Up to 1000 car enthusiasts flooded Dunedin to do burnouts and engage in illegal street racing at the weekend, culminating in a serious crash in Herbert, police say.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond said about 400 to 500 cars converged on Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night as part of an ‘‘organised meet for illegal street racers.’’
The entrance way was blocked off and attendees did burnouts in the carpark, Snr Sgt Bond said.
Police attended but did not enter, due to the large group of between 800 to 1000 people.
Officers followed the convoy around the greater Dunedin area throughout the night.
It appeared that people came from Christchurch, Invercargill and other areas, Snr Sgt Bond said.
Lots of complaints were made about racing and burnouts, but no vehicle registrations were recorded and no arrests were made.
Later, it appeared that some enthusiasts from Oamaru were involved in a serious crash in Otepopo St (State Highway 1) in Herbert about 9pm, Snr Sgt Bond said.
Weston Volunteer Fire Station Chief Fire Officer Bevan Koppert said crews from Oamaru and Kakanui stations also attended the crash.
It appeared the car had gone off the road and crashed into a ditch, he said.
A St John spokeswoman said a helicopter and two ambulances attended, and a patient with serious injuries was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.
