Off-Road Race Promoter Suspended after Deaths

(AP)  A federal agency suspended future event permits Thursday for the promoter of last weekend's off-road race in the California desert where eight spectators were killed by a racing truck.

The Bureau of Land Management, which manages the territory where the crash occurred, said the suspension of permits for Mojave Desert Racing will remain in effect while an investigation of the accident is under way.

A call and e-mail message to Susan and James Williams, the couple who operate MDR Productions from their South El Monte home, were not immediately returned.

The spectators were killed Saturday during a 200-mile race on a 50-mile circuit in the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles. Ten other spectators were injured.

Video of the accident showed spectators crowding the edge of the narrow dirt course as trucks sped by. One truck went out of control and slammed into the crowd and overturned.

Documents provided by the BLM, which issued permits for the California 200 race, show that spectator safety was the responsibility of MDR. However, the spectators were within feet of the speeding vehicles, not 100 feet away as MDR's own rules require.

The BLM also said it was reviewing future racing events in the California desert on a case by case basis to ensure all safety requirements can be met before authorizing them to go forward.

Off-road recreation "is a popular activity in the California desert enjoyed by families and responsible organized groups," the agency said in a statement. "BLM's ongoing review will be aimed at ensuring the public safety remains our first priority."

Under review is a motorcycling and all-terrain vehicle race scheduled for this weekend in the Mojave, sponsored by the American Motorcyclist Association.

"In light of the tragedy it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for BLM to check and make sure all safety precautions are met for events coming up," said Jerry Grabow, president of the AMA's 37th district.

He said his group works closely with the BLM to ensure that its events come off safely.

More Off-Road Accident Coverage

Off-Roaders Worry Probe May Spell End for Sport
Off-Road Crash Devastates Calif. Community
Feds to Review Off-Road Wreck that Killed 8 Fans
Family, Friends Mourn 8 Killed in Off-Road Wreck
Charges Unlikely in Deadly Off-Road Race Crash
Off-Road Crash Driver Won't Be Charged
The Feed: Deadly Off-Road Crash

[ibsteve2u]

Without passing judgment on the wisdom of ANYTHING where the spectators are not contained and controlled, I have no problem stating that passing judgment on this promoter is...well, do what you will, but from my perspective, these guys were "johnny-on-the-spot" when the dice finally came up boxcars.

It was only a matter of time...off-road racing has ALWAYS allowed spectators to endanger themselves by placing themselves within the radius where a vehicle traveling at a high velocity could be expected to REMAIN MOVING until halted by friction, gravity, or contact with other objects.

When those things go airborne, roll, or otherwise lose contact between the ground and their tires, the assumptions about "steering" and "safe stopping distance" that are so casually made on the highway and dictate how far you stay away from traffic fly right out the window.

But people - spectators - get stupid; they're not intimately involved in controlling the hunk of steel that is coming at them, so they stop thinking about mass, and velocity, and traction, and inertia...and make themselves those "other objects" that finally bring the out-of-control vehicle to a stop.