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Street racing



 
 
Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal
LAW

LAW may refer to:* Anti-tank warfare, e.g. the US Army M72 LAW or the British Army LAW 80*Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights ...
 auto racing
Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving racing cars. It is one of the world's most watched television sports....
 which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races, in comparison, are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio
Citizens' band radio

Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-Hertz band....
 and using police scanners and GPS units to mark locations of local police hot spots. (See participants, below).






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Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal
LAW

LAW may refer to:* Anti-tank warfare, e.g. the US Army M72 LAW or the British Army LAW 80*Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights ...
 auto racing
Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving racing cars. It is one of the world's most watched television sports....
 which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races, in comparison, are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio
Citizens' band radio

Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-Hertz band....
 and using police scanners and GPS units to mark locations of local police hot spots. (See participants, below). Street racing is reported to have originated prior to the 1930s due to alcohol prohibition
Prohibition

Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as The Noble Experiment, refers to a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol....
 in some parts of the United States. At the time smugglers of unrefined and illegal alcohol would try to find ways to make more power and achieve better handling from their engine and suspension.

Street racing's heyday was the late 1940s and early 1950s, at just the time organized stock-car racing and drag racing were becoming commercial spectator sports. All across the country, every city and town had semi-formalized street-racing, with matches typically being arranged in the parking lot of a local drive-in restaurant, and the races themselves being run on a deserted road on the edge of town. Typical was the medium-sized city of Pasadena, California, where the "staging area" was the Rite Spot drive-in on the western city limits, and the races themselves often took place on a road that gave access to the Rose Bowl but had virtually no traffic most of the time. One of the most successful Pasadena street racers was Peter Joseph Massett (1936-2002), whose recollections were used by Robert Post to write a book about the culture and technology of drag racing from 1950 to 2000. Opponents to street racing cite a lack of safety relative to sanctioned racing events, as well as legal repercussions arising from incidents, among street racing's drawbacks. Most duels are drag races.

Types


Drag racing


Drag racing
Drag racing

Drag racing is a competition in which vehicles compete to be the first to cross a set finish line, usually from a dead stop, and in a straight line....
 is a race which involves two or more competitors who drive in a straight line for a specified distance (usually a 1/4 mile). The driver that covers the most distance between the two cars or reaches the end first is the winner. Fundamental skills in drag racing are the ability to launch with minimum wheelspin and shifting as fast as possible. Such competition on organized tracks associated with a sanctioning body are legal.

A form of illegal racing on public roads is when two or more cars compete until one party is the clear winner. This differs from the above mentioned drag race, in which a set distance on a straight road is traversed. Drivers typically line up while moving under the posted speed limit. Once all the cars are ready, one car will sound its horn three times; the third time is the final signal to start the run. Another method of starting the race is to have a spectator acting as a starter. Normally he/she will use hand signals (also called flagging) to start the race. A car simply outruns the other vehicles by a considerable margin in order to win. If the winner cannot be determined, it is usually decided upon a mutual agreement, or having another race. Another way to signal a race is by flashing the vehicle's high-beams.

Touge Racing

The sport of drifting and touge
Touge

is a Japanese Language word literally meaning "pass." It refers to a mountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas....
 racing from (primarily) Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 has led to its acceptance in other parts of the world. Touge
Touge

is a Japanese Language word literally meaning "pass." It refers to a mountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas....
 (pronounced "toe-gay"; Japanese for "mountain pass," because these races are held on mountain roads and passes) generally refers to racing, one car at a time, or in a chase format through mountain passes (the definition of which varies per locale and racing organization). Examples of such roads include Del Dios Highway in Escondido, California
Escondido, California

Escondido is a city located in North San Diego County, California San Diego County, California just north of the city of San Diego, California....
, and Mount Haruna
Mount Haruna

is a dormant stratovolcano in eastern Honshu, Japan. Its summit is 1,449 m high. It appeared about 300,000 years ago; the last known eruption was c. 550....
, on the island of Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
, in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. However, street racing competition can lead to more people racing on a given road than would ordinarily be permitted (hence leading to the reputation of danger inherent). Touge races are typically run in a best out of three format. Opponent A starts the first race with Opponent B directly behind. The winner is determined by the time difference between the cars at the finish line. For instance, if Opponent A has pulled away from Opponent B at the finish line, he is determined the winner. If Opponent B has managed to stay on Opponent A's tail, he is determined the winner. For the second race, Opponent B starts off in front and the winner is determined using the same method.

Cannonball Runs


"Cannonball Runs" are illegal point-to-point
Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving racing cars. It is one of the world's most watched television sports....
 road rallies
Rallying

Rallying is a form of motor competition that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars....
 that involve a handful of racers. They hearken back to the authorized Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an races at the end of the 19th century. The races died away when the chaotic 1903 Paris-Madrid race
Paris-Madrid race

The Paris-Madrid race of May 1903 was an early experiment in auto racing.The race began in Versailles with 216 cars and 59 motorcycles setting out at regular intervals....
 was canceled at Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
 for safety reasons after numerous fatalities involving drivers and pedestrians. Point-to-point runs reappeared in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 in the mid 1910s when Erwin George Baker
Erwin George Baker

Erwin George "Cannon Ball" Baker was a motorcycle and automobile auto racing driver and organizer in the first half of the 20th century. Baker began his public career as a vaudeville performer, but turned to driving and racing after winning a dirt-track motorcycle race in Crawfordsville, Indiana in about 1904....
 who drove cross-country on record breaking runs that stood for years, being legal at the time, and the term "Cannonball" was penned for him in honor of his runs. Nowadays drivers will race from one part of a town or country to the other side; whoever makes the fastest overall time is the winner. A perfect example of an illegal road race was the 1970s original Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash

The Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as the Cannonball Baker or Cannonball Run, was an unofficial, if not outlaw, automobile auto racing run four times in the 1970s from New York City and Darien, Connecticut, on the East Coast of the United States, to Redondo Beach, California, a Los An...
, aka "The Cannonball Run", that long-time automotive journalist Brock Yates
Brock Yates

Brock Yates was executive editing of Car and Driver, an United States automotive magazine. He was a pit reporter for CBS Sports coverage of certain NASCAR Nextel Cup series races in the 1980s, including the Daytona 500....
 founded. The exploits spawned numerous films, the best known being The Cannonball Run
The Cannonball Run (film)

The Cannonball Run is a Camp y, slapstick Film released in 1981 that starred Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise and Farrah Fawcett. Hal Needham was the director and had an uncredited role as an emergency medical technician....
. Several years after the notorious "Cannonball", Yates created the family-friendly and somewhat legal version One Lap of America
One Lap of America

