by Chase Stallo
The List: 10 Spectacular Crashes
Friday, July 22, 2011 | 2:50 PM
Developed in the USA and tested on the toughest tracks in the world, Maxima Racing Oils are proven to increased horsepower, prolong engine life and offer unsurpassed engine cleanliness. Maxima has been committed to MX & SX for over 30 years and is used by more factory teams, engine builders and racers. Know you’re running the best with championship winning products. Maxima – Race Grade Formulas.
Tweet
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Share
Comment
Email
PrintIn wake of Chad Reed’s spectacular moonshot crash last weekend at Millville (which has gone viral and can now be seen everywhere from ESPN’s SportsCenter to Fox News and CNN) we decided to take a look at some of the more spectacular crashes throughout the history of motocross. Words would do this feature an injustice; so we have decided to let the videos speak for themselves. Without further ado, and in no particular order we present The List: Ten Spectacular Crashes.
10.) Mike Alessi RedBud 2008
9.) Ricky Carmichael Washougal 2006
8.) James Stewart High Point 2006
7.) Doug Henry Budds Creek 1995
6.) Sebastien Tortelli MXDN 1999
5.) David Pingree Phoenix 2002
4.) Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart Unadilla 2005
3.) Marty Smith 1975
2.) A collection of Supercross/Motocross crashes
Did you like this article?
Check out ACTION FIGURE
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely is a man of many talents— skateboarding, BMX, import drifting … and he’s pretty good at this motocross thing, too. Page 156 .
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
HENRY #1 hands down!!
I dunno, Shane Trittler clipping a double, somersaulting off the 2nd story at Vegas and landing - sitting on the back of another racers' bike HAS to rank up there.
could have used all the Stewart crashes and had a top 25! what happened to his Daytona get off, when he bike went solo superman, that was neat.
Henry should be #1. chads crash was insane and the fact he got up and rode like he did was crazy but Henrys was by far the gnarliest crash ever
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=185253991528079&set=t.660920575&type=1&theater;
crash and holeshot at onece!
Agree. It is either Henry or Reed for the #1 spot!
Agree Joe B, we could have a nice compilation of Stuwart's 2011 crashes
Heck, Stewart could have 4 or 5 on here easily, that guy can be a squid sometimes. Henry's was brutal, Stewart landing on RC (wow, Stewart actually landed on someone? thats shocking) could have been alot worse, everyone was lucky there. And Reeds could have been bad, but it turns out he had a mild concussion and that seems to be it so far. Stewart pulling onto the track after he crashed in front of Travis Preston could have been real ugly too.
But the worse one can easliy be Alessi at Red Bud, that is absolutely terrible, almost makes you look away.
Henry had a bad crash, but Alessi's crash makes me sick to my stomach every time I see it....his lifeless looking body lying there helplessly while being run over and landed on by other riders is just sickening to watch
What about Villopoto St. Louis 2010????
No Bob Hannah crashes? WTF?
This one could've made the cut! Pichon bailing on a SX triple.
http://youtu.be/rHXHJTtonVA
WOW that was the first time ive seen Doug Henry's crash, that was INSANSE!
Remember, it says " in no particular order"..... Reeds crash isnt being labeled the #1 crash of all time.....It is just one of ten crashes they are sharing with us....Of all time "spectacular" crashes, Reeds is probably in the top 5..but not the "worst" crash....that is another catergory
Someone find Jason Upshaw - 1986 or 1987 LA Collesium...peristyle front flip..... Or Cooper 89 Atlanta....thats another man flying without bike classic......
Doug henrys crash definatley #1. Allessis redbud crash for sure top five. Look at carmichaels crashes, he bounces right back up like nothing happened. He threw stewarts bike off of his like it was a matchbox. what an animal that guy was.
All of these videos are great, but I think you left out one of the most epic crashes of all time. Forgive me, because I can't remember where this was, but Pichon was my favorite rider growing up, and I'll never forget this crash! As a young girl with a huge crush...it made my heart stop. Glad he was okay :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHXHJTtonVA
That RC and Stewie crash was a great vid to watch. RC went down hard early in the moto and ran down Stewie and passed him. What a great rider he was. And fun to watch. It was a riot to see RC's Mom standing there cussing up a storm saying who knows what right in front of Stewie Sr. But thas was a rough crash and RC hopped right up from it, he was like a Gumby person, just bounced.
