'I reached 170mph and it was euphoric' - Terrifying confession of former Black Country street racer as petition launched to ban car cruising

Sitting on a small road near a Walsall park is a blacked-out Lexus, a car that many would simply pass on the street without a second look.

But under the hood it is a different story: the car has been fine-tuned to reach maximum speeds, with thousands of pounds' worth of modifications all aimed at reaching the highest level of power and torque possible.

The vehicle is owned by the ex-leader of one of the West Midlands' underground and illegal car clubs, groups of enthusiasts that now would have their vehicles seized under the terms of the Black Country Street Racing Injunction.

Covering the areas of Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Sandwell, the injunction forbids anyone who is a driver, rider or passenger in a motor vehicle from gathering in a group of two or more people where some of those present engage in motor racing or motor stunts. 

The injunction also prohibits prohibits people from organising and spectating or publicising the gatherings with the intention that some of those present will engage in street racing. 

This week the Express & Star launched a petition for Ben's Law, calling for an outright national ban on attending, organising or promoting street racing meets in memory of Ben Corfield and Liberty Charris, two teenagers who were killed after being hit by a car at an event in 2022.  We are urging readers to back a call for a change in the law to prevent the need for time-consuming injunctions. You can sign our online petition here. 

Today, on the condition of anonymity, the ex-leader of a West Midlands car club agreed to talk to us about the UK's street racing scene. 

What was it like to run a club?

"It was great. I ran the club for about five years. We were just a bunch of friends and car enthusiasts. It was almost like the Hell's Angels or those other bike clubs. You had groups all around the place that knew each other.

"I'd ping a location out on Facebook or WhatsApp and we would all meet up late at night on industrial roads when the streets were dead, and just show off what we did to our cars: sometimes we would race as well, but it was all about the modifications.

"We actually had staff in our club: people that had roles, we had people who would watch for other cars or pedestrians coming down the street so we didn't pull out on anyone.

"It was organised."