Popular British Holiday Destination Plagued by Illegal Motorcycle Racers

A pretty and popular holiday destination for British tourists is in the grip of what police are calling ‘illegal motorcycle racers’, with the mayor of the town stating that authorities “no longer know what to do”.

Catalan News (CN) reports that up to 300 bikers can congregate on the sinuous GI-682, a winding ribbon of asphalt that hugs the cliff, linking the towns of Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar together. It’s been the scene of a number of press launches in recent years (see our Kawasaki Z900 review and Kawasaki Z650 review for an example of how it looks), although given the increase in police patrols, that probably won’t be the case going forward.

CN goes on to claim that even the increased presence of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police Force) isn’t stopping the races, with Martí Pujals, the mayor of Tossa de Mar, going as far as to say that he’s exhausted all avenues. “I’ve complained to the Traffic Department, the Mossos, the Catalan government.” He said. “I really don’t know what else to do”.

CN reports that despite an increase in patrols, speed cameras and even having a helicopter monitoring the route at popular times, the street racing still persists. And as the Costa Brava region heads into prime holiday season, the increased tourists in the area and traffic on the roads will only worsen the situation.

In order to curb the racing, the mayor hasn’t ruled out taking drastic measures, including cutting off the two neighbouring towns altogether. "This [racing] creates a whole set of negative consequences that really hurt us. We’ve had to close the road at times, which means people can’t get in, restaurant bookings are cancelled, and there are other disruptions," he said.

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