Myself, my friends, your friends, this website, and any of the other 6 billion people on this planet are not resposible for your actions. Always drive responsibly, not recklessly. For the safest form of racing, TAKE IT TO THE TRACK! There is no safer place than the track. These rules are simply guidelines for if you ever do decide to street race, so you can at least do it right, with as little risk as humanly possible. Again, the track is still the safest place.
Notice to other members:
I did not put this together to promote street racing. Read it and that will be obvious. However, no matter how much stress anyone puts on "DON'T STREET RACE" people are going to do it anyway. I put this together to show those who want to do it that it can be done in a safe manner. "Anti-street racing" comments are not welcome here. This is not a promotion of doing this dangerous and illegal act- it is a list of guidelines for how to make it safer, so that those of us who do it can do it right, with as little risk as possible.
When street racing, you are putting yourself and everyone around you at risk of injury and maybe even death. So therefore, you want to minimize the risk to everyone by involving as few people as possible and being as safe about what you're doing as you can.
RULE #1: THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF THEM ALL Location is everything.
Don't race somewhere where there is a risk to innocent lives. This includes any street where there is a house, school, bar, or any type of business that is open and operating. There may be innocent people getting ready to leave. And if there is a traffic light on the street, forget it. It's too busy of a street. And the freeway is off limits too. There may be innocent people somewhere on that street. And the last thing you want is to put an innocent bystander at risk. The bystanders are not involved and it's best to keep them that way. Innocents do not need to be hurt because of your decision. Once you choose to race, anyone and everyone in the area's life becomes YOUR responsibility.
Choose a street at least wide enough for 4 cars (2 lanes and wide parking lanes). Remember that if you or your fellow racer lose control, you need room to catch yourself and stop.
Choose a street that is free from debris (oil, gravel, dirt, water, tumbleweeds, etc) as these will only hurt you. You may lose traction, and lose control.
The street should also be straight and smooth. A bumpy or curvy ride is a scary and dangerous ride. THINK!
Measure the street out. It should be at least 3/8 mile (for a 1/4 mile race) before any side streets. Remember that you need time to stop. And that may take longer than you anticipate.
What you should look for is a smooth, straight, empty road about 1/2 mile long, in an industrial park or way out in the sticks or desert. Which brings me to my next rule.
RULE #2 Timing is everything else
Don't race during rush hour. You shouldn't race during the day period. In fact, you shouldn't even race before 10pm or after 4am. That's 6 hours of time you have for something that won't take a minute (unless you're driving a Fiat 500 R Cinquicento).
And if it's inclement weather, DON'T RACE! DUH! I promise you'll get a dry day sometime so you can race then. Water = less traction = less control. And don't even think about snow.
So what you should look for is a smooth, straight, dry, empty road about 1/2 mile long, late at night.
RULE #3 No passengers
Duh. You're already risking your own life... why risk someone else's? Remember that as soon as you decide to street race, you're responsible for everyone's life in the area. Not only that, but the extra weight will slow you down. So... duh! And make sure you INSIST on the same for your racing partner. No passengers. PERIOD. If the person you're going to race can't respect the rules... don't race them! They are willing to take unnecessary risks. Which is not being safe. THINK.
RULE #4 Safe vehicles
Another obvious one. If your car is falling apart... do you really want to race with it? Same for the other person. Do you want to race someone who's car may fall apart and crash into you and kill you? THINK.
RULE #5 Cover your ass
Set up roadblocks. Keep lookouts. Communicate. All of these will save your ass. Roadblocks and lookouts keep people from entering your racing zone, keeping innocent lives safe. Have friends parked blocking each end of the strip, keeping a lookout for innocent people and cops. Get walkie-talkies and communicate. Get an all-clear before starting the race. Again, THINK.
RULE #6 THINK
Ask yourself; Do I feel safe? Do I really want to race this guy? Have all possible precautions been taken? Am I taking any unnecessary risks? Am I putting anyone's life at risk who didn't ask to be put at risk? If you can't answer these questions, don't race. It's that simple.
The only people who should be at any risk at all are the people involved. Yourself, the person you're racing, the lookouts and the flagger. Only people who came on their own free will, and only people who know exactly what's going on and are there for that reason. Innocent people should be left out at all costs. The race is not that important. And if it is, take it to the track. If it's that important of a race, what's $20 to do it right and safe? Plus, a timeslip doesn't lie.
Do it right or don't do it at all. No race has to be done in an unsafe manner You can always race somewhere else, some other time, another day. By following these rules, everyone can race happy, race safely, and run a much less risk of hurting themselves or an innocent person. If everyone could just follow these rules, noone would have to die or get hurt.
If anyone has another rule to add, feel free. Let's keep it safe and everyone lives.
Rule #7 : Don't race 2 blocks from a police station and have all the spectators park in a parkign lot viewable to the main streat to the police station.
