Looks Like Discovery and Steet Outlaws Are in Trouble

[Bruzilla]

http://www.hotrod.com/news/1505-str...nd-and-charged-pretrial-set-for-june-11-2015/

"In March 2015, we reported about a street racer who appeared on the Discovery Channel show Street Outlaws and was later arrested in connection with the death of two spectators during an illegal street race between a Nissan GTR and Ford Mustang in Southern California.

"Israel “Izzy” Valenzuela and Henry Michael Gevorgyan were the first suspects arrested and charged with the murder for the death of two bystanders, Eric Siguenza and Wilson Thomas Wong.

"A new name has been brought into the case, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Karen Gary Balyan, 42, is the alleged driver of the Mustang that veered off the roadway and into the crowd, killing the two spectators. Valenzuela has been identified as the driver of the Nissan GTR that Balyan was racing. According to Santiago, Gevorgyan was the alleged starter for the race and is accused of organizing the illegal races with Valenzuela. All three have been charged with murder, and their pretrial is on June 11, 2015, to finalize a later court date for trial.

"Valenzuela and Gevorgyan have posted bail, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Inmate Information Center, while Balyan is currently in custody with bail set at $3 million. If convicted, each defendant could face a maximum possible sentence of 33 years to life in prison.

"This accident has been a driving force in the controversy surrounding Street Outlaws, coming in shortly after the NHRA threatened to revoke the competition license of any racer caught illegally street racing on the Discovery Channel show."

Hopefully this will put an end to the worst car show on television.

 

[moparsteve636]

Amen to that!

 

[Moparsmitty]

It never ceases to amaze me that these networks will promote and air shows that glorify an illegal activity. Hopefully Discovery Channel will eat some dirt for this and the bozos involved in this incident will get what they deserve.

 

[440+6]

My question is if these guys are racing illegally on the show, why haven't they all been arrested numerous times?
There is certainly enough evidence.

 

[Car Nut]

Hopefully this will put an end to the worst car show on television.

I could only wish!

 

[67Satty]

They aren't racing illegally on the show. They race on closed-off roads with filming permits and the full cooperation of law enforcement. They even have a disclaimer at the beginning of the show now stating words to that effect. Still pretty dangerous if you ask me since they are racing on streets lined with light poles with cars that can do 130+ mph in the 1/8 mile.

I think street racing is really stupid too but the headlines they've been running are misleading (clickbait I guess), the people arrested weren't regulars on the show, one of the guys made a brief appearance in one of the episodes.

 

[Budnicks]

They aren't racing illegally on the show. They race on closed-off roads with filming permits and the full cooperation of law enforcement. They even have a disclaimer at the beginning of the show now stating words to that effect. Still pretty dangerous if you ask me since they are racing on streets lined with light poles with cars that can do 130+ mph in the 1/8 mile.

I think street racing is really stupid too but the headlines they've been running are misleading (clickbait I guess), the people arrested weren't regulars on the show, one of the guys made a brief appearance in one of the episodes.

I second what he said...
I don't really condone street racing either !!

BUT

Trying to take down Street Outlaws with an association of a few individuals,
that aren't on "actually" the show or were on the show once, that's a stretch...
They are here in Calif./SoCal too by the way,
where the "illegal street racing" & the youth gang culture is a far bigger issue,
than the show will ever be...
That's a stretch trying to link Street Outlaws show because of an appearance,
second hand information & second party liability, trumped up BS...
Just because certain people don't like the show, or the premise
Yep it's fake & scripted yes, maybe promotes street racing too, but far from illegal,
but it's allot better than most of the crap on TV...

At-least it's about racing & cars,
it's nothing done illegally, even if that's the premise,
it's about cars, speed & the people associated with it,
that's something "most" car enthusiasts have in common...

It's just a TV show, lighten up

My $0.02 cents

 

[Cranky]

The show promotes street racing though which there is already too much of and doesn't need to be promoted. Last time I street raced was in 92 after I shamed a Mustang 5.0 with a V8 Dakota. I had to get out of it after putting a half a truck length on him by the middle of 2nd gear because of another car ahead. A light down the road had changed to red anyways and I thought I might get another run at him but he never slowed down and ran the a light that had been red for nearly 10 seconds! I assume he didn't want to let anyone see him next to the vehicle that just beat his *** so he just kept going. All I could think of was what if someone came through that intersection and he broadsided them doing in excess of 80 mph and would I be implicated in it too. Street racing just isn't worth the risks involved let alone having to live with the thought of someone being killed over a careless act.

