I may be behind the times with this news, but I just heard that it was signed into law that if you are caught street racing it's now a felony. Lets see? Do I want race this Honda or risk 6 months in prison, losing my job and having my guns taken away?

I have mixed feelings on this...........a felony....c'mon.

What's the definition of street racing? Drag racing or simply putting the hammer down?

Cops call? I don't know, but in the story they showed people lining up from a dead stop.
I have and sometimes do attend races, but it's out at an abandoned airstrip in the middle of the night on private property.

I'm sure where you go would be fine, I think they may be targeting the organized street racing similar to what goes on in cities like Ontario and Fontana in some of the industrial parks late at night with lots of people and cars.

Don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's just about time to start dumping tea into the harbor again!

Why revolt? This is a good thing. Too many times do we see accidents and fatilities from people racing in cars that are not meant to be raced, racing in locations not designed for racing?

SAVE IT FOR THE TRACK.

Appearantly misdemeanor convictions, fines and posessing these street racers' vehicles isn't enough to curb their actions. When that happens, the penalty goes up. It is reckless endangerment of the people around them, any person on the street, and themselves. And their passengers if they have any. Not to throw in there the people who are drunk, driving and then get involved in a 'street race'.

Any good law can be twisted and be used to not what it was first intended.

My point exactly! Everyone has at one time or another pressed the gas a bit hard at the line when provoked, but that's not a real street race. I agree that the organized street races (see Fast and Furious) should not be tolerated, but there's too much wiggle room.

Back in grad school days (early 70s), my roomate got ticketed for drag racing, took the case to court. The arresting officer testified that he heard and saw my roomate's rear tires smoking when he left the line. My roomate then showed the judge the information that his 1960s Mini Cooper S was frontwheel drive and it was impossible to spin the rear tires.

He got off but it shows how imagination can take hold in the right circumstances!

I did some street racing back when I was in High school with my 58 Corvette, it was never "organized" if I wanted to go to that extreme, I could go to Irwindale Drag Strip and race there, which I did that too, most of the time, it was pulling up to someone at a signal, "someone throws a couple revs" light turns green and your off, I don't think I ever raced much longer than a couple hundred feet, and most of the time it was done safely. I don't condone what I did, I would not want my daughter doing that or riding with anyone that is doing that, however, it certainly did not reach the level of a felony.

my 02: this is not a bad law. it's simply too easy to take it to the track. yes, it could be misapplied, but so can anything by a dick cop.

ahhh, so this is only a california law. thank god...law is too broad for my tastes.

news link

Every friday night local Rocky Mountain Raceway has the midnight drags. I think its 10 bucks for the drivers and they got to pass tech inspection.

I don't want to hear it. If your here in Northern Utah, and you need to race, you have a place, a first class facility, pro setup, safty rules, organized rules, and better yet sponsered eve to keep it extra cheap.

When I go also its not just a bunch of silly kids, Its got everything from old timers in Classics, to new kids with stock civics. Its 1/2 car show/party, and all are welcome.

CO is down to two track. It's not "too easy" to take anything to a track around here. BUT...I've been to those "organized" street racer events too. One meets at the Denny's right by my house. REALLY, REALLY, painfully slow cars with loud tailpipes and subwoofers. Definately not worth a ticket.

bull. i'm sure bandimere offers some "run-what-you-brung" type events. sure, it's not as convenient as meeting at the local denny's (which it seems like we both think is pretty lame), but that's just the cost of playing.

There are plenty of race tracks available in SloCal to turn your wheels at high speeds. Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, Fontana Speedway just to name a few real close.

Southern California Race Track Locator.

With enough entrants, the price goes down, down down. IMHO, take it to a location where there are trained and skilled safety crew, instructors and no risk to pedestrians or residents.

Oh, reading comprehension FTW:

Looks like that is the maximum sentance for street racing. But if you're involved in that, I'm sure there will be other charges thrown on top of it -- reckless driving, endangerment, not to mention if you actually hit something or someone....

