training flaggers and other ideas related to safety that you may have. I hope I didn't sound negative, as I do agree that safety has to be improved, not only at the grass roots level, but also at the upper levels.

Anonymous

I'm sure you're aware of this but I would like to see it on your site.

Paul Kuchnicki
www.racerxill.com

January 21, 2002

Ryan Hughes raises $7200 for Shane Kelley and Bobby Bonds

Former factory motocross rider Ryan Hughes held a benefit motocross school on Martin Luther King Day at Perris Raceway in Southern California to aid the family of Shane Kelley, a young rider who lost his life recently. With the help of fellow SX superstars Jeff Emig, Jimmy Button, Nathan Ramsey and Gary and David Bailey, Hughes was able to raise $7200. After the school, Mr. Kelley turned around and donated one-half of the money to the family of Bobby Bonds, who was seriously injured last Saturday night at the Anaheim SX. Hughes is now talking with industry friends about a similar benefit for the injured Justin Smith. Stay tuned to www.racerxill.com to find out more on how we can all help out our fellow riders and their families. (And a special thanks to Ryan Hughes for taking matters into his own hands.)

January 21, 2002

Bonds Suffers Major Injuries

Simple Green/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Bobby Bonds suffered a terrible first-lap crash during qualifying on Saturday night at Edison International Field. Preliminary reports say that Bonds broke his neck and back in three places, but fortunately does not have any paralysis. He also has a concussion and a broken scapula (or shoulder blade) and a problem with his larynx that is affecting his voice box. Bonds' crash brought a hush to the sold-out stadium, which watched as he lay on the track for several minutes. He was immediately assisted by Asterisk's trackside Dr. John Bodnar and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he remains. Bonds, who hails from California, was recently named the 2001 AMA Pro Racing Rookie of the Year.

Rich's Response:  I think that Cycle News said that Bonds jumped and somebody else didn't.  This is a serious problem, varying rider talent, track conditions, etc., that cause high-impact crashes.  Somebody on sx.com said they watered the track and he was afraid there was going to be a crash beforehand.  It's tough enough to get speed up for jumps with good traction.  Davey Coombs ran myself and Rick Siemans down last year, by saying that we know very little about supercross.  Rick and I think that changing track design would help reduce these injuries.  When is Davey's magazine going to address that something needs to be done about rider safety?

I strongly agree with you and ask that you keep up the great work.

Recently in Casper, Wyoming a guy by the name of George Nelson Died because he attempted to jump a ravine (sort of like a medium size canyon jump) at the local trails he cased the other side which was like straight up and down, he was wearing all protective gear but the sudden impact jolted his heart and ripped his aorta from his heart and killed him instantly I think this could have been avoided by not putting that advanced of a jump on little local trails.....

You can post information on this site on how to properly inspect your safety equipment, and links to Personal Protective Equipment such as http://www.promotorcyclesafety.com/home.htm. or knee brace mfrs and shit like that...and even lessons learned posts...or how to properly flag. I know I'd like to chew a lot of flaggers asses I've seen screwing up or sleeping out there...I've seen many pile ups, even amongst the pro flaggers in arenacross. How about mixing little bikes with big bikes? I tee boned an 8 year old once, why was he out there with the adults? I thought I killed him.

Why are there whoops on beginner courses? I've seen more wrecks in the whoops than any double. It's so obvious, they put in the whoops, and take 'em out two days later after the number of crashes and broken bones spoon feeds them the message. Hell, I've pulled through the gates of a track before in my truck and the first thing out of their mouths was...watch out for the whoops around this blind corner, do a few slow laps first. This is crazy. I've been to the races and had nothing but 10 year old kids doing the flag work...except of course the checker flag guy.

I'm with you, but I don't want 20/20 involved either. I wanna see more tracks open, not close....use your site as a tool, not a platform for stirring people up. The big money will shut you out, you should work to have them let you in so your ideas can be promoted...be careful is all. Make this site a place you want people to go to learn from, don't let them alienate you for your ideas. Keep up the good work and stay positive.

Doug Acebal

Rich's Response: Doug, my lawyer said that I cannot call people stupid so I won't. I'll use the word clueless to describe some track owners. All practices should be run by bike size and rider skill level.  Smarter people know, that most of the Pros can't ride the tracks. So, why do some promoters call riders stupid when they mess up and get seriously hurt?  You're right about 20/20, they'd probably say we're all stupid.

