http://www.fox5sandiego.com/pages/landi ... eedID=2145" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Read the article and watch video.
BTW: If you don't want to read this I totally understand. I am sorry for posting an essay haha. Back to business;
There is a program in San Diego County called Racelegal. Their original goal was to get kids off the street. It worked well at first but they shot themselves in the foot and now most people don't trust them enough to come back. Out of the many things that happened there I think having police officers sit outside the event was the worst. When racers left they would be pulled over and their car searched for illegal mods. Not to mention that the 1/8th mile drag got boring after a while.
There are no tracks in the San Diego area either. Street racers don't trust reacelegal and are not going to drive hours to get to a track. If you look at the number of street racing deaths in San Diego they are oddly correlated with attendance to racelegal. Before racelegal there were a lot, then they went down significantly when racelegal was popular, now they are back up. See chart;
(No numbers for '08 yet)
Chula Vista police chief Emmerson (second one in video) seems like a reasonable person but for him to allow all these tickets and impounds makes me wonder. Chula Vista is planning another “crackdown day” to do this whole thing over again. May I remind you;
On a single Friday the task force conducted their first and made 94 citations, including 17 impounds and eight arrests. More operations are scheduled. (This is in a very small area mind you)
I have a friend who happens to be a commissioner of Chula Vista. She knows Officer Emerson and is willing to set up a meeting. She also is a good friend of the Mayor of Chula Vista. I really don’t know what to say and do about all this. I want to change it but I have to figure out how. I want to set up a meeting ASAP because if I can help it I don’t want anymore of this crap to go on. I am just at a loss of what to say to the mayor and police chief. I am just an autocrossing tarantula breeder. Why would they listen to what I have to say let alone apply it?
I need to convince them that what their doing is a fallacy. Just because they have illegal mods does not mean they are street racers. Heck, the car that started this whole thing was a Jaguar. (If you don’t know what I am talking about you should have read article posted above!) They are almost always targeting imports. Mako made a good point the other day about people with money. I don’t want to misquote him please chime in. It was pretty much along the lines that rich people can afford CA street legal “racecars” the rest of us get shafted.
I was thinking of an event similar to racelegal (maybe even the same event, just some serious changes made, including its tainted name) Make it “super cool, yo!” set up in a parking lot and have a HIN type thing going on. A car show, a DJ, vendors etc. Also have a track set up and a skid pad on the side. I could have some friends of mine come do a drifting demo (drifting is the “cool” thing to do now, right?) maybe even have them instruct participants (some have instructor experience) it is just an idea though. I really need to make them buy into this.
I would really appreciate help and ideas.
What is really sad about this is remembering how things used to be. I could go to Racelegal on any given Friday and there would be cops (in cop cars) racing kids. Now it is back to Cops vs. Streetracers. Everyone can work together to find a solution. It may sounds like rainbows and butterflies but I have seen it work and have the numbers to prove it.
Here is a general breakdown of restrictions on parts in the state of CA (A little OT but CA legal parts are hard to come by, here is why)
http://www.sema.org/downloads/black-boo ... -add-parts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
You need to be a SEMA member to view this. If you are not a member you should be.
Also,
I have had some people say "why not autocross?"
Most street racers could care less about autocross. Most know it is here. They want to dick off and be cool. To be completely blunt this event would be targeting street racers, you know "STREET RACERS!" aka; stupid, irresponsible, cocky, F&F wannabes. These people do not want their friends to see them get beat especially by something like a stock Miata. *oh noes!*
And one more thing,
This may just be a way for the City of Chula Vista to make money. The thought makes me sick.
