Southeast Qld hoons and 59 street racing hot spots revealed | List

We name some of South East Queensland’s charged hoons and 59 notorious hotspots for street racing.

Hoons and street race organisers continue to thumb their noses at the law despite having everything thrown at them in the past decade.

Police, councils and the Government are at their wits end after trying hidden night-vision cameras, tyre-ruining road surfaces and tough laws ranging from crushing and confiscating cars to taking away driver’s licences for 12 months for first offenders.

Current penalties include $2757 fines for making unnecessary noise or smoke and $5514 or up to six months’ jail for street racing or careless driving.

Police can impound a vehicle, or immobilise it for a period of up to 90 days (by removing the number plates) or they can permanently confiscate vehicles.

Any person who evades police now faces a mandatory minimum fine of $6892 or 50 days in prison.

But as far back as 2013, the then LNP State Government passed a law allowing authorities to confiscate cars after owners committed two or more serious hooning offences.

By the next year 13,000 hoons had had their cars or motorbikes taken off them.

In 2014 police announced a mobile car-crushing unit would travel around the state as an enforcement technique.

And in 2019 then Brisbane City Council Infrastructure chairwoman Amanda Cooper announced that hoons would have their tyres destroyed under a trial of an anti-hooning road surface spray, to be rolled out in industrial estates favoured by street racers.

A hoon caught on a police covert camera at a “meet’’.

But hoons’ techniques have evolved as well. Social media and smart phones make the cat and mouse game with police easier than ever.

One enterprising Wellington Point hoon even turned to GoFundMe to try to crowdsource payment of his $7000 hooning fine.

We take a look at just some of the hoons to face the courts in the past year.

CONVICTIONS RECORDED

JUSTIN RAYMOND KEVIN BROOKS

Richlands Magistrate Court heard in November, 2020, that Brooks, 28, was caught by police at a street racing gathering where about 100 cars had parked in and around Enterprise St, Richlands.

A large crowd had gathered beside the road to watch people doing burnouts and “drifting’’.

A police prosecutor said Brooks was seen with several passengers in a black BMW with the engine revving, drifting from side to side within metres of an electrical transformer.

The court heard that when Brooks was intercepted by police, he admitted he was the driver, said it was a stupid thing to have done and that he would not do it again.

“If you want to be a hoon in a car, go to Willowbank (raceway near Ipswich),’’ Magistrate Stuart Shearer told him

Mr Shearer disqualified Brooks, who pleaded guilty, from driving for 12 months, fined him $1500 and recorded a conviction.

JAYDEN STEPHEN MURRAY

Jayden Stephen Murray leaves court, 18, flanked by supporters leaving court.

The Logan teen was disqualified from driving last month and copped a steep fine after a covert police night vision camera nabbed him — twice — at a notorious street racing venue.

The Viking St, Wacol address, on a quiet industrial estate cul-de-sac, is still popular with hoons despite a flurry of arrests.

Murray, 18, a road construction worker, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle on August 21 and again on September 4.

Magistrate Stuart Shearer said “this district is hoon central in Queensland’’.

He recorded a conviction, imposed a $2000 fine and disqualified Murray from driving for 12 months for the August incident and for 15 months for the September incident.

JARROD MARK TISCHLER

A huge crowd desperately called for help after a horrific hit and run at a Wacol street racing event last year which left one man with an amputated leg, Richlands Magistrates court heard in January last year.

Tischler pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle at the illegal street racing event in Viking St, Wacol, on September 20, 2020.

Magistrate Stuart Shearer, who was highly critical of police for not earlier stopping Katu’s car, blasted Tischler for his “idiotic’’ actions.

“The fact some poor bloke did lose his leg demonstrates how dangerous this (street racing) is,’’ Mr Shearer said.

“It won’t be long before you lose your car in a crusher.’’

He fined Tischler $1500, recorded a conviction and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.

JOSHUA DEAN TRATFORD

A serial hoon caught on multiple videos doing burnouts with unsecured passengers in his car, while spectators ran across a road, was warned in November by a court that he could end up behind bars for his risky “hobby”.

Tratford, 23, pleaded guilty in Beenleigh Magistrates Court to two counts of dangerous operation of a vehicle.

The court heard police captured the Loganlea resident on eight videos during a series of incidents where he performed burnouts while up to 50 spectators ran across roads.

The incidents occurred on May 6 and May 20 and included executing the burnouts with unrestrained passengers over the age of 16.

Joshua Dean Tratford leaves Beenleigh Magistrates Court.

The court heard Tratford had a poor driving history that included a sentence for making excessive noise while performing burnouts in 2016 and 2020.

Magistrate Ronald Kilner sentenced him to 12 months’ probation and disqualified from driving for a further eight months.

LACHLAN JACK BUHMANN

Lachlan Jack Buhmann faced Cleveland court for hooning.

In November, 2020, the 23-year-old motor enthusiast was sentenced after police found videos he had made of day-long hooning and drifting.

Buhmann pleaded guilty in Cleveland Magistrates Court to dangerous operation of a vehicle and six counts of wilfully making unnecessary smoke or noise, four of which for a type one vehicle related offence.