The One Lap of America is a motorsports event in the United States that has been held since 1984. It is the successor to the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an underground auto race of the 1970s....
 where speeding occurs in race circuits and is still running to this day. In modern society it is rather difficult if not impossible to organize an illegal and extremely dangerous road race, there are still a few events which may be considered racing, such as the Gumball 3000
Gumball 3000

The Gumball 3000 is an annual 3000 mile international rally which takes place on public roads, which travels around the world. Although set up as a rally with no official timing, or prizes for reaching checkpoints first, during the rally, some participants have been fined for speeding and other traffic offences by the police in countries th...
, Gumball Rally, and Players Run races. These "races", better known as rallies for legality's sake, mostly comprise wealthy individuals racing sports car
Sports car

A sports car is a term used to describe a class of automobile. The exact definition varies, but generally it is used to refer to a low to ground, light weight vehicle with a powerful engine....
s across the country for fun. The AKA Rally however, is designed for individuals with a smaller budget (approximately $3000). Entrance fees to these events are usually all inclusive (hotels, food, and events). Participants 'rally' together from a start point to predetermined locations until they arrive at the finish line. The AKA Rally in particular has organized driver oriented events e.g., autocross
Autocross

Autocross is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe, low-cost competition and active participation. An autocross is a timed competition where drivers navigate one at a time through a temporary course marked by traffic cones, rather than racing on a track with multiple other cars, as in road racing or oval racing....
 or drag strip races, away from public roads to minimize the risk of drivers getting too enthusiastic on public roads. The latter racing community has even spawned numerous TV and video series including the Mischief film series and Bullrun
Bullrun

Bullrun is an United States reality television series based on the trans-American road rally of the same name. The televised version has 12 teams compete in a 4,000-mile 18-day road rally to win the grand prize of US$200,000....
 reality TV Show. The AKA Rally was featured on MTV in a 2004 True Life episode and is being filmed in 2008 for an upcoming 6 part series on the Speed TV network. The Cannonball run type race also spawned numerous games of its type, most famously Sega
Sega

is a Multinational corporation video game software and hardware development company, and a home computer and console manufacturer headquartered in Ota, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan....
's OutRun arcade game
Arcade game

An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers....
. It was also parodied in the 1960s-70s Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. , was an American List of animation studios that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century....
 series Wacky Races
Wacky Races

Wacky Races is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series features 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer." Wacky Races ran on CBS from September 14, 1968 to September 5, 1970....
.

Street Road Racing


Street Road Racing, where not prohibited, involves three simple rules..

  • 1. The Winner is in front at the finish.
  • 2. The Leader chooses the course.
  • 3. The finish is when the pursuer quits.


Terminology

An "official" lexicon of street racing terminology is difficult to establish as terminology differs by location.


Any or all of the below mentioned activities may be considered illegal, depending on location of the race.

In addition to the people racers, there are generally observers present at organized street races. A flagger starts the race; this is typically accomplished by standing in front of the vehicles and making an up-down motion with the arms indicating the race should begin. There are variations on this theme, including the throwing/dropping of a handkerchief, ribbon, and so on. This act would be analogous to the tree in a typical sanctioned drag race, and has been portrayed widely in popular culture, from ZZ Top
ZZ Top

ZZ Top is an American Rock music trio formed in late 1969 in Houston, Texas, United States. The group members are Billy Gibbons , Dusty Hill , and Frank Beard ....
 music videos to American cinema
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
.

Race specifics

A dig may refer to all participants toeing a line, aligning the front bumper of the vehicles, after which all vehicles race from a stop to a pre-arranged point (typically a quarter mile in the United States, but may vary by locale).

A roll generally refers to a race which starts at a non-zero speed, and continues until all but one participant have stopped racing. This may be accompanied by three honks which would be analogous to a countdown
Countdown

A countdown is the backward counting to indicate the seconds, days, etc. remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the explosion of a bomb, the start of a racing, or the New Year....
.

To be set out lengths is a system of handicapping that allows a slower car to start their race a number of car lengths ahead and requiring the faster car to catch up and pass the slower car. There are often heated negotiations to determine a fair number.

To get the break, hit, kick, or move is to start the race without the flagger. This is another system of handicapping that requires one car to wait until they see the other car start to move before they are allowed to leave their starting line.

Motivations

There are various motivations for street racing, but typically cited reasons include:
  • Generally, street racing is not sanctioned and thus leads to a less rigorously controlled environment than sanctioned racing, to the enjoyment of some participants.
  • Street racing is cited as an activity which is available to people who are otherwise under-age for entertainment at traditional venues such as bar
    Bar (establishment)

    A bar is a business that serves drinks, especially alcoholic beverages such as beer, liquor, and mixed drinks, for consumption on the premises....
    s.
  • A community generally springs up around the street racing "scene", providing social interaction among the participants and cliques therein.
  • The opportunity to show off ones vehicle
  • The simple and uncomplicated excitement of racing without the entry fees, rules and politics, typical of the sport.
  • The excitement of racing when law enforcement is certain to give chase.
  • A lack of proper, sanctioned racing venues in the locale.
  • Street races are sometimes wagered on, either by the participants or observers. This is the origin of the term "racing for pink slip
    Vehicle title

    A vehicle title is a legal form, establishing a person or business as the Title of a vehicle. Vehicle titles in the U.S. are commonly issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles....
    s" (which means that the winner keeps the opponent's car), which inspired the 2005 Speed Channel
    SPEED Channel

    Speed, sometimes still referred to as the Speed Channel, is a cable television and satellite television television channel broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States....
     series Pinks
    Pinks

    Pinks is a franchise series of television programs on Speed Channel based on drag race. The original debuted in 2005, with the spinoff Pinks: All Out following in 2006....
    . This, in real life, seldom happens; most wagers involve cash (as in Pinks: All Out
    Pinks

    Pinks is a franchise series of television programs on Speed Channel based on drag race. The original debuted in 2005, with the spinoff Pinks: All Out following in 2006....
    ).
  • To settle a bet, dispute, etc between fellow racers (ex. one believes that they are the better person, vice versa, and turns into an argument, which leads to a race (if it comes down to that)).