 

[slepr1]

I love that show. Very entertaining and full of car guys.

 

[krowbar]

Its an entertaining show. I don't see discovery being at fault for what happened. One problem as I've said before..........You don't trailer a street car. Those are full blown race/ track cars. Yeah they probably could drive them on the streets legally,but not as a driver. Only one I ever saw on the streets was Farm Truck.

 

[GrabberOrange69]

A contributor to the rise of these activities and shows and such is the stifling nature of the NHRA rulebook and class system. They're out of touch with where street car racing has gone over the last 30 years. What "class" would a Nissan GT-R race a late model GT500?

I don't care for those shows, but the street racing problem is rampant while the NHRA continues to hemorrhage viewers and participants.

 

[Cranky]

A contributor to the rise of these activities and shows and such is the stifling nature of the NHRA rulebook and class system. They're out of touch with where street car racing has gone over the last 30 years. What "class" would a Nissan GT-R race a late model GT500?

I don't care for those shows, but the street racing problem is rampant while the NHRA continues to hemorrhage viewers and participants.

You can usually run anyone you want in time trials and if things are not too busy, you can get the starter to call the tower make the lights come on when you want.....or you can spot each other on your own so long as the starter knows about it and ok's it.

 

[coloradodave]

If these guys want to race outside of NHRA legal classes all they have to do is show up at the local track on 'grudge' night/day. They can pick their bracket or race heads up. If your local track doesn't have these they usually will start them. They tend to be lucrative for the track operators.

 

[Hemi Rebel]

They do ot because they can.We had a bad crash here about 7 years ago. I think its a felony if you get caught now. They wont come here and do it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/maryland-drag-race-crash-kills-8-fans/

 

[Dennis H]

No local tracks here.

 

[patrick66]

Guys, these streets that they race on are leased from whatever municipality or county they are racing. They are CLOSED OFF! Nothing about their racing or their locations is "random". Hell, one place they race is right next to a Federal prison and within full view! At a car show today, there were four retired OHP officers with THEIR racecars there - all are 7 sec to low 9 sec cars, and these guys have been track racing for years. They were saying what I said in my first sentence. Plus, all of these guys have some serious sponsorship $$$ going on - you think those banners hanging in their shops at just the right camera angle are there for decoration?

Think what you will about the show (I like it, it's entertainment), but they prove that the NHRA is getting more and more irrelevant with many in the racing crowd - at least, to those that don't have $500K machines to go play with on a track, or a mutli-million dollar racing empire to back them.

Like all shows, it'll run its' course (pun intended) and will go away one day.

 

[Endangered Species]

I think Street Outlaws is the best gear head show on TV.
Trailering in chassis cars and racing on the street has been going on for 30 Years. This show isn't anything new.

I'm sure the roads they race on are approved by the local authority or they would be worrying about getting hammered by the police.
Heck it's even to the point when they are testing on the street the police are diving by with their lights flashing.... so they must not too concerned about these guys.
I say, let NHRA whine... they're just pissed because Street Outlaws get's better ratings than they do.

Plus I can't bitch too much about shows like this, because these shows are one of the few things keeping the younger generations interested in cars and racing.

As far as the @$$ clowns in Cal. That's just some left wing do good lawyer who is going to try to punish something he or she don't understand or like.

I say support the show.

 

[rscurtis]

What happened to "Freakin Rican"?

 

[Bruzilla]

Sorry, but I don't doubt for a second that these staged races are not the only racing these guys are doing. I guess that like how there's an *** for every seat, there's people who will watch anything no matter how low brow it is.

As for closed off streets and off duty cops being on the scene, that's pretty superficial insurance. As this case shows, it just takes one moron screwing up in these situations and people end up dead, and when that happens people go to jail these days. Streets aren't properly equipped race tracks, and may be fine for beating a guy from light to light, but using them as a location for organized drag racing is a bad idea.

 

[Habib]

The amount of **** talking on that show is way to much for me and that Azn Kid or whatever I would half to just smack him.