Racers tear through Chinese city streets in rented Porsche sports cars
- Dangerous midnight speed drive fuelled by drinking and karaoke session
- High-performance cars seen switching lanes, driving on the wrong side of the road and running a red light
An alcohol-fuelled midnight street race between two high-powered sports cars in an eastern Chinese city has landed two men in detention.
At one point, according to police in Zhuji, Zhejiang province, the rented Porsche cars hit 170km/h (105mph) as they tore through the city, randomly switching lanes, running a red light and even driving on the wrong side of the road.
A police investigation found the culprits had been drinking alcohol at a karaoke session before deciding to test their driving skills.
One of them, a 21-year-old university student surnamed Ying, had rented the yellow Porsche for a month for 20,000 yuan (US$3,000). The other man, a 24-year-old surnamed Jiang, had rented the white Porsche for a day at 800 yuan because he wanted to race his friend.
Ying was arrested two days after the illegal race and confessed, the police statement said.
Local police started receiving calls from residents at around midnight on April 22, complaining at the loud racing going on through the streets.
In a statement on the WeChat social messaging app, police said footage from more than 10 security cameras showed a yellow Porsche and a white one chasing each other in a dangerous manner down a main road past a hospital and numerous residential compounds.
Speeding has been a criminal offence in China since 2011. According to Chinese law, “whoever races a motor vehicle on a road with execrable circumstances or drives a motor vehicle on a road while intoxicated shall be sentenced to criminal detention and a fine”.