GEORGE NEWS - It needs to stop before someone gets killed.

So says Dee Pieters, owner of the Silencer & CV Joint Shop in Fabriek Street, after a BMW crashed through her workshop's wall during an illegal street race on Sunday night, 16 February.

The driver lost control during the race, hitting a lamp pole, smashing through a security gate, and stopping partially inside the workshop.

Pieters says the street racing, also called drag racing, has been going on for years and their complaints fall on deaf ears. "The authorities know this happens every weekend - why don't they do anything?" she asks.

A video that has gone viral on social media shows the race between a green Citi Golf and the BMW that ended in the crash. The BMW's driver and three passengers fled the scene, leaving behind blood droplets. No injuries or fatalities have been reported and business owners have opened cases against the driver.

For Pieters, it isn't the damage to the building that boils her blood as much as the inconvenience of having to sort out the mess while still trying to run a business.

"I was lucky that a client's car wasn't parked on that side," she says looking at the crash site and the debris spread halfway through her workshop.

George community police forum chairman Rupert Pretorius says police and neighbourhood watches are working on the issue but urges the public to stop supporting these races.

He says a previous incident saw race members attacking neighbourhood watch patrollers with a wheel spanner.

The flip side of the drag racing coin

A street racer speaking to George Herald on condition of anonymity, says illegal racing isn't their first choice - it's their only option. 

Years ago, they negotiated with the municipality, met all requirements, and submitted documents, only to be rejected without explanation.

He has raced in George for two decades and knows of only two accidents - one happened years ago and the other on Sunday night - both caused by outsiders who are not part of their regular group of racers. 

"This guy just showed up thinking he could do what we do - clearly, he couldn't," he says.

Street racing is a motorsport, and racers want a dedicated space to practise it safely. The nearest legal facilities are in Cape Town and Gqeberha, but travelling there is too costly. "We're not asking for a free track - just access to land at a fair cost. We've tried negotiating, but we keep getting turned down."

Criticism is frustrating, as racers have sought legal alternatives. "Drag racing isn't just for us - it's entertainment that brings people together."

While some suggest using the stock car track, he says it's unsuitable, as the two forms of racing are fundamentally different.

With a track in Mossel Bay still years from completion, racers won't simply sit back and wait. 

"In the past, authorities temporarily blocked off Knysna Road or Beach Road for controlled racing. We don't expect them to close a busy road now, but at least let us identify a safe location where we can race legally."

A media enquiry was sent to the municipality and feedback will be added to the online version of this story once we receive it.

Man arrested after crash 

A 37-year-old man from George was arrested on charges of reckless and negligent driving, malicious damage to property and leaving an accident scene after he crashed a silver BMW into the Silencer and CV Joint Shop's workshop. 

The incident occurred on Sunday evening, 16 February, during an illegal street (drag) race in Fabriek Street.

"According to initial reports, no people were injured and the occupants of the vehicle fled the scene after the crash," says a police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Kappie Kapp.

The police confirmed that the suspect was arrested on Monday 17 February. 

He was released on a warning to appear in the George Magistrate's Court on Wednesday 5 March. The matter is still under investigation.

The municipality went out on Monday morning to fix the pole that was knocked over. Photo: Kristy Kolberg

The BMW on the back of a tow truck.The BMW crashed through the double wall into the workshop. Photo: Kristy Kolberg‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’