As you know, the annual Singapore Grand Prix was cancelled last year, to the disappointment of F1 fans in the country.
The authorities cited nationwide restrictions on construction and business activities due to the pandemic as reasons for the cancellation.
But, unbeknownst to us, another race took place a couple of months before this announcement was made.
Why hadn’t we heard about this? Well, because it was illegal.
Man Organised ‘Street Cars Meet-Up’ Before Circuit Breaker Over 150 Cars Showed Up During the Meet-Up
In March last year, Yeo Jing Cheng, a car dealer, wanted to organise a “street cars meet-up” to network for his car-dealing business.
Yeo circulated a poster for the event on WhatsApp, inviting drivers to come down to the carpark of the McDonald’s in East Coast Park on 28 March at 11pm.
Four days before the event, the government introduced stricter measures to control the coronavirus outbreak, including prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people for non-essential purposes.
Despite this, Yeo went ahead with the event and more than 150 cars showed up that night.
Later that night, he arranged for the cars to drive in a convoy to Jalan Buroh in Boon Lay. Then, when he heard there was another gathering at Tuas, he joined a convoy that drove there.
Once they gathered in Tuas South Boulevard, a few of the drivers decided to have a street race there.
The Traffic Police received a tip-off about the illegal event and found over 100 cars there at around 2.30am. When they arrived, all the drivers ran to their cars and tried to flee the scene.
Unbeknownst to them, however, the roads were quickly blocked and the drivers were stopped for questioning.
Yeo later thanked those who came for the event in a post on Facebook, and advised members of his chat group to exit and delete the invitation from their messenger and social media platforms.
But that wasn’t Yeo’s only offence.
Caught Speeding as Part of a Convoy in May
In May last year, Yeo was also part of a convoy of cars that sped along the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) and Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).
Footage of the speeding cars was caught on a fellow motorist’s camera and uploaded to social media.
Yeo came across the video and removed his car’s spoiler, hoping to avoid detection, but he wasn’t successful.
Facing Up to 7 Years’ Jail
When the 31-year-old was questioned by the police, he denied involvement and claimed his spoiler had been “removed long ago”.
He later admitted that he had lied and that he was indeed involved.
On Thursday (15 Apr), Yeo was pleaded guilty to one charge each of breaching a COVID-19 control order, dangerous driving, organising an event for more than 10 people, and obstructing the course of justice.
The first few charges are serious enough, but if he’s convicted of obstructing the course of justice, Yeo can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.
Featured Image: Facebook (SG Road Vigilante – SGRV)
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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