Street raceing question?
 

I was watching one of those 'street outlaw' shows last night. The one where they go 'street race' but the guys all trailer their cars and the 'street' looks like an airstrip or something. All sorts of made up drama etc. The WWF of racing?

Anyway, the two cars that were running were getting staged and the starter guy is creeping them up to the line, then the first jumps the gun. The second one goes after him losing the race. The crowd said that he made a rookie mistake by going, but no one said anything about the guy who jumped. Just that he won.

Is there a rule on the street that if you give chase you're forgoing your argument that he jumped the start? Is it like a gun fight where you say you'll shoot at high noon, but really go as the clock clicks 11:59:59?

There are no hard and fast rules for that Street Outlaws, especially with the dude that calls himself JJ Da Boss. He just makes it up as he goes to help his guys win, that is all that matters.

The 405 group from OKC have some hard fast rules, but there are always circumstances they never planned or thought about.

It is mostly staged chest bumping and fighting and extra arguing. Real fast cars for 1/8 mile.

From experience. Since real street racing is illegal, there are no rules except what the actual racers agree to. To answer your specific question, some will run what's called 'Chase is the race'. Which means either car can leave early with no penalty. Depending on what everyone agrees to, if the other racer 'sits' and does not move the car that left first is automatic loser. A different twist is the other car must chase after and hopefully get to the finish line 1st.
But in this case a sucker bet for sure. Basically by agreeing to that you're giving away any shot at winning, my opinion.

But a lot of guys have big egos, fast cars and money to gamble away. They'll agree to chase is race with no penalty and are certain they can still run the opponent down.

To reference the OP scenario, the guy that gave chase was stupid. If he didn't move, he would've won as that was what the racers agreed to in that race. But as a driver it's hard to just sit when the other guy leaves, it's instinct.

Got it. "Chase is the race' sound like what I saw.

Earlier in the show one guy did his burnout and then pushed his car to the line like it was broken. Not saying it was or wasn't. Then was quick off the line.
Good, entertaining, tv. :D

Any advantage is the goal, by convincing everyone else that your motor / trans is hurt but you're still willing to race will very likely influence the other guy to leave late, not run his car hard, all the way out the back door. When in fact nothing's wrong and you gap him before the finish line.

I'd much rather have those guys trash their trannies where there are no innocents who can be killed or maimed

Street racing in the town I patrolled: Motorcycle doing a long wheelie; headlight pointed toward airliners landing at Sea-Tac........Grandma coming home from Bingo makes a left into a Stop-N-Go to get gas and buy lottery tickets.....MC hits the car and rider dead...Grandma thinks road is clear as no oncoming headlight........... Family sues grandma.........I was not the Star witness for the Plaintiff..........

Take it to the track I say.......

And on a track with corners

The “street racing” on Street outlaws is not really a public thing. It is a closed area controlled by the TV show producers.

Right, it's a TV show. Not really on the street although they sometimes pretend to run from the 'cops'

I would never, ever street race. Way too much at risk.

In fact I've never even been over the speed limit on the street.

The old "Renton Loop" maybe? I think we used to meet at a Herfy's hamburger joint down there.

In the late '70's and early '80's, I got a little bit wrapped up in that scene. I was kind of a "lost soul" - dad had died when I was 18, I was pissed off, yada yada... We would meet up to race at that Herfy's, up in Everett on Colby Avenue when it was still legal to cruise, and down at Golden Gardens. There were guys bringing licensed NHRA Super Stockers and Gassers on trailers sometimes, claiming they made the money to fund their legitimate racing through this street racing.

I was lucky. Very lucky. I never got hurt, never hurt anyone, and never got caught. There were some horrible wrecks, as one would expect. Then I finally got very, very lucky...

A couple of twins that worked at the local Union 76 started racing with us. Their dad got suspicious, and quickly figured it out. He essentially knocked all of our fool heads together and made us stop. Better yet, and the way he really succeeded, was he introduced us to sanctioned bracket racing at SIR.

From there, it was literally "off to the races". Boy, did we have a ball. And to do it where it was actually safe and legal, where there was no chance of getting into trouble and almost no chance of hurting someone. We were in hot-rod heaven.

I was young and foolish. Luckily, I survived, by the grace of my buddies father. What a wise man - he didn't shut us down, he re-directed us. I owe him a great deal.

sadly the local powers killed our tracks
first in the 60's masters field became dade jr college north
[ when they build the south campus there was a nice road course but that is an other story]

so the guys went out on Kendal dr out in the bean fields before it was built up
block the road with CBs to limit traffic no side roads there then
set up the lights and printed timing slips they even had an ambulance just in case out there
they ran there for years cops raided but thanks to the CB guy we allways got away in time
that was about a safe and controlled as any ''legal'' track

late 60's they had a track in far west hollywood but the developers built home too close and the noise killed that track

now it is a 100 miles to moroso out in the PB swamps
after penske killed the homestead promised drag strip when his big biz bought the track deal from ralf he did not care about local kids just big buck nasty car deals so no drag strip

so the kids still race but no where as safe or sane as we did out in the bean fields
and people die thanks to penske's greed

want to end street racers give them a track locally

I think I got to the PNW 20 (30?) years too late.

What a ridiculous statement. Talk about post hoc.

I've watch many of the street outlaws events. They have a guy with a camera that recordes the rear tires of both cars and the starter. If there is a question of someone jumping they go to the video and if your tire sidewall starts to crinkle (load up) before the light, then you jumped.