The Alessi crash is a tough one to watch, right up there with Henry for me, it was ugly. I saw that crash live at Red Bud, it was right off the start at the worse possible place to go down. It was a scary one.
I can't remember the year, but Bubba's crash @ Southwick when his engine locked up was pretty brutal. All of his are pretty spectacular, though.
You should do a freestyle one too! I thought for sure Nicky Danielson was gonna be one here for his crash in X Games 2008. Go to 1:45 to see the crash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLbq0y9KBTE
........that explains a lot about Ping. Guess he hit his head too hard on that one.
As Bailey said about what Ricky was probably thinking after Stewy appeared to run into him "that crash could have ruined both careers." Perhaps there should have been some sort of sanction for what seemed to be very reckless riding on the part of Stewy. I would be interested in what the fans think about it.
i agree with henry or reed, but there are a lot of stewart crashes that are worse that aren't even in here. Remember carmichael when he lost it over a big staight away jump then came back to 2nd and when stewart crased in front of the mechanics area on his 125, and nico izzi when his bike blew up over the triple and broke his leg. still love watching #4 ride like he did, truely amazing.
i kind of liked tortelli's rag doll effect at the mxdn
I have children that look at this website. I would expect more from Racer X. The swear words are unacceptable.
NOOOO, alessi this year when he crossrutted on the jump and bucke him on his head, 1st race. Can't remember the tracks name but that ones pretty crazy 2
just saying not giving any B.S to u but they probably hear worse on nickalodean now than this.
@bd200,, You still think the bike doesnt matter ?? Look at the guys cpmplaining about that 450 Yam..
Henry's crash takes the cake.. He awfully lucky that coner was a little sloppy for an easier landing.
How did Reed's Detroit crash in '08 not make this list? I was about 5 rows up and about 15 feet to the left of that crash, and it was one of the worst I have ever seen.
Reed #1 ??? LOL... only because its freshest in our memory perhaps. Not to downplay Reed's crash but he did get up and finish 14th. I'd go with Henry. Also, you have to consider Jason Upshaw in 1985. Maybe not as gnarly by today's standards but for it's time, it was a doozy!
These can't be in order! Alessi has the worst visual wreck hands down!!! Reed in a close second, Henry, love the guy but come on his wreck didn't look that bad on video (even though it was). You guys are stoned.
totally correct, forgot about that 1,
Guys, it says " and in no particular order we present The List: Ten Spectacular Crashes."
This list is SICK! Great vids. Is it me, or should Tiger Woods be #1. Unlike these guy's, he has not recovered from his accident.
MxMOFO - At least we know which guys only look at the pictures and dont read the articles!! HAHAHAHA....I re-read the article to make sure that there was no #1 ...just 10 killer crashes
@MMTX430 This Is RACER X not freestyle crap!
Even though Reedy got up unscathed and immediatley got back up to race speed, we will be hearing about this crash the rest of the year and how Reed overcame this huge crash and how wonderful he is.....Dude basically jumped off a 2 story building and landed on a 1 story soft downhill in a baseball slide......neet to watch indeed...but he was fine...may as well landed in water......
Thanks for clearing that up for us, where would we be with out ya. You said you read that twice????
Heck, i wreck worse than these guys almost every weekend
@MXMOFO, I didnt see or read of anyone lately not lliking the Yamaha 450. Tommy Hahn said himself he has no problems with it and never said there was anything wrong with the bike. So the only person I know of was Pourcel, and he isnt handeling the Kawi 450 well either, so what is the excuse now?? Stewart seemed fine with it, 5 supercross wins and every heat race win. He can ride it fine. So Stewart crashed alot with it, what new, he crashed his Kawi alot too.