See the story below, that ought to change your mind....sure it was on the freeway, and it might not have been "racing" as they do on the street, but it's close enough and I'd suspect the driver would not have a problem doing so on the street if "challanged".......when it originally happened, speeds of up to 100mph where qouted

I did my share of street racing (Boss302, SS396)when I was young and not as cautious as today! I have also done a lot of organizied racing in and outside the US. This new law is in responce to the mindless fools who taken their Ricers to the streets and created carnage without regard for anyone. The Fast and Furious want to be's. They seem to survive the aftermath while innocent victims are left with changed lives. Besides, a high speed door to door corner at a challenging road course has much more pucker power!

Dan

more on the story mueller referred to:


http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650191270,00.html

I have a friend who was arrested for street racing a couple of times, at one point, he was looking at some serious jail time.

I still don't believe that if some kid pulls up next most of us in a Turbo'd Subaru and we were driving a Raby 4, we'd roll down our window and invite him to the local track to see who was quicker, the following weekend.

i sure as hell would.

I probably would too, now that I'm older and more responsable.

I have many-a-time as well. "We're having a race with the PCA Riverside Region... If you think you can do better lap times than me, I'll pay your entry fee..."

Correct me if I am wrong but it reads to me that if you are in a race and someone

is injured that you can be charged with a felony.

I also raced a hotrod on the street, and maybe I was lucky but I nor no one that

I knew was ever hurt in a stoplight grand prix. But it did happen, we heard the

reports and 9 times out of 10 it was a drunk.

Would you really want your kid or grand kid to go to jail, loose there right to

vote and allways be a "Felon" to possable employers because of a street race.

People have died in street races — often those who weren't racing. Like Jimmy Ng. The 31-year-old was killed instantly when a Honda Civic ran a red light in a street race and rammed his car. Or Rob and Lisa Manchester, who also died in a suspected street-racing incident on May 27, 2006. They left behind a seven-year-old daughter, Katie. The Manchesters had been out celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary.

I drive to the City of Hope National Medical Center every three weeks for medical treatment in a BMW 540I or a BMW 325CI. I have assholes high speed passing me using the slow lane while I am generally driving 70 MPH in the center lane as traffic permits. All of these idiots are drivng cars that do not approach the potential of the cars I am driving. Many of them are road racing with a like vehicle , cutting off families that are using the 210 for it's intended purpose. I am sure the majority have not attended a racing school! That takes time and effort. It is getting out of contol in California.

There is danger in Motorsports, competition and danger are what attracted me to road and off-road racing. Perhaps the law could be written to to relax the penalties for street racing, but if an innocent third party was injured or killed as a result, Capital Punishment would be mandatory.

Dan

good point -- but I'd rather them have to deal with prison time, fines, and even felon status then have to deal with the guilt of having killed someone in an accident.

Tough issues, but I still say the law is a good one.

That's if it's not cancelled do to lack of interest like the last one.

Many idiots in SD have caused vehicular death due to street racing. These fucking morons do believe taht they are emulating the Fast and Furious movie. For the most part I think there absolutely needs to be a law against this, but loose language scares me. I got a ticket for what I figure is raceing back when I was 18 going on the Tejon pass. I cant read the ticket and the cop never told me what it was for, btu it was pricey and I just paid all $660 dollars of it. I was following a car, using its head lights because it was foggy and I was on my motorcycle at 2am. We came out of a fog bank and a cop was next to us and pulled both of us over. In todays law I may have been a fellon rather than just an idiot. Cops disgression is not good enough for my taste.

I agree with the majority of you, I am sick of the shitty drivers pushing the envelope and blatantly risking other peoples lives for their own idiotic excitement.

As far as I know SD has had a law like this one for a few years due to the chain of deaths related to street races. Sorrento valley used to be a very deadly place after dark.

To add insult to the injury, Noel's 21yo brother is one of these idiots. He likes to drift and race. He likes to have no money because his car is crap, he bets on it, has it impounded, tickets, etc. We need laws like this to protect us from the dumb asses out there.

