Dangerous weekend "party"
By Jacqueline Vong

Motor cyclists wait at Xi Wan to join the coming motorcade	Kimura gets all excited while talking about motorcycle racing.

Youngsters always look for trendy excitements in their lives. In recent months a good number of them have developed a new interest. Do you have anything in mind? Well, the answer is motorcycle racing!

They regularly hold motorcycle racing competitions with their friends at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays as they do not have to go to school the next day. They consider motorcycle racing as a weekend party and form several competing groups among friends. The race is usually set in the areas where roads are narrow and in circle. In order to win the competition, they would drive the vehicle at a racing speed regardless of the danger it would lead to. They are willing to try anything to get a thrill. 

Ko, Sky and Kimura are fans of motorcycle racing (All the names are pseudo names since they did not want to give out their real identity). They are secondary students aged from 17 to 19.

At first, they appeared to be shy and passive. However, as the topic started to move on to motor racing, they became very excited and talkative. And they were willing to pose for pictures. 

"Normally we don't have a beginning or an ending point. We usually wait at Xi Wan and join the coming motorcade. We can join and leave the team anytime. It depends on ourselves," Ko said. 

Then Sky cut in: "The motorcycle racing can give us a pleasant feeling especially racing along the winding road. To win the competition is not that important for us. We enjoy most the pleasant feeling in the race." 

On September 13, a youngster was reported being killed in one of the motorcycle races. According to the witness, there was a group of youngsters who often gathered together at Xi Wan to have an illegal motor race. Though a tragedy did occur as many people had warned before it seemed to have little impact to deter youngsters from going into such dangerous races. They continue holding motorcycle races with their friends at night.

They would not even be stopped by the police action. During the time when this interview was conducted, there were several police cars patrolling along the road where motor racing always took place. The boys waited nearby until the police were out of sight, then they started zipping off.

"I know it is very dangerous but I really enjoy the excitement. When I am in the race, I only concentrate on getting a thrill. I don't fear the accident. I got used to driving at a high speed!" Kimura said. 

But Candy, Ko's girlfriend, said that she was terrified that Ko has been involved in a dangerous game. She said that she would try to advise him not to drive too fast.

May Lee, 26, has five years of driving experience. She believes that motorcycle racing is dangerous not only for other drivers but also for the motorcyclists. "I encountered some youngsters who did not have any intention to stop their motorcycles when they had to give way at an intersection. They were still driving very fast to pass the crossroads even though there was a car coming. I wonder if they were having a motorcycle race. They should not drive at a high speed. I'm scared to come across them when I am driving," Lee said. She said that if an accident happens in such a circumstance, it would affect the cyclist and other drivers or pedestrians. 

Steve Chan, 43, has seen a group of youngsters who drove their motorcycles very fast on the street. He thinks it is risky. "They drive very rapidly to get a good feeling, but they ignore the pedestrian's safety," he said.

Chan reckons that it is very hard to eliminate illegal motorcycle racing. He also said that the only solution is to have more regular checks by the police, at least, it might send out a warning to illegal motorcycle racers.