Dangers

The Kent, Washington
Kent, Washington

Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States. The second largest city in south King County and the ninth largest in the state, Kent has the third largest industrial area in the United States....
 police department lists the following consequences of street racing:

  • Traffic collisions, including fatalities
  • Trespassing on private property
  • Property loss from theft and vandalism
  • Auto theft rates, carjacking
    Carjacking

    is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of motor vehicle theft and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the sixties, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction, which did not often include kidnapping of the driver....
    s
  • Increased gang activity


Because vehicles used in street racing competitions generally lack professional racing safety equipment such as roll cage
Roll cage

A roll cage is a specially constructed frame built in or around the cab of a vehicle to protect the occupants from being injured in an accident, particularly in the event of a roll-over....
s and racing fuel cell and drivers seldom wear fire suit
Nomex

Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.It can be considered an aromaticity nylon, the meta- variant of the para--aramid Kevlar....
s and are not usually trained in high-performance driving, injuries and fatalities are common results from accidents. Furthermore, illegal street racers put ordinary drivers at risk because they race on public roads rather than closed-course, purpose-built facilities, such as Pacific Raceways
Pacific Raceways

Pacific Raceways is a mixed-use road racing facility in Kent, Washington. The race track was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. The track was originally named Pacific Raceways, then became known as Seattle International Raceways in 1976....
 in the aforementioned city.

Because racing occurs in areas where it is not sanctioned, extensive wear can occur to the roads (from high-powered
Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several non-International System of Units units of power . It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses....
 vehicles damaging the asphalt
Asphalt

Asphalt is a sticky, black and highly viscosity liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum....
) and damage to the fences/gates closing the area off (in the case of industrial parks, etc). Further, as the street racing culture places a very high social value on a fast vehicle, people who might not otherwise be able to afford blazingly fast but very expensive vehicles may attempt to steal them, violently or otherwise. Additionally, street racers tend to form teams which participate in racing together, the implication above is that these teams may be a form of organized crime or gang activity.

Worth noting is that the astronomical theft rate of the Acura Integra and other popular street racing cars is associated with street racing, in addition to the usual claims of chop shop
Chop shop

A chop shop is a slang phrase for an illegal location or business which disassembles Motor vehicle theft for the purpose of selling them as parts....
s.

By country


Australia

Street racing in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 occurs across the country most notably in the lower socio-economic suburbs of the main cities and semi-rural NSW and Victoria. People who participate, specifically the drivers themselves, are referred to as hoon
Hoon

Hoon is a derogatory term used in Australia and New Zealand to refer to a person who engages in loutish, anti-social behaviour. In particular, it is used to refer to one who drives in a manner which is anti-social by the standards of contemporary society, that is, fast, noisily or dangerously....
s or 'boyracers' in both Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
. The term is also used as a verb to describe reckless and dangerous driving in general ("to hoon" or "to hoon around").

Street racing began in the late 1960s as the local vehicle manufacturers (Ford Australia, Chrysler Australia and Holden) began creating performance versions of their family cars both for attracting the growing youth market and meeting racing homologation
Homologation

Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek language homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority....
 requirements. Vehicles such as the Chrysler Valiant Pacer offered strong performance at an affordable price. While V8's were popular most street-racers concentrated on tuning the locally designed and built Chrysler 265ci Hemi, Holden 202ci and Ford 250ci six cylinder engines used in the Chrysler Valiant, Chrysler Valiant Charger, Holden Torana, Holden Monaro, Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.

Laws exist in all states and territories that limit modifications done to vehicles and prohibit having nitrous oxide hooked up to, or even present inside a car. In most states further laws impose strong penalties for street racing such as confiscating/impounding the vehicle and loss of license.

Australia has lower levels of offensive behavior than New Zealand related to street racing due to strict rules imposed on safety features on imported cars reducing the volume of small and cheap Japanese imports that are typically modified with loud exhaust tips and cut-down coil springs by 'boyracers'.

Canada


In Alberta, alleged street racers posted up videos on Youtube
YouTube

YouTube is a Video hosting service website where users can upload, view and share video clips. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005....
 showing how they reached speeds of 200 km/h, claiming to have done so on private roads. As the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the federal police, national police, and paramilitary police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world....
 (RCMP) knows that there are no "private roads" in that province, they launched an investigation and seized several vehicles.

In Vancouver
Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city in British Columbia and the second largest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest region....
, the police has used Youtube
YouTube

YouTube is a Video hosting service website where users can upload, view and share video clips. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005....
 videos in order to determine the identity of the drivers. A Honda S2000
Honda S2000

The Honda S2000 is a roadster manufactured by the Japanese automaker Honda. It was launched in April 1999 and was created to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary....
 and Mazdaspeed3
Mazdaspeed3

The Mazdaspeed3 or Mazdaspeed Axela is a sport compact hatchback introduced by Mazdaspeed for the 2007 model year, as a performance-enhanced version of the Mazda3....
 were racing through the metro area at speeds topping 240 km/h.

In 2006, in Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
, Wang-Piao Dumani Ross and Alexander Ryazanov were racing their parents' two cars on Mount Pleasant Road, supposedly hitting speeds of 140 kilometres per hour in an area where the posted speed limit is 50 km/h. One of the racers stuck a taxi, killing cab driver Tahir Khan. Police investigating the accident found a copy of the video game Need for Speed
Need for Speed

Need For Speed is a series of racing game video games video game developer by Canadian based company EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts....
 in one of the cars. Both drivers, 18 at the time, were charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death. Ross and Ryazanov each pled guilty and received a one-year house arrest term, followed by a one year curfew. The judge felt that prison terms were not warranted in the case, saying: "neither has tried to blame the other and they had done the right thing, accepting full responsibility and pleading guilty at the right time." The Crown was seeking a three year prison term and an appealed. The two offenders had their conditional sentences doubled to two years of house arrest and their driving bans extended from four to seven years, though the appeals judge maintained that jail was not necessary. Khan's family has filed a $2 million civil suit.

Hong Kong


Street racing in Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
 is very much the same to that in other Asian countries and tends to consist mostly of modified Japanese cars and motorcycles. The Hong Kong Police Force
Hong Kong Police Force

The Hong Kong Police is the police of Hong Kong. Formed in 1844 with a strength of 35, the force evolved from an extremely broad-based role , to that of a traditional police service, with mostly civic responsibilities - although the force is still heavily committed to countering illegal immigration and smuggling....
, responsible for road safety, are in the practice of placing roadblock
Roadblock

A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events...
s in areas where this commonly occurs.

The Hong Kong street racing scene has spawned numerous movies that have sequences of street racing.