There are many times I've noticed and I know most you have too, these people who drive like idiots, weaving in and out of traffic, speeding and risking alot of inocent lives. I'm sure that most of these idiots were not racing, maybe the problem is not enough law enforcement??? Not passing more laws, why not enforce what we have?

I do know for a fact that the media does hype some of the accidents for sensation, in our town a couple of years ago around Christmas time there was a fatality due to a couple of kids screwing around while driving, the first thing and repeatedly brought up was that they were street racing. This was incorrect, they were not, and nothing was reported in the paper that the women that was killed was under the influence of alcohol and had made an illegal left hand turn into oncoming traffic. By the time it went to court, the case had fallen apart. But the news paper never corrected what they had originally reported.

We have a kid that Autocrosses with one of the local regions. He is new and pretty full of himself.
He screwed up several months ago racing on the street and upon hitting a tree going well over 100 MPH he killed his two friends and passengers.

He is still going to court while out on bail. This is not going well for him.

My question is what have we done wrong in this young man's up bringing.

Probably not enough ass whippins. Had this Law been in effect would it have detered him? I doubt it nor will it bring the two kids back. Not allowed to race with us anymore however.

FYI I happened to drive my son's Focus up to the FLAPS and noticed a thump thump from the tires.
I looked at the suspect tire and found a flat spot. Pretty much chewed his ass and told him to slow down. Obviously he was going too fast and locked up the wheel in a turn. I told him about his car has limits and he was over stepping them. Slow down slow down. He is 20 yrs old and I am still on him

Last week on CSPAN, there was a talk about how road deaths have alarmingly gone up in the last two to three years and that some folks in the congress want to find the answers to this growing problem. Needless to say, one request was to drop the speed limit everywhere? Roads are for the public, women and children, not for so called ROAD RACERS. If they did it on private property with permission, it would solve the felony thing.


No thanks to them Ricecatears!

When I was about 21, the 18 year old kid that lived across the street was killed in a street racing incident. He was a bystander, an observer.


Some jerk lost control in a drag race and mowed my neighbor down.


I have never seen grief like his mom's dad's and older brother's.

There is no place for racing on the street. Period. If you get caught doing it, you should do time.

I have 14 and 15 year old daughters, and I worry about the day when they start dating some twerp with something to prove.

Earlier this year in raleigh nc, some little a**hole lost control of daddy's rx-8, left the road, and killed both his pasengers. He was doing well over 100mph. He has also had 2 previous major reckless driving raps, and his lovin' daddy still let him drive the RX-8.

Little SOB should do sh*tloads of time.

Honestly how many of you that had a car that could get out of its own way never

was in a street race? Was it your upbringing, did you not get your ass whippins

enough? At that age it was a right of passage, we had Erwindale drag strip but

if challenged, it happened. I have a hard time believing that you would role

down the window and tell them that it is against the law and the only way you will

race them is if they meet you at the track. Yes that would be the responsable

thing to do and at my current age I am sure that I would do the same but in

our teenage and twenties, come on.

Those who race on public roads are not criminals anymore than those who drive slow and kill someone. The more famous a person is that gets killed or on the other hand, kills someone when racing/driving fast or even involved in a fatal accident, the bigger the hype/type as that linked example magnifies.
Yes. I agree that when a person dies because some drive reckless and without care, they need to be properly punished but if the law stamps a felon stigma on one type alone, the street racer, then the law and the courts are guilty of bias/discrimenation as it should fit all persons when they are in an accident and kill another person because they were careless. Friend or foe alike should be tried equally. Stand on a fence and someone you know, sooner or later, will be judged a felon in this kangaroo court law.
This is my opinion. Yours will always be different but I will always try to respect yours.
Why a faster 914 if some of you think others may not drive fast?
All teener's don't race on the track. Why do some drive around cones?
Why do some destroy their engine when stressing it for speed? Honest. Why?

My driving manners are when I am certain there are not others around, I drive fast. It is only for the excitement, the rush. I am 71 years old. Never been in an accident that I was the cause of. My driving record is I have never hurt anything more than an insect that flew reckless into my path.

MikeCool

What exactly do they meanby street racing? Is driving alone at 120 street racing? Or does another car have to be there?

