I'm sure all you locals already know about this tragic accident.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0208/496736.html

It really makes me sick that so many people were apparently regular participants in this "sport" of illegal street racing.

It's been going on for decades and usually all goes well. Imagine how many times drag racings has happened in the past fifty years without incident. Personally, I have no problem with the "sport"; something bad happens on occasion, but something bad happens during "good sports" all the time too - do we make those illegal as well?

Your disgust at this particular case is also unfounded:

"Early Saturday, a car apparently unconnected to the race plowed into the fans, killing 33-year-old Mark Courtney from Leonardtown, 38-year-old Daryl Wills from Clinton, 20-year-old Maycol Lopez from Gaithersburg, 49-year-old Blaine Briscoe from La Plata, 61-year-old William Gaines from Nanjemoy, 39-year-old Ervin Gardner from Oxon Hill, and two other victims who have yet to be named. "

The accident wasn't even caused by a participant.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Thats the problem! An unwilling participant drove into a street filled with tire smoke and who knows what else.

That really sucks. You're young, and yeah, you do a few stupid things without weighing the consequences, and you get killed. Experience is about doing the wrong thing and living to tell about it. I feel terrible for the folks who got killed. They weren't racing. They were contributers to this sport of illegal drag racing, but in no way does it justify being killed.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

...

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1998 E300 +310,000K
1996 E300 +460,000K

I stand corrected. Some people never learn.

Still that doesn't justify being dead.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I don't know whether people would use real official race tracks more if they were available. But something is wrong somewhere when they have to go to such extremes to plan and protect these events. Overall, bored people will make their own fun when there are no alternatives, since Maryland isn't exactly the recreational capitol of the world.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

Especially at 3am.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

What is most shocking to me is how many folks are involved, the majority who seem to be only spectators. I'm guessing some substantial betting must be going on.

As raymr smartly points out, maybe more local tracks would help the situation. I know in the North-west burbs of DC locals can go to 75 & 80 dragway. There should be something similar out Southern MD way.

The really pathetic part, they have designated tracks in the tri-state area for locals to go to.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

They are pretty big, since tracks are kind of hard to come by you do what you gotta do.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Not anymore, I was at the last run at 75/80. Its been shut down as of 2005. http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/MD/75-80.html

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1980 500SE/AMG Euro
1981 500SEL Euro
1982 380SEL
1983 300TD
1983 500SEC/AMG Euro
1984 500SEC
1984 300TD Euro
1986 190E 2.3-16
1986 190E 2.3
1987 300D
1997 C36 AMG
2003 C320T 4matic

past: 1969 280SE 4.5 | 1978 240D | 1978 300D | 1981 300SD | 1981 300SD | 1982 300CD | 1983 300CD | 1983 300SD | 1983 380SEC | 1984 300D | 1984 300D | 1984 300TD | 1984 500SEL | 1984 300SD | 1985 300D | 1986 300E | 1986 560SEL | 1986 560SEL/Carat | 1987 560SEC | 1991 300D 2.5 | 2006 R350

People have been racing on the quarter mile straight section of "Long-Wharf", in New Haven, Ct. for about 50 years now. Every so often, some moron gets involved in an accident, due to loss of control, or whatever. Every so often it involves a spectator or three. Just part of the risk, I say. I've gone down there to watch, on several summer nights. I always make sure I am behind the heavy wooden guard-rails, and two foot tall curb, or someplace else safe. Last summer, I watched more than one Acura, or Toyota bite the dust. They were still out there the next night though. Cops monitor it/raid it every now and then, and everyone scatters. Since half of the cars are generally not even registered, and some of the owners don't speak english,are here illegally, and often don't even have a driver's license, they are hard to track down, if not caught red handed. Some nights there are a couple hundred spectators, and as much as a hundred participants.

I watched a Honda slam into the rear end of a car sitting at the light, at the end of the strip. The poor lady in the car at the light wasn't even involved. The smashed up Honda fled the scene, and the plate came back "In-valid" when the cops ran it in their system.

This sucks, for this driver in the car, who was completely not involved. However, the spectators should have placed themselves in a safe spot to watch from. Therefore, I show no sympathy, for the people who were standing in the middle of the friggin' highway to begin with. In my oppinion, they should all ge given the "Darwin award", for their stupidity..

Nick

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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

There are at least two drag strips in MD, and one in VA across the border. I've been to the one south of Waldorf, never got around to the other.

Street racers kill innocent people when something bad happens. It's so f*cking easy to find a track. Occasionally these punk *ss losers show up to an autocross, get their behinds handed to them by some 90hp Civic or mid 80's Volvo and you never see them again. Not only to they endanger innocents, they absolutely suck at driving.

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1984 300TD

What kind if insurance would one carry in order to have an open entry race track?