NYT Tackles the Saudi Street-Racing Scene

Editor

According to the New York Times, drifting and drag-racing on public roads are popular activities among bored and disaffected Saudi youth. No big news there. What’s cute about the article, as always, is the NYT’s struggles with automotive knowledge and terminology. The author describes the mods on one of the tuner’s cars–it’s running “an intake valve” (only one of them?). And when another kid “revs the engine until white smoke pours out,” our intrepid reporter doesn’t seem to understand that what he’s witnessing is a burnout. It’s always good for a laugh when a fusty publication expresses astonishment over that dangerous and appalling practice that the kids these days refer to as “drifting.” Oh well: if you can get past your disbelief over the automotive gaffes, it’s actually a mildly entertaining article. Amazing how tolerant the cops are of street racing in other parts of the world! Read up here.

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Posted at 12:46 pm in Drifting, Jen Dunnaway, New York Times, street racing

Comments

brivan
Mar 10, 2009 at 12:04 pm

I think the NYT’s needs a liaison to the real world.Perhaps you could be nominated and put an end to this world wide misunderstanding of what cars do when their not driving in the carpool lanes at 7 in the morning.

dhillaz
Mar 10, 2009 at 10:11 am

Wow, that’s a cool photo, I would put it as my desktop if they had it in the right size.

“…a rare outlet for exuberance in an ultraconservative country where the sexes are rigorously segregated and most public entertainment is illegal.”

Personally, I don’t think they should be so critical: it’s better problem to have than having teenage pregnancy and binge drinking.

Killersharq
Mar 10, 2009 at 6:23 am

Oh, those crazy Saudi’s!

enzo354
Mar 9, 2009 at 8:36 pm

I love how bad the media makes it sound. Drifting and racing are dangerous and kill people. Yep, thats why there are events, all over the world. *this kind of stuff is what makes old ladies call people who are just messing around in, they think they are stopping a serial killer*

AudiobahnV8SHO
Mar 9, 2009 at 3:12 pm

That guy is a douchebag, drifting=gay=jihadism? What a friggin moron.

Mulham
Mar 9, 2009 at 2:27 pm

hhaha

not its probably hydraulics coz camry’s are FWD so they wont wheelie

NWSilverado
Mar 9, 2009 at 2:22 pm

That was a great afternoon read! Too Funny!

Maybe they should get a gearhead next time to do the actual article!!!

nissanchick860
Mar 9, 2009 at 2:08 pm

Oh, don’t you love when the media gets ahold of street racing? LOL

snowboarding125
Mar 9, 2009 at 1:23 pm

is that car on hydros or does it just have a shit ton of power?

___nes___
Mar 9, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Oh god that was a funny read! I just didn’t get the homosexual relations to drifting.