I was at the MX Nationals at Budds Creek this past June for the first time at such an event, and I was appalled at the unprofessionalism of the flaggers. I saw two guys get hurt bad because the flagger would not get out on the track and divert traffic away from a rider who had crashed on the track below a jump.

Flaggers must be trained. And this was at a National race, not a bunch of kids on a Friday night race.

David Johnson

Rich's Response:  Dave, I've always liked Jonathon Beasley (Budd's Creek Owner) because he works like a mad-man (parks cars, grades the track).  But, this is a perfect case of where the AMA needs rules and controls because tracks can be lax. I'm not sure, but I don't think national flaggers receive much training but they do need to be at least 18.  Another case of 18 year old flaggers at Pro races but no requirement on age for flaggers at Amateur races.

I would love to get back into motocross after many years of being away from it but refuse to because of the safety issues. There is no way I am going to chance being paralyzed by coming up short on a double or triple. I know if I had a bike I would probably eventually attempt it, that is why I am not buying one. If the manufacturers want to sell me a motorcycle and gear then they are going to have to pressure the track builders and owners into designing safer tracks. When I was living in San Diego I went to several races and Nationals at Glen Helen and couldn't believe the number of former riders in wheelchairs; many having former pro-level status. I also got sick of reading the weekly editions of Cycle News because it seemed like every week someone was getting seriously injured or killed. A broken leg is one thing but a permanent injury is something I don't think I could ever deal with. Being able to walk and remain independent is too precious to gamble on some cheap thrills. I wonder how many other people feel the same way I do; refusing to buy a bike until the tracks become safer. To all the manufacturers out there, just think of the millions of dollars in sales you are missing out on.

Jay Kaufman

Saw your site and it got me excited. I'm an MX rider in Arizona, and I've been passionately campaigning for some time to try to get the local tracks here to consider filling in all the doubles they insist on designing in all the tracks.

I just wanted to see if you are active in some kind of discussion group catering to this subject. If not, let's start one! I know that there's a lot of people I've talked to that really believe that the greatest danger to MX riders out there now, aside from other riders, is the existence of these blatantly ridiculous doubles and triples.

Thanks,
John

I lived and raced as an Amateur in the "backwards" country of Brazil and was surprised to find that they inspect the bike and the actual rider before their sanctioned events. They would disallow riders with bad injuries from racing by doing strength tests of your limbs etc. No bike was allowed to have any original safety equipment removed such as the plastic front sprocket guard that prevents a finger from entering the sprocket. I have built quite a few practice tracks when I had my dozer and I always built safe landing ramps. I do not understand why a landing has to be do or die? There will always be someone that will try a jump they are not quite ready for or spin out before they jump one lap. Why not let them live or avoid a broken arm when they come up short? I have to agree that most spectators want to see some crashing but does anyone really want to see the rider go off in the squad?

I love big jumps as the attached JPEG will show but I do not do ones that have do or die landing ramps. I want to say that Tab Thompson of American Motosports in Ohio is the only promoter I know that really builds his jumps to save injuries. I would like to see the whoops and turns be harder so that the better riders are rewarded. I say put in enough space in front of the jump to provide a safety cushion when I spin too much and a rounded landing ramp. The guys with balls like myself will still have an advantage and less broken bones.

I could write for hours on the 12 year old flaggers and ones that watch the race as it comes at them instead of after them. How about all that watering right before and during the race? How about getting up earlier to water or doing it the night before?

I just want to race another day is all really,
"Bad" Brad #684
MOTOCROSS is the only Real Sport,
Everything else is just a game!

I am a rider and I operate a small private track on my property. My wife found your safety site, and it has helped us with our track setup and operation. I limit the number of people who attend each ride & I limit the number of riders on the track. We have skills training for kids - stopping is a primary focus. I met a family, with children who ride, over the internet. They drive over two hours to ride at our track because they say most other places are out of control with no rules and lots of riders without helmets, etc.

As a parent of an 8 year old rider, I feel that parents should always investigate the areas where their children ride and who they ride with. In Joseph's case I think the parents were as irresponsible as the track operator. In a society where it's always someone else's fault. I think parents need to be much more responsible for their children.

Sincerely,
Armistead T. Saffer
AylettVA.com

Rich's Response: Armistead, I hope your 8 year old doesn't ride with the bigger bikes.  The speed and skill difference can lead to tragedies.  An 8 year old in Texas, is in a coma from a bigger bike jumping on him.  Practice tracks should also have flaggers on blind jumps. I know that it's hard to line-up enough people, but if you fall in a race or practice, and another rider jumps on you, same impact, same injury.

