14 cars and 11 bikes were taken to a police depot for inspection

Cops seized 14 illegally modified cars and 11 motorcycles over the weekend in a crackdown on street racing in New Territories North.

The two-day campaign saw 124 vehicles detected speeding but just 58 speeding tickets dished out. Police also issued 18 “defective vehicle” tickets. The seized bikes and cars were taken to Tai Lam Chung Vehicle Inspection Centre for further inspection.

One 23-year-old motorbike rider who refused to cooperate with police was arrested for obstruction but police say no other arrests were made, with owners of illegally modified vehicles given fixed penalty tickets.

The ticketing, rather than the arrest, of owners of the illegal street machines contrasts with police action against e-mobility devices such as e-scooters and pedal-assist electric bikes. In those cases, the machines are seized and the riders are arrested on multiple charges, including riding without a licence, riding an unlicensed vehicle, riding without a helmet and riding without insurance.

Police did not comment on the disparity between street racers ticketed and e-mobility users arrested.

Despite the police action across New Territories North, the sound of high performance engines and illegally modified race pipes still dominated the air around Bride’s Pool Road, a racing blackspot, on Sunday morning.

But police say speeding tickets were up 12% in the first nine months of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. Full-year figures are not yet available.