A series of videos shown to the court showed Buhmann driving a Nissan Skyline with unrestrained passengers, drifting and doing burnouts at numerous locations.

The videos, including play-by-play action commentary, showed the group hooning near other road users, while the vehicle’s passengers are merrily flung about.

Buhmann was disqualified from driving for six months and fined $600.

RAYMOND RAWI KATU

Richlands court heard in January last year that Katu was involved in a hit and run at a notorious Wacol hoon street race site which injured a pedestrian so badly his leg had to be cut off.

The victim was thrown on to the bonnet of Raymond Rawi Katu’s car, leaving body parts on it.

Katu fled, after spectators tried ot block his exit, and was arrested several hours later.

The court heard his car “reeked of cannabis’’ when pulled over by police on September 20, 2020, at Hemmant.

Katu pleaded guilty to a string of charges and was $400 for running a red light, disqualified for a total of four years for a range of offences including failing to provide a specimen, failing to remain at the scene and render assistance, and driving while under the influence.

He also received a nine-month intensive correction order. Convictions were recorded for each charge.

LIAM BURROWES

Liam Burrowes was sentenced for hooning.

The convicted hoon was sentenced in June for performing loud, smokey burnouts at Boronia Heights in Logan.

Burrowes, 25, pleaded guilty to wilfully making unnecessary noise or smoke with a vehicle, driving unregistered and uninsured and driving on a suspended driver’s license.

The court heard several residents called police to complain of a ute doing burnouts late at night on October 23, 2020.

Polair was called to the scene and tracked a dark Ford ute creating “substantial plumes of smoke” and marks on the road, near Coronation Drive.

Acting Magistrate Ronald Kilner noted it was the second time Burrowes had come before the courts on a burnout charge.

“At it again,” Magistrate Kilner said.

“This time in a residential area, disturbing the peace and harmony of others for your own selfish ambitions and self gratification.

“That sort of nonsense has to stop.”

He disqualified Burrowes from driving for nine months.

Convictions were recorded and the car was impounded and will be forfeited.

DYLAN MATTHEW HALL

The Logan hoon did one more burnout “to impress his dad’’ just before police had his Commodore towed away, a court heard in September.

has been fined $2500 and booted off the road for nine months.

Hall was caught twice by police in a covert operation where officers secretly filmed dozens of people and drivers who gathered to do burnouts at Carole Park in Ipswich and Brisbane’s Lytton industrial area.

Hall, 20, pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in Jalrock Pl at Carole Park on February 14; driving when unlicensed by demerit points; dangerous operation of a motor vehicle; and driving unlicensed by demerits points at Lytton on April 11.

Prosecutor Sergeant Trent Voigt said there were more than 100 motor vehicles with drivers doing burnouts in front of a crowd, with many running onto the road to film on their mobile phones.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess convicted and fined Hall $2500 and disqualified from driving for nine months in total.

ZAC WHITE

Self-described Logan hoon Zac White.

Self-described hoon Zac White, 19, was disqualified from driving for six years after he led police on a car chase through Logan.

White pleaded guilty to seven charges at Beenleigh Magistrates Court, including evading police, driving without due care or attention, driving while disqualified and possession of dangerous drugs.

The most serious of the offending occurred on October 5, 2020, when White was driving to a concert.

The court heard White “panicked” when he saw a police car at 11.20pm because he had MDMA in the car and was driving disqualified.

In a frenzied attempt to avoid arrest, White did a U-turn into oncoming traffic, switched off his headlights and nearly collided with a cyclist.

White was convicted and fined $6672.5 for the evasion offence.

He was fined an additional $3300 for the remaining offences and disqualified from driving for a total of six years.

NO CONVICTION RECORDED

DAMIEN ANTHONY ORTLIPP

Damien Anthony Ortlipp was heavily fined for hooning.

The brazen hoon tried to recoup a $6892 hooning fine by pleading for money on GoFundMe, a court heard in July — but most people told him to rack off instead.

He pleaded guilty in Cleveland Magistrates to a count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle and an evasion offence.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta said his pride and joy, an $8000 black Ford Falcon ute, would be seized and she disqualified from driving for two-and-a-half years.

The court heard he executed a 60m-long burnout at on March 13 on Old Cleveland Rd East in Wellington Point.

Despite a lights-and-sirens display from following police, Ortlipp sped away at high speed.

JORDAN JEFFREY TAPPIN

The car enthusiast with an “absolutely disgusting” four-page traffic history had his vehicle seized after spending thousands of dollars on it.

A court heard Tappin, 25, will have to serve the community for months for his “p**s poor” hooning at an infamous Loganholme “meet”.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle, driving with relevant drug present and contravene direction of police when he appeared at Cleveland Magistrates Court in March.

The court heard Tappin had meth in his system when police intercepted him at Henry and Chetwynd streets in Loganholme.

A police prosecutor described the area as an infamous hooning location, where up to 300 people at times gather to glory in shredded tyres and smoke.

The court heard officers observed Tappin doing circle work, accelerating aggressively and losing the back end of his vehicle as he created smoke, exposing the metal mesh on his tyres.

He had spent $6000 on his ute, only to have it confiscated.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for nine months.