The film has generated great interest in street car racing

A half an hour later, a shiny black car with its headlights flashing, screeches out of the garage. The driver is on his cellphone.

After a quick conversation he halts momentarily at the traffic lights before sounding his horn and tearing down the road.

Seconds later people start running to their cars. The air cracks with the sound of revving engines as drivers blindly follow one another down dark streets. The conga line of vehicles snakes for miles.

After 10 minutes of criss-crossing the eastern end of Milpitas, 40 miles south of San Francisco, the throng arrives at a deserted business park.

Screeching

Minutes later the throaty roar of a Honda Civic comes down the track, spins round and stops in front of a guy standing in the middle of the road. The driver guns his engine and the crowd whoop and holler.

Out there illegal street racing is all about bragging rights, who's got the fastest car

Lloyd Gomez

It is not long before another contender lines up beside the Honda. They both flash their lights and the man in the middle drops his arms.

The screeching of tyres squeals through the night as the two drivers take off at breakneck speed.

In 15 seconds its all over and a quarter of a mile down the street the Honda puts on his flashers to signal victory.

This is America's new hot rodding scene and its being played out in towns and cities all over the nation.

Finish line

The Mustangs and Corvettes featured in films like Rebel Without a Cause and American Graffiti have been replaced by souped up Hondas and Acuras.

And Hollywood has again immortalised this sub culture in an adrenaline-fuelled romp called The Fast and the Furious.

The Friday the movie came out there was two thousand cars here. The place was smoking

Casey

In its first week, the film crossed the finish line first, pulling in more than $40m (�28.3m) and boosting overall business 47% above the same period last year according to box officer tracker ACNeilsen EDI.

This week it made number two with more than $30m (�21.2m) of business. The movie's appeal was immediately evident among the hot rodding fraternity says 16-year-old-racer Casey.

"On a good night, 500 to a thousand come from towns all over the Bay area. The Friday the movie came out there was 2,000 cars here. The place was smoking."

"It's all about the speed," explains 26-year-old racer and auto shop owner Lloyd Gomez.

Good thing

"Everybody loves fast cars and one thing about our industry that comes across in the movie, is that these four cylinders can create so much power. Out there illegal street racing is all about bragging rights, who's got the fastest car."

The racers have created their own sub-culture

And while many decry the need for speed, 38-year-old racer Gerry Johnson whose $90,000 (�63,700) car is featured in the film, maintains the street racing circuit is a good thing.

"It's neat to see these young kids getting involved in something that takes them off the other end of the bad things like drugs and violence."

Corey Miguel agrees. He has spent around $20,000 (�14,100) spiffing up his Volkswagen Beetle.

"You have to have money to do this. It is something that's worth saving up for, working hard for and you can get a career in this business. It's a positive thing."

The police are not convinced but they know stopping illegal street racing is virtually impossible. Even at this event when two patrol cars come tearing out of nowhere, all they manage to do is drive everyone onto the next venue.

"When the cops show it's part of the scene" says Casey.

"We just move to the next location knowing it will take them about 20 minutes to break that one up. And then it's onto the next until we are all raced out."