A lot of the street racing you’ll hear about right here within the U.S. is the Fast and the Furious selection — teams of car-interested people, throwing collectively pleasant challenges or greenback wagers to see whose automobile is quickest. Hong Kong, nevertheless, brings one thing else to the road racing world: Political motivation.

In case you missed it:

Vice journalist Mehi Melwani investigated the world of Hong Kong street racing, the place teams of younger lovers use their defiance of visitors regulation as a type of anti-police praxis. Their high-speed runs by way of the mountain passes aren’t only for the joys of pace or a couple of {dollars}’ prize — they’re an specific center finger to authority.

The automobiles of Vice’s story are an eclectic bunch, one which would slot in at most unofficial automobile meets right here in america. An 800-horsepower GT-R right here, an Audi TT there; tuned Volkswagens and Hondas aplenty. These are all automobiles you’ll see racing right here, for enjoyable or glory, but in Hong Kong they develop into a press release.

The full piece from Vice is price a learn, chronicling the lifetime of an unnamed fintech inheritor whose obsession with avenue racing, medication, and mixing the 2 finally value him his life. By his story, we get a glimpse into the lives of different racers, the neighborhood that all the time appears to spring up round automobiles anyplace on the planet — notably when these lovers are related by different, extra actual issues. Whenever you’re dealing with an authoritarian police drive, hell-bent on catching you and your mates, can any race simply be a race?