I was stupid, says ex-street racer

PETALING JAYA: In lonely Kuala Lumpur highways at two or three in the morning, speed demons are kings and queens of the roads.

On selected weekends, modified flashy sports cars, among them Nissan Skylines, Toyota Supras and Honda Civics, can be seen weaving in and out of sparse traffic trying to outdo each other in terms of speed and handling.

Those who cannot afford top-tier vehicles will make do with beefed up local cars: Wiras, Myvis or Satrias equipped with turbo engines, sports rims, skirting and other racing embellishments.

Among the roads frequented by the illegal racers are the Elite Highway, the Karak or PLUS expressways.

However, to reformed street racer Mastura (not her real name), her “glory days” of racing are something that she has gladly left behind.

“I’m someone who doesn’t like being provoked on the road. I’ve been lucky all this while because I’ve never hit anybody but I definitely have put others in danger during my racing days,” she said.

Mastura, who drives a luxury sports car, says that she was a “solo racer”, competing with only one other car, and did not take part in group races.

“It is difficult to gauge the situation on the road when you are racing in a group. Even our car club does not recommend group racing because it is dangerous.

“For those who want to take part in group races, we conduct drag racing, where racers just drive straight to get to the highest speed.

“When we do carry out drag races, it will be at secluded areas or roads with dead ends, not where other cars are present,” she said.

Often, cars racing on Kuala Lumpur roads involve speeds above 200kph.

To initiate a race, a racer will first “provoke” another potential competitor by tailgating, flashing the headlights or revving the engine.

“At first, you may feel proud of beating someone else on the highway, but thinking back on it, I was very stupid. I have been lucky not to hit anybody or kill anyone,” she said.

“We talk about the risks among our friends to show off how skilful we are. You may get the temporary satisfaction of racing on the highway and showing others what you can do but in the end it is not worth it because if you make one small mistake, that’s it,” she said.

Some nights, Mastura would also race with her husband, who shared the same passion.

But it has been some three years since Mastura left the scene.

The arrival of her daughter was what drove Mastura to quit the hobby.

“Once I had a child, I realised that this was something which was not right. For one, it risks the lives of others. And I also consider now, what if the other drivers have children, too?” she said.

When asked to comment on the deaths of the family members killed after an accident that involved racing Myvis on Saturday morning, Mastura appeared visibly upset.

“I feel horrible about it, even though I am not involved. It could easily have been me who killed the family. Illegal racing needs to stop – if they want to do it just go to the race track, it’s not too expensive,” she advised.