Flash Mob: Police reportedly bust illegal night race on Hockenheim circuit
We don't condone illegal behavior here at Autoblog. Heaven forbid. But if you are going to break the law, this strikes us as a good way to go about it.
Reports out of Germany indicate that a group of some 100 people in 43 cars descended upon the Hockenheimring (host of the German Grand Prix) in southern Germany this past Saturday night for what we can only describe as the racing equivalent of a flash mob. The group reportedly coordinated over the interwebs, showed up at night after the track was closed and staged an impromptu race around the circuit.
That is, until 50 cops showed up to bust the illegal race. Officials say they'll all be fined – presumably for trespassing, since we don't imagine there's anything illegal about actually, you know, racing on a race track – and that this wasn't the first time this kind of race has been held on the track after hours. Giggity. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
[Source: The Local | Image: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ForgedInternals 11:08AM (11/23/2009)
I don't think I'd qualify this as a 'good' way to break the law. No way out once the cops show up and they organized the meeting online were everyone could see it.
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Throwback 2:37PM (11/23/2009)
If this was in the USA they would have been arrested for breaking and entering. I assume the track was locked. A fine and no loss of license is like a speeding ticket. In no way am I condoning this act, but I have to admit I street raced in my youth. Thankfully I never hurt anyone.
RAndroid 6:20PM (11/23/2009)
Hey, they "kept it on the track" right?
I'm not saying it's a good think for a B&E to happen but.......
zamafir 11:09AM (11/23/2009)
Hrm... break into the track at night and race... brilliant!
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mk3 3:34PM (11/23/2009)
Great. I just hope they post videos.
Magnus Correctus 11:15AM (11/23/2009)
It happened on the eastern part of the old raceway, not on the current track. Since this part is in a forest, they are charged with violation of the Federal Forest Act.
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dukeisduke 11:23AM (11/23/2009)
Ouch.
Wai 11:16AM (11/23/2009)
I wonder who snitched
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chodaboy19 11:16AM (11/23/2009)
At least they did it in a safe isolated place away from the general public and roads.
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High Climber 12:39PM (11/23/2009)
It doesn't excuse it and if one of these morons kills themselves some bleeding heart lawyer would come out of the woodwork and sue the race track....
I hope the organizers of this see some jail time.
Ken Stamper 1:07PM (11/23/2009)
@Glock
Keep in mind this happened in Germany, not the US. I guess it is ironic given that Germany has a far bigger and socialistic federal government than we do, but any lawsuit brought by one of those drivers would be laughed out of court. Personal responsibility still means something there, and that is especially true when it pertains to driving.
andre lavoie 11:17AM (11/23/2009)
This is better than street racing but its only just better. If you raced on the track during its normal operating hours you would have sufficient light to see what the hell you are doing (headlights may not be enough, especially to inexperienced racers) and some kind of emergency personnel on stand by in the event that you crash. Not to mention that your stealing track time by not paying.
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garland823 3:37PM (11/23/2009)
All these points show why this was a much more acceptable practice than street racing: they endangered themselves only. And sure, they should be fined for the track time they stole. But there was no way for innocent people to be hurt, so this is far and away a better idea than street racing. Bounds ahead of that would be organizing a race through the track to make it, you know, legal.
Vision7 11:21AM (11/23/2009)
I agree about not condoning illegal activity but, keeping racing to a track is a "smart" way to break the law.
With street racing on a perpetual rise, despite all the police and legislation have tried to do to stop it, I believe it's up to the local racing community to lend a hand.
By making grassroots racing more accessible to street racers (who are not only young people) we can move the high speeds off the streets and onto the race tracks and drag strips where they belong.
There's an abandoned movie theatre in my city, with a parking lot big enough to fit a few hundred cars. What I would love to do is host a local autocross challenge on those grounds next summer and there is the potential for local law enforcement and race track organizers to come onboard as well. All we need is approval from the city to host it.
Let's do our part, everyone, to ensure the safe enjoyment of our cars.
Besides, who knows racing better than those who love to race? I'm sure we can do a better job than the government.
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Franz 12:44PM (11/23/2009)
Love this post.
fmwso 6:45PM (11/23/2009)
I completely agree with you Vision but unfortunately people are not likely to pay for some track hours that's why they take it to the streets. It's a great idea that has happened in some places, I hope it would happen where I live.
Kiiks 7:15PM (11/23/2009)
I paid $40 last time I autocrossed. That's about how much an eBay intake costs for the average rice rocket street racing kid. Worth every penny.
Francis 11:21AM (11/23/2009)
Man, the world's turning into Need For Speed Underground 2 even faster than I had hoped! Oh wait, I've just got a text message, I've gotta be at the Best Buy in 1:30 seconds before my homeboy leaves for the airport! I need to get my Stage 2 Nitrous kit!
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GuitarHero666 11:23AM (11/23/2009)
Well, you know, I prefer illegal track racing to illegal street racing. At least they won't kill any innocent bystanders.
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Steve-O 12:39PM (11/23/2009)
Let's just leave it at, "Breaking the law in general is a stupid idea."
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