Trial in Salzburg

Tuner meeting: Five men fined

Hundreds of "tuners" met in Salzburg on April 6, 2024 – observed by the police and a "Krone" photographer.(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

Sports car enthusiasts in Salzburg repeatedly turn night into day. Now five "tuners" have appeared in court. The charge: property damage! They are alleged to have caused serious damage to a parking lot with their powerful cars.

"It's a cool thing – at least for people who love cars. But I don't do that anymore." In court on Thursday, one of the five defendants was initially taciturn but then remorseful. Because: "I really learned something from this."

The thing? Together with hundreds of other horsepower enthusiasts, the Romanian-born man took part in a so-called tuning meet in April last year. Sports car owners usually arrange to meet via the internet and then do laps together – smoking tires and roaring engines included.

The meet in spring 2024 first took the "tuners" to the Airportcenter in Wals-Siezenheim and then moved on in convoy towards Oberndorf. Nearly 500 cars took part. Several drivers performed "burnouts" in a company parking lot in Bergheim. This involves spinning the wheels while stationary, causing high tire abrasion.

"It just has to be loud and smoky," said the defendant, explaining what fascinates him about burnouts. The problem: the actions damaged the company parking lot to such an extent that the damage amounted to almost €20,000.

Using internet videos, the police were able to identify five cars, including their license plate numbers. They all burned rubber on the company premises – and now had to answer for their actions in court.

The defendants – all young men from Austria, Germany, Romania, and Syria – pleaded guilty. Three men did so in December, two more on Thursday. They agreed to a diversion. In other words, they each have to pay €1,000 in damages to the company and another €1,000 to the Republic. One defendant will perform community service.