This just in from Daytona 200 winner Don Emde:

In response to the note by Travis Blalack asking for other rider's thoughts about the Scott Russell crash. I was at Daytona on Sunday and, while I was some distance away in the Tower grandstand, I did see the crash and have since seen it on ESPN2. I did have in my racing days one similar experience of having a bike stall on the line that might be worth noting as a comparison.

I rode in the first Imola 200 in 1972 and there was some mix-up with the Italian organizers of that race where they were first sent the field out around the track for the warm-up lap, but the five minute board did not go up until we got back to the starting line. That meant that the entire field had to sit there revving our engines for five minutes.

I was aboard a Gus Kuhn Norton 750 with Amal GP carbs and just as the flag fell, the carbs boiled all the fuel out and the motor quit. Like Scott Russell, I was sitting there with the field starting to blow by very fast. Not don't get me wrong here. I don't want to anyone to think I really knew what to do at this point, just some instincts take over I guess, and luckily I was able to get a hand up and I stayed pointing forward. In a few seconds the entire field had motored past and we then got my bike over to the pit wall to fix the problem.

Following Russell's crash and then recalling my experience, the following points occurred to me that I would like other riders to consider:

1. While the odds of you getting hit if you stall on the line are huge at that point no matter what you do, you can lessen the odds if you can give the riders behind you something visual to warn them you are there, and a hand or hands waving is about all you have to work with. You need something that will stick out higher than the bikes and riders.

2. When I saw the television replay of Scott trying to pedal over to the right, I realized that he was actually making himself a wider target to hit. When I had my Norton straight in line I was only taking up, what, maybe three feet? With Scott's bike pointed towards the sideline, that distance might have doubled.

3. With the bike pointed straight forward, if you do get hit from the back, there is a reasonable chance that your rear tire and frame section might absorb some of the impact rather than the direct shot that Scott took to his arm and leg. A collision in this position still presents some potential for injury as you would probably get thrown off the back of the bike, but I am theorizing that it would be the lesser of two evils.

I hope this is useful to any reader that might get into a similar situation. Racers are supposed to be fearless, but I can assure everyone, it's a pretty terrifying moment and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I know Scott Russell is pretty banged up and I wish him well. From someone that knows how hard it is to win Daytona once, I have great respect for what he has accomplished at Daytona and in his other racing activities.

All the best Scott.

Don Emde