Croatia


Street racing in Zagreb
Zagreb

Zagreb is the Capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the Culture of Croatia, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Cinema of Croatia, Economy of Croatia and Government of Croatia center of the Croatia....
 currently presents a big community problem and a problem for the police. The lack of race tracks nearby is evident, since the only legal race track open for public is in Grobnik near Rijeka
Rijeka

Rijeka is the principal seaport of Croatia, located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea. It has 144,043 inhabitants and is Croatia's third largest city....
, a 150 km drive. Due to this problem, car racing enthusiasts often race at night on avenues. Dubrovnik Avenue
Dubrovnik Avenue

Dubrovnik Avenue is an avenue located in the Novi Zagreb part of Zagreb, Croatia. It is mostly six or eight lanes wide. It runs between the Eastern Rotary and the Western Rotary....
 is a common racing location due to the number of lanes and very low traffic after the evening rush hour
Rush hour

File:2ndAvenueSubwayStationBottleneck.jpgA rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is worst....
. Due to its isolation and the lack of curves, Micevec Road is also a common place for illegal racing. Sometimes large events involving 20 or more racers are illegally organized on highways leading to or from Zagreb or on the Zagreb bypass
Zagreb bypass

Zagreb bypass , formally known as the urban highway is an U-shaped freeway partially encircling Zagreb, Croatia. The largest part by far, from Jankomir to Ivanja Reka, was built from 1977 to 1979, while the part between Ivanja Reka and Sveta Helena was built from 1996 to 1999....
. Police usually make more effort to stop these events than to bother with avenue racing. All events take place during the night, so the street racing is usually unknown to most of the public not minding the occasional newspaper articles. Home movie
Home movie

Home movie may mean:*Home movies, referring to private or amateur motion picture photographic products shot and printed in any video or film format....
s depicting races are frequently posted on YouTube
YouTube

YouTube is a Video hosting service website where users can upload, view and share video clips. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005....
, but often removed. Police cannot take legal action against racers based on these movies since digital video
Digital video

Digital video is a type of video recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog signal video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article....
 isn't accepted as legal evidence
Evidence (law)

The law of evidence governs the use of testimony and exhibit s or other documentary material which is admissible in a dispute resolution ....
 in a court of law.

Japan

Street racers, known natively as hashiriya, often occur on expressway
Expressway

An expressway is a divided highway for high-speed traffic with at least partial control of access. The degree of access allowed varies between country and even between regions within the same country....
s and highway
Highway

A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as city and towns. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated freeway....
s, where they are known as kousoku battle or commonly known as Roulette-zoku as they drive round and round on circular expressways and frequently occur on the Shuto Expressway
Shuto Expressway

File:Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway map.svg is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the ....
 in Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
. Japanese racers have also popularized racing along the narrow winding roads of the mountains of the country, known as Touge
Touge

is a Japanese Language word literally meaning "pass." It refers to a mountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas....
.

The most notorious group to be associated with street racing was the Mid Night Club
Mid Night Club

The was a Japanese street racing gang that hosted illegal races on the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway between Tokyo to Yokohama. The gang became one of the most notorious and highly respected clubs of its type, which led to it being featured in over 200 editorial features in most of the leading Japanese auto magazines and even in foreign...
 who gave street racing worldwide attention with its antics. It was known for its high standards and organization until they were disbanded in 1999 following a fatal accident involving a group of motorcyclists. The expressway racing scene is portrayed in the manga Wangan Midnight
Wangan Midnight

is a Japanese seinen racing manga series created by Michiharu Kusunoki that has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1992. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga....
, as well as in the biographical
Biography

A biography is a description of someone's life, usually published in the form of a book or essay, or in some other form, such as a film. An autobiography is a biography by the same person it is about....
 (Tsuchiya) Shuto Kousoku Trial
Shuto Kousoku Trial

is the original title of a series of six Japanese films, about illegal highway racing in the Shuto Expressway, released between 1988 and 1996. An English subtitled version of the films series -renamed 'Freeway Speedway'- was released on DVD in North America in 2004 due to commercial success of popular Hollywood films like The Fast and th...
.

With heavier punishments, patrolling police cars, crackdowns in meeting areas and the installation of speed cameras, expressway racing in Japan is not as common today as it was during the 80s and 90s. Still, it occurs on a not so regular basis. Persistent racers often install spring assisted license-plate swivelling mechanisms that hold plates down at speed or picture-proof screens over their plates. In 2001, the amount of hashiriya dropped from 9,624 (in 1995) to 4,365 and police arrests in areas where hashiriya gather are common. Cars are checked for illegal modification and if found, owners are fined and forced to remove the offending modifications.

One of the causes of street racing in Japan is that, despite the numerous and famous race circuits, they can become overcrowded. Furthermore, such circuits may cost as much as Ľ
Japanese yen

The is the currency of Japan. It is the third most-traded currency in the forex after the euro and the United States dollar. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S....
20,000 to race, while a highway toll may cost less than Ľ1,000. Also, with Japan's high cost of living; many young drivers prefer to put their money into savings, or take out loans on their vehicles where they would usually gather with like minded people at either the Shibaura
Shibaura

is a district of Minato, Tokyo ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The district is located between the eastern side of the Yamanote Line train and Tokyo Bay....
 parking area, the Tatsumi
Tatsumi

Tatsumi Electronics Co. Ltd. also known as Tazmi is a Japan amusement game manufacturer, founded in 1970.In recent years, Tatsumi have focused on the production of sticker printing and novelty machines....
 parking area or the best known Yokohama
Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kanto region of the main island of Honshu. It is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area....
 Daikoku Futo service area.

As in other countries, street racing also occurs on long straights in industrial areas, which are used for drag races, known natively as Zero-Yon for "0-400" (meters; in America, racing to a quarter-mile, 1320 feet, or 402 meters, is the norm), Yon is Japanese for "4". This practice gave its name to a 90s popular game franchise, Zero4 Champ series
Zero4 Champ series

Zero4 Champ series is a racing video game franchise created by Yutaka Kaminaga of Media Rings in 1991. Hudson Soft -now a member of Konami group- licensed it for Drift Champ, the latest episode planned by Work Jam, developed by Tamsoft and for a mobile phone game developed by Profire, both were released in late 2002....
.

Malaysia

Street racing in Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
 is illegal, as is watching a street race; this is enforced by the Malaysian police
Royal Malaysian Police

The Royal Malaysian Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralized organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering....
. Many street
Street

A street is a public thoroughfare in the built environment. It is a public parcel of landform adjoining buildings in an urban area context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about....
s, road
Road

A road is an identifiable Road number, way or Trail between Location . Roads are typically smoothed, Pavement , or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel; though they need not be, and historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or Maintenance, repair and operations....
s, highway
Highway

A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as city and towns. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated freeway....
s and expressway
Expressway

An expressway is a divided highway for high-speed traffic with at least partial control of access. The degree of access allowed varies between country and even between regions within the same country....
s in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur , is the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million....
, Selangor
Selangor

Selangor is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west....
, Penang
Penang

Penang is a States of Malaysia in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis, and the eighth most populous....
, Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru, also spelled Johor Baharu, Johor Baru, or Johore Bahru and abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia....
 and other cities have become sites for racing. Among the participants are teenagers driving modified cars or riding motorcycles.

