Heres another reason why we have to take it to the track. Some kids were killed here yesterday while drag racing in an SS.

Link to the story (1)

***Taken from the Miami Herald website***

Drag race leaves three dead, police say

A family mourned the deaths of their two sons, casualties of an after-school race along a tree-studded boulevard in Miami Beach. A young woman also was killed.

BY KARL ROSS AND CASEY WOODS

kross@herald.com


Two teenage brothers, ages 19 and 14, died Friday from injuries they received after the elder boy lost control of a red Camaro while allegedly drag racing along Pine Tree Drive, Miami Beach police said. A female passenger believed to be the driver's girlfriend died late Friday at Ryder Trauma Center.

A fourth passenger, also 14, suffered serious injuries but they were not life-threatening, according to police and family members.

The Chevrolet muscle car struck a tree in the 4400 block of the winding boulevard in what police believe was a drag race. A motorcycle officer saw the Camaro speeding alongside a white Mitsubishi Eclipse.

''It's not worth it,'' said police spokesman Bobby Hernandez. ``These streets aren't made for that kind of speed. This isn't a NASCAR track. These trees are solid and they show no mercy on any vehicle.''

SPEED BLAMED

Police said speed was ''definitely a factor'' as the car's mangled aluminum frame wrapped around a pine tree.

The 14-year-olds were freshmen at Miami Beach Senior High, where last month a female classmate was found dead in her mobile home.

Relatives agonized while waiting at the Ryder Trauma Center. Hospital staff were unable to immediately identify the victims or their conditions, though family members knew at least one had died.

When a police officer identified the first fatality as the driver, Yirián Alonso, 19, family members convulsed in grief.

''Ay, Santos!'' cried the boy's father, who identified himself to police as Joaquín Alonso. He later wandered outside the trauma center in a state of shock.

About an hour later, the awful scene repeated itself when relatives learned his younger brother -- Yurián, 14 -- died during surgery.

Aileen Lombera said her brother, Joel Lombera suffered a fractured skull but had remained conscious. She said he was expected to recover.

VICTIMS ACQUAINTED

Lombera said her brother and Yurián were friends. She said the older boy went to college in Orlando and returned to Miami for the weekend with his girlfriend.

Lombera said schoolmates reported seeing Yirián and his red Camaro in a parking lot with its hood propped open, comparing motors with the white Eclipse.

''I had that same car -- a red Camaro,'' she said. ``It can go fast. I guess they were trying to impress their friends.''

The female victim, believed to be in her early 20s, sat in the passenger seat, police said.

''She took the brunt of the impact. The right tire was in her lap,'' said Miami Beach fire-rescue Lt. Charles Brown, who helped remove her.

Brown said it took 15 minutes to cut through the wreckage.

''We weren't able to remove her right away from the car, so it slowed down getting her help,'' he said.

PAINFUL WAIT

Family members of another classmate waited anxiously for Alejandro ''Alex'' Lorenzo, also a freshman at Miami Beach High. They had been unable to reach him on his cellular phone.

'I know I shouldn't say this. But, thank you, God. Thank you,' '' a female relative said, still badly shaken, after learning he was not among the victims.

A family friend later said Lorenzo was one of two people in the white Eclipse and was being questioned by Miami Beach police. Police were unable to confirm the identities of any of those involved.

 

one of my best friends in high school took himself out in a similar fashion. he was racing his brother home after they got off work at a pizza joint one night, he tried to pass, lost control and jumped the ditch and was airborn for awhile until he hit a tree. i had to drive by that fricking tree daily on my way home, sucked. if it wasnt for that tree he'd prolly still be around.

i still get into little street races from time to time, but having somebody real close to you die from it really makes you think before doing so.

 

thats really sad. ppl do need to leave it on the tracks. i race on the streets form time to time but its only thru an intersection... aka- 50mph then its all on the brakes

 

I just wish there were more tracks. I live near one now but I used to live 3 hrs away from one.

ramairstyle00-are they putting a track up outside of peoria still? I think it was in havana or some small town like that. I just heard ppl complaining about light pollution to try to block it.

 

its a good thing texas has long open highways. very few trees down here. still see some mangled cars from time to time tho its always unfortunate when people decide to lay the pedal to the floor in the wrong place, at the wrong time. especially when the worst possible outcome occurs. i feel bad for the passangers of that car, yes it was their choice to get into that car, but the sense of helplessness has got to suck for those last few seconds of life..... i know its bad enough when i'm going 120+ racing and my car butterflys a little, it makes me glad i've experienced wrecks before and that i can react instead of panicking. my parents would hunt me down in hell and beat my *** if i died racing.......

 

usually i dont let anyone ride with me when i race, street or track.

 

"Mangled aluminum frame". Good to know that facts
needn't stand in the way of adding some drama.

More tracks would be excellent, unfortunately they're
only slightly less popular than new sewage treatment
plants with the Solid Citizens.

 

I don't do "pickup" street races. You can throw me a rev, act like a ricer, etc. and 9 times out of 10 I won't react. It's either gotta be at the track or at a "track like" situation where everything has been arranged ahead of time.

These young guys don't think. It's all "young man ego" and no common sense.

 

tws i disagree with the younge man part...
in my town i get egged on by more 50+ year guys in vettes then anything else. that may not hold true for your area but around here there are alot of older guys that race,track or not.
but like you, i keep it at the track or in the clear (strait shot no traffic)

 

I agree with racing at the tracks for the most part, but street racing, as dangerous as it may potentially be, isn't always bad. I think it has a lot to do with the street you race on. Personally, I would never race on a winding street, busy expressway, or any other risky setting. The place where we race around my neighborhood is a 4 lane road, perfectly straight, and pretty empty after 11pm, when everything starts. Maybe I'm just young and stupid, but I think that racing on the street, even though illegal, isn't always that dangerous. I have had friends that have died racing, and I'm definitely saddened by it and don't want it to be me, but I also don't put myself in the situations they were in, for example 120 mph, down a two lane road in a residential neighborhood.

 

I do the same here, if i do do it there are many things i will go over just to be that much safer

 

we've given up on it and its easier to run the 90 clean miles down to gateway

 

I was referring more to the particular story. You're right. Some people can grow old without growing up.


For me it's gotta be the track or a late-night, deserted, straight and wide road that I am familiar with. Otherwise... no dice. I don't have the most powerful cars, but they are powerful enough to get me into a bad situation real quick.

 

werd

 

Street racing is bad.

Honestly, it's the people that do it at the wrong place and wrong time that end up like this. Sure, the track is the best place. I like empty highways myself.

 

well i see it like this.they just did it at the wrong place at the wrong time.i still feel for the familys.i agree that street racing isn't the best to do but every one has done it befor.you just need the proper place to do so.long straight line no curves.

 

and what do you do if a deer, dog, or even human (like a child) comes out of the middle of no-where while ur doing ur full throttle sprint? thats just something you should think about before, during, and after every street race

 

I think more people would go to the track if some how you could go from a roll or something like that... just an idea.

 

racing from a roll is for ricers/wheenies

real men run em from a dig

if ur afraid to break the rear end, get a 12 bolt/9 inch. if you can't afford it, you shouldn't be racing anyway

 

most races im involved in shut down by 70.

i HATE it when people talk about how badass their cars are because they cant hook up untill 3rd gear lol. that kind of **** gets people in trouble quick. if you loose traction off the line, its not soo bad, but when you 1-2 shift and it gets too sideways to controll, you need to invest in somthing other than horsepower.