Middle Eastern Car Racing

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2007-01-22 04:33am

Post by **weemadando** » 2007-01-22 06:48am

Shep, once again you make me doubt that you are in fact a reasonable member of the human race. And not really a racist, psychotic non-entity.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2007-01-22 06:55am

weemadando wrote:Shep, once again you make me doubt that you are in fact a reasonable member of the human race. And not really a racist, psychotic non-entity.

I think you give the human race too much credit.

Oh and thanks shep, for saying there was yucky violence and everything.

tim31 · Post by **tim31** » 2007-01-22 09:44am

I watched it without sound, was there any reason given for why the Saudis drive like it's stolen? A mate of mine's mother worked as a nurse in Saudi for a year recently... The mortality rate from vehicular accidents is off the scale, and it's easy to see why.

Reminded me of the Group B rally tragedies of the 80's.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2007-01-22 11:10am

I'd ask the obvious question of why exactly this is considered fun, but the presence of too much money and free time pretty much answers it for me. Plus, it's not like the Saudis have a monopoly on stupidity when racing and watching cars race - think of all the Europeans standing on or right next to the road during rally races.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-01-22 11:21am

think of all the Europeans standing on or right next to the road during rally races.

It's worse than that. Rally cars have a tendency to go straight through the little plastic ropes they use to cordon off the track - there was one infamous case where a rally car jumped right into a supposedly "safe" spectator area, crushing a 14-year-old. The safest place to watch rally is still on TV.

Grandtheftcow · Post by **Grandtheftcow** » 2007-01-22 12:49pm

Too bad it wasn't those stupid kids in rice wagons but I'm guessing this is the middle eastern equivalent.

tim31 · Post by **tim31** » 2007-01-22 01:38pm

Bounty wrote:It's worse than that. Rally cars have a tendency to go straight through the little plastic ropes they use to cordon off the track - there was one infamous case where a rally car jumped right into a supposedly "safe" spectator area, crushing a 14-year-old. The safest place to watch rally is still on TV.

Sometimes the course marshalls drop the ball when they're setting up. Other times crowd mentality is what gets people killed. A few foolhardy individuals standing at the edge of the road, like you tend to see in Greece and Spain, and suddenly everyone thinks it's safe to do the same thing.

We have a Targa event in this state which attracts drivers from around the world every year. Last year people were up in arms blaming drivers and officials after a car hit a tree on a popular spectator stage and speared into the crowd. The driver reacted well and the people he hit sustained broken bones and concussion, but I don't have too much sympathy for anyone who sits in a deckchair behind a piece of vinyl ribbon, confident that no driver will make a mistake.

Lt. Dan · Post by **Lt. Dan** » 2007-01-22 02:42pm

Well now, that was interesting to see the driver get launched 40 feet into the air. Seatbelts and locking the door may have helped, but so would have not driving like that. Shit was nuts.

Meest · Post by **Meest** » 2007-01-22 05:25pm

Unlike rally racing this seemed to be the point is to try and fishtail and hold control over long straight stretches, which is retarded. Rally cars at least have a course and mapped out routes. This reminds me more of dirttrack racing that isn't an oval track and no retaining wall, just retarded.

LaserRifleofDoom · Post by **LaserRifleofDoom** » 2007-01-22 07:04pm

The video showed me why street racing is stupid. The cars they were driving were in no way meant to handle at high speed. And there seemed to eb a lot of drivers who couldn't keep strait. Any sensible spectator woud know not to be anywhere nearby.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2007-01-22 10:56pm

Meest wrote:Unlike rally racing this seemed to be the point is to try and fishtail and hold control over long straight stretches, which is retarded.

I think they were trying to do 360s or 180s.

What I don't get are the endless crowds along the routes, PERFECTLY IN LINE TO BE SMACKED BY A CAR NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-01-22 11:22pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Meest wrote:Unlike rally racing this seemed to be the point is to try and fishtail and hold control over long straight stretches, which is retarded.
I think they were trying to do 360s or 180s.

What I don't get are the endless crowds along the routes, PERFECTLY IN LINE TO BE SMACKED BY A CAR NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.

I was going to ask why they appeared to be deliberately forcing their cars horizontal to best smear the largest amount of people possible. I was looking for, like CG artifacting or something, wondering if it was a game spoof... but no, it's real.

That's just insanity. All aspects of it seem deranged and not even minutely thought out: the crowds, the sport, and the drivers, they all seem hellbent on a massacre. Does anyone know what they were really trying to do? Are they driving laps or something?

Dargos · Post by **Dargos** » 2007-01-29 03:12am

Iam unable to access the movie at this time (damn web sense) I will look at it at home. But from the description of the movie, it appears that the drivers are attempting perform the act of "Drifting". They are purposely attempting to "drive sideways" as far as possible. It is a rather popular (extremly dangerous) activity in Saudi. Here is a link about drifting

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2007-01-31 05:33am

Bounty wrote:
think of all the Europeans standing on or right next to the road during rally races.
It's worse than that. Rally cars have a tendency to go straight through the little plastic ropes they use to cordon off the track - there was one infamous case where a rally car jumped right into a supposedly "safe" spectator area, crushing a 14-year-old. The safest place to watch rally is still on TV.

untill they drive badly enough to break through the forth wall....

hey, it's comming.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2007-01-31 11:41am

MKSheppard wrote: What I don't get are the endless crowds along the routes, PERFECTLY IN LINE TO BE SMACKED BY A CAR NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.

Have you seen the crowds standing around Palestinian terrorists bringing the kids with them and then staying in the same place after the rockets are fired and they know that the IDF will fire on that location (Even in beaches they don't move).
Same principle, Darwin awards all-round

tim31 · Post by **tim31** » 2007-02-01 12:01pm

Dargos wrote:...from the description of the movie, it appears that the drivers are attempting perform the act of "Drifting". They are purposely attempting to "drive sideways" as far as possible. It is a rather popular (extremly dangerous) activity in Saudi.

Yeah... In front-wheel-drive Australian built Camrys.

Drifting is popular in a lot of other countries too, but even the people dumb enough to do it in the street generally do it at night and in places where there aren't people lining the streets, except in Japan, where spectators of street dori are sensibly behind barriers.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2007-02-02 11:00pm

Someone needs to import GTA3 to Saudi Arabia.

Still, for spectator smearing, the 2002 Lviv Su-27 crash for the win.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2007-02-04 01:49am

Covenant wrote:
MKSheppard wrote:
Meest wrote:Unlike rally racing this seemed to be the point is to try and fishtail and hold control over long straight stretches, which is retarded.
I think they were trying to do 360s or 180s.

What I don't get are the endless crowds along the routes, PERFECTLY IN LINE TO BE SMACKED BY A CAR NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.
I was going to ask why they appeared to be deliberately forcing their cars horizontal to best smear the largest amount of people possible. I was looking for, like CG artifacting or something, wondering if it was a game spoof... but no, it's real.

That's just insanity. All aspects of it seem deranged and not even minutely thought out: the crowds, the sport, and the drivers, they all seem hellbent on a massacre. Does anyone know what they were really trying to do? Are they driving laps or something?

It's a sport called "Drifting." As in, you know, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Someone has been watching way to many American movies.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2007-02-04 01:55am

Doesn't matter where you're from, stupid people plus cars plus free time equals shit like this.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2007-02-04 02:15am

fgalkin wrote: It's a sport called "Drifting." As in, you know, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Someone has been watching way to many American movies.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

I thought do-rif-tu came out of Japan...