@mofo, what guys complaining, I hacent read any.. Just keyboard jockeys trying to find any excuse for thier favorite NOT winning.. RC won on Kawi, and a Honda, then on a Suzuki that whioch every person on the internet said would be his downfall. It is a matter of testing correctly and getting the bike set up correctly. I agree with the post above, Stewie kicked some tail with it in supercross, second most wins, he seems fine with it. Hahn said in the post yesterday he is fine with it, so did Millsaps and Brayton. The only whiner I heard was Pourcel, but I think its any 450 with him, he cant handle the big bike, the Kawi is kicking his butt too.
For all the people asking about Stewart's supercross crashes, scroll up to the top. It says top crashes to live forever in the MOTOCROSS lore.
Seriously?? It says no particular order meaning there is no particular order as to which they are lined up. Again, no particular order! If some people had half a brain.. One more time, no particular order.
allessis crash should be number 1 Reeds is the most impressive to watch. But allessis rag doll being run over is awfull.
Man is Carmichael TOUGH! Henry is #1, Allessi #2, most spectacular of all time.....
@Rick Melon (are you effing kidding me) Now you made us read your stupid comment twice....go to bed.
I dont know if it's because it's so recent, but CR's skydive seems really brutal to me... Henry's crash at Budd's is really, really bad too. For not being severely injured I think Reed takes it.
How about travis pastrana backflip crash at daytona, or michael pichon jumping off a triple in mid air and almost landing on somebody else or ricky carmichael getting hit in the head after crashing in the whoops??
Additional footage of the Henry crash from the original 94 broadcast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJvHxAgOXV0&playnext=1&list=PL0D3A4D1643CF6A96
Perhaps some of you don't realize how far Henry launched off that jump. And broke his back! I'm sure there are a lot more spectacular crashes (on and off camera). It's a rough sport!
Stewart's Vegas 125 crash should be on this list. THAT was as big as Reed's, but without the nice grassy knoll to land on...
Hell this list should have AT LEAST 5 James Stewart entries... ;)
Henry had at least a 3 or 4 second come to Jesus meeting !
JD
@ bd200,,, You are a total waste of time...
Oh, come on. I should be on this list.
Man, the more I watch Reeds crash, the less " knarly" it seems...still a good get off, but hang time was the knarliest part....And the MC interview on the Henry crash from the link above reminds me of how I hated listening to McGrath talk during any interview...Just like Reed....Awesome to watch ride, but man what a KOOK!!!
I know Pastrana had some wonderful get offs back in the 125 days......None of him in here...That horrific case he did in Vegas from 30 ft into a dead stop comes to mind
Henry's crash #1 for sure, I still remember when that happened. Alessi's crash wasn't bad but what happened after was, those flaggers sucked.
mxmofo, why?? Because I dont agree with everything you say?? You sound like a know-it-all who thinks he is always right. I just do not feel there is the problems with the YZ450 like the excuse makers do. Guys blaming that because Stewart didnt win supercross, but won 5 races on it and a few of those were butt kicking toi the other guys. He made a very little mistake that caused a huge crash at Daytone and came back to a top ten, with a bad bike?? Baloney, the bike is fine, Pourcel is a pus$y, and Stewart has a supercross only contract and I dont think was ever planning on racing this summer. Its his choice. But the bike is fine.
Davey was the closest no factory rider on a yamaha
What about RC's crash in I think the U.S. Open probably wrong. He crashed in the whoops and as he was gettin up got clipped in the head by a front tire from another rider. I think it was in one of the terrafirmas
Yes Davey is the #1 privateer in points on a......Yamahah
freestyle crashes can be massive but thats there own lame sport this is motocross!!! honda741 his crash not that big? he has the biggest swap and hits the ground so hard, his crash was big. If these crashes were in order henrys would of been number 1
Besides my own personal crash reel, the one that sticks out in my mind is Greg Albertyn hitting a deer at one of the MXdN races.
I'm seconding the vote to add "Rideshare" Shane Trittler's wierd crash. While not as violent as some, it still is up there.........
Anytime "Whiskey" and "Throttle" are used in the same sentence, it usually never turns out good.
here is a better view and explanation of Doug Henry's Crash! EPIC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AawNRdISY8I&feature=related
Although, Reed's is still the worst that anyone has ever walkd away from!
you are all out of your mind. Henry's crash is still number one. Alessi's aftermath was crazy as well. Reed's flight was out of this world but by no means does that come close to the other two.
