Crackdown on illegal racing

So the Malaysian police finally cracked down on illegal drag races in Gelang Patah. Malaysia's New Straits Times concentrated on reporting the facts while the tabloid New Paper focused on the innocent bystanders who were caught in the dragnet.

New Straits Times article
New Paper article


I learned about Gelang Patah some time back in 2003 from a friend. Back then it was just a place to have some impromptu fun away from the public. It was also where I made some friends like BK, Kelvin etc.

Over time, word spread about this sleepy little town near the Malaysia-Singapore border playing host to night-time friendlies. And it reached the usual bunch of losers who started using GP as another platform for demonstrating their lack of self-esteem and self-worth.

Soon all the car clubs knew about GP and that's when I knew it was time to stop going there as it would invariably lead to the usual one-upmanship bullshit.

It's one thing to have an occasional "friendly" in a remote area that's unlikely to pose a danger to others; it's quite another to go to the same hotspot night after night, on the same mods, against the same driver! If anything, the competing cars are just going to get slower due to higher wear and tear on the parts.

Drag races were going on every night now. It had become an purely ego-boosting platform. Or maybe it was the "promise of sexual favors" LOL.

These regulars never learned their lesson, despite having their cars damaged while trying to outrun the police. They know that no matter what, they could treat the police with impunity since the only variable was the size of the bribe. Police chases only added to the "thrill".

So it's no surprise that the big stick finally came down hard on all the people gathered there. Hell if I'm a resident of GP, I'd get pissed off too. For those who were truly innocent, my sympathies. If there's anyone to blame, it's the usual bunch of idiots who give all performance car owners a bad name.

Pasir Gudang holds legal races and all in it's less than 100RM (inclusive of fuel!), yet these people choose to race illegally and prefer to pay off police to the tune of hundreds of ringgit. If you fail to understand the logic of it all, you are not alone.