Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Roadracingworld.com has come under attack for a report that KTM-sponsored professional motocross racer Grant Langston collided with and knocked road racer Vicky Jackson-Bell out of the air over a jump at Glen Helen Raceway on Thursday.

At the time of the collision, Jackson-Bell was in the air over a jump, about 1/4 of the way from the right-hand edge of the track.

The report on Roadracingworld.com, posted Monday, said that Jackson-Bell was about to undergo surgery and that she had collided with Langston; the post was based on a telephone interview of Jackson-Bell’s husband, Tony Bell.

The phrases “according to Bell” and “Bell said” were included throughout the post.

The post has come under fire from Langston’s friends and fans, who have characterized Roadracingworld.com’s reporting as being “irresponsible.”

Notable in various e-mails received here at Roadracingworld.com regarding the matter is a complete lack of expressed concern for Jackson-Bell’s condition, except for one reader who claimed to be sympathetic after it was pointed out that his original two e-mails showed no interest at all in her condition.

Apparently, judging by the e-mails from Langston fans, former motocrosser Jackson-Bell had no right to be on the track and is solely to blame for her current plight.

Jackson-Bell was participating in an open practice day on a 2003 Honda CR125.

The track runs open practice days without flaggers and without an ambulance on site.

It took an ambulance crew 30 minutes to respond to the scene. With no flaggers on scene, riders continued to go over the jump as Jackson-Bell lay on the track, despite the efforts of onlookers to warn them of the crash.

Jackson-Bell’s left femur was pushed up through the hip socket–which was broken in 30 places–by her impact with the ground after the collision. She underwent 5-1/2 hours of surgery Monday evening in an attempt to repair the damage.

Cards, letters and flowers can be sent to Vicky Jackson-Bell c/o Arrowhead Medical Center, 400 N. Pepper Ave., Colton, CA 92324. Jackson-Bell expects to remain at the hospital at least until Friday.

Reacting to the controversy Tuesday afternoon, Tony Bell said, “Mr. Langston could have avoided what happened. Mr. Langston had three choices coming up to that jump.

“1. He could have decided that that’s too narrow a space for me to go through on the right, I’ll go to the left.

“2. He could have shut the throttle, applied the brakes and let the ramp of the jump slow him down.

“3. He could have gone where he was going but gone straight through. It was the first of two jumps, so he didn’t have to turn right after landing the first one. You go into a dip and go up another jump, and then you make the turn.

“Having said that, I know he didn’t do it intentionally and I don’t think he’s a bad guy. But I’m upset because there are consequences to what he did, and he could avoided it.”

“I’m lucky I’m alive, I’m lucky no-one landed on me,” said Vicky Jackson-Bell from her hospital bed Tuesday afternoon. “I couldn’t get off the track and they didn’t even shut down the practice. Rick Johnson finally helped me off the track and I was propped up against Rick and Josh from Race Tech.

“I didn’t know Langston was behind me. It was the finish-line jump, like a tabletop which I was clearing no problem. I went up the jump, and he came flying up behind me and caught me in mid-air, and did a clicker, threw his bike sideways. He was by my side and just flicked it sideways, showing off. It took my front wheel out and I landed on my feet on the down side. It just shattered and dislocated my right hip and also dislocated my left shoulder. He told Tony he couldn’t take the jump without throwing it sideways, but I had been doing it. It pretty much destroyed my life. I’ll be in a wheelchair and won’t be able to work, and I’ve got a 3-month-old at home.

“There were even 65s and 80s out there practicing, and you don’t realize until you do something like this how crazy it was. I guess I should have stuck to road racing.”

Contacted by Roadracing World Tuesday afternoon and asked about the incident, Grant Langston said,

“It was nothing like that. I don’t want people to think I’m some kind of meanie trying to take people out or something. Obviously there are two sides to every story.

“Basically what happened was, I was out there riding, and it gets pretty busy out there on a Thursday, and I was trying to put in some hot laps.

“I was just coming through and I came up on three or four riders at one stage, I tried to go around one, cut across one and around another.

“I think she moved over a little in the air in my direction. I keep the bike low, when I rotate the bars it was in the opposite direction.

“I didn’t even know we touched. I didn’t feel anything. The article said my rear wheel hit her arms but that was bullshit.

“If I had known I had touched someone, I would have gone back. After I came off the track her husband came over and he was upset, which I can understand. I said to him, ‘I’m terribly sorry. It was never my intention to take anyone out, unfortunately out on the track when it gets busy sometimes things like that happen.’

“It’s never been my intention to hit anyone. When I rotate the bike to keep it low, it was in the opposite direction, if anything it gave her more room. I was trying to go in between 3 riders at that stage. The last thing I want to do is take anyone out. It made me feel even worse that it was his wife. Why would I want to take out anyone’s wife?

“He for some reason thinks it was intentional. Why would I want to jump into someone in the air? I would have as much chance as them to go down.

“I went down to him again when they were loading her into the ambulance, about 10 or 15 minutes after he came over to see me. I told him, ‘From the bottom of my heart, I’m very sorry, I feel terrible about what happened. What’s happened has happened, I can’t take it back. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.’

“Never, ever in my life have I tried to intentionally hurt anyone. Never in my life have I ever intentionally tried to jump into anybody. I have nothing against her, I didn’t even know who she was.

“I can understand why he was upset; obviously if something had happened to my wife, I would have been upset, too.

“If I could take it back, I would.”

Related News Posts:

5/8/2003: Langston Fans Continue To Blame Jackson-Bell As She Lies In Hospital

5/5/2003: Jackson-Bell Undergoing Surgery Today To Repair Damage Caused By Mid-Air MX Collision