Boy racer

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For single by Morrissey, see The Boy Racer.
File:Poser.JPG
"Poser Mobile", a commercial parody of common boy racer mods
File:Boy Racer.jpg
Boy racer spotted in Malaysia.

A boy racer is a motorist who drives an automobile that has been modified with aftermarket body kits, audio system and exhaust system, usually in an unlawful manner.[1] It can also means a compact sporty coupe that is heavily modified for racing. Wealthier motorists who drive sports cars, or those with costly modifications, often seek to distance themselves from the culture.[2] Responses to the boy racer phenomenon range from laws prohibiting cosmetic modifications to vehicles such as decorative lighting and window tint, restrictions on recreational driving ("cruising"), to vandalism such as spraying expanding foam into cars with loud "big-bore" exhaust tips to stop such cars driving around emitting loud droning noises.[3]

Culture

Publications for boy racers included Max Power, Fast Car, New Zealand Performance Car Magazine, MTV's Pimp My Ride and The Fast and the Furious as well as DVD publications and television shows.

Boy racers are typically known for speeding away from traffic lights, playing loud music, and revving their engines rather than actual street racing.[4][not in citation given][5] A typical boy racer is seen as a young man who sits very low in his seat and wears a beanie, baseball cap and/or hoodie.[6][7]

Vehicle modification

Modifications typically associated with the stereotype include:

  • Powerful sound systems
  • Extravagant paint jobs
  • Large, loud exhaust tips
  • Imitation alloy wheels, often unusually too large for the respective car, with matching low-section, wide-base tyres
  • Hellaflush (tyres tilted excessively and scratching the tyre fenders)
  • Spoilers[8] and bonnet scoops (possibly non-functional)
  • Suspension modifications to lower a car's ride height[9][10]
  • Body kits, neon/L.E.D lights and other appearance modifications
  • Tinted windows, often restricting the view from the car[11]

Boy racers by country

New Zealand

File:Volkswagen Golf - Flickr - jns001 (2).jpg
A modified Volkswagen Golf Mk4

The term boy racer is used in New Zealand to describe a youth that drives any form of vehicle that is Japanese and/or has been modified in any way (including factory fitted parts). The Land Transport (Unauthorised Street and Drag Racing) Amendment Act 2003 is commonly known as the "Boy Racer Act". In 2009, a government led by the National Party augmented the Act with the Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Act and the Sentencing (Vehicle Confiscation) Amendment Act, which allow police to confiscate and "crush" (correctly, dismantle for salable parts and destroy the remainder) vehicles on the third offence within four years, issue infringements for "cruising" and prosecute street racing and "antisocial" behaviour, by creating temporary by-laws. The first car-crushing sentence was passed down in late 2011.[12]

While the slang word "bogan" generally has a broader meaning, it is often used in New Zealand in reference to owners of larger Australian cars, like Ford Falcons or Holden Commodores.[13][14]

Most cheap vehicles in New Zealand are used Japanese imports and the culture follows modification of these cars.[15]

United Kingdom

A modified Peugeot 106

Boy Racers often neglect to tell their insurance provider about modifications as this would further inflate their premium, even though British law requires drivers to notify insurers of all material changes to the vehicle.[16]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ ABC: 'Phantom Expander' targets New Zealand hoons
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Grantham Journal: Car seized in 'boy racer' crackdown
  6. ↑ Wairarapa Times-Age: Young enthusiasts say "we're not boy-racers"[dead link]
  7. ↑ Wanganui Chronicle: Boy racers worry St John's Hill residents Archived July 16, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ East Anglian Daily Times: Man's horror at road rage 'gun' ordeal[dead link]
  9. ↑ Hawke's Bay Today: Lower cars at your peril says ex-racer[dead link]
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ BBC News: Tinted windows to the soul
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  14. ↑ The World Today - Car lovers buy fuel-efficient vehicles to save money
  15. ↑ [1][dead link]
  16. ↑ New Drivers Car Insurance - Hints and Tips

External links

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