Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/484201
IN THE WIND P42 KEVIN WINDHAM SPEAKS OUT T he passing of up-and- coming amateur racer Tyler Hoeft is weighing heavily on the minds of many, including former Supercross star Kevin Wind- ham. Although he did not know Tyler Hoeft personally, his tragic accident (and another recent loss of a close friend of Wind- ham's) has spurred "K-Dub" to speak his mind about safety issues in motocross. Windham did so on his Instagram page– @k_dub14–on Friday, March 20, after Hoeft's tragic passing. "We all know that this tragedy is the last one until the next one. I appreciate how difficult it is to find the reasons why this happens and that life is not a guarantee, but IMO the numbers are rising with cata- strophic injuries in our sport. Something has to be done." In the post, Windham goes on to acknowledge the fact that it's an inherently dangerous sport that will never be totally safe, but has voiced his opinion of the need to start asking ques- tions, and seeking answers that can lead to improved safety. "It truly concerns me so much that I'm thankful my son doesn't want to race at this point of his life," his Instagram post continues. Windham's post has already garnered a sizeable response, and plenty of support for his proposed call to action. He con- cluded with a rather prophetic statement that may find him at the spearhead of any such ac- tion in the future. "I never get on the soap- box, but I hate thinking that in 2015, this industry will have another fatality. Anyone agree or have ideas? I'm retired and have nothing to do. I would love to lead the charge." A conversation with Windham revealed more about his pas- sionate social media statement and what he feels needs to happen. Windham started by explaining how Tyler Hoeft's tragedy was the last in a chain of events that prompted him to speak up on the issue of safety. The chain of events started with his own retirement in 2013. "Quite honestly, probably the only reason I stepped away was just the fear of catastrophic injury," Windham explained. "It was an issue weighing on me heavily. I felt like I was holding on to something and if I kept go- ing, it would just end ugly. "Continuing on, I just recently lost my friend Chris Blanken- ship at a local fair race. I wanted to [speak up] then, but I had a feeling that if I said something, people would have said, 'Oh, Windham's just on a soapbox because he just lost a good friend.' Ultimately it ended up being the reason why I didn't speak up at that time. "Tyler's [Hoeft] is the most Kevin Wind- ham asks— what can we do to make the sport safer?