V8 Supercar driver Greg Murphy cringes every time he hears about a boy racer's death in his home province.
"It's devastating. It's happening far too often and there's no need for it," said Murphy, who was home at the weekend for the Octane 07 Motorsport expo staged in
conjunction with his former Hawkes Bay Karting Club's 40th annual Blossom Meeting at ZM Raceway.
"We've got so many talented drivers coming through the ranks in a variety of motorsports in the Bay, the boy racers should follow their example and get off the roads and join a club," said Murphy.
"I had an accident on a Hawkes Bay road when I was 18 and I can tell them it's not worth it," he said.
"Enjoy your cars in a safe environment," Murphy, 35, pleaded.
The former Havelock North High School pupil urged the Government, police and parents to take a tougher line against the youngsters.
"The police here don't have enough power. The Government needs to do more to help the police. The Government is scared of losing votes but should put the minimum driving age up from 15 to 16," he said.
Murphy, who had 10 years' racing with the Hawkes Bay Karting Club, said the boy-racing laws were much tougher across the Tasman.
"I'm also alarmed at how much disrespect these boy racers have for their parents. Parents have to get tougher."
The Bay's most recent racing death was 17-year-old Luke Phillip Wooster, who died after a high-speed crash near Bridge Pa on August 11 when he tried to outrun police.
In May, 10 racer-type cars were seized and impounded after a Napier blitz.
Eastern District road policing manager Chris Wallace described Napier-Hastings boy-racer activities as "a problem" which took a lot of police time. The weekend's expo which involved 184 racing machines on a site near the Hawkes Bay Karting Club's track followed an approach by Murphy, who wanted to give back to his old club.
- NZPA
