This could be the plot for a movie, "Fast and Furious Canada," or maybe "Fast and Furious, the Young and the Rich."
Police in British Columbia say they impounded $2 million worth of high-end vehicles this week after witnesses reported the 13 cars racing on a metro Vancouver highway at speeds of 125 mph (200 kph).
The high-end race cars included a Ferrari, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, an Audi, an Aston Martin, Nissans and a Mercedes, according to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police press release.
Two of the racers would run side-by-side to block other traffic going in their direction on the highway while the others cars would take off in a race, witnesses told the RCMP.
"These drivers seemed to be looking for attention. Well, they definitely got the attention of police," Cpl. Holly Marks, spokesperson for the Lower Mainland District Regional Police Service, said in the press release.
What the racers, who police said are all under age 21, won't get is harsh punishment.
"Each driver will be charged with Driving without Reasonable Consideration and receive a violation ticket with a specified penalty of $196. Additionally, these drivers will be responsible for all associated towing and storage charges," according to the RCMP press release.
That's because police didn't actually catch them in the act and acted only on witness accounts. They weren't caught on radar, video or seen by a police officer, Superintendent Norm Gaumont, RCMP officer in charge of traffic enforcement for the Lower Mainland, told the Surrey Now newspaper.
"I know there's a lot of disappointment, wondering why we only charged them with an offence of $196. They fact of the matter is, we have to look at all the evidence we have and what we're able to prove," Surrey Now quoted Gaumont as saying. "That's why we've charged them with driving without due consideration for the public."
If police were able to charge the 13 drivers with more severe offenses, they could have faced forfeiture of their vehicles, according to a Vancouver Sun report.
The RCMP said most of the drivers were operating their vehicles on "N" class licenses, which means they had not yet attained full driving privileges. Only one of the drivers was the registered owner of the car they were driving, Gaumont told Surrey Now.
The drivers included 12 men and one woman, according to Surrey Now. Gaumont told the paper they were on their way to have a meal when they decided to race.
According to the Sun, the vehicles were:
My friend did the same thing, years ago, while we were driving in separate vehicles from Michigan to New York, via Canada. He said to me on his C.B. radio, "hey! I'm doing 110! I said, "you idiot, that kilometers per hour on the sign, not miles per hour!" lol
These were a bunch of rich kids. It was reported elsewhere they were all under 20. If they were poor they would have gotten 10 to life and the cars impounded for good instead of just for a few days.
Poor DB9 never had a chance. "Hey wait for me guys!"
Pft, a DB9 at least stands a chance against a damn SL63 AMG.
Problem?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTfcEo0S3vM
You were only going 90 mph on a freeway? No wonder other cars are zipping past by you. BTW, you're out of gas.
An old car from 2005? Pauper.
I agree – the most interesting aspect of this story would be which car won. My guess is the 2007 Ferrari 599 – just reading between the line because these are not in chronological order, alphabetical order – so maybe they listed in order 1st to last.
Those kids all need to go to jail for a long time.
I look forward to their names in the obituaries, I just hope they kill themselves and no one else.
Anyway, as a Vancouverite, all I can really say is... why couldn't I have been on the street watching these races? Sure, I'm a bit older than the kids racing those cars, but at least it's better than seeing an L (learners permit) on a damn SL65 Black, or watch a 911's clutch get killed by a young teenager on the Burrard Street Bridge. Those cars deserve to get a tiny bit of real action.
Seen some of these cars either..urgh..around my buddy's house, downtown, or at UBC LOL.
It's a deal I'd take. Make it into UBC and get a car that costs nothing in North America – relatively
Your an idiot.
your an idiot? LOL
YOU'RE*
Pot. Meet Kettle.
I do believe you mean "you're."
Learn the difference!
Your
You're
Not the same meaning. It really backfires when you use it to insult someone and you don't know which is which.
Man. That sucks! I'm glad I'm not you!
You're*
That one backfired on you.
You're. Not your.
That one backfired on you.
It's not a good idea to post a comment like that while making a spelling mistake of your own.
Your =/= you're
*You're
Try "you're" a contraction meaning you are. "Your" shows ownership as in "your high school diploma was bogus".
You're*
Is it seriously this hard to understand the difference between "your" and "you're"?
I hope you're not of voting age.
*You're
You're** an idiot.
*you're
That's great, guilty until proven innocent. No concrete facts just hearsay. It suprises me that not one person had their cell camera/video recorder on.
It's a common practice between some kids there who have more money than brains and parents away making money in Hong Kong. I was a witness ones, called the cops and tried to keep up with them, at 130 km in Richmond I quit. Bunch of idiots.
Actually from the look of it you're the idiot trying to keep up and endangering even more people, espeically yourself...idiot.
The fastest car of all of them suprisingly is the 2012 Nissan GTR. Its top speed is not as fast as others on the list but at the 125mph as stated in the article mean top speed isnt a factor only acceleration and handling.The GTR goes 0-60 in 2.9s the same time as the brand new Lambo Aventador. So its a lot faster than all of the Gallardos there. The 599 is slower in a straight line and wants to kill you in the corners so that would obviously lose. The Audi R8 is slow in the straights and handles like a pig. The Turismos are fast but not compared to the other cars on the list. The DB9 is nothing compared to the DBS and the DBS is slower and handles worse then the 2012 GTR. The Mercedes are just garbage in straights and corners. The fastest and best in the corners car on the list is clearly the 2012 GTR and i would put money on that. If you don't believe me look on the UK Top Gear power lap board the GTR is the fastest car out of all of the cars in this article. Any one who says any other car would win is just saying that because they hear big Italian Super Car names and doesn't know any thing about cars.
"The drivers included 12 men and one woman" + "who police said are all under age 21".
Dammit, I wish I was a spoiled teenybopper now.