Wheels on show

BY SARAH CODDINGTON

Boy racers were given a chance to show their wheels at the inaugural Infamous CannonBall Run on Saturday.

About 350 people and 119 cars met at the Albany Restaurant and Bar in Albany Village to start the organised rally, taking them on a day's mission to Rotorua via Tauranga.

Auckland Motorsport event manager and organiser Vaughan Philip says the event was aimed at young car enthusiasts.

"We know what these kids are like - we were just like them 10 years ago - but the new boy racer act is turning young car enthusiasts into criminals.

"They are a product of the environment they are in," says Mr Philip.

"We take them off the street and let them do what they're going to do anyway in a safe and controlled environment."

The event attracted car enthusiasts aged from 16 to 60 and ran smoothly with police briefing drivers on road rules. Any racers going too fast on public roads would be penalised.

CannonBall Run is a timed event rather than a race, and it aims to give car enthusiasts somewhere to go and show off their cars legally and safely as well as meeting people with the same interest.

"Boy racers need to know the police are only trying to keep the roads safe and they're not trying to gang up on them," says Mr Philip.

He says the organisers think the older generation in the event, particularly the hot rodders, were a great influence on them.

"It's all about cruising - you don't need to be going crazy speeds to be cool and be seen," he says.

The annual event costs $50 to enter and includes a lunch, spot prizes, a car display and a overall prize for the mission winner.

Mr Philip plans to make it a two-day event next year.

"It should be encouraged. If a boy racer wants to speed they will. Rather than punish them we prefer to give them something to do. If we could afford it we would run an event every weekend."

For more information, visit www.AucklandMotorsport.co.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News