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I think what you are trying to do is a great thing.

Thank you,
Mike

I race at several tracks in Texas and I must say they all are some of the safest tracks. Most all of the tracks I ride have table top jumps except for a few. The exceptions are very forgiving on the landing. All races I have entered have adequate safety measures. However, during practice days the promoters slack off on safety. At Mosier Valley MX park in Euless, TX practices are staged with too many bikes. This happens in the Beginner to Novice-Intermediate class. With this there are not enough flaggers. Commonly I see a very young boy responsible for flagging during practice. Many times I see that he/she is not paying attention fully, talking to friends, following one racer in particular, or just goofing around. Are these tracks held to any guidelines other than "Hey this is my track, ride at your own risk?" I hate to complain because it is the only place that is close to ride during the week.

Thanks.... Ryan

Rich's Response:  Ryan, you need to complain because if you end up in a coma, you won't be able to. The problem is that all of us racer's are adrenaline junkies. And we'll ride anyplace so that we can ride. I know how you feel, but stick to your guns, get some other riders to realize that the track could be better.  Help the promoter out, volunteer to flag for other practice motos.  Get some parents out there flagging instead of kids.  Become involved and good luck!

I just happened across your website and your article really hit home. About ten years ago, after about 4 years in the sport and at the age of 20 I was finally making head way in the sport. Finishing in the top 3 in most regional races I entered on the east coast in the end in B class, I had a tragic experience that led me to just drop motocross and not think about it for 10 years.

My friend and riding partner who was a class ahead of me had turned pro and was starting to run the qualifiers for supercross's. He turned out practice track from a great motocross track in the mountains to a supercross track which turned to be detrimental to him. As your article mentioned he got crossed up at the end of a long whoop section he put in and went over the handle bars. He broke his neck and pelvis in several places. Seeing a friend laid up in a halo kind of opens up your eyes. I had many crashes on the pointed supercross style jumps but fortunately I was always able to walk away with just bumps and bruises. Seeing my friend I just walked away.

However, after 10 years and going to a local event I kind of have an itch to get back and do some riding. Maybe even do some racing. But I'm 30 now with a career and if I do come back I will have to carefully choose the tracks I ride because I can't afford to take the risks on the technical tracks.

I agree that tracks should be made safer but I'm not sure all jumps should be made into table tops. I went and watched an arena cross where they made the big final jump into a table top. Yes they got good air but it wasn't enough to separate the good riders from the average is where I think you find the most resistance. I think tracks have to maintain some technical aspects which allow the more experienced riders to separate themselves from the average rider. Instead of all table tops, the landing jumps could be rounded off to where if you come up short you don't have to worry about a direct case of the frame.

Also, for the bikes, you would think the manufacturers would do things like making the skid plates on the bottom of the frame standard equipment so amateurs like pro's won't have as bad as impact problems when casing. Make equipment such as chest and back protectors mandatory. Has there been any statistics gathered as to where the individuals with back injuries weren't wearing any protective gear. I've even been to races where riders concerned about injuries wear neck harnesses to protect their necks. Yes it's not cool looking but who cares about cool when it comes to a chance of being paralyzed.

Anyway, keep up the good work and keep fighting the good fight. Hopefully in the end good sense will prevail over greed!

kris

I just recently got back into motocross and would have to add that my local tracks look dangerous. The last time I rode I raced a 96 RM 125 in Novice class and now I'm a bit older. I showed up to Mosier Valley Race track in Euless Texas and was completely blown away with how many people there were at the track. I arrived with my new 01 CR250 and paid ten bucks to practice. After a few practice laps with about 100 or so riders I had to quit because I didn't feel safe. It was crazy, there were almost no flaggers. I started in the beginner class and there were riders who rode in the A class in there too??? They were not being flagged at all. Since this I have been to almost every local track in Texas (from Dallas) and found it vastly over crowded. On a mile and half track you couldn't see a part of the track that didn't have a bike on it!!!! I'm thoroughly disappointed with the track owners. I guess the sport had become very popular and the track owners are pocketing the extra dough. Track conditions were great but just too many people on the track at once that ride at different levels.
--Ryan

Good job. I hope your effort makes a difference. I have a great deal of respect for the effort your making.
-Mike Komer

Rich's Response:  Thanks Mike! (Mike was a top MXer in the '70's - switched to trials and was a top National rider.)