Federal officials approved an off-road vehicle race this weekend and promised tighter scrutiny of off-road racing less than a week after a deadly accident in California's Mojave Desert.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved this weekend's race hosted by the American Motorcycle Assn. following a detailed review of safety and crowd control requirements.
Officials don't expect anything similar to the accident that killed eight people and injured 10 on August 14 in California's Mojave Desert. There will be fewer spectators and plans call for them to be kept far away from the track.
The California crash, in which a truck sailed over a jump and hurtled into a crowd, initially spurred a review of racing permits. BLM Director Bob Abbey announced Friday that the agency will now look at its permits throughout the country.
Abbey said the agency is planning to have a bigger BLM presence at all events and would not tolerate an "deviations" from permit requirements.
