Street Racing curiosity quesiton
10-27-2003, 10:02 AM
#1
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Street Racing curiosity quesiton
There seems to a slew of street racing that occurs all over the country. This is considered to be illegal and if caught you can be slapped with a hefty fine and other disciplinary action.
Over the years, there was/is another similar thing that a lot of community members have had a problem with, skateboarding. The solution that many areas came up with was to build a skateboarding park. These parks are usually "at your own risk" and the communities that have them are not held liable for any injury or death that may occur.
So, my curiosity is why isn't there a community street racing strip? Sure there are normal race tracks here and there, but they usually cost money to get in and do runs, they also have a lot of safety precautions that deter the normal street racer from attending.
Would this be of interest to any of you that street race to go to something like this or is the illegality of doing it on public roadways part of the rush?
Over the years, there was/is another similar thing that a lot of community members have had a problem with, skateboarding. The solution that many areas came up with was to build a skateboarding park. These parks are usually "at your own risk" and the communities that have them are not held liable for any injury or death that may occur.
So, my curiosity is why isn't there a community street racing strip? Sure there are normal race tracks here and there, but they usually cost money to get in and do runs, they also have a lot of safety precautions that deter the normal street racer from attending.
Would this be of interest to any of you that street race to go to something like this or is the illegality of doing it on public roadways part of the rush?
10-27-2003, 10:10 AM
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We were just discussing this over at one of the local boards. Several things deter something like this. One, space. It takes quite a bit of land to build a strip, and not much return. Of course, there are safety issues as you mentioned. Its hard to compare this to a skate park, since most skate parks have rules that if followed (I.E. safety gear) the worst that might happen is a broken bone. Someone suffers a broken bone at a community center, not many really think twice. Stuff like that happens at kiddy parks. But at a dragstrip, no matter what kind of safety policy you enforce, someone can die. BIG difference.
I think that is the main problem encountered. Not to mention, its hard to roll race at a dragstrip...
And most of us understand, you build a dragstrip, there's a chance someone might die, but its also much more likely to result in less deaths on the street. But will most other people who have nothing to do with racing realize that? At least with illegal street racing, the cities have no liability whatsoever. Building a place for someone to race at, regardless of what you get them to sign, there's a liability to the public.
Blake
I think that is the main problem encountered. Not to mention, its hard to roll race at a dragstrip...
And most of us understand, you build a dragstrip, there's a chance someone might die, but its also much more likely to result in less deaths on the street. But will most other people who have nothing to do with racing realize that? At least with illegal street racing, the cities have no liability whatsoever. Building a place for someone to race at, regardless of what you get them to sign, there's a liability to the public.
Blake
10-27-2003, 10:19 AM
#3
skate parks are not very noisy...... they take up about 1/2 acre...... some wood, some contrete..... easy to maintain...etc......
makeshift dragstrip....lots of noise...3/4 mile of black top that is 30-40 feet wide (to accomodate 2 lanes). Oil cleaning equipment, guard rails, taxes, etc.........important that it be maintained (ie no gravel, no oil, no potholes, etc....).
too much effort..... let the street racers wreck into trees...
makeshift dragstrip....lots of noise...3/4 mile of black top that is 30-40 feet wide (to accomodate 2 lanes). Oil cleaning equipment, guard rails, taxes, etc.........important that it be maintained (ie no gravel, no oil, no potholes, etc....).
too much effort..... let the street racers wreck into trees...
10-27-2003, 10:42 AM
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Only problem is that they occasionally crash into innocent people and property. I don't know how this program is working, but here's what San Diego is trying to do about ... www.racelegal.com
10-27-2003, 12:13 PM
#6
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There are plenty of programs giving out free 1/8th mile passes to suspected or caught racers. I think it doesn't do squat. First-off, the cars are just not fast enough at the end of 1/8th mile. We're just getting wound up. Even the 1/4 mile isn't always as satisfying as a wide-open run.
3ingin33r1 probably has it right. The rush of doing something illegal must be part of it. Some guys just don't like structured events or waiting to race.
Street racing must have started back when we were on horses! Of course population density has gone up so even comparing "Hot Rods to Hell" in the 50's to now isn't accurate in urban areas. Interesting that a lot of early street racers (and motorcyclists) were war veterans and racing maintained some sort of thrill they got from combat duty. The majority of street racers today haven't seen that military action. So their drive must be different.
3ingin33r1 probably has it right. The rush of doing something illegal must be part of it. Some guys just don't like structured events or waiting to race.
