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I think "because it's fun" is right on the mark. Racing is fun, regardless of where it takes place. It happens on the street because taking it to the track just isn't feasible most of the time.
Vrooom, vrooom!
Vrummm, vrummm!
"Hey, nice car. Wanna race?
"Sure!"
"Okay. Well, the Street Legals start next March."
"March? Oh, I'm busy the first half of march."
"I think there's a family day april 10th - or was it the 11th?"
"Why don't I just get your number and we can schedule a day?"
"That's a good idea. Let me get a pen and paper." (Dig, dig, fumble, dig.)
"Okay, my number is 555-12...."
"Oh look! The light turned green. See-ya!"
Vroooooooooom....
If all they wanted was an audience, Friday night on the boulevard would have been a lot easier to schedule.
Quite frankly, racing in the street is less expensive than on a track, and few tracks are as much fun as the boulevard. The local drag strip in my area is about $50 for the first race, and roughly $15 a run thereafter. Many people who would like to visit the drags don't have enough money for gas and a pack of smokes, let alone the price of admission. Most street racers never get caught. Why pay money to use a boring track?
I went to the drags once. It was fun. It was expensive. I probably won't do it again until I get a new car or modified engine that I want to get precise numbers for. Now, with these new G-Tech meters, I'm not sure there's any reason to go to a track.
I want to race Laguna Seca. Any other track like that would be fun, but the only substantial local track in my area is Seattle International Raceway, which is a dull track, and it's still waaay more expensive than a speeding ticket. I'd really like to race on an actual road course, but that doesn't even happen in the United States. I can get several speeding tickets for less than it would cost me to take my car to a track, and I can race anywhere I want. What's my motivation to use a track?
Street racing is a cost / demand problem. The demand is only there sometimes, and when it is there, the cost is usually way too high. Until a day at the track costs less than a day at Disneyland, 95% of the people who want to go, won't. The rest of the time, a stoplight is more convenient.
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