Spectators

A desert off-road race from Las Vegas to Reno remains green-lighted for Friday even as the agency that regulates races across federal land reviews its safety policies after a crash that killed eight spectators during a similar event Saturday in San Bernardino County. Officials with the Bureau of Land Management, which permits more than 100 off-road races a year on desert land it oversees, said they are confident that adequate safeguards are in place for the Nevada race. But critics of the agency called the decision reckless, saying the bureau lacks the manpower and desire to ensure the events are safe.

Fans of desert racing say nothing beats the danger, dust and noise of watching 3,500-pound trucks roaring past — close enough almost to touch — and then rocketing into the air over treacherous jumps with nicknames like "the rock pile. " The off-road derbies, which occur in remote stretches of the Mojave Desert, draw thousands and exist a world apart from the urban sprawl of Southern California. There are no guardrails, no enforced rules and no police to hold spectators back as they lean over the track with cellphones, snapping photos of oncoming trucks.

Online videos of previous races of the California 200 show spectators standing dangerously close to the speeding off-road vehicles, with no concrete barriers separating them from the cars. The California 200 race in the Mojave Desert was the scene of a tragedy Saturday when eight people died after an off-road vehicle slammed into a crowd about 7:48 p.m., just after dusk. Witnesses described a chaotic scene in which the victims had no chance to flee. A video taken in August 2009 shows off-road vehicles speeding through the desert and becoming airborne a few yards away from a crowd of cheering spectators.

Authorities said eight people were killed and 10 injured when a driver racing in the California 200 desert race in Lucerne Valley lost control of his off-roader, which went airborne and landed on top of spectators. The driver, who was uninjured, and seven of the eight people killed were identified Sunday by officials. The driver "got airborne and, when he landed, rolled over straight into the spectators," said Officer Joaquin Zubieta of the California Highway Patrol, the agency investigating the deadly crash.

Paula Petrella is a running buff who is writing "An Idiot's Guide to Marathon Training." Perhaps she's also suited to write "An Idiot's Guide to Winning Marathons Without Running Them." Los Angeles Marathon officials reported that Petrella won the women's 40-to-44 age group Sunday in a time of 2 hours 53 minutes 59 seconds. Or, at least that's what an excited co-worker at Sony Pictures Television told Petrella on Monday morning. "She said, ‘Congratulations,' " Petrella recalled.

Chanting "We ain't got no tickets!" and "Homes Not Games," more than 1,000 protesters swept through downtown Vancouver toward the Olympic opening ceremony Friday but were held back by police before they could block spectators from entering the celebration. Billed as an action "against capitalism and colonization," the first of two major street rallies mobilized demonstrators ranging from aboriginal rights groups to advocates for the homeless, all aiming to mount one of the biggest-ever organized protests against the Olympic Games.

Steve Bowdoin can't hide presents under the teddy-bear cholla cactuses, at least not without getting pricked. He can't hang bulbs on the golden barrels or top the agave plants with stars. The 32-foot-tall saguaro cactus nicknamed "Grandpa" is magnificent, but it can't anchor a family room on Christmas morning. That's OK. Unlike the pines and Douglas firs bedecking most casinos and malls here -- including a 109-foot wonder that's among the nation's tallest -- Bowdoin's holiday display actually embraces the arid Mojave: three acres with 300 species of desert plants wrapped in half a million twinkling lights.

Bad fight, worse decision. Lyoto Machida retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship light-heavyweight title Saturday night at Staples Center, to the dismay of thousands who watched challenger Mauricio "Shogun" Rua perform as the aggressor and deliver powerful kicks to the champ's legs in a bout lacking in action. All three judges awarded Machida (16-0) a 48-47 decision -- the first lost rounds of his career -- despite a sluggish, hesitant showing that the champion himself said was "the most difficult fight I've had in the UFC."

Desiree Crossley, her two daughters and a friend left Lancaster in their PT Cruiser at 1 a.m. Wednesday to be among the first in line for what they thought would be a public memorial for Michael Jackson at his Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County. About 5 a.m., they began pitching their tent on the side of Figueroa Mountain Road, taking turns hammering in stakes and trying to keep warm. They packed a portable toilet, heater and plenty of food and water to last them. But at 2:30 p.m.

TODAY'S FEATURED MATCHES None. BURDEN OF ROOF Clouds menaced. Skies darkened. Excitement buzzed. Architectural history beckoned. As Andy Murray began to play Viktor Troicki at just after 6 Saturday evening, rain seemed imminent. Clearly the lucky retractable-roof aficionados in attendance finally would see Centre Court's $140-million roof in action.