I never really get into races with other cars. Now and then but not really. More like I am driving fast and they try to follow. If they can keep up I usualy slow down because 2 cars racing is way dangerous!

I say if your gonna drive fast DRIVE FAST. Do it on roads that a cop can't keep up with you(twisty). Then you won't even see the sirens.

Don't get me started on racing in the rain. Lets just say ya can blow right by speed traps without worries
Pilots work well for this...

This is my last post on this subject. I guess I will never know the experience and the excitement of street racing again. Thank God! I will have to settle for the simple pleasure of track events. I thought flat out door to door on turn 8 was a bit exciting. For those who have done it , you know.

Dan 555

No more Gumball in Cali? What will spoiled trust funded Hollywood types do for fun now?

...Wonder if making contest of speed a felony will change behavior? Current California laws allow for both participants and spectators to face jail time (1 to 90 days), fines, loss of driving privileges, vehicle impound, etc. If thats not enough to stop somone from racing will slightly more jail time and stigma of a felony charge work magic?

HAHA

I imagine this will be on my desk pretty soon
I think my buddy Bones edited this trailer but don't hold me to it-opps no he didn't

http://www.superspeeders.com/videos/flash/...ullrun2006-400k

It's the big picture with these broad interpretations that I don't like. Not just this law. Everything seems to be a felony now.
I may as well just put a block of wood under my gas pedal or better just sell the sports cars and be happy I can play Forza. Oops, it's a burned copy I guess that makes me a felon too.

I am just thankful that I can't be prosecuted for past deeds because if street

racing is a felony I would get life.

The only street racing I'm ever involved in is when I'm on a 914 run with other 914er's, but that's OK because it's really "road racing" which does not apply to this new law. The bad "street racing" is just for the RicerFastandFuriousDragRacers who never "put it on the track".

"...say goodnight to the bad guy"

There is no "right to vote".

Laws like this are scary, because it is open to be abused? If there is going to be a law like this there must be a legal definition of street racing, just like that absurd law, excessive display of acceleration.

I don't like organized street racing, but there are a few places where it can be done without endangering people. I have been to several around here and it really doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the retards that shpw up and do dumb shit. Most of the people that have fast cars understand the responsibilty that goes along with it.

Driving is a responsible privaledge, not a right. People should have a much larger incentive to drive responsibly. Maybe up the cost from a few dollars to 5K for a drivers license. Mandatory re-testing and heavy policing of left lane driving, talking on a cell phone, reading, eating, etc. After all what do I pay the cops for?

My brother's a cop and organized street racing is huge. With internet chat rooms, text massaging, and cell phones you can have a group of 300 people show up in less than an hour at 2:00am. The street is closed and the drag racing begins. You get gangs, fights, shootings, drugs, DWI's etc, etc, etc... It's all fun and games until the car plows in to a group of teenage girls standing on the corner. You can go to jail for just watching it here.

This is more than speeding by yourself on the highway or leaving a light in a cloud of tire smoke. Most people never hear about it or see it until someone kid is killed.

Men and woman have died to assure us the RIGHT to vote amongst other rights.

Thats why it is called the bill of rights and not the bill of maybe's.

bout time and should impound the car as well.

mike

pulled those outta text to agree with these from personal experience. I did a fair amount of spectating and some street racing in my younger years in Compton (big street racing scene late 80s early 90s and Dennys is apparently the universal meeting place ) Missed one weekend and that was the weekend a guy in a Chevelle split a VW bug in half and killed the driver (split him in half too apparently). He went to jail for manslaughter.

A few weekends later everyone started gathering again. I went out to watch and so forth. Missed the next weekend - apparently that time a guy stopped in the middle of the crowded street, pulled out a 12ga. and shot into the air (Crip I heard).

So I was fortunate that I was going often but missed the two bad weekends. I quit going out after that. Not fun anymore - especially hearing about a gun being shot off into the air - fuch that!

