Editorial: Enforce current rules for desert off-road racing

The accident that killed eight people and injured 12 others at an off-road racing event in California's Mojave Desert last weekend has brought new focus to the popular but somewhat unregulated sport.

At the center of the discussion: Why were so many spectators so close to the race course without any sort of barrier or actively enforced safety zone?

The California 200 race had just gotten under way at the Bessemer Mine Road off-highway vehicle recreation area, near Lucerne Valley, when the driver of a modified Ford Ranger pickup truck lost control hopping over the "rock pile" obstacle. His truck flipped and slammed into a crowd. Six racing fans died at the scene; two others died later.

The Bureau of Land Management controls the federal land where the race was held, issuing permits and ostensibly overseeing permittees' adherence to the terms of those permits. Following the tragedy, the BLM issued a press release implying that the race promoter, Mojave Desert Racing of South El Monte, failed to fulfill its obligations.

But fans who have attended such races say the behavior of the spectators at the California 200 was typical. Buffer zones separating the racers from spectators are not always enforced, and in many cases fans are allowed to come close enough to touch the vehicles, which are supposed to slow to 15 mph near people but often go four times that speed.

"People get too doggone close at these things," race fan Ray Pessa of Lucerne Valley told the Hi-Desert Star of Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County. "I've been there as a spectator, and people are scattered all over the track. I don't know about MDR (the permit holder) and crowd management, but I haven't seen any crowd management there."
But Wayne Nosala of California City, who has been a fan for 40 years -- and raced himself until recently -- said the accident, while tragic, has been sensationalized by the media.

"This was a freak accident," he said. "In the buggy-truck world, it's the worst that has ever happened, and everyone is really shaken by the whole thing. It's a family sport and a good economic driver. A lot of mom and pop operations are involved in it."

But the spot where the wreck occurred is typically the only place along the course where a large group gathers, he said.

"There are sporadic tailgaters along the course, and most of them are smart enough to stay back. Others wanted to get close to the action. The end result was a tragedy."

Nosala expects the racing community to increase its level of self-policing in order to make the sport safer for spectators.

But is that enough?

U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to BLM officials Wednesday, asking the agency to provide information about what safety measures were in place before Saturday's deadly crash and whether the BLM is adequately enforcing permit requirements to ensure that organizers of off-road races on public lands take the necessary precautions to protect spectators.

Those are fair questions to ask. Rare as the off-road wreck might have been, it would be inexcusable to allow another one to occur under similar circumstances -- especially if a workable solution is achievable. Simply enforcing the existing rules, with stiff fines as the hammer, might just do it.

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Source: http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/editorials/x464578057/Enforce-current-rules-for-desert-off-road-racing

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