Anyone who says Reed's crash was all hangtime/show and no pain, how about you watch it from this angle and call it a 'baseball slide'. Yes Reed Blow, I'm talking to you. You watch one youtube video and talk about it as though you were there. Go to 2.40 on this video and tell me you'd get up and boost off for a 14th.
http://www.vurbmoto.com/theatre/1650/vurb-select-millville-450s/
Hanks truely does make me wanna vomit, ..... everytime.......Chads, makes me feel like I should go to church,....Bubbas land on R/c....wtf ya doin man?....
still watching alessi's at the first round in practice WHEN HE LANDED ON HIS HEAD AND NECK, i still cringe when i see that, all narley but that one stands out for me.
GREAT SEASON, LOVE IT
AND chads get off in detroit when he was coughing up blood, AND STILL WENT THROUGH INTO THE HEAT AND THE MAIN, mans got heart!!!!
years ago RC was going through a whoop section at a supercross race and got bounced off his bike and onto a hay bale. That wasnt so bad but when he went to remount his bike he got tagged hard and spun off the track like a deer hit by a car.I cant remember the guys name who hit him but he was#10 on a suzuki.
what about Travis Pastrana at Daytona in the whoops!? that was gnarly as hell!!! but still those are sum bad crashes tho.
what about Nick Wey's front flip at unadilla in 99? that was one of the more amazing things i've seen at a mx
What about Albee killing the deer and getting his pants ripped off in the process?
Henry was #1
@Duh! well is this not a post about spectacular crashes?? Idk if you watched that but that crash was awful. sorry i thought thats what this post was about...
Henry's wasn't even a crash, just bad landing
Reed's and Alessi's are real crashes
This list tops (unreal) the top 10 Honda riders list as the worst top 10 list on this website. Although it doesn't say the worst of all time, c'mon thats the best you can come up with. What is wrong with you people, you have no knowledge of our sport. Yes there are a couple that belong there, but you don't even need to go back too far to see more spectacular crashes.
Then the readers aparently can't read, it clearly says IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
Don't forget about Pichon's epic crash at the ATL supercross in 96 when he bailed mid air over a triple to avoid hitting a lapper... The force ripped the goggles off his helmet... and like Reed, he walked away... but didn't finish the race like Reed did!
I'm guessing there is no footage. Scott Sheak superman head first into a tree at Southwick. Easy top 5. WICKED!!
What about Pastrana's career ending concussion crash? That was a brutal hit...
All these guys are freaking warriors... I'd be retired after any one of these crashes...
forgot about bradshaw at binghamton over the downhill triple
Can we add Canard @ Washougal 2101??
Checkerz, I was thinking they should add that one to.
Another one that should have been added was Carmichael at Dallas SX in about 2004 riding a Honda where he faceplants from about 15 feet up and comes back to 2nd with no front brake and his visor flapping in his face......That one was also epic!
allessi was the worst though he doesnt have much of a career any more
I have not starting braiding my hair nor wearing pieces of my wife's chandelier in my ears yet, but I gotta say Reed suprised the living he!! out of me when he kept going. I am STILL amazed. Maybe that was not really him. Major props, Reed, no whining THAT time!!
Would have to agree, Alessi's "Human Downslope" impersonation has to be my pick as #1.
Hey Davey, how about a "Top 10 COOLEST Crashes" list now?? Ones where the rider was ok, or better yet, saves it. RC was king at saving it, but Fonseca's awesome "Endo's-It-But-Stays-Mounted" is 2nd only to the above-mentioned 1980's SX mid-air getoff where the rider lands on the seat of another bike. Got a VHS of that somewhere. Gotta see it to believe it. I endo'd and stayed on it (accidentally, obviously) once, but as a reflex I let go once I was upright and rolling, as I had already told my brain to bail! LoL
And I had an even cooler one as a 14yr old: went up a deep, dry, super sandy jump face and violently swapped just at the crest, did a perfectly horizontal 360 midair, landed with the clutch out and stalled, staring dumbly at the ground. Until bikes started flying past my head I was shell-shocked. LoL
Cool article man!