Motorcycle street racers in Malaysia are also known as Mat Rempit
Mat rempit

A Mat Rempit is a Malaysia term for 'an individual who participates in Street racing', usually involving underbone motorcycles or Scooter . Not all Mat Rempits are involved in street racing; some of them perform crazy stunts for fun, such as the wheelie, superman , wikang, and scorpion ....
 in Malay Language
Malay language

The Malay language is an Austronesian languages spoken by the Malays and people of other ethnic groups who reside in Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau Islands and parts of the coast of Borneo....
. These Mat Rempit are infamous for their "Superman" stunts and other feats performed on their motorcycles. They are also notorious for their "Cilok", a kind of racing in which racers weave in-between moving and stationary traffic at high-speed. In addition to doing their stunts and racing around, they have a habit of causing public disorder. They usually travel in large groups and at times raid isolated petrol stations. They can cordon off normal traffic flow to allow their friends race along a predetermined circuit.

Most illegal car racers in Malaysia use modified common cars or bargain performance cars such as the Proton Saga
Proton Saga

The Proton Saga is the first automobile produced by Malaysian auto manufacturer Proton . Originally based on the 1983 Mitsubishi Lancer#Third generation, the Saga first debuted in September 1985 and retained its core Fiore design for two decades, before a successor designed in-house by Proton was launched to replace the ageing platform in 200...
, Proton Wira
Proton Wira

The Proton Wira is a automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , released as a four-door saloon and four-door hatchback beginning 1993....
, Proton Satria
Proton Satria

The Proton Satria was a hatchback produced by Proton . Production started in 1995 for the first generation and ended in 2005. The new Satria Replacement Model , known as Proton Satria Neo was launched on 16 June 2006....
, Proton Waja
Proton Waja

The Proton Waja is a sedan car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton , first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40....
, Perodua Kancil
Perodua Kancil

The Perodua Kancil is a city car manufactured by Malaysian automobile manufacturer Perodua since 1994. The Kancil is named after the mousedeer native to Malaysia....
 or other Japanese cars such as the first-generation Nissan Cefiro
Nissan Cefiro

The Nissan Cefiro was an midsize car automobile range sold in Japan and other countries. It was introduced initially as a 4-door sedan, however a wagon was later produced....
, old Honda Civic
Honda Civic

The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact car/compact cars manufactured by Honda. In the United States of America, the Civic is the second-longest continuously-running nameplate from a Japanese manufacturer; only the Toyota Corolla, introduced in 1968, has been in production longer....
s, and old Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla

The Corolla is a line of subcompact car/compact cars produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966....
s. Illegal drift racing often takes place on dangerous hill roads such as Bukit Tinggi
Bukit Tinggi, Pahang

Bukit Tinggi is a small town in the Bentong district of Pahang, Malaysia. This small town is located along Karak Expressway....
, Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands

Genting Highlands is a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia and is home to a famous hill station by the same name which can be reached by car from Kuala Lumpur in one hour....
, Cameron Highlands
Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands is a highland region located about 121 km east of Ipoh, Perak and about 214 km north of Kuala Lumpur, in Pahang, Malaysia....
 or Teluk Bahang, Penang
Teluk Bahang

Teluk Bahang is a town in Penang, Malaysia. It is situated on the northwestern part of Penang Island. The Teluk Bahang Dam is situated here. This place is popular in Penang, Malaysia as a tourism area surrounded with a white beach, historical monuments and more....
. Meanwhile, illegal drag racing takes place on expressway
Expressway

An expressway is a divided highway for high-speed traffic with at least partial control of access. The degree of access allowed varies between country and even between regions within the same country....
s such as the Second Link Expressway
Second Link Expressway

The Second Link Expressway , also known as Linkedua Expressway is an expressway in Malaysia which links Senai North at North-South Expressway, Malaysia, Senai Airport and Taman Perling, Johor Bahru via its extension known as Pontian-Johor Bahru Parkway to the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link....
 in Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru, also spelled Johor Baharu, Johor Baru, or Johore Bahru and abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia....
. Illegal racers can be distinguished by their over-modified vehicles which do not follow road regulations in Malaysia.

On 12 July 2006, the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
Malaysia-Singapore Second Link

Malaysia-Singapore Second Link is a bridge connecting Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In Singapore, it is officially known as the Tuas Second Link....
 in Johor
Johor

Johor is a state of Malaysia between 1?20"N and 2?35"N. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The capital city and royal seat of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly Tanjung Puteri ....
 became a venue of illegal racing. The Johor police
Royal Malaysian Police

The Royal Malaysian Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralized organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering....
 and the Road Transport Department
Malaysian Road Transport Department

The Malaysian Road Transport Department is a government department under the Malaysian Ministry of Transport. This department is responsible for issuing Malaysian number plates....
, together with the highway operator PLUS Expressway, have launched major operations to crack down on illegal racing. More than 600 people have been arrested in these operations and were composed of Malaysians and Singaporeans.

Philippines

The rapid increase in motorcycle and scooter ownership (because of its relatively cheap and easy way to purchase one) also encouraged the growth of illegal motorcycle street racing in the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
. Scooters of 125 cc displacement (notably the Honda XRM
Honda XRM

The Honda XRM is an underbone-style motorbike that is produced and sold in the Philippines. It is called Nice in Thailand but not an Off-Road type....
) are modified for performance, or simply strip it to its bare bones, even fitting engines from more powerful motorcycles like the Honda TMX, for the sake of racing. These races are often done in the Mat Rempit
Mat rempit

A Mat Rempit is a Malaysia term for 'an individual who participates in Street racing', usually involving underbone motorcycles or Scooter . Not all Mat Rempits are involved in street racing; some of them perform crazy stunts for fun, such as the wheelie, superman , wikang, and scorpion ....
 style. Honda
Honda

is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan.The company manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, scooter , robots, jet aircrafts and jet engines, all-terrain vehicle, water craft, electrical generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and aeronautical and other mobile technologies....
 noticed this trend, hence prompting them to release the Honda Bravo. Races are usually held at night on highways with long straights. While modification for the sake of aesthetics (concourse d'elegance) is legal in the Philippines, drag races are illegal and are being stopped by authorities. These drag races are, however, being dampened by sanctioned races sponsored by big companies. Some illegal racing involving 50cc scooters happened as early as the 1990s until it was officially sanctioned.

