Off-road tragedy exception, not rule

There is no excuse for the criminal way in which the Mojave Desert Racing organization staged the California 200 off-road race Saturday in the Lucerne Valley.

Eight spectators were killed, including a young woman from Las Vegas, when a race truck crashed into them when they were allowed to form a human gantlet on the course using federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

They were allowed to be within arm's reach of high-speed racers who had to maneuver jumps and rocky terrain. No one was there to prevent fans from showing bravado as human guardwalls.

Fans were at fault, as was the driver who didn't lift off the throttle when approaching the fanatics. Those eight fans paid the ultimate price, and another 10 were seriously injured. Their families and friends will continue to pay.

The BLM announced Thursday it has suspended future events by the promoter, MDR, based in South El Monte, Calif. That's a start.

But the head of the racing organization should end up in prison, and the ongoing BLM investigation into how the race was run is a worthy endeavor.

Racing can be dangerous for spectators. Risk is not limited to off-road racing. Spectators have been killed at sanctioned IndyCar, stock car and drag racing events in this country. Most recently, it was a woman in the pit area of an NHRA national event at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix who died after being hit by a flying tire.

And those deaths were at permanent racing facilities with guardwalls, fencing and smoothly paved racing surfaces.

The massacre in the Southern California desert Saturday unfortunately has painted off-road racing with a broad, bloody brush. The sport has never received so much attention, but for all the wrong reasons.

The haphazard manner in which the Mojave race was run and apparent oversight by rules enforcement by the BLM office in California should not sully the reputations of Best in the Desert, SCORE and the Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts organizations that host several races each year in Nevada.

No spectators have been killed at any races in this state, according to Casey Folks of BITD and Sal Fish of SCORE.

Not to diminish the loss of those lives, but retribution should not be taken against all off-road races -- especially the racing organizations that run in Nevada -- because of what happened 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Sadly, environmental groups have latched onto the California fiasco to attack the sport. Some of them are using last weekend's tragedy to champion their causes and believe the desert is solely theirs.

Off-road racers have as much respect for the desert as anyone else and more than most. Most vehicle abuse of federal land is done by wannabe racers and weekend warriors who lack self control.

Off-road racing enthusiasts contend with protecting the endangered desert tortoise in Southern Nevada, the Amargosa toad up north and, in general, the terrain. Studies and inspections before and after races by the BLM cost Nevada races tens of thousands of dollars each year. Land designated for racing is returned to pre-race conditions as much as possible. If they want to race, they pay.

And they do. The Nevada groups pay to have BLM rangers help patrol the course.

The desert should be as much for restricted racing as it is for hiking when rules are followed.

To quote Woody Guthrie, "This land is your land, this land is my land. ... This land was made for you and me."

That applies to desert tortoise lovers, cactus huggers and off-road racers alike.

Jeff Wolf's motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit Wolf's motor sports blog at lvrj.com/blogs/heavypedal/ throughout the week.