So you thought Top Fuel Motorcycles or Eric Teboul’s rocket-powered bike are the most dangerous two-wheeled machines in the sport of drag racing? In terms of sheer speed, there’s little argument against that statement. But voluntarily dangerous? Think again, because that honor might just be bestowed on a hearty bunch of young men in Bangkok, Thailand that cajones bigger than their engines.

What Thailand’s racers lack in technology and money for advanced machines, they make up for in enthusiasm. These guys will race absolutely anything. Can you put wheels and and an engine on a cereal box? They’ll freakin’ race it, no questions asked. In fact, we’re going to show you a few of their wilder forms of acceleration contests over the next couple of weeks, but for now, let’s focus on these not-so-sketchy bikes that have been made oh-so-sketchy.

Coming in at just 150cc’s, these likely home-brewed motorcycles perform quite admirably for their measly engine displacement and the whole inch or two of tread patch making contact with the ground. They’re quick. But to make them quicker yet, the riders take aerodynamics to extremes and actually switch positions before mid-track, laying down superman-style on a flat saddle they’ve replaced the more traditional motorcycle seats with. They then reach down with their left hands and shift the transmissions the rest of the run, while hanging onto the bike and operating the throttle with their right hand only. It’s quite a sight to behold.

While you’d hope safety is taken little more seriously — most are wearing cotton shirts and jeans, or motocross-style jerseys — they are largely wearing proper motorcycle helmets, although we did catch one rider comically relying on nothing more than a bicycle helmet to save his thinking cap. 

The interest in and the energy of these events is equally wild, and just confirms how racing-crazy the people of Thailand are. And hey, we’re entertained by their brazen and certainly unique approach to drag racing, so who are we to judge?

Credit to CB Media for the footage