A statement on the California 200 Lawsuits

California 200 tragedy.

The results of a recent study conducted by a panel of experts was released today. The finding states that those killed and injured at the MDR Cal 200 should shoulder the major responsibility for the mayhem caused by the rollover of a race truck. The panel found that the spectators violated common sense safety standards by choosing to stand on the race course as the vehicles flew by at speed.

Statements that the driver should have slowed because of the proximity of the crowds were deemed to hold no bearing and were dismissed as reactionary. It was determined that the reason the mass of spectators gathered at that particular location was because of the thrill of watching the racers fly by at speed.

Furthermore, had a speed limit been in effect at that location or had the racers slowed voluntarily, the crowd would have gathered elsewhere. The truck that rolled and inflicted the injuries was NOT the first race vehicle through the incident site so the victims should have realized that their vantage point held the inherent dangers associated with spectating in such close proximity to high speed offroad racing.

Opinion that the driver should be held accountable were also dismissed as his actions were part of the racing competition and completely accidental while the spectators chose through conscious thought to stand in harm's way. While the driver was following all the rules set forth by both the BLM and the race sanctioning body, the spectators were not. Notices posted at the race course and on the promoter's website instructing spectator to remain at least 150 feet from the track went unheeded. Since the race course is defined as being 50 feet wide from either side of the course centerline, the spectators should have been much farther away than the five to ten feet shown on video of the incident.
The investigation panel, chosen from staff at the Center for Desert Activities was convened independently of any involved parties. The panel is made up of racing industry experts and media and have a combined 1000 years of experience.

In conclusion, the panel also found that because of the widespread coverage of this tragic event the likelihood of it being repeated in the US has odds of about a million to one.

MDR California 200

Read about how I shot the race at durkadurka.net/blog

See all the photos at Durka Durka Photo

MDR Coyote Wash 200 Photo Jihad!

All photos now up at Durka Durka Photo

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A few of my favorites.

MDR Bud Light Dash Photo Jihad!

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Durka Durka Photo

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Bilek Racing and EnS Racing team up to take first in class and first

Over all win went to Bilekracing.com with drivers Mike Bilek and
> Steve Jangaard. Co drivers were Mike's daughter Alexa Bilek and Crew
> chief Bryan Bergey. The race pace was fast at 61 MPH and Mike said
> he had a blast, especially on the all out wide open stretches. Mike
> was also pleased with the entry turn out of class one vehicles,
> eleven total. The car ran great until the heat kicked in and the
> engine temp rose to 240 degrees, at those times we just had to back
> off the throttle a little. Dust was also a factor for the team who
> started last in class one due to the late entry of the team. There
> was a lot of catching up and passing. With the dry desert dust, it
> made for a challenging race. This was the team’s second MDR race
> this season and the teams second overall win. We plan to attend at
> least two other MDR races besides our BITD and SCORE race schedules
> this year. Bilekracing.com would like to thank MDR and the
> contingency company donators. We also thank our sponsors: KC
> highlights, Avenger Race Cars by Jefferies racing, Torco race fuels,
> Hoven sunglasses, Wide Open Baja, Nitto Tire, and Liquid Ice Energy
> Drink.

Coyote Wash 200 Night Race Drawing

McMillin Pit Crew - Plaster Cirty

Pit Crew,Andy McMillin takes First in Class, First Overall Win at the Dash.The MDR Plaster City 250 race drew a large crowd of spectators for this annual New Year's Eve tradition. The McMillin Racing team raced three vehicles and all three vehicles finished and did very well. I finished 1st in class and 1st overall crossing the finish line in 3 hours, 43 minutes and 30 seconds…8 seconds ahead of the closest competitor. My dad, Scott McMillin, started the race with Greg Forsberg sitting shotgun for the first two laps. After a driver change and fuel stop, Beau Eckert climbed in with me to watch the GPS and temperature gauges during laps 3, 4 and 5 until we crossed the finish line. My uncle, Mark McMillin, finished 3rd in class one of 12 starters and finished 4th overall. His time was 4 hours and 15 minutes. Daniel McMillin drove his single seat 1600 car and finished 3rd in class with 24 starters. His time of 4 hours, 29 minutes and 39 seconds was good for 9th overall. Finishing the year strong put the icing on the cake for the 2007 race season for me and my team. Enduring a tough year of equipment failures and the challenges of Baja was difficult but it has made me an even tougher, more determined driver going into the 2008 season. My crew continues to rise to the challenge for each race and I am very appreciative of all of their efforts. I could not have done it without their dedication, loyalty and support.

MDR Bud Light Dash Photo Jihad

All photos are up at Durka Durka Photo.com

Remember all prints are 10% off for the first 7 days.

A few highlights

MDR Stoddard 250 Photo Jihad!!!!

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Team DNF Goes To School

Dan Vance of DNF Racing went to Taft Elementary School in Riverside to visit with the students of the Advanced Readers program to talk about the importance of reading in relation to off road racing. The students of Taft Elementary School have a program setup that rewards them for the amount of books they read throughout the year in a race style format. For the students that reached the checkered flag(read all the required books to be recognized as an advanced reader), they were given the opportunity to attend an assembly where team DNF was lucky enough to get to have the race truck on display, and talk to the students. It was a GREAT time with just over 100 students attending that had met the requirements to be advanced readers of their school. I hope the students got as much out of the experience as team DNF did.. More pics to follow soon from the event in the pictures section of DNFRacing.com.