'I don't know what the answer is' — mayor throws hands in the air over boy racers

Tuesday, 6 July 2021

Hundreds of people swarm to watch a car drift at the intersection of Tauhei and Matuku Roads.

The Matamata-Piako District mayor has thrown his hands in the air, unsure of how to stamp out a boy racer hot spot on the outskirts of Morrinsville.

“I don't know what the answer is,” Ash Tanner told Stuff.

“It’s not an easy solution, I wish I had the answer.”

On June 26, hundreds of cars and people lined Tauhei and Matuku Roads watching boy racers rev their engines and spin their tyres for more than two hours.

Matamata-Piako District mayor Ash Tanner admits he enjoys a bit of burnout fun, but says it needs to be done at the right place and time.

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It’s an event that occurs every four to six months, anywhere in the Waikato, and in Tauhei it’s happened three times since September last year.

Tanner agrees that nearby residents shouldn’t have to “deal with it”, but a designated drag pad may not be the answer either.

The damage to roads after a large drag race gathering occurs.

“I know it’s upsetting for the residents that live there, but I’m not sure what council can do.

“It’s a hard one, if we set cameras up it might solve the problem at that intersection, but it will become an issue somewhere else.

“So what do you do to stop it?”

Tanner is a bit of an enthusiast himself, admitting he’s participated in burnout competitions over the years, but it was never on public roads.

It’s good fun, he said, but it’s more of a policing issue than a council one.

A car performs a burnout for the large crowd.

“I’m not sure if it’s council’s responsibility to supply a burnout pad.”

Police also admit there’s no easy solution.

Waikato acting road manager Senior Sergeant Michael Henwood said police were aware of the event, kept tabs on it and redeployed staff throughout the night.

Tyre marks remained at the intersection of Matuku and Tauhei Rd after a gathering in early 2021.

“Police followed the convoy throughout the Waikato and at the Tauhei intersection impounded three vehicles and are seeking two others,” Henwood said.

The only way forward for council, he said, was to change the road design and install CCTV cameras.

Boy racers want a dedicated concrete pad to burn rubber.

Tauhei intersection near Morrinsville had over 500 cars gather on June 26.

An anonymous “car enthusiast” – who prefers to stand among the hundreds of spectators than “popping a clutch” – says the group takes it as far away from houses as possible.

The council won’t give the racers a free facility to do it in, he said.

“We have had nights where farmers have come along and asked us to move along in a polite manner and we have … the point is to enjoy the time – no one gets a kick out of p…ing others off.”

Apart from a resident offering up their old cow shed concrete pad from time to time, there is no dedicated burnout pad.

A local farmer pulls up on his tractor to keep an eye on the gathering.

And the tracks at The Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park and the Meremere Dragway just don’t cut it, he says.

“They only go until 8 or 9 at night, these guys are hungry for adventure and a good night out,” he said.

“Plus the cost is immense.”

But the Matamata-Piako District Council said it’s unfair to ask ratepayers to fund something that isn’t necessarily being used by the community.

A lineup of cars along Matuku Rd stretch as far as 2 kilometres.

Service delivery group manager Fiona Vessey said a new drag pad also raised some serious safety issues.

Cars will leave the pad with safety defects like bald tyres. So to operate safely, Vessey said, there would need to be a safety and traffic management plan that people adhere to.

A resource consent may be necessary, and it’s not likely to get approval from nearby residents, even if council did have land for them to utilise.

Vessey said council understood the boy racers were coming from Hamilton to use the Tauhei Rd intersection, but the Hamilton City Council’s Transportation Unit also had no plans to install a drag pad.

Residents at the centre of the Tauhei hotspot have expressed their fear and frustration, some unable to work at night because they don’t want to leave their “terrified” family home alone.

But that was not the racers’ intention, the car enthusiast said.

“We don’t want to disturb the public, we do this for fun.”

Some attend only to socialise or to “show off their dream cars”.

“Sure, a bit of ‘stupid childish fun’ occurs with people doing burnouts and trying to show off,” he said, “but the reason people love it is to see what is out there and to meet other people. ”

The burnout pads are often left littered in rubbish and bits of tyres, but apparently racers often return the next day to pick up any bottles or rubbish left behind.

No-one runs or owns the car scene, events are spread by word of mouth or on social media – there are even fake accounts to throw off authorities where the event will be based, he said.

Most spots are chosen for accessibility and parking and multiple entry/exit points.

“People forget that the guys involved in this are someone’s son/daughter who are going through the discovery stage of their life of what they love to do and who they want to meet.

“Most people who are into this street car scene only stay around for a year or two, they find love have a family and settle down.”