We had been watching the motorcycle racing for a couple of hours before the police arrived. Luckily Pee Phong didn’t turn off the engine so we left quite quickly. There were some that didn’t leave their engine running and got caught by the police straight away. Pee Phong did pretty well about running away. We were in the middle of about 100 motorcycles. He told me that he didn’t want to be up front because the police might be waiting somewhere ahead with a trap.

Everyone rode as fast as they could. No one wanted to get caught because the police might take away their motorbike or give them an expensive fine if their bike had been modified. A short while later, Pee Phong turned left into a small lane. I asked him "Where are you going?" He replied that he didn’t know. He said he saw a sign saying it was a shortcut. He told me that to get lost in a shortcut was better than running away on the main road.

At last, we ended up on Sukhumwit Road. I looked at my watch. It was now 2.25am. I had to go back home to sleep and get ready for school the next day. Pee Phong was riding along the road slowly. I sat at the back looking around for girls and policemen. Up ahead there was a man walking across the road so Pee Phong slowed down to let him cross. We moved forward after the man walked pass. But suddenly that man turned around and grabbed Pee Phong’s shirt. I knew straight away that he was a policeman.

Pee Phong was about to speed up but he didn’t because the policeman was getting ready to punch him. For sure if Pee Phong sped off, that knuckle would have hit him or probably my face. The policeman took the key out off the bike and told us to go to the other side of the road. There were about ten cops there. Also, there were a lot of teenagers and motorbikes. They had all been caught by these policemen.

I sat down on the pavement by the side of the road while the policemen were searching my motorbike. Luckily I had brought my driving license, but they also asked for the registration papers and proof of ownership. I didn’t have any of these so I had to call my dad and tell him about what had happened. He said he would come soon. I hung up and went to sit down near Pee Phong.

We waited a long time for my dad. At last he came. He arrived at about 3.45am. He didn’t look very happy. My dad went to talk to the policemen while Pee Phong and I went to stand by my motorbike. The policeman who took my license came to me and gave me back my keys. I asked him about the license. He said he had given it to another policeman and will give it back to my dad later after he had paid the 600 baht fine. My dad told me to go back home first. He said that the next time I got caught he wouldn’t come to rescue me.

It is now too dangerous to go out on your bike late at night even if you are not going to watch the racing. One of my friends got caught a few days ago after coming back from taking his girlfriend home. The policemen thought he was coming back from motorcycle racing. He tried to explain but they didn’t want to listen so he tried to run away. But before the bike moved, a policeman hit him hard with a club. He was sent to juvenile prison and was only released when his parents paid a 10,000 baht fine. When he came out his hair was all shaved off and he had a large bruise on his shoulder. Maybe I should listen to my father more. That could easily have been me.