Well, THAT wasn’t street racing as I know it, that was stupidity. Is “street racing” only drag racing through a neighbourhood to you?
I have never drag raced from a red light, red lights are in cities for gods sake, that’s dangerous. And drag racing is dumb anyway, not on safety grounds, just because it is boring and says nothing about the ability to drive a car fast.
That’s is not what I call street racing.
For me street racing is like this:
Driving sort of sportily home from work along a curvy road through the fields and slight hills I catch a Maserati (the big one, don’t know the name) driving not too fast and I easily pass him at my current speed. Not street racing, just driving at my pace.
But he doesn’t like that and later blasts past me (I let him go by unhindered, of course, even pull over slightly for him) on the straight followed by a rather nasty curve. This is in the fields mind you, no houses or children anywhere. He goes around the nasty curve at a speed I never though was possible, even in my NSX. Well it seemed like that, anyway. He must have been right on the limit, but that is why he bought the car I guess.
I chased him and caught him. But I couldn’t pass, and wasn’t going to try, that would have been stupid.
This guy could really drive that big car!
It was a narrow country road.
The road was clear and we could see around all the bends. Top speed was about 140 kph (85mph), but slower in the curves.
Bear in mind not a day goes by that I (and many others) don’t drive more than 100mph (even in a normal family car) for an extended time, like for 20 minutes solid if it is a long journey. Here we (not just me) often do 75mph on crowded, non motorway roads through outskirts of towns etc. and there aren’t particularly many accidents. I live close to Brussels, the capital of Europe, so it is not exactly a desert.
It was enjoyable and after some time he turned left and I turned right. I knew I wasn’t as good a driver as he was, and I wasn’t about to go above my limit. He obviously also did not go above his limit.
That is street racing (to me).
Was that dangerous?
Please tell me what you think, I ask sincerely. I don’t mean to wind you up. I write this in the service of discussion.
But I don’t think it was dangerous. Driving through the city is more likely to result in an accident than racing.
I don’t think your example of street racing is a good one to make your point. What that Magnum guy did was pure stupidly, not racing. He made a mistake, and had an accident. Racing? No.
Showing off more like.
Maybe your view of street racing is that way because of the heavily built up nature of large American cities.
But not everybody street races in situations like that.
Another example of street racing is this:
I decide to go to the Nuerburgring for the afternoon. Just to watch maybe. It is 20 minutes on the motorway at about 100mph – 110 mph (and maybe 90 mph past Liege, a large and crowded Belgian city), then a very enjoyable 45 minutes of twisty country roads.
On the way I meet many (and get passed by) other people, some of whom are also going to the Ring. Some have very powerful cars, much more than my NSX.
Also there are many fast motorcycles and the amount of fast cars and fast motorcycles increases as one approaches the Ring.
Of course there is a lot of very spirited driving and racing. Everybody is safe and courteous to another car passing etc.
But with the amount of traffic coming the other way, you have to be very aggressive and get a move on if you want to pass and stay ahead of the cars and motorcycles chasing you.
And chase they do.
There are lots of cars climbing up your tail pipe so that is what you do; get a move on.
Through the villages everybody drives slow even the young kids on fast bikes.
As we come out of the villages and onto a straight section speeds can very quickly be up to 200kph, and that passing normal traffic (2 lane road, one lane in our direction, the other lane opposing traffic). With a trail of 5 cars and bikes trying to pass each other.
Then into another twisty part, also at a high speed, this all requires judgment in braking and negotiating bumps and traffic and is enjoyable.
The fast cars and bikes are being used for what they were designed for.
That to me is street racing.
To me and many others the trip to the Nürburgring is one great street race.
Dangerous and sinful?
Peter:smile:
