In company safety rules, the promoter of the California 200 off-road race where eight spectators died says that fans must stay at least 100 feet away from the course. But videos of Saturday’s crash and the promoter’s other races show crowds regularly lining the track, just feet away from speeding off-roaders.
Mojave Desert Racing of El Monte also failed to adhere to a requirement in its contract with the Bureau of Land Management to keep spectators 50 feet away from the racing vehicles. The firm did not return calls seeking comment.
The federal agency Monday said it had launched an “official national review” of the accident and BLM safety policies for permitted off-road races on federal land under its jurisdiction. Along with the current investigation by the California Highway Patrol, federal law enforcement investigators will join the inquiry, said Jan Bedrosian, BLM’s spokeswoman in California.
Eight spectators were killed and 10 seriously injured when driver Brett Sloppy of San Marcos lost control of his modified Ford Ranger pickup after going airborne on a crowd-pleasing hill known as the “rock pile.” The truck rolled into the crowd, which had crept within a few feet of the track, just minutes after the race began.
“It’s an extreme sport, so people want to get close. But people gravitating to a corner? Dude, are you kidding me? Why don’t you just let your kid play on the freeway,’’ said Don Wall, president of Snore Racing in Las Vegas. “I would have stopped the race.”
| 
|