Dear Sir,

I was amazed that Mr. Daly's letter got published in the paper with its original headline and byline!! The absolute last thing we need is this type of hysteria, or shock type treatment, in a world that revolves around sensational journalism. Mr. Daly's information is plain not correct, and he seems to be a perfect example of a person standing back and criticizing situations in our sport when the rest of us try our damnedest to do the best job that we can. Amazing to me is here is a guy that advertises in the paper, profits from these riders that prove themselves on our race tracks and then turn around and claims the promoters, t-shirt venders and aftermarket companies are smiling all the way to the bank. Maybe he should look in the mirror to see how big the grin is on his face!???

[Rich's Response: There is no grin on my face because I love this sport and I am sick of seeing riders needlessly hurt. Also, I am not profiting from this. I have hired a full-time person to address the safety issue and I am offering a $5000 grant to any university that will study MX injuries and reasons. I purchased this domain and I quit running major ads in Dirt Rider Magazine due to their lack of addressing this issue.]

I take a very personal offense to this letter and its content, and most importantly its fraudulent headline. Furthermore, I really don't appreciate it in the District Newspaper, because it seems that no one else would print it! (I first read this letter in March!!) My staff and I work very hard to give riders a challenging and safe track, but also one that won't put the paying customer to sleep. Doubles and triples can be built safely, IT'S CALLED NOT HAVING ANY LIPS ON THE LANDING RAMPS TO CATCH A RIDER AS THEY CLEAR THE JUMP! Plus giving the rider a clear exit in case of a problem.

[Rich's Response: You forgot to address the biggest problem, riders coming up short and hitting the face of the jump. You were right about lips helping on landing, but no where in the rule book did I see anything telling promoters how to build jumps.]

Furthermore, filling in the jumps or getting rid of all doubles and triples is something that the riders and the spectators will not tolerate, besides Mr. DALY, that kind of racing is called a TT. I have worked with and helped a majority of the tracks around this area, the promoters and clubs are concerned more with safety than just about any other one item. Furthermore, they are hard working people that either donate their time or put their life into a sport to try to make a buck. They don't have to have Mr. Daly tell us that an injured rider hurts our sport, in fact a promoter of 30+ years told me that long ago, it's what we do it's what we know. Couple points of fact,

1. Isn't it convenient that Mr. Daly chooses the misfortune of Doug Henry's crash last year when he missed that double and broke his arms, a terrible crash it was but if my memory serves me right Doug was hurt far more serious on a steep uphill then downhill section, would Mr. Daly then recommend that we take out hills, or some other obstacle? You see it might seem dangerous to one person and the other it is not a problem. Who is to say?

[Rich's Response: I understood that Doug actually locked the throttle on the double at the top of the hill, causing him to completely clear the hill and land at the bottom.]

2. Three wheelers weren't banned because of racing crashes, or the danger of the sport. In fact some guy such as maybe yourself thought it would be cute to bring to the attention of 60 minutes television show (in fact it was a lawyer that had a vested interest in the story). The same kind of SHOCK type journalism. Guess what in a matter of months some politicians and the CPSC decided to ban anyone under 16 to ride these machines. Case in point a majority of the deaths at that time were either due to alcohol, not proper riding instructions, or lack of proper riding equipment. Not racers racing on Sunday.

3. AMA can not regulate amateur race track design, the man power is not there, it's not necessary, nor would individuals that own our business's allow it. I am sure you wouldn't allow it in you business Mr.Daly. AMA has set up rules and guidelines that we all go by, it's another thing that they do, read a rule book once and see the tons of effort put forth to make sure the racer is aware of what can be done.

[Rich's Response: My business is not a franchise. If it were, I would have to follow guidelines. It is my opinion, most parents and riders think that AMA tracks are inspected. If you are concerned about your riders, why don't you inspect their helmets, bikes, and gear. By the way, the New England Sports Committee does inspect bikes and gear.]

4. Injury rates in comparison to ridership is down across the board, AMA has the facts, it's what they do, but I bet you didn't consult them for figures before this article was written.

[Rich's Response: According to the AMA: 1995 injuries were 1.5 per 100 riders, in 1996 they were 1.4, and in 1997 1.2 per 100. This does not represent the true injury rate. There are probably as many riders who leave the track on their own to seek medical assistance and never get put on the accident report. What were the numbers from 1980? I am sure they were less. These figures tell me, that if you have 300 entries, 3.6 riders will be taken out in an ambulance. There are probably another 3-4 that go on their own. Wouldn't it be nice to take this down 25-50%.]

5. The rider injuries that I have seen more frequently have less to do with the track and more to do with rider aggression and ability. Riders crash with other riders ten times more often then they do when they are not riding head to head with one another.

Your comment about not taking phone calls from promoters until they fix their tracks, I will say it again, every promoter and club that I have ever been associated with, their number one concern is safety!

[Rich's Response: My comment about not taking phone calls from promoters until they fix their tracks, was pertinent. Most promoters have the attitude that there is nothing wrong. After talking for 63 minutes with one national promoter, they told me that they could not inspect bikes and equipment because of insurance. Their flaggers and jumps were fine. Mr. Ward, as an experienced rider, do you really feel safe doing a triple with twelve year old flaggers on the track? Most other motorized sports with a lot less injuries per 100 racers have trained adult flaggers. So this is why I refuse to talk to what I call, "promoter mentality". Track owners: need to show riders with positive steps. Mr. Ward, if you implement 18 year-old trained flaggers, rider and equipment inspection, turn your doubles and triples into tabletops, and write a procedure (because now we have very few guidelines), I will gladly talk to you and pass your recommendations on to other promoters.]

Now as to myself, Mr. Daly, I am not a pro racer, but I have raced in this sport for 24+ years, I am a promoter, and have several other hats to wear as well. When this 40 year old puts his bike on the starting line, I have the throttle in my right hand and the clutch in my left. It is my responsibility to know if there is something about the track I don't like or should be aware of. With this in mind, I have choices, I can go home, stay and watch, or ride with a heightened awareness to an area I am not comfortable with, those are my choices, and in fact most promoters will gladly refund my entry fee if I feel not safe. Then I bet that promoter will look at the situation closer and see if it needs adjustment. Well now that is all said, I hope that someone, like Inside Edition, 60 Minutes, or Prime Time Live doesn't get ahold of this SHOCK story. It could be a real problem. They have run stories in the last month on Jet Skis, and Go Karting. God forbid some lawyer stands up in a court room and uses this printed article as evidence or in some other fashion to promote a law suit. Last but not least, Mr. Daly, now that this letter is out, what are you doing? Anyone can sit in front of a computer with a beef and type a letter. I will be going to many different tracks helping with what I can help with, every Sunday, from February till November. Now that this letter is out, come join us sometime and see what the real story is, then maybe the title to your next letter might read a little differently. I still take phone calls, clubs, promoters, t-shirt vendors, aftermarket companies, anyone that can help this situation, with constructive criticism. Leave the headlines for someone else we don't need them and at least in my mind thy help only those wanting to hurt our sport.

[Rich's Response: I am puzzled again. NASCAR and NHRA seem to grow on media publicity that covers and scrutinizes driver safety. Is Mr. Ward worried about 60 minutes visiting his track and possibly having a 12 year-old mini rider missing a double or a triple? And a 12 year-old flagger forgetting to flag the oncoming riders? I do respect everybody's opinion, even if I disagree 100%. I welcome your response with any further input.]

Respectfully,
Gerhard Ward