Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Fans of professional motocross racer Grant Langston have been sending e-mail to Vicky Jackson-Bell’s website, blaming her for a mid-air collision last Thursday that left her hospitalized with a shattered hip and dislocated shoulder.

Similar e-mails have been received by roadracingworld.com, along with a few blaming Langston and mentioning an incident involving Langston and another rider, Bobby Bonds, at Hangtown several years ago.

Jackson-Bell underwent 5-1/2 hours of surgery to piece together her hip, which was broken into 30 pieces when she was knocked off her bike mid-air and fell feet-first into the face of a jump at Glen Helen MX Park.

She was riding a 2003 CR125 Honda during an open track day, in preparation for the Women’s Motocross League U.S. National Championships to be held in conjunction with an upcoming AMA Outdoor National at Glen Helen.

Jackson-Bell competed in motocross events regularly prior to taking up road racing in about 1995, and continued to ride on MX tracks for training purposes. She won a CMC Golden State Series Woman’s Championship in about 1989.

The e-mails claim that she should not have been on the track, that it was her fault that Langston hit her, and that she should not have gotten in the way of a professional rider who was practicing on the track.

One went so far as to claim that there was no collision and that Jackson-Bell crashed because Langston startled her.

The open session during which the collision took place was populated with all sorts of riders, including kids on 65s and 80s as well as professional riders who had shown up on the regularly scheduled track day.

Langston has apologized for the incident, which he said was unintentional, adding that he didn’t even realize it had happened until after he pulled in off the track.

Jackson-Bell and her husband, Tony Bell, are co-owners of a Honda/Ducati/Aprilia dealership in Southern California. Jackson-Bell took up motocross racing as a young teenager.

The couple have two sons, Christopher, who races mini-motocross, and 3-month-old James.

Related News Posts:

5/6/2003: Apparently, Our Report On Langston Colliding With Jackson-Bell Was Irresponsible, And Langston Himself Weighs In

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


Reader reaction, via e-mail:

I have to say it really makes me sick to hear fans’ reactions to the accident that happened involving Langston and Mrs. Jackson-Bell. You think people would have a little more compassion, but I guess that’s not the case. I wasn’t there and can’t comment on the accident itself, but riding motorcycles is a dangerous activity and accidents do happen. I’m not really interested in who’s to blame, but fans of Langston sending e-mails to her site blaming her for the accident really angers me and makes me sick. I guess I just forgot that professional athletes are beyond reproach…

Matt Sidovar
SV650S
KX100 supermoto
Old Greenwich, Connecticut