Re: tv show: WATCH IT!!!

[drew <drew@dyermaker.cs.uoguelph.ca>]

You know, it kind of bugs me that a documentary made by a Canadian
producer about underground drag racing in a Canadian city (that I happen
to live 2 hours away from) doesn't get aired on a Canadian station... :(
I guess that's my own damned fault for living in the boondocks with no
cable.

I read an article in last weeks StarWeek tv listing mag from the Toronto
Star about this documentary - it was kind of interesting reading.
Apparently at one point during filming there was an altercation between a
few hundred racers and the producer - one guy grabbed the camera and
destroyed some film.

I expect she chose her doomed hero to demonstrate just how sad this sport
can get - and probably singled him out because he was the only misguided
individual willing to let her follow him around for two years (apparently
she spent two years as a fixture in the street racing scene to make the
show.)

As for the plethora of far-east imports - this is relatively indicative of
the tuning seen in Toronto (known locally as TO or the big smoke).  I
exepect one of the largest reasons (although it may not have been
obviously reflected through the drivers portrayed in the documentary) is
that TO has a large Asian population - primarily affluent living in
very upscale neighbourhoods driving very upscale cars (mom and dad drive
MB, BMW, maybe Lexus or Acura.  The kids probably get the Hondas and
Mazdas on their 16th birthdays or something...)  The result is that more
tuners cater to the eastern import market, much to the dismay of us VW
drivers.

As for the police tolerance - well, I'm not sure I can really answer to
that one. Apparently the Toronto police have been cracking down on street
racing (they actually bought a helicopter to help monitor the situation!)
but the city is so sprawling that it's hard to keep up to these roving
pockets of racers.  They may have reacted the way they did in the
documentary for the simple reason that these individuals are probably not
perceived to be overly violent (up here the drug dealers may carry guns,
but it's very unlikely that the street racers do.)  I exepct that the
enforcement officials could be applauded for keeping a level head and
calmly negotiating with the individual rather than muscling the *sshole
into the back of a cruiser and running him in for lipping off.

So, after having watched the show, do you think the guy with the Honda
really got $60,000 worth out of it?  Just what do you do with a Honda for
$60,000 other than maybe install a surplus jet engine in the back?

Drew (who likes watching racing from the comfort of his couch with a few
cold ones...)


On Thu, 27 Jan 2000, Kevin Collins wrote:

> Testastrega@aol.com wrote:
> 
> > I wouldnt waste my time racing anybody I couldnt have a beer with after a 
> > race and talk cars.
> 
> I was watching it with a (non-car guy) buddy and made a similar comment to
> him in the middle of the thing, while they were showing the two "main
> characters" bickering and posturing at each other.  
> 
> I REALLY got a laugh out of that big showdown where the Civic idiot gave
> the Mazda creep a 5-carlength head start!  Yet somehow this little contest
> was a big deal to everybody??!!  WTF is up with that?  It was over before
> it started, 'cause everyone was in agreement that the Miata was slower
> and thus needed the handicap to attempt to even the odds.  So why even
> run at that point, unless it was just for fun? - which it clearly was NOT.
> 
> I also couldn't believe how tolerant the cops were with the attitudes
> these guys were giving them.  That one dude was refusing to leave and
> telling the cop he'd leave "when everybody else does", then dared them
> to arrest him.  Hell around here he'd have gotten the Rodney King treatment
> pronto!  And deserved it!!   :0
> 
> --
> Kevin Collins
> '86.5 Scirocco 16V 2.0
> '99 GTI GLX
> http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Factory/1780
> 
> --
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Drew MacPherson, Network Analyst, University of Guelph

drew@dyermaker.cs.uoguelph.ca           |  visit the Massey-Harris page:
http://dyermaker.cs.uoguelph.ca/~drew   |  http://m-h.cs.uoguelph.ca


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