Automobile street racing existed in the Philippines as early as the 1970s and was brought back then became widespread in the late 1990s. It is held mostly in the main highways of Metro Manila
Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
 in areas such as Sucat, Greenhills
Greenhills

Greenhills is a suburb situated on the Southside of the city of Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It sits between Crumlin, Dublin, Walkinstown, Templeogue and Tallaght....
, C5 road and Marcos Highway as well as Sta. Rosa Laguna which is south of Manila. Accidents resulting from illegal street racing in these areas prompted authorities to heighten police presence, impose stricter fines and impound vehicles. Hondas are a favorite among Filipino
Filipino people

Filipino people refers to an ethnic group in the Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia. The name Filipino was derived from Las Islas Filipinas , the Spanish language name given to the Philippines in the 16th century, by Spanish explorer Ruy L?pez de Villalobos....
 street racers most notably the Civic SiR which were sometimes transplanted with bigger engines. Other cars such as the Honda Accord
Honda Accord

The Honda Accord is the series of midrange automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in most automotive markets throughout the world....
, Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla

The Corolla is a line of subcompact car/compact cars produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966....
 and the Nissan Sentra
Nissan Sentra

The Nissan Sentra is a compact car made by automaker Nissan Motors and is generally a rebadged export version of the Japanese Nissan Sunny. The name "Sentra" is not used in Japan, where it is currently known as Nissan Bluebird....
 are also used as well as high performance cars like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo, LanEvo, or Evo, is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors....
 and Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza

The Subaru Impreza is a compact car that was first introduced by Subaru in 1993."Impreza" is a coined word, deriving from an originally Italian language word, impresa, meaning a feat or achievement....
. Car enthusiasts took these illegal races to the strip and organizations such as PDRF (Philippine Drag Racing Federation) was formed to promote drag racing.

Sweden

Street races are most commonly done between two stoplights or over 1/4 or 1/8 mile (402 or 201 meters). Street racing was very popular in the 1980s but during the 1990s many drivers abandoned the illegal street races for legal races at Tullinge Raceway. In late 1990s the interest in street racing increased. Causes given include the movie The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious (film series)

The Fast and the Furious film series is a 2000s film series of street racing films produced by Universal Studios. The first film The Fast and the Furious , starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, was directed by Rob Cohen and released in 2001....
 and the internet based community Zatzy. A legal form of street racing called blackrace has also been introduced. They are run on closed streets and race against the clock (although two cars start at the same time). Two of the most popular raced in Sweden are Volvos and Saabs. In 2006, Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
's dragstrip, the "Tullinge Raceway", closed its gates. The most well-known competition is "Birka Cup" among with the legendary "Stockholm Open" race, that runs on the first weekend of September, where there are participants from Nordic countries. The number of attending racers ranges from 15-30; most cars capable of running sub 9-sec quarter mile runs. The rules are simple: Run what you brought, which is to say that there are very few regulations.

The fee to participate in a race ranges from 300-500sek (approx. 60 USD)

Worth noting is the series of films, Getaway in Stockholm
Getaway in Stockholm

Getaway in Stockholm is a series of illegal street racing movies filmed using mainly car mounted cameras along with some cameramen alongside the route....
, a popular series of videos portraying professional drivers illegally racing and evading police in Sweden. This series of movies is up to eight movies now and also worked as inspiration to the video game Project Gotham Racing 2
Project Gotham Racing 2

Project Gotham Racing 2 is a racing game for the Xbox, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios. PGR2 is the sequel to the highly successful Project Gotham Racing....
.

United Kingdom


Under new traffic laws, street racing is illegal on virtually any road, but is still very common despite efforts from police and councils. In street racing hot-spots local authorities have installed automatic speed cameras, however many of these get vandalised and made inoperable, in many hot-spots police patrols are heavily increased at night with high performance vehicles at their use. It is not illegal if performed on a racing circuit. People who have large gardens or fields, usually in the country, may create their own dirt tracks for minimotos
Minibike

A minibike, also recently known as a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniature motorcycle. Most traditional minibikes use Four-stroke cycle engine to turn the rear wheel via a chain....
 or minibike
Minibike

A minibike, also recently known as a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniature motorcycle. Most traditional minibikes use Four-stroke cycle engine to turn the rear wheel via a chain....
s.

United States

There is a strong racing culture in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, particularly Southern California
Southern California

Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers on the cities of Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, San Bernardino, California, and Riverside, California....
. It is considered to be the birthplace of North American drag racing
Drag racing

Drag racing is a competition in which vehicles compete to be the first to cross a set finish line, usually from a dead stop, and in a straight line....
. This area was covered in some depth by magazines such as Turbo and Hi-Tech Performance and Sport Compact Car
Sport Compact Car

Sport Compact Car was an United States car magazine that focused on modifying and racing sport compacts, usually import model cars. This publication was known for having a more technical approach than most other typical import scene magazines and for the substantial number of project cars they have developed....
 in the late 1990s.

In some cases, this popularity has led to tough anti-street racing laws which give more strict punishments (including misdemeanor
Misdemeanor

A misdemeanor, or misdemeanour, in many common law legal systems, is a "lesser" crime act. Misdemeanors are generally punishment much less severely than felony, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions ....
s for attending race events) than normal traffic citations and also often involve dedicated anti-racing task forces. San Diego
San Diego, California

San Diego is the second largest city in California and the List of United States cities by population, located along the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of the United States of the Western United States....
, in Southern California was the first US city to allow the arrest of spectators attending street races. Penalties for violating street racing laws now can include impoundment of the offending vehicle and/or the suspension or revocation of the offender's drivers license.

Some police departments in the United States have also undertaken community outreach programs to work with the racing community to educate them to the dangers of street racing, as well as to encourage them to race in sanctioned events. This has also led to a campaign introduced in 2000 called RASR (Racers Against Street Racing) a grass-roots enthusiast group consisting of auto manufacturers, after market parts companies, professional drag racers, sanctioning bodies, race tracks and automotive magazines devoted to promoting the use of safe and legal raceways as an alternative to street racing. Kent's Beat the Heat is a typical example of this type of program. Other such alliances have been forged in southern and central California, reducing the incidence of street racing there.

Some police departments have lost control of the events, thus they make public safety the priority. Allowing racing and keeping safe public traffic flow becomes the priority in areas less used at night.

There are a few online community web sites where racers can upload videos of their activities. These sites generally promote illegal driving behaviors and materials.

