http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,200446,00.html?
Illegal driving stunts posted online
DUMB DRIVING AT MOUNT FABER
By Ng Tze Yong
April 30, 2009
WE'VE heard of 'Orchard Gudang' and '40 tiang', the street circuits used by illegal racers in Singapore.
Now comes Initial F.
The 'F' stands for Faber, as in Mount Faber.
And just like the young Japanese manga daredevil racers in Initial D, these Singaporean teens 'drift' down Mount Faber's winding roads at night, laughing and joking as they do so.
Their reckless exploits were captured on video and posted online. The brazen show of recklessness comes just days after a police crackdown on illegal racing over the weekend on Orchard Road.
'Drifting' refers to a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing the car's rear wheels to lose traction, resulting in the car 'drifting' through turns.
The video, just under three minutes long, was posted on the Stomp website on Monday and has since received 10,000 views.
At the start of the video, one man is heard announcing in Malay: 'We are at Mount Faber... watch the action!'
There are nervous smiles as the men take turns to introduce themselves in front of the camera.
The roar of the car engine is heard next, as the driver steps on the accelerator, racing off from a carpark.
The driver completes his first 'drift' with bravado and a loud screech, then finds himself stuck behind a slow-moving car.
The men groan and curse, then discuss whether they should overtake.
The driver decides to stop the car for a while as his friends egg him on.
'He (the driver) is not satisfied yet...' says one of them.
A few seconds later, the driver sets off again, engine at full throttle.
But a couple of turns later, they end up behind the same car.
As the men watch their stunt turn into a cruise at first-gear, one of them says, clearly exasperated: 'They are romancing... that's why they are driving so slowly.'
The driver stops and starts off a second time.
This time, the driver manages to 'drift' through two turns, then overtakes the car on the winding and narrow two-way road.
His friends are heard alternatively pleading with the driver to slow down.
At one point, one man even calls out mockingly to God for help.
The driver 'drifts' through the last few turns before reaching the junction with a main road, where the video ends.
A remark accompanying the posting of the video read:
'THis is me and my friends.. we did somthing so stupid.. and IT IS OF COZ ILLEGAL! so plz.. i'm begging u guys.. dun try this at home or road.. Especially in singapore! SG road rulez are damn strict!!! so dun play play ah!'
The young men's stunt, however, have not impressed netizens greatly.
'My grandmother can drift better than you!!' wrote stomper8888.
Added caketalk: 'Wah! What a DRIFT! Drift faster then you can DRIFT ALL THE WAY TO HELL SOON!'
More worrying, however, is the one-upmanship the video has inspired.
Some netizens, clearly in the know, seemed to have analysed the men's stunt closely before critiquing the stunt.
'Erm... the car is front wheel drive. No drifting. More like a handbrake turn to skid the back wheels,' wrote vincikwan.
Added Pandorian: 'FYI guys, thats not a drift, it just that it makes a sharp turn thats all, the tyre sound is because the suspension is high as u can see the car is more like a normal auto car.'
'Dun insult the art of drifting pls,' wrote wahlaoeh88.
Judging from these comments, the recent police crackdown has not deterred some thrill-seekers.
Police monitoring closely
But the video does raise some questions: How often does reckless driving take place at Mount Faber?
How many arrests have been made?
A police spokesman said that the traffic police has been 'actively monitoring locations where we have received information of illegal racing from members of the public.'
The spokesman added: 'The Traffic Police strongly urges all motorists to stop such dangerous behaviour...
'You may be able to afford the fines, but certainly not the lifelong guilt of having killed someone on the road, or having caused the death of a loved one.'
Motorists convicted of dangerous driving can be fined up to $3,000 and jailed up to a year.
Illegal driving stunts posted online
DUMB DRIVING AT MOUNT FABER
By Ng Tze Yong
April 30, 2009
WE'VE heard of 'Orchard Gudang' and '40 tiang', the street circuits used by illegal racers in Singapore.
Now comes Initial F.
The 'F' stands for Faber, as in Mount Faber.
And just like the young Japanese manga daredevil racers in Initial D, these Singaporean teens 'drift' down Mount Faber's winding roads at night, laughing and joking as they do so.
Their reckless exploits were captured on video and posted online. The brazen show of recklessness comes just days after a police crackdown on illegal racing over the weekend on Orchard Road.
'Drifting' refers to a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing the car's rear wheels to lose traction, resulting in the car 'drifting' through turns.
The video, just under three minutes long, was posted on the Stomp website on Monday and has since received 10,000 views.
At the start of the video, one man is heard announcing in Malay: 'We are at Mount Faber... watch the action!'
There are nervous smiles as the men take turns to introduce themselves in front of the camera.
The roar of the car engine is heard next, as the driver steps on the accelerator, racing off from a carpark.
The driver completes his first 'drift' with bravado and a loud screech, then finds himself stuck behind a slow-moving car.
The men groan and curse, then discuss whether they should overtake.
The driver decides to stop the car for a while as his friends egg him on.
'He (the driver) is not satisfied yet...' says one of them.
A few seconds later, the driver sets off again, engine at full throttle.
But a couple of turns later, they end up behind the same car.
As the men watch their stunt turn into a cruise at first-gear, one of them says, clearly exasperated: 'They are romancing... that's why they are driving so slowly.'
The driver stops and starts off a second time.
This time, the driver manages to 'drift' through two turns, then overtakes the car on the winding and narrow two-way road.
His friends are heard alternatively pleading with the driver to slow down.
At one point, one man even calls out mockingly to God for help.
The driver 'drifts' through the last few turns before reaching the junction with a main road, where the video ends.
A remark accompanying the posting of the video read:
'THis is me and my friends.. we did somthing so stupid.. and IT IS OF COZ ILLEGAL! so plz.. i'm begging u guys.. dun try this at home or road.. Especially in singapore! SG road rulez are damn strict!!! so dun play play ah!'
The young men's stunt, however, have not impressed netizens greatly.
'My grandmother can drift better than you!!' wrote stomper8888.
Added caketalk: 'Wah! What a DRIFT! Drift faster then you can DRIFT ALL THE WAY TO HELL SOON!'
More worrying, however, is the one-upmanship the video has inspired.
Some netizens, clearly in the know, seemed to have analysed the men's stunt closely before critiquing the stunt.
'Erm... the car is front wheel drive. No drifting. More like a handbrake turn to skid the back wheels,' wrote vincikwan.
Added Pandorian: 'FYI guys, thats not a drift, it just that it makes a sharp turn thats all, the tyre sound is because the suspension is high as u can see the car is more like a normal auto car.'
'Dun insult the art of drifting pls,' wrote wahlaoeh88.
Judging from these comments, the recent police crackdown has not deterred some thrill-seekers.
Police monitoring closely
But the video does raise some questions: How often does reckless driving take place at Mount Faber?
How many arrests have been made?
A police spokesman said that the traffic police has been 'actively monitoring locations where we have received information of illegal racing from members of the public.'
The spokesman added: 'The Traffic Police strongly urges all motorists to stop such dangerous behaviour...
'You may be able to afford the fines, but certainly not the lifelong guilt of having killed someone on the road, or having caused the death of a loved one.'
Motorists convicted of dangerous driving can be fined up to $3,000 and jailed up to a year.
