Racers fight for right to rev it up

Racers from Hamilton and Tauranga plan to converge on Rotorua. Photo / Daily Post

Boy racers are planning to invade a town this weekend in reaction to police cracking down on their illegal activities.

The racers have given the event a name, Operation Home Invasion, and 200 to 300 cars are expected to converge on Rotorua. Their main form of communication is through text messaging.

The Daily Post received information saying the boy racer crews from Hamilton and Tauranga were planning to head to Rotorua tomorrow in response to Operation Handbrake, a police programme targeting them.

The operation has the backing of Rotorua boy racing "crew" Reckliz Shiftaz, who say bad drivers are giving them a bad name.

Police converge on areas where boy racers gather, blocking roads, checking that all the vehicles have current warrants of fitness and are registered and not illegally modified, and breath-testing drivers.

Acting Senior Sergeant Denton Grimes of the Rotorua strategic traffic unit said the police were aware of Operation Home Invasion.

He said he was disappointed that the boy racers have seen the police action as a challenge.

"If they feel they want to take up the challenge they've taken it the wrong way. We are here to promote road safety. If they don't offend we are not going to bother them."

Reckliz Shiftaz member Marcelle Saunders said boy racers were getting a bad name because of recent street-racing incidents. Her partner, James Simmons, who is the leader of Reckliz Shiftaz, said they had no problem with what the police were doing. "They tend to leave us alone as long as we stay out of trouble."

He said he had not heard about the Hamilton or Tauranga crews travelling to Rotorua, but saw no problem with them doing so.

"It's not a territorial thing when it comes to other crews. We like to get together and check out each other's rides and pass on tips."

Mr Simmons said his crew discouraged others from street racing and said there were proper drag racing events in Matamata for that type of thing.

"It [street racing] is just careless driving that you should not be doing in public."

Mr Simmons said his crew got annoyed when "idiots" started pouring diesel on the road and doing burn-outs.

"Once that starts happening we know it won't be long before the police turn up so we don't hang around."

He was aware the public frowned on the crews travelling in convoy.

"We don't do it to be a nuisance, we do it to show the other crews how tight we are."

Mr Grimes said the boy racer culture had grown in the past couple of years.

He said Rotorua had become a popular gathering spot for racers since the Tauranga District Council passed a bylaw that bans racers from its industrial streets at night.

The bylaw followed the May 2007 death of the starter of an illegal race in Mt Maunganui.

- Daily Post