Popular media


Movies

  • Two-Lane Blacktop
    Two-Lane Blacktop

    Two-Lane Blacktop is a 1971 road movie directed by Monte Hellman, starring singer-songwriter James Taylor, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird....
  • Running On Empty
  • Hi-Riders
  • Nitro
    Nitro (film)

    Nitro is a Canada action film, 2007 in film. Directed by Alain Desrochers, the film stars Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge as Max, a former drag racer who is forced to return to his criminal past when his girlfriend requires a heart transplant....
  • Death Race 2000
    Death Race 2000

    Death Race 2000 is a Cult film action movie film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone....
  • The Fast and the Furious
    The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

    The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 in film car film starring Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and Vin Diesel, and directed by Rob Cohen....
  • 2 Fast 2 Furious
    2 Fast 2 Furious

    2 Fast 2 Furious is a 2003 film that is the second installment of The Fast and the Furious , following 2001's The Fast and the Furious ....
  • The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
  • Fast & Furious
  • 1320 A West Coast Story
    1320 A West Coast Story

    1320 A West Coast Story, an independent film, is a feature length Documentary film on the subject of illegal street racing. It is presently showcased at its website....
  • Initial D
    Initial D

    is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995. It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by Pastel, Studio Gallop, and OB Planning, which premiered in Japan on Fuji TV and Animax, and a Initial D by Avex and Media Asia....
     Live Movie
  • The Wraith
    The Wraith

    The Wraith is a 1986 action movie/science fiction film, film director and screenplay by Mike Marvin. Based on true events, in which a teen involved with illegal street racing caused four deaths in Arizona, filmed in Tucson....
  • Redline
    Redline

    Redline refers to the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine....
  • Streets of Legend
  • Street Racer
    Street Racer (film)

    Street Racer is a 2008 in film Action film by The Asylum. Its title is similar to the film Speed Racer , but it's overall plot bears a closer similarity to The Fast and the Furious , and particularly The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which had been released in 2006 in film....


Anime

  • Initial D
    Initial D

    is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995. It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by Pastel, Studio Gallop, and OB Planning, which premiered in Japan on Fuji TV and Animax, and a Initial D by Avex and Media Asia....
     - First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Special Stages
  • Wangan Midnight
    Wangan Midnight

    is a Japanese seinen racing manga series created by Michiharu Kusunoki that has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1992. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga....


Video games

The street racing video game series Midnight Club
Midnight Club

Midnight Club is a series of racing game video game developed by Rockstar San Diego , and published by Rockstar Games. The games focus on competitive street racing, open world environments, and the import scene....
 has been very successful in the market and is available on many platforms. This series includes the first title Midnight Club for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a History of video game consoles video game console manufactured by Sony. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation of video game consoles....
 and Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance

The is a 32-bit Handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo; resembling Sega's 8-bit Game Gear. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color....
; Midnight Club II
Midnight Club II

Midnight Club II is the first sequel to Midnight Club: Street Racing, published for the Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 2. Players race through cities inspired by Los Angeles, California, Paris, and Tokyo....
 for the PlayStation 2, PC and Xbox
Xbox

The Xbox is a History of video games video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube....
; and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, video game developer by Rockstar San Diego and video game publisher by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series....
 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and then later released on the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Portable is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was first announced during History of E3#During the Rise of Online Gaming , and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004....
. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix was later released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is the fourth video game in the Midnight Club racing series, not including Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition#Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix....
 was the first of the series to be released on seventh generation
Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation can refer to:*Seven generation sustainability, the idea that decisions should be considered for their impact on the seventh generation to come, inspired by the laws of the Iroquois...
 video game consoles.

Several missions in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)

Grand Theft Auto is an award-winning video game series created by David Jones , later by Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke and primarily developed by Scottish company Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games....
 series see the player participating in races on the city streets. While a few are mandatory, most are offered as side-missions that the player can undertake to earn money.

The Need for Speed
Need for Speed

Need For Speed is a series of racing game video games video game developer by Canadian based company EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts....
 series includes several later titles affiliated with street racing, which came out after the Midnight Club
Midnight Club

Midnight Club is a series of racing game video game developed by Rockstar San Diego , and published by Rockstar Games. The games focus on competitive street racing, open world environments, and the import scene....
 series was established, after Midnight Club II
Midnight Club II

Midnight Club II is the first sequel to Midnight Club: Street Racing, published for the Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 2. Players race through cities inspired by Los Angeles, California, Paris, and Tokyo....
 in particular. Among them, the Underground series (encompassing Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground

Need for Speed: Underground is the seventh racing game in the Need for Speed developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts in 2003....
 and Need for Speed: Underground 2
Need for Speed: Underground 2

Need for Speed: Underground 2 is a cross-platform racing game video game published and developed by Electronic Arts. Released in 2004, it is the sequel to Need for Speed: Underground, and is part of the Need for Speed series, available on Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and Microsoft Windows....
), takes place at night in various urban areas, but lacks any police to pursue the player. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a racing game video game, developed by EA Black Box and first released by Electronic Arts in North America on November 11, 2005....
 reintroduces police pursuit into gameplay and is set in daytime. It also draws controversy by encouraging the player to damage police cars by any means necessary to acquire points. The next Need for Speed title, Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon

Need for Speed: Carbon, also known as NFS Carbon or NFSC is an Electronic Arts video game belonging to the Need for Speed series....
 sees the return of night time racing and features police pursuits, although not mandatory to damage police cars as in the previous installment. The 2007 Need for Speed title, Need for Speed: ProStreet
Need for Speed: ProStreet

Need for Speed: ProStreet is the 11th installment of Electronic Arts' popular racing game series Need for Speed. On May 21, 2007, Electronic Arts published a teaser trailer of ProStreet, and officially announced it ten days later....
 has gotten rid of the illegal street racing, and is now entirely legal, closed-track races, with no police involvement - much to the disappointment of some of the series' fans (and worse reviews by most game reviewing companies ). The latest title Need for Speed: Undercover
Need for Speed: Undercover

Need for Speed: Undercover is the 12th installment of the popular racing game video game series Need for Speed, video game development by EA Black Box and video game publishing by Electronic Arts....
 does return to illegal street racing and features gameplay similar to Most Wanted and Carbon. Unlike Most Wanted and Carbon this time the plot invovles an undercover police officer who is trying to breakup a international crime ring. Two new upcoming Need for Speed tiles Need for Speed: Nitro
Need for Speed: Nitro

Need for Speed: Nitro is one of the next installments in the long-running racing game video game franchise Need for Speed published by Electronic Arts....
 and Need for Speed: World Online
Need for Speed: World Online

Need for Speed: World Online is one of the next installments in the long-running racing game video game franchise Need for Speed published by Electronic Arts....
 will also feature street racing whereas the third upcoming game Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift

Need for Speed: Shift is one of the next installments in the long-running racing game video game franchise Need for Speed published by Electronic Arts....
 will return to legal racing once again.

The popular multi-platform (Playstation 2
PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a History of video game consoles video game console manufactured by Sony. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation of video game consoles....
, Playstation 3
PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation ....
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the History of video game consoles of video game consoles....
, Xbox
Xbox

The Xbox is a History of video games video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube....
, PSP
PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Portable is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was first announced during History of E3#During the Rise of Online Gaming , and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004....
, GameCube) series Burnout
Burnout (series)

Burnout is a series of high-speed racing games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo GameCube game consoles....
 showcases fictional cars racing at highspeed through traffic, with crashes rewarded by highly detailed slow motion destruction sequences. Later iterations include specific competition modes rewarding the largest monetary damage toll in specifically designed maps.

