Bikers Challenge U.S. Action Closing Desert Race Routes

In an escalating battle over the cancellation of this weekend’s Barstow-to-Las Vegas motorcycle race, an angry group of motorcycle riders went to court Wednesday seeking permission to stage an alternative ride across the Mojave Desert.

The Sahara Club, in a petition filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, contends that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management violated federal laws when it temporarily closed former race routes to discourage a protest ride planned for Saturday.

Alan Ghaleb, the club’s attorney, said the bureau “violated land use and environmental protection laws” by failing to conduct studies and take other steps he said are mandated before public lands can be closed.

“The BLM’s action was an unconstitutional, retaliatory maneuver designed to abridge the right to freedom of expression of those who planned a protest ride,” Ghaleb said.

The petition, he added, seeks an emergency ruling prohibiting BLM rangers from enforcing the closure order by citing or arresting club riders.

Barbara Maxfield, a BLM spokeswoman, said federal law grants the bureau authority to issue emergency “closure and restriction orders to protect persons, property and public lands and resources.”

“We don’t want to interfere with anyone’s right to protest, but we believe we had to take this step to protect the resources,” Maxfield said. “I guess it will be up to the court to decide.”

Wednesday’s action is the latest development in a bitter skirmish over this year’s “B-to-V” race, an event that dates to 1967 and is considered the granddaddy of all amateur off-road motorcycle events.

Earlier this fall, the race’s sponsor, the American Motorcyclist Assn., announced it was canceling the event. Because the course crosses habitat of the threatened desert tortoise, the BLM was opposed to a 1990 race, leading sponsors to conclude they would not be able to obtain a permit.

Instead, the AMA organized a substitute, 120-mile race in a nearby valley. Dubbed the “Battle-to-Victory,” the race is expected to draw about 500 competitors Saturday.

But some disgruntled riders--led by the 4,000-member Sahara Club--were not satisfied and warned they would hold an unorganized ride of their own along the traditional B-to-V course.

In response to that news, the BLM issued its closure order, which became effective Wednesday and expires Dec. 2. The bureau said its unusual action was sparked by “rumors” of a protest ride and was necessary to protect “sensitive desert resources” from the impact of an uncontrolled event.

Ghaleb acknowledged that “getting the court’s ear” in time for Saturday’s ride will be “an uphill battle.” But Rick Sieman, president of the Sahara Club, said he plans to carry out his protest as planned, regardless of any court action.

No hearing date has been set.

“I’ll be there, and I won’t be the only one. I’m getting calls of support from Oregon, Arizona, Canada--everywhere,” Sieman said. “We’re not a bunch of radicals. We’re family people who like to enjoy the desert and are fed up with the ecoterrorists and the BLM closing down the public lands.”

Officials for other motorcyclist groups said they share that sentiment, but believe an illegal protest ride is ill-advised. Indeed, several complained that Sieman and others like him give motorcyclists a bad image.

“All of us were very, very disappointed about the cancellation, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things,” said Dana Bell, a spokeswoman for the AMA. “We believe in responsible use of public lands. It’s a joy to have them, but we have to act responsibly or we’ll lose them.”

Environmentalists who have doggedly fought the Barstow-to-Vegas race on grounds that it irreparably scars the desert, encouraged the BLM to crack down on any riders who traverse closed areas.

“I believe most of the users of the desert want to be law-abiding and are law-abiding,” said Elden Hughes, a Sierra Club activist on desert issues. “But this sort of thing is an appeal to be outlaws. Jesse James lived in the last century, not this one.”