Sad thing is that I agree I was young and dumb and street racing is just plain wrong on soooo many levels. It is hard to be young, pumped full of testosterone and driven by hormones that make you want to fight and win everything, but I can tell you that I was scared shitless of getting caught because of the ticket. Had I known it was a felony then, I WOULDN'T HAVE STREET RACED frankly. I may have been crazy but not stoopid.

I had a few "safe" (if you can call racing of any kind safe) street races back then and it is true many of us could organize a street race on a desolate street at 1am and not have any issues. But the idiots f it up for the rest, and this law is A GOOD THING in the end because unfortunately Darwin doesn't work in this situation - the idiots tend to kill the others not themselves.

As for whether you can get this being solo - no. By yourself is wreckless driving - not a felony. Still shouldn't do that either.

I think the big inhibitor is costs to race. For me to go to Willow for a day is going to set me back $300 minimum in gas to drive there, entry fees and so forth. ON the street, young kids with little cash can race without needing a $150 entry fee, $300 helmet, braided line on the fuel system v. rubber hose on the street, so forth. Overall expense kept me from driving all the way to Palmdale back then. I suspect still the case. Easy to put $5K into the motor as a kid, but hard to pay $300 everytime to race. Mental for sure, but how do you fix it???

Granted, if you race in stock class, it doesn't cost much more than an entry fee and a helmet, maybe some mandatory safety equipment (Fire Control System, Emergency power cutoff switch, better seatbelts). Still, those things combined is less than the price of a felony and $1000+ in fines.

And to point out the obvious, if you can't afford to play, maybe you shouldn't...

hell, most "Wed. Night at the Drags"-type events are pretty cheap. your car can't leak and you need a helmet.

http://www.infineonraceway.com/raceway_inf...ay_night_drags/


$25 -- $15 for highschool students.

I was hanging out with my friend who owns a new Viper and he wanted to see how his car would do against my V-8 car. So...like two children, we went out onto the hwy and decided a safe place to go fast would be over the river bridge...well to make a long story short, my Viper pal took himself out on the on-ramp leading to the hwy and slid off the road sideways @ 75mph and wound up coming to a stop in the middle of I-94 backwards half way into the right lane. He caused minimal damage to his car...but we both learned a huge lesson about driving fast in public places...It usually is not a very good idea...especially when there are other people around. My friend could have been easily hit broadside by an unsuspecting innocent driver at 70 mph. That would have put his "lights out" forever...not to mention killing other innocents. By the luck of God, people were alert...and swerved around him. It's all fun & games until someone gets hurt or killed. This only happened yesterday, and I can tell you honestly that I almost witnessed a fatal crash. It un-nerved both of us BIG TIME. My bud said he learned a valuable free lesson...and knows he's lucky to be alive. He admits freely that he will adjust his aggressive driving down a few notches and realizes just how lucky he is to wake up and see the next morning. At the time he lost it...he didn't have a clue what may have happened to others...but now is quite mindful of the circumstances. I have been effected by this whole experience as well.

There is nothing in the Bill of Rights or Constitution about your "right to Vote". Read it here:
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/...ocs/billeng.htm

and the Constitution here:

http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-...transcript.html

There is no right to vote granted us by the Constitution or Bill of Rights.

Back on topic.....

Mentioned in the Fourteenth Amendment, Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-sixth Amendments, the right to vote (suffrage) is freedom of an individual to actively participate in the political decision-making process by choosing between competing people or ideas without fear or reprisal. The right to vote can only be restricted if the government shows a compelling reason for doing so. The Supreme Court will strictly scrutinize the government's justification for limiting this right and probably strike down such a law.

The right to vote has been viewed as a right, as a privilege, or as a duty. As a right, it is conceived of as an inalienable attribute inherent in the individual. As a privilege, right to vote is considered as being conferred on the individual by law and is subject to limitations imposed by governing authorities. Some theories rely on the classical Greek concept of the exercise of the right to vote as the citizen's duty to participate actively in the welfare of the community.
*Amendment XXVI*
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.


Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.



Yah what ever you say dude. Oh by the way that is from the Constitution but the bill of rights (bill of maybe's) had a nice ring

to it. Google it if you still don't believe me.