Another game that has street racing is Juiced by THQ
THQ

THQ Inc. is an Worldwide international United States Video game developer and Video game publisher of video games. Founded in 1989, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices....
. The game mentions that is was developed with the intention of giving the gamer the thrill of high-speed driving.

To meet commercial expectations, these games often compromise the realism of the car handling physics to give the user an easier game play experience, which is an asset to the game's enjoyment by general users (and helps the game to sell well).

The greatest disparity is that most games have the player's vehicle completely indestructible, where it's possible to crash head-on at high speeds with another vehicle and continue driving as if nothing had happened.

The indestructible car from those games makes possible to devise strategies that would be impossible in real life, such as using a wall to stop lateral velocity through a turn — rather than picking an appropriate line
Line (racing)

In racing sports , the ideal line is the route the vehicle must take in order to minimize the time taken to complete the course.When analyzing a single corner, the optimum line is one that minimizes the time spent in the corner and maximizes the overall speed through the corner....
, which takes more skill, and slows the vehicle down, sometimes substantially. By using the wall, the user is able to halt lateral velocity, while retaining axial acceleration, thus exiting the corner at a much higher speed than braking, turning, and accelerating.

This lack of realism could give gamers a different impression of driving in real life.

In a German-made game, Emergency 3, one campaign mission features an illegal road race. However, the mission is not a first-person race to avoid police, but rather a third person game that requires the player to coordinate emergency forces. In this case, the mission requires the player to arrest
Police

Police are agents or agencies, usually of the executive , empowered to enforce the law and to ensure public and social order through the legitimized use of force....
 the drivers, put out the fire
Fire department

A fire department is a public sector or private sector organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district....
 from a car accident
Car accident

A car accident is a road traffic incident that usually involves one road vehicle collision with another vehicle or other road user, animal, or a stationary roadside object, and may result in injury, property damage, and possibly death....
, and treat the injured
Emergency medical services

Emergency medical services are a branch of Emergency services dedicated to providing out-of-hospital Acute and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency....
.

A game highly based on Japanese mountain road racing is Initial D
Initial D Arcade Stage

Initial D Arcade Stage is a racing game series developed by Sega Rosso, a division of Sega, based on the anime and manga Initial D. In the U.S., the games, which keep their version names in later entries, are otherwise known as simply "Initial D" without the "Arcade Stage" subtitle....
, an arcade game using real Japanese mountain road settings.

Another of these Japanese racing games is Wangan Midnight
Wangan Midnight

is a Japanese seinen racing manga series created by Michiharu Kusunoki that has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1992. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga....
, which involves racing along wangans, or bayside expressways or roads.

The Cruis'n series also associated with street racing. It starts with the Cruis'n on the Wii
Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a History of video game consoles console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3....
. This game has several references to street racing like real cars and an upgrading system such as spoilers, decals, neon lights, ground effects, and engines. Sometimes during the game you can use the nitrous oxide, otherwise known as "N2O" or simply "Nitrous,". However, the player is limited to the number of times the nitrous boost can be used. Like the past Cruis'n games you can players race down one-way courses consisting of streets based on real-life locations while avoiding various road hazards such as oncoming traffic and construction. However unlike Need For Speed
Need for Speed

Need For Speed is a series of racing game video games video game developer by Canadian based company EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts....
 there is not pursuit system nor car damage.

See also

http://www.streetracing.org
  • 1320 A West Coast Story
    1320 A West Coast Story

    1320 A West Coast Story, an independent film, is a feature length Documentary film on the subject of illegal street racing. It is presently showcased at its website....
  • Café Racer
    Café racer

    A caf? racer, originally pronounced "caff" racer, is a type of motorcycle as well as a type of motorcyclist. Both meanings have their roots in the 1960s United Kingdom counterculture group the Rocker or the , although they were also common in Italy, Germany, and other European countries....
  • Car customizing
  • Cruising (driving)
    Cruising (driving)

    Cruising is a social activity that primarily consists of driving a car. Cruising can be an expression of the perceived freedom of possessing a driver's license....
  • Import Scene
    Import scene

    The Import scene or Import racing scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars , especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing in foreign countries....
  • Sleeper (car)
    Sleeper (car)

    File:Mercury Marauder.jpgA sleeper or Q-car is a automobile that has high performance and an unassuming exterior. Sleeper cars are termed such because their exterior looks little or no different from a standard or economy-class car , but internally they are modified to perform at higher performance levels....
  • Tafheet
    Tafheet

    Tafheet, or Hjwalah popularly known elsewhere in the world as "Saudi Drifting ," is a motorsport phenomenon that involves trying to drift a car - often a full-size sedan - at very high speeds around 180-200km/h across a tarmac left and right....
  • UK Term: Boy racer
    Boy racer

    Boy racer is a type of subculture based around passenger vehicles.Boy racer is now a New Zealand, British and Irish colloquial term for a person, usually a male in his late teens or early twenties, who drives his car in an intimidating or dangerous way for fun or competition....
  • Australian term: Hoon
    Hoon

    Hoon is a derogatory term used in Australia and New Zealand to refer to a person who engages in loutish, anti-social behaviour. In particular, it is used to refer to one who drives in a manner which is anti-social by the standards of contemporary society, that is, fast, noisily or dangerously....
  • Initial D
    Initial D

    is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995. It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by Pastel, Studio Gallop, and OB Planning, which premiered in Japan on Fuji TV and Animax, and a Initial D by Avex and Media Asia....
  • Initial D Arcade Stage
    Initial D Arcade Stage

    Initial D Arcade Stage is a racing game series developed by Sega Rosso, a division of Sega, based on the anime and manga Initial D. In the U.S., the games, which keep their version names in later entries, are otherwise known as simply "Initial D" without the "Arcade Stage" subtitle....
  • The Fast and the Furious film series
  • Pinks
    Pinks

    Pinks is a franchise series of television programs on Speed Channel based on drag race. The original debuted in 2005, with the spinoff Pinks: All Out following in 2006....
    , a television programme inspired by street racing held on drag strips.
  • Rice burner
    Rice burner

    Rice burner is a pejorative used initially to describe Asian-made ? particularly Japanese-made ? motorcycles and automobiles. Many variations have also been used, such as rice rocket for Japanese sport bikes....
  • Rice rocket
    Rice rocket

    A rice rocket is a slang term applied to Japanese-made motorcycle#Sports Bike. The term is derived from the speed of the motorcycle , and the "Japanese" origin of the vehicles ....