14 DAY TRIAL // If you thought that the tragic and violent death of actor Paul Walker in a high speed car crash would offer a grim reminder to all car enthusiasts to keep their foot off the gas, you thought wrong. Following the news of his death, numerous street racing events took place to commemorate Walker.
The Internet was full of announcements for drag races being organized to honor Walker. The dangerous rituals took place not only in America, Walker's place of birth, but all over the world where his movies touched the heart of fans.
A big race was held in Durban, South Africa, where already illegal racing is considered a major problem. Twitter was full of status updates from people who were going or were planing to go to this event.
State-side, there were sightings of street races in Jacksonville, Florida, in New Jersey, and, most famously, right at the Paul Walker crash site, much to the desperation of the local police forces who had to shut down the street to get people to stop racing or doing stunts.
Not all events were organized as races, some were just gatherings of people who chose to mourn Walker together, but for most, a need to commemorate his death through what animated his life - his passion for cars - was necessary.
The ever-present dangers of racing in the city, something that may be directly responsible for the Paul Walker's fatal crash (details are emerging that that particular model of Porsche is extremely unsuited for normal roads at high speeds), seem to elude most of the people paying this kind of tribute, who thus put themselves and those around them in danger.
This comes just hours after his father declared that Paul was not a street racer, simply because he didn't want to hurt anybody. Sure, he enjoyed speed, but he was much too careful to pull stunts like that, his father claims, suggesting in so many words that racing is only to be made on circuits.