China court jails pair for fast and furious drag race around Beijing

The court said Tang’s Lamborghini reached speeds of over 179 kilometres-per-hour and that Yu’s Ferrari went over 165kph in their race that ended with a crash on the rainy night of April 11.

BEIJING // A Beijing court on Thursday sentenced two young men to up to five months in jail for dangerous driving after they crashed a Lamborghini and a Ferrari in a late-night race through Beijing.

The Chaoyang District Court found Tang Wentian, 21, and Yu Muchun, 20, guilty of “dangerously operating motor vehicles”, a court statement said.

Neither would appeal the verdicts, which sentenced Tang to five months in jail and Yu to four, the court said. Tang was also fined 10,000 yuan (Dh5,925). Yu was fined 8,000 yuan.

The court said Tang’s Lamborghini reached speeds of over 179 kilometres-per-hour and that Yu’s Ferrari went over 165kph in their race on the rainy night of April 11.

One passenger in Tang’s car was injured. The speed limit is 70kph for that stretch of road.

The men were not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the district court statement revealed.

Reckless driving is not uncommon within the district, with more than 110 cases filed so far this year, most of which involve use of alcohol and men in their 20s and 30s, the court said.

The crash involving two luxury cars attracted much attention from the Chinese public, who speculated about the young men's family backgrounds and how they could drive such expensive cars.

* Associated Press