Photo: Screenshot from Instagram video by bucket_filmzz
Sideshows have become something entirely different from what they started. Back in the day, these used to be informal meetings between youngsters who were into cars. I am sure that every country has its version of sideshows in one form or another. Now, sideshows have become something you need to steer clear of.
Not only do these events often include street takeovers, which are a dumb idea in the first place, and a magnet for getting arrested, but their link to car culture is marginal, at best. If you allow it, street takeovers are to car shows what hooliganism is to football in Europe.
You might have seen football hooligans in action by now, and they used to be worse back in the day in certain countries. Some have yet to change, while others have been “educated” with the help of law enforcement officers who were placed to keep things in check.
As you may be aware, some people were banned for life from football stadiums. I find it ironic that those people cannot go and watch the sport they claim to love because they misbehaved in the stadium or next to one.
The biggest difference between football hooligans and street takeovers is that the former was supposed to go to a certain location on a certain day, and then leave the legitimate event. The latter group involves a spontaneous event that was not approved or planned in any way, which means unpredictability. Street takeovers involve people going to an under-the-radar event, and then taking things on the wild side for no apparent reason.
Photo: Screenshot from Instagram video by bucket_filmzz
Do you know what both groups have in common? Breaking the law. In the case of hooliganism, some may use alcohol as an excuse, even if it is never an excuse for poor behavior. Sideshow participants and spectators do not have this excuse, as they are supposed to be driving to and from an underground car meet. Ergo, their actions are performed without being under the influence of intoxicating substances.
While we acknowledge that doing a burnout or a donut may be fun, it is illegal in any country we can think of. Mind you, some people have done these things here and there. Those who managed to do them without getting arrested, having their car impounded, or anything like that can say that doing this in public is a bad idea. The same goes for making a video of it.
In the age of the smartphone, doing a burnout, a donut, or drifting in a public place, where anyone has a video camera at their fingertips, is an easy way of getting in trouble. Going to a car meet and doing donuts or burnouts? We suggest you do not be that person at the show. There are so many things that can go wrong, and you have no excuse in front of the law if anything happens.
If we take a look at the news, we will notice that sideshows and takeovers have become increasingly crazy, and they always lead to a strong police presence, along with arrests. I do not know about you, dear reader, but that is not the kind of car meet that I want to attend. With all these crazy things happening at such events, I cannot explain why someone would go anywhere near a vehicle that is doing donuts.
Photo: Screenshot from Instagram video by bucket_36
Recently, a video clip made the rounds on the internet, and it showed a young man who got run over by a Mustang that was doing donuts. In the process, the person was “pulled” under the wheels, got his pants and underwear removed by the spinning tires (that must have hurt like hell), and then everyone else started taking videos of him. He managed to get up and walked away, thankfully.
After seeing the clip, I tried to find a potential justification for the person's participation in the event. Okay, you are a spectator because you have nothing better to do this evening, but why walk next to a vehicle that is doing donuts? While it was the driver's job to stop to prevent a crash, I cannot explain why someone would walk near or toward a car that is doing donuts.
The only time when this is acceptable is when a stunt coordinator is present, and all the people involved are professional stunt people. That is the only exception, but otherwise, there is a thing called a “self-preservation instinct,” and that person should have been using theirs.
Now, everyone else should also start using similar instincts, such as “don't get arrested,” or “do not get your vehicle impounded for attending a car meet,” as both things can happen in today's world. Is it worth it? No.
If you ask me, car culture is not about street takeovers or the current format of sideshows. I have been to events similar to sideshows many years ago, and the consensus was to leave if someone started doing burnouts or donuts. Doing those things will attract police (and get everyone in trouble), and there is also the risk of that person losing control of their car and hitting yours. Yes, this can happen in real life, so do your best to avoid these events.
Hopefully, someday, sideshows will once again become the home of the young automotive enthusiast who just wants to hang out with like-minded individuals in a place where it is not expensive to enter, and where nobody will be bothered by their presence.
That is true car culture, not these current takeover-sideshows that turn our passion against us. Yes, you read that right, the current street takeovers or sideshows have nothing to do with car culture, they are just meetings of people who use cars to break the law.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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