Beijing's illegal road racing causes concern

A green Lamborghini lies in pieces with debris scattered about after an accident in a tunnel on Datun Road near the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, April 12, 2015. [Photo/IC]

The collision of a Lamborghini and a Ferrari on Saturday night was caused by illegal road racing, Beijing police said in a statement on Monday.

The accident happened in the Datun Road Tunnel near the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing at around 10 pm on Saturday. The Lamborghini was ruined and one person in the vehicle was slightly injured.

The statement said the highest speed of the two vehicles reached 160km/h despite the 60km/h limit in the area.

Several witnesses said there were more than two luxury cars at the spot when the collision happened.

The two drivers involved, surnamed Yu and Tang, were detained by police for suspected dangerous driving.

The Chinese version of the Fast and the Furious has caused wide concern among Chinese netizens.

@Yaozetao, a user of Sina Weibo, wrote that the street racers should receive severe punishments for their deeds, which posed a great threat to public security.

@zhangqu0131 said the racers should not treat their own lives and the lives of others as a joke.

"They should have competed on professional tracks instead of the streets", @ayuan said.

The two-way tunnel, about 20 meters across and stretching 1.2km through a mostly residential area, is reportedly one of the hot spots for street racers in Beijing. Locals have long complained to the police about drivers gathering to hold races at night.

Other "tracks" favored by the speedsters also include roads in Beijing's Wangjing and Yizhuang.

According to one racer, interviewed by Beijing Evening News in 2013, they had to race on crowded city streets due to the lack of "real racing spaces" in Beijing.

In early September 2013, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau issued a report outlining measures designed to crack down on "competitive driving behaviors".

At the same time, the threshold for legal races has been greatly lowered with easier access to licenses and loosened regulation on modified vehicles.

While these efforts may have scaled down the scope of Beijing's racing scene, those thirsty for the thrill of the chase in the city still prefer the streets over professional tracks.

Besides lack of regulation, insiders believe this is also because one still needs to meet various standards and spend a considerable amount of money to compete through legal channels.

Moreover, many racers believe that they can get more media exposure and satisfaction through underground racing, according to insiders.