Motocross event turns fatal when 20-foot jump falls short as fans watch in NC

A failed 20-foot jump killed a rider competing in a motocross event Sunday at the muddy Lost Valley Motorsports Park in North Carolina, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim was identified by witnesses as Samuel Ryan Marti and a GoFundMe campaign reports he was an intelligence analyst with the 724th Special Tactics Group at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.

Lost Valley, 65 miles east of Asheville, was hosting round one of the N.C. Hare Scrambles Association Championship Series at the time of the crash, according to a track Facebook page.

The page reports “453 guests” attended the event, and investigators say some witnessed the deadly jump.

“A witness told deputies that during a motocross event, the victim (27 years of age) was attempting to make one of the jumps on the course on his motorcycle,” the Burke County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

“The witness said that the victim went about 20 feet in the air and landed on his front tire and went over the handlebar. The witness said that the victim didn’t move again.”

First-responders were at his side “within seconds and started CPR,” but the rider died at the track, the release said.

The death is being called “accidental,” according to the department’s Facebook post.

Marti was a native of Waterbury, Connecticut, and loved hockey, dirt bikes, exotic cars and snowboarding, according to the GoFundMe campaign page. “Although Sam was soft spoken, his dry quick-witted humor, complimented by his Peaky Blinder-style haircut and GQ attire, made the man that everyone loved to be around,” the page says.

Lost Valley, at 8092 Hoyle Farm Road, says on its Facebook page that it has an MX track for off-road motorcycling racing and a 7 to 8 mile woods loop.

This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 2:05 PM.