Burn up, Northampton 1997 - Elaine Constantine

Burn up, Northampton 1997 by Elaine Constantine / 36 pages, 5.5 x 8 inches, staple-bound, published by Cafe Royal Books *** The photographer says: In 1997 I shot a large gathering of ‘boy racers’ in Asda’s car park in Northampton.The Criminal Justice Bill had been passed in 1994, restricting numbers of people coming together in a public place, so there was a bit of trepidation on my part given past experiences with the police while attending scooter rallies around the country in my youth. I arrived with my camera to find a 300-strong crowd and about a hundred suped-up cars, mostly hatch backs and pimped to the max. Ford Fiestas, VW Golfs, Vauxhall Novas, Astras. These kids were there to admire or show-off features like derestricted exhaust systems, honed-out manifolds, enlarged air-filters, chipped fuel injection systems and expensive tyres. Body work too, custom spray-jobs in all colours. It wasn’t long before two police cars showed and cruised into the throng. When they started taking down number plates the crowd loomed-in chanting and signing. Two police from the first car climbed out wearily and the chanting got louder. Resigned at the size of the mob, one cop’s face said it all but the stand-off suddenly reached tipping point when a young guy in Fila lay on the Panda’s bonnet mischievously stroking its contours. Thankfully, elsewhere, an engine revved high, making its gears scream and signalling an imminent burn-up. The crowd disbanded and flocked to a red car on the promise of a quick thrill… Who wouldn’t want to help shred tyres while holding down bumpers en-masse and disappearing in a huge cloud of smoke? Well worth the spectacle even if the tires were very pricy continentals.