The need for speed
It's the early hours of a Monday morning and, while most of Hong Kong is tucked up in bed, Sam (not his real name), a senior cook at a city hotel, is wide awake and hunched over the steering wheel of his car. Adrenaline pumps through his body, a vein pulses in his temple and he bites down hard on his lip, concentrating as though his life depends on it, which it may well do.
The 24-year-old revs his engine as he eyeballs his opponent, just inches away, in the beachfront car park of the picturesque coastal village of Shek O. Once a popular hangout for illegal street racers its attraction has waned recently due to ongoing roadworks and greater police awareness. But the temptation is still there for adrenaline junkies who thrive on the thrill of screeching along the narrow roads and hairpin bends.
This form of racing is known as touge, a Japanese word that means 'mountain pass', because the driving usually takes place on mountain roads and passes. The aim of a touge race is to be the fastest on a specified stretch of road. Usually one car 'chases' another and victory is determined by the space between them at the end - if it has increased the lead car wins, if the following driver has narrowed the margin, or has overtaken, he wins. Any car that spins out and crashes loses.
Sam's Honda Integra and his rival's Toyota Corolla have been modified to include essential extras such as spoilers and large exhaust tips.
There seems to be no specific modification lexicon in Hong Kong; the language used among enthusiasts is universal. On numerous websites and blogs, drivers from around the world discuss the finer points of Spoon throttle bodies (Spoon Sports is a popular car-parts brand and a throttle body controls the amount of air flowing into the engine) and Mugen headers (a header, or manifold, is the part of the exhaust system that collects the gases from the engine and one of the most popular is made by Mugen Motorsports).
There are many modified-car enthusiasts who don't condone street racing. Then there are those like Sam.
A 2005 Honda Integra Type R DC5 can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 6.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 219km/h. Sam's 'tweaked' car, however, has a remapped engine that has a top speed of 244km/h. To achieve this, the car's engine control unit would have been connected to a laptop loaded with software to adjust the fuel intake, throttle response, turbo control, engine load and torque limiters. Many suppliers claim their software is 'undetectable' by main dealers and some even offer a warranty.