Get in gear.
What’s the defining difference between petrol heads and car enthusiasts? Are these so called ‘boy racers’ having a negative impact on the public’s perception towards people that genuinely love cars? What is it about the need for speed that draws people from Kerry to travel all the way to Letterkenny just to do a few ‘doughnuts’ around tires?
These are just some of the questions that Kevin McGahern tries to answer in his new show ‘Kevin McGahern’s Fast & Furious’ which airs on RTÉ2 tonight at 21:30. We were lucky enough to get an exclusive screening of the show and here are 5 few things that we learned from it.
The car culture
Like a fault in your own motor before an NCT inspection, we all have an understanding of what happens on Irish roads but very few of us talk about it.
‘Fast & Furious’ tries to understand the reasons why certain people take risks whenever they get behind the wheel. The scope is pretty broad – McGahern travels to the supervised ‘King of the Cone’ competition in Donegal, meets the structured ‘Cavan Cruisers’ and seems equal parts enthralled and worried when he’s a witness to the wild world of illegal street racing in Dublin.
There’s also time to chat with some genuine car enthusiasts along the way, their passion really shines through, but the most memorable moment comes when a street racer meets a Road Safety Officer with Mayo County Council.
It’s compelling TV as two polar opposites try to find some common ground in the fast lane.
A change of gears
Most of us will already know Kevin McGahern from his hosting duties on Republic of Telly but this is a very notable change of gears for the talented presenter and comedian.
In fact, one of his first interviews in this show is with a bunch of young car enthusiasts who are reluctant to talk to him because they fear that they’ll have the p**s taken out of them on TV. McGahern’s style is more laid back, conversational and informal to what we’ve seen before and it works.
His subjects seem more than happy to chat about a variety of subjects and he approaches every interview with an open mind, fair hand and sense of curiosity.
If there was one critique to make, it’s that the consequences and dangers of reckless driving are really only hammered home during one particular segment but maybe a precautionary tale of wow wasn’t the raison d’etre to make this show.
Who’s behind the wheel
Like most documentaries, ‘Fast & Furious’ does take a few wrong turns but the company in the car is always engaging and interesting. One thing the show does very well is give you an idea about the people who are behind the wheel and what drives their motivations.
In the course of the journey, we meet one man who spent 4 years off the road and was caught driving without insurance on eight different occasions. For some of the other interviewees, it’s quite obvious that the egos on display are almost as loud as the car exhausts. Driving fast, having a powerful motor and looking like a hardy buck are all essential components of the culture.
Provincial rivalries also come to the fore, a debate about why Mayo is better than Donegal for drifting and street racing is a particular highlight, but not everyone has a one-track mind for speed. The documentary is particularly good at stressing the point that there are people who work in tandem with the Garda to keep things above board and as safe as possible.
Brace for impact
Much like an unforseen collision, there are scenes in ‘Fast & Furious’ that you don’t see coming and they’re the moments whose impact resonates the most. For some of the men interviewed, it seems like legality and safety are as disposable as an air-freshener because they really couldn’t be arsed worrying about other people on the road.
To these men, there’s absolutely no element of risk involved which is incredibly worrying whenever you decide to get behind your own wheel.
“I don’t see the harm in lads giving a rip in an industrial estate” or “most accidents in our races are caused by ‘auld ones on the road” are just two examples of the chilling fact that speed frequently takes precedence over safety for some people.
Hit the breaks
The show saves its most thought provoking moments for the final ten minutes though when a speed merchant meets the Road Safety Officer with Mayo County Council
It’s an interesting insight into two groups of people that both want the same thing, increased safety on Irish roads, but their paths have never crossed before.
Emotional control and responsibility behind the wheel are stressed as the core components of a good driver. I’m confident in saying that some speedsters will simply refuse to do a mental U-Turn when it comes to slamming their foot down on the accelerator, but there’s plenty of open road to navigate for those who have the public safety in mind and drivers that simply love to live life in the fast lane.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
