A 17-year old boy was seriously injured and a girl, 15, sustained minor injuries when they were involved in a collision during an illegal motorbike race on Sunday night at Parque das Cidades in Faro.
When the police arrived at the scene, there were only a few people tending to the two victims, who were both Portuguese. The police believe that the crowds, which usually gather in their hundreds, had fled.
The other motorbike that was involved in the collision, as well as the driver, was not at the scene when the police arrived.
Illegal motorbike racing has been known to take place in this particular area for some time and the police are aware of the situation. The straight empty roads are favoured by racers, who for the most part, are teenagers.
At the end of August last year, the GNR caught a group of racers in the act and, after fining around 100 people, 21 vehicles were confiscated. Since then, the GNR has been monitoring the area, but racers have always managed to slip away before the police arrive.
The boy, who was driving the bike, was transported to Faro hospital. His injuries included a fractured leg, broken arm and internal abdominal trauma. He was admitted to the intensive care unit. The girl, who was a passenger on the motorbike, did not need hospital treatment.
Police are investigating the incident to determine the facts and will attempt to find the other biker involved.
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