In the Heat of the Night

The lemon-yellow pickup has been revving at the start line for minutes now. Wedged between two men gripping the rear end and a third pressing down hard on the hood from the front, there’s no chance it can make a run for it. Not yet, anyway. That’s the point. The rear tires need to spin and heat up for optimal grip when the race begins. This is the King Drag Race – a three-day event where dozens of racers in different motorcycle and car classes battle it out for the best time.

Drag races – straight-line sprints like this – are a huge deal in Thailand. The scene took off in the 1990s and early 2000s, when local youths would race souped-up compacts and small motorcycles on public roads. The illegal races became so deadly that dedicated drag strips were eventually built, including Bangkok Drag Avenue, about 90 minutes north of the capital.

The bang from the pickup draws a collective gasp from the crowd. As soon as the wheels regain traction, the built-up torque blasts through the drivetrain. The front end lifts, and the car surges down the track on just its rear tires. Not even eight seconds later, the dragster comes to a stop, all four wheels on the ground again, at the finish line 400 meters away. The crowd roars. For comparison: a base model Lamborghini Huracán would’ve needed more than ten seconds to cover the same distance.

Most of the roughly 200 vehicles here come from brands like Isuzu, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and BMW – all of which have production plants in Thailand. That makes them far cheaper than imported cars, which are hit with tariffs ranging from 40 to 80 percent. The drag teams strip down their trucks until the cockpits and doors look like Swiss cheese. Then they tune them to the extreme. Diesel engines are especially popular – not least because the Thai government heavily subsidizes diesel fuel to support agriculture, which employs around one in three Thai workers. The racers benefit too.

Tickets to the King Drag Race cost less than three euros. Entire families roll up in packed pickups. Toddlers dart between food stalls, parts vendors and the racetrack. Elderly women with canes hobble toward the stands. Tailgates drop open and out come picnic baskets, folding chairs and coolers for the next break.

Want to get a glimpse of the scene? Best bet is Thai Facebook groups. That’s where members share race recaps and clips. If you want to attend in person, you’ll probably need to know someone who knows someone who knows someone. Or at least find a middleman through one of those online communities.

The track is buzzing and blistering hot. ( ... )

→ Read the entire story in the new ramp #68 »Happy as a Clam«.