Here in Jamaica, there have been countless injuries caused to motocross riders because they venture to a place that they should not: the road. Asphalt is not our friend. From cuts and bruises, to broken fingers, dislocated joints, broken arms, broken joints, broken ribs, torn ligaments and even ruptured spleens, it has all happened. Crashes and accidents have been caused because of a number of things like potholes, wet road, rider error, and even cars (being the most dangerous).

Timmy Overton broke his knee a few years ago. Sebastian Wray has broken his arm. John Ammar Jr. broke his arm when he and Andrew Bruce collided in a parking lot (needless to say they both suffered many cuts and briuses). Ryan Machado has broken his finger. Christian Sale has recently broken his collar bone. Craig Powell has even suffered contusions on his ass (must have hurt!). All of these injuries have been the result of riding on the roadway.

Many have confessed that their injuries were a result of pure stupidity such as wheeling on the road and overtaking cars. Others just hit a pothole and went down hard. No matter the exact cause, the results are always the same. When one gets up off of the pavement, they do so with lost pride, a wrecked motorcycle and some new scars to brag about. The most common damage to the motorcycle is a bent or broken sub frame, which is no surprise when you think about what happens when someone flips over while doing a wheelie.

Although this all sounds awful, don’t let it discourage you. All of the injuries that have been mentioned only happened because motocross bikes were taken onto the wrong surface. We and our motocross bikes should all just stick to the dirt where we belong. What obstacles (besides cars) are there on the road? The dirt has endless possibilities. All one needs is a good bulldozer and an open lot of land. Asphalt sucks. The road way has nothing to offer for a dirt bike but damage, dangerous motorists, worn out tyres, and most definately always, road rash.