Boy racers near Dannevirke circle young woman while doing burnouts: ‘Matter of time’ before someone injured, resident says

A man woken by the burnouts of boy racers then watched them repeatedly circle a young woman as she stood in the middle of a rural intersection near Dannevirke.

Dannevirke Sergeant Gary McKernon said there had been a “noticeable increase” in burnouts near the town over the last two months, and the public was getting fed up with the potential for danger, and the mess left behind.

Dannevirke police sergeant Gary McKernon said boy racer activity left the targeted intersections messy and dangerous.

The boy racers were targeting the intersections of Top Grass Rd, Laws Rd and Riverdale Rd and Tipapakuku Rd.

Dannevirke contractor and former Tararua District Councillor Ernie Christison lives on the Top Grass and Law Rd intersection and is no stranger to the boy racer scene.

He gained attention in 2017 for opening up the concrete pad at his contracting yard for youths to have a place to do burnouts before it was shut down because he didn’t have resource consent.

The 63-year-old said it was “only a matter of time” before someone was seriously hurt or killed at one of the intersections.

“I watched a motorcyclist wipe out on my corner last weekend because they hit all the rubber - it’s not fair on the other road users.”

Christison said he had been woken in the night to the sight of a “young woman standing in the middle of the intersection while blokes did burnouts in circles around her”.

“You can guarantee every Friday and Saturday night between 11pm and 2am that corner of mine is full of cars.”

Ernie Christison said he had been woken up by boy racer activity at the intersection near his property.

McKernon said it was hard to say if the burnouts were being done by locals or people from out of town, as drivers had been spotted at night and during the day.

He said the boy racers were hard to catch as “they are there, and then they are gone again” and the damage to the road’s surface could make it difficult for other drivers to make an emergency stop.

“If you look at certain parts of our intersections, it is just black with rubber.”

Punishment for boy racer activity can result in a six-month license disqualification, the car impounded, and a fine.

“They are intentionally losing control of their vehicle, and regardless of how skilled they think they are ... their behaviour is dangerous.”

McKernon advised the public to call the police when they see boy racer activity and get any details such as registrations, driver descriptions, and recordings of the cars without putting themselves at risk.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay newsrooms. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.