The sport of motocross lost a family member on January 24, 2004 during the San Diego Supercross. Jason Ciarletta suffered fatal injuries during a daytime qualifier when he overshot the first turn and was struck in the neck by his bike. This really hits home for all of us at Dirt Rider because he was to be the future brother-in-law to Danny Carlson, one of our long-time test riders. According to a family spokesman, he was unconscious from the moment of impact, and it appears that he died from major head trama. Track doctors attempted heroic life-saving efforts, but Ciarletta passed away en route to the hospital. This is the first-ever fatality at an AMA Supercross since it began almost 30 years ago.Jason had 15 years of experience, and started out on 50s. He was in his prime, and was consistently getting quicker and quicker every day. The Ciarletta's, of Riverside, California, also own a private supercross track where Jason and Danny trained. This is the same track that Jeremy McGrath practiced on last year just two days before he decided to retire. In fact, McGrath used the track last week to help Victor Sheldon train for the Crossover Challenge, which took place in San Diego this passed weekend. Our hearts go out to the Ciarletta and Carlson families, and the sport has truly lost a great ambassador. Godspeed Jason. You will be forever missed!