Street racing must have started back when we were on horses! Of course population density has gone up so even comparing "Hot Rods to Hell" in the 50's to now isn't accurate in urban areas. Interesting that a lot of early street racers (and motorcyclists) were war veterans and racing maintained some sort of thrill they got from combat duty. The majority of street racers today haven't seen that military action. So their drive must be different.
10-27-2003, 12:48 PM
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Some street racing would move to legal venues, but as one poster already mentioned, and another alluded to, a dragstrip is only the low end of racing. Racing from a roll is fun, too, yet it's almost impossible to construct an environment where this is safe and legal. If all forms of street racing were legal, all the fun would still be there, so even more people would do it.
The only reason it's illegal is the public safety aspect, and from the dawn of time, young men have undertaken life-threatening endeavors to prove their manhood. That is why laws have little effect on some people when it comes to this kind of thing. The only way to make street racing safer is for people to race in slower cars to keep speeds down, hence the popularity of the import street-racing scene is probably a good thing, emphasizing heavy wheels, wings and body kits on Civics and Sentras (things that make slow cars slower) over sheer speed and power.
The problem is, a Honda Civic might be able to hit 120 mph, but without suspension mods to stabilize the car, it isn't very safe to take it over about 90 mph. Since it takes all day for a Civic to get up to a lethal speed, you have kids driving foot-to-the-floor on freeways for miles, trying to get going fast enough to feel like a "man." In a much more powerful car like a Z28 or M3, you can hit those speeds in no time, and slow back down again before plowing into another driver, not to mention those more powerful cars have better suspension systems for that kind of speed, making them inherently more stable and safe at extra-legal velocities. I am not suggesting we put those kinds of cars in the hands of someone who thinks a park bench bolted to the trunk is "off the hook." From what I hear, law enforcement already hassles Civics with body kits more than drivers of cars that can actually maintain some sort of control at higher speeds, so maybe we should encourage this kind of prejudicial treatment.
Skateboarding is illegal in many communities because grinding on a brass railing or marble planter damages property. My friends skate, and they don't seem to understand why someone would not want them to trash their property. I take this as a willful blindness. Street-racing kills people, so willful blindness there is not acceptable.
The only reason it's illegal is the public safety aspect, and from the dawn of time, young men have undertaken life-threatening endeavors to prove their manhood. That is why laws have little effect on some people when it comes to this kind of thing. The only way to make street racing safer is for people to race in slower cars to keep speeds down, hence the popularity of the import street-racing scene is probably a good thing, emphasizing heavy wheels, wings and body kits on Civics and Sentras (things that make slow cars slower) over sheer speed and power.
The problem is, a Honda Civic might be able to hit 120 mph, but without suspension mods to stabilize the car, it isn't very safe to take it over about 90 mph. Since it takes all day for a Civic to get up to a lethal speed, you have kids driving foot-to-the-floor on freeways for miles, trying to get going fast enough to feel like a "man." In a much more powerful car like a Z28 or M3, you can hit those speeds in no time, and slow back down again before plowing into another driver, not to mention those more powerful cars have better suspension systems for that kind of speed, making them inherently more stable and safe at extra-legal velocities. I am not suggesting we put those kinds of cars in the hands of someone who thinks a park bench bolted to the trunk is "off the hook." From what I hear, law enforcement already hassles Civics with body kits more than drivers of cars that can actually maintain some sort of control at higher speeds, so maybe we should encourage this kind of prejudicial treatment.
Skateboarding is illegal in many communities because grinding on a brass railing or marble planter damages property. My friends skate, and they don't seem to understand why someone would not want them to trash their property. I take this as a willful blindness. Street-racing kills people, so willful blindness there is not acceptable.
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10-27-2003, 02:42 PM
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I think it'd be a great idea. I'd even be willing to pay $10-20 for a night of racing. The only problem is there isn't a place to do it. There's drag racing only 12 miles from me at a local airport, but they run 1 Saturday a month from January to June and then nothing. If they kept it every other week year round, I'm sure they'd get more people going. I'd be willing to pay even more if it was a 1500' strip, so I can hit 100s (RSX-S)... I know kids around here gather in supermarket parking lots because there's no where else to go. If there was a strip, I bet there'd be a lot less kids getting into trouble due to the fact that there's a place where there's some supervision and it gives them something to do.
10-30-2003, 05:45 PM
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I would love a place round here that ALWAYS had an autcross course, and a 1/4 mile track as well. I would live there to say the least. But unfortunately there is nothing, and we are forced to test our new mods on back roads around here. I am going to start hosting ghetto-cross in my local supermarket parking lot, lol.
