Editorial: Time for the rubber to meet the road for Hawke's Bay skid lovers

Skid marks all over Camberley in Hastings after a weekend of burnouts in January. Photo / NZME

OPINION:

The only thing more annoying than the squeal of a burnout on a public road is the high pitch of those who want a legal place to do them.

Another long weekend has rolled in, and sure enough, the time off prompted another gathering of skid lovers in Hawke's Bay, this time on State Highway 2 near Poukawa.

This event wasn't particularly significant - 20 cars partially blocking the road and about 50 people on the side of the road watching at about 11.30pm on Saturday, and no arrests so far.

But every time there's burnouts in Hawke's Bay (it feels like every weekend), the discussion about a public skid pad for the hoons works its way into the online discourse like an acrid smell.

Te Matau a Māui's had some history of burning rubber for fun.

Thousands of people in Hawke's Bay and beyond will remember Thunderpark Raceway on the Gimblett Gravels from the late 1970s to the late 1990s.

Meeanee Speedway also briefly and unsuccessfully allowed skids on its concrete pad in 2015, sparking complaints about smoke from neighbours.

It's now 2022, and there's no likelihood of either coming back.

For close to two years, the focus of a local group - who say they would have used Meeanee's pad if it had stayed open - has been to find a new place to do it in Hawke's Bay.

I've seen all sorts of places flippantly suggested - even the proposed film studio site in Clifton and the for-sale Te Mata Mushrooms site.

In my opinion, there is nowhere that would work.

A burnout is a supremely selfish act - destroying property, polluting the air, tarring roads, waking the community, and all for kicks.

For the elderly, having a crowd in their neighbourhood is intimidating. It's the same for drivers trying to make their way through the boy racers.

And for parents (particularly new parents who've spent hours trying to put their baby to sleep), the unexpected and inconsistent noise associated with a gathering is more than just exasperating.

But skid lovers don't care, and they run from the consequences of it as fast as their bare tyres allow them.

It is behaviour of a kind that cannot be explained by upbringing, societal pressures, or oppression - only the thrill of being a lawbreaker.

Because of the number of people these skids have upset, the people wanting a skid pad will have to go a long, long way into the sticks to find anywhere suitable for their antics.

This will automatically make it an unattractive proposition.

Hawke's Bay police have vowed not to let up on anti-social driving behaviour. Hundreds of cars have been confiscated. Arrests will continue.

I think it's time for the rubber to hit the road. If you want to do skids, you should shift to another region.

Hampton Downs has a skid pad where you can pay $65 an hour to go sideways. Waikato could be the place for you.