NZ Performance Car – October 2019

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EDITOR

Marcus Gibson, [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Jaden Martin, [email protected]

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Richard Adams-Blackburn, Karen Alexander

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Odelia Schaare

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Mark Gibson

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Richard Opie, Aaron Mai, Danny Wood, Shaun Constable, Ryan

Van Pelt, Jack Galzer, Dragpics.com.au

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Marcus Gibson

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: marcus.momowerks

G

etting my pride and joy run over by a

steamroller is not my idea of a great way

to end a night out, and it seems so unreal

it could be straight from the script of a

Fast & Furious movie.

I’m guessing that the majority of you have seen

the footage floating around of the vigilante actions that

went down in Silverstream, Welly, last month. ‘Scar y’ is

probably the first word that comes to mind to describe

the scenes in the videos I’ve seen, and we’re damn

lucky, as is the roller pilot, that no one was crushed

to death.

I’m not here to take sides; I’m no saint and was

present at similar stand-offs during my teen years —

some of the darkest for car enthusiasts in the public

perception. I don’t for a second condone what the

roller driver did — and some of you reading this will

have been in attendance. But old man Marcus can

understand how, after repeated skid sessions at the

site, spanning a month or two, the resulting damage

to the private property, which I’m guessing he owned,

was enough to make him snap — either that or the

liquor in his system. Either way, it’s down right scary,

and I’m sure he will have his day in court.

I repeat that I’m not here to debate the situation,

but I will say that this type of tension has been around

since the ’60s. What I did want to touch on is the

accessibility to places to use legally for such activities

— something that has been brought up in the wake of

the chaos that unfolded in Silverstream. Let’s get one

thing straight here: we already have a ton of facilities

available, many of which were created as a direct

attempt to curb illegal driving activities, and were the

result of hard work, fundraising, and clubs coming

together to make it happen for themselves. In fact, all

but two racetracks, drag strips, and speedway tracks

in this country were born that way — and that is not

taking into account the burnout pads dotted around the

place. While there was some council involvement, I’m

sure for the most part that it was public determination

that made it happen.

Most of these places are open to the public and

available for hire. I understand that the issue of cost is

a factor, or perhaps just an excuse, but burnout comps

are cheap to enter and happen all over the country at

very regular intervals.

If nothing suits you, then host your own event;

rent an existing facility, and keep costs as low as you

can. Hell, many a local pub has held a burnout comp

in its car park over the years — such events are some

of my fondest memories. There is nothing to stop

people organizing their own meeting; it’s about getting

together, saying enough is enough, and making shit

happen for ourselves.

It’s highly unlikely that and Council will ever

provide such a place, so stop asking; stop using it as

an excuse, and make shit happen for your community,

as no one is going to hand it to you.

There has always been a certain level of anti social

behavior associated with these late night antics and

call me a cynic but that’s unlikely to change anytime

soon, so if you are going to do it illegally, understand

that it’s not just public property that is affected by all-

night skid parties, and it’s only a matter of time before

the next incident happens. Stay safe out there, kids,

as, just like in the first Fast & Furious, you don’t know

where the next vigilante is lurking.

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IT’S A CHOICE

NOT A RIGHT,

SO DO IT RIGHT

,,

EDITORIAL