I wanna say "been there done that" but in reality it's "been there seen that". Yep I saw stupidity in all its glory. The course use had all the rules but the course started on a corner and went straigh for a tad bit over a 1/4 mile and than had a 90deg turn at the end. and some of the "super samrt" drivers would race back in the opposite dirrection towards the onlookers. There were no lookouts and the police station was a 1/4 mile or so away. Watched 2 kids get nabbed as they rounded the ending corner. but on the positive side. It was late at night and in a comertial area that was closed. Funny thing is. If they had just driven about 15-20 minutes out of there way they could have found a road with no houses/buildings and no cops.
Rule #8 : Don't race towards the onlookers/other racers. Dee...dee...dee
Well, I understand how you feel re: street racing. The objection I have is that it rarely, if ever, happens that way. In my experience, it's almost always a "spur of the moment" thing. You see another car on the road, who has been following you, or maybe you following him/her. You can see the other car is modded in some way. You both pull up to a light together...and it's on. Or, maybe you're chasing each other in traffic, trying to beat each other to where the road narrows down to 2 lanes, or some similar scenario. Pre-arranged meetings like you describe, again...in my experience, almost never happen.
If you're going to have a pre-arranged meeting & go to all the trouble you describe, why not just go to the track?
____________________ If you can't read this, you're illiterate.
point well made Mr. V
If you're going to have a pre-arranged meeting & go to all the trouble you describe, why not just go to the track?
I know, that's not keeping with the no bashing request, but it just seems like way too much trouble to do something that is actually illeagal and very dangerous.
Last edited on Fri Nov 11th, 2005 08:22 pm by Chelly03PZEV
____________________ Get in, Sit down, Shut up and HANG ON!
Nice try but no cigar. As soon as a race is on the only thing that counts is winning. This is reality. I'd like to say that as we get older the rules start to count more when it comes to things like this, but I'd be just be changing my eye colour to brown as the bullshit flowed. Doesn't matter if it's 1/4 mile street or door banging side by side through the twisties on some highway out in the middle of nowhere. As soon as one car is half a length behind the driver is going to make a decision on how to "even things up". The nicest guy you ever met that swears up and down on a stack of bibles that he'll play by the rules is just as likely as not to make the decision to give your rear quarter a gentle tap if he's behind.
I'd really like to believe that you know a whole bunch of people that will abide by the rules....... Of course, things might be different up here since the other favourite passtime is checking the bejesus out of another player during a pickup game of hockey.:-)
So, here's an addition.
Rule#9
There must be the nastiest mother of all time with a big freakin gun who will shoot at any car that breaks the rules, at any street race.
____________________
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams...John Barrymore
I've never witnessed anyone "cheat" at a street drag. I think that if anyone did, it would make them forever blackballed from the scene.
I'd be bullshitting if I said I race by my own rules way every time. But I do try to do it that was as often as I can. And if someone takes risks they don't need to, it's over. Have the win.
As for "why not everyone go to the track?" Well, you know as well as I do that there's no way in hell that would ever happen. Street racing isn't about organization. It's about car clubs, friends and rivalries. It's about being faster than the guy next to you. And then being faster than the next guy. I've had my rivals. I have my friends.
ProjectFocusFast wrote: As for "why not everyone go to the track?" Well, you know as well as I do that there's no way in hell that would ever happen. Street racing isn't about organization. ***Thing here is though - you've mentioned organizing the street racing set up in your first list of rules - you have to have some organization to it. It's about car clubs,***We're in a car club right here TF - I've never street raced any of my members without it being on the track. friends and rivalries.***yep and I can get both sets to the track to see who's who It's about being faster than the guy next to you.***this is what racing is all about...period And then being faster than the next guy. ***Racing Brackets at the drags...got themI've had my rivals. I have my friends.***Yep, and you lose both sometimes & then gain new ones both on the track and off. I'm going to expand on the Rules a bit - Can't really have many rules when you're already breaking them can you? lol
____________________ Get in, Sit down, Shut up and HANG ON!
Darn it all! It's tough being a responsible adult.Took a new Focus out for a test drive this morning. Couple of young guys in a slammed Prelude beside me at the light... Car salesman with me didn't know the Focus had it in it to come off the line like that. Didn't last more than a 150 metres before I backed off but still not the smartest thing I've done this week....Guess I'll do my penance the rest of the week and not go over the speed limit.Ya, even that entrance ramp curve that is marked at 50kph that I normally take at double that speed.
____________________
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams...John Barrymore
ProjectFocusFast wrote: Chelly03PZEV wrote: Let's hope we don't have to read about you on the Popo blotter or in the Obits.Popo blotter?Police blotter.... Police Log... where the bad bad people show up
____________________ Its all fun and games until someone gets poked in the eye with a dick
