Indonesian teens race motorbikes on streets of Jakarta in growing trend

ABC NEWS (Australia)

In Indonesia, police appear unable to stop a growing and dangerous trend. Motorbike drag racing is a fixture on the streets of Jakarta each weekend with young men playing cat and mouse with police – sometimes to gamble, but often just for fun.

Transcript

00:00Friday night in East Jakarta, and the Knight Riders have emerged, at every red light in

00:10this infamous intersection they gather.

00:17It's just my hobby, it's a thrill, but the other bikes are faster than mine.

00:23Helmets seem to be optional here, as are the speed limits apparently.

00:28It's getting near midnight now, and for two hours we've seen non-stop drag racing, but

00:33the weird thing is, there's just no sign of police anywhere.

00:39There was an accident once, and I'm not sure whether the rider died or not, as he was evacuated

00:44straight away.

00:46Finally, after midnight, the police emerge, and the Knight Riders move off to another

00:52part of town.

00:54The police chased after me once, and we all dispersed in different directions, but they

00:58got me and confiscated my bike.

01:00My friend had to pay them $150 to get it back, but it didn't stop me from racing again.

01:07Sixteen-year-old Raja Chandra Kusuma is known as a jockey, a young gun for hire who motorbike

01:13owners employ for bets against other riders.

01:17He can win around $50 per race.

01:20In the beginning, I was afraid of getting caught by police, and I was afraid of falling

01:23off the bike or colliding with others, but I've never crashed, and the near misses have

01:28made me more experienced.

01:30The police were hesitant to talk on camera for this story, but cracking down on Knight

01:35Riding hooning appears to be half-hearted.

01:39One officer told us they were ordered to stay here until we and our camera left, and even

01:44when they do patrol, there are meeting points all over this giant city for riders to gather.

01:50Many of these young men feel there's just not much else to do for fun on a weekend evening

01:54in Jakarta.

01:56My parents forbid me from racing, of course, but I'm doing it anyway without telling them.

02:01A forbidden speed thrill that shows no sign of slowing.

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