Hangzhou police bust underground supercar racers

Police in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province bust an underground racing ring involving supercars and modified vehicles during the night of July 11, 2014, arresting a handful of drivers on counts of dangerous driving and unlawfully modifying vehicles. [photo / Weibo]

Police in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province bust an underground racing ring involving supercars and modified vehicles during the night of July 11, 2014, arresting a handful of drivers on counts of dangerous driving and unlawfully modifying vehicles.

At the scene, a section of a road in the Wanxin District of the city, police found more than 30 luxury vehicles, including Ferrari 458s, McLaren MP4s, Porsche 911s, and Mercedes-Benz C63s, along with heavily modified vehicles, which looked ordinary in appearance but were equipped with high-performance turbo boosters.

Police said they were tipped off about the race, and ordered the organizer, an auto dealer in a bid to promote his own influence in the car modification business, to cancel the event.

Earlier, the organizer posted on his WeChat account that he planned to host an "automobile experience sharing and exchange meeting," and that "various supercars and performance cars have already signed up for the event."

That evening, around 100 people, including the drivers and their friends, gathered at the designated location, despite the warning.

According to one eyewitness, patrol police and a SWAT team appeared less than 10 minutes after the 400 meter drag racing started. "The experienced racers immediately escaped, and those who failed to get away were taken into custody," the person said.

Police said they have traced all the vehicles that took part in the illegal race that evening, adding that most of the cars were registered under corporate entities.

Police also warned that modified vehicles in China have to comply with strict regulations, otherwise they risk violating traffic laws.