I think the best way to address this safety issue is to
change the track design. Motocross is the only sport
now that has novice riders riding the same demanding
track as national riders. We have a large double or
triple jump, which Jeremy McGrath, our top rider,
usually makes but the local novice who wants to win
at national amateur day will be attempting the same
jump without the skills. If doubles and triples could be
turned into tabletops, much of the danger would be
instantly removed. For example, if a rider misses a
double he's either going to land on top of it or land on
the edge, possibly getting kicked over the bars, and if
he lands too short he's going to slam into the face of
the second jump. It doesn't take a physics engineer to
realize the force when you hit something like that.
Many of these injuries are very serious; fractures,
internal injuries, being paralyzed and deaths. If there is
a mechanical problem or the rider makes a mistake,
missing a gear, he's going to come up short on a
double or triple. If the doubles and triples were filled in
to make a tabletop, you could still have a long jump
and if you missed, you could land on top or on the edge
of the landing ramp and not crash. When Doug Henry
crashed at the nationals because his bike seized on a
double, he broke both of his arms. This injury could
have been prevented if the double was a tabletop.
There should be room for beginners and pros to make
a small error or have a mechanical problem without
taking a trip to the emergency room.
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A high percentage of injuries also occur in the long
whoop sections. Many crashes occur at the end of the
whoops. There should be a regulation on the length. If
the tracks were more rideable, local pros would be
able to run closer with factory riders and races would
be much more exciting, especially on the national level.
Untrained, twelve-year-old flaggers do not belong on a
motocross track. Several times, I have seen riders
jump and land on a fallen rider or bike because of
flagging errors. Many injuries could be eliminated if
flaggers were at least eighteen years old and trained.
Parents, imagine you're racing, face plant yourself on a
triple, and another rider jumps on you because of a
flagging error. Do not let your child race with young
flaggers, the least you can do is volunteer.
I feel that the AMA should not allow doubles and
triples and use tabletops instead. Also, placing
restrictions on the lengths of whoop sections would be
a good start towards rider safety. I really think that the
AMA needs to hire an outside safety committee, and
they also need bike safety inspections. NASCAR and
NHRA evaluate crashes and are concerned about the
safety of the participants. I believe that if NASCAR
were running motocross they would have made some
dramatic changes.
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