A legendary motocross racer died in a dune buggy accident Monday.
According to Imperial County Senior Deputy Coroner Emmanuel Ramirez , at about 7:30 p.m. Monday Martin Smith , 63 , and his wife Nancy were riding in a sand rail in the Patton Valley area near Gordon's Well , when the vehicle rolled over. Both Smith and his wife suffered fatal injuries in the accident. According to witnesses Smith was not wearing a safety harness and his wife was wearing only a lap belt when the accident occurred. Marty Smith was pronounced dead at the scene while his wife passed away after being airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. Marty Smith was a 3-time AMA Motocross Champion in the mid- to late 70's. He retired from professional racing at the end of the 1981 season. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 according to CycleWorld.