It's the ultimate game of chicken. A young lad is dangled in front of dozens of revving 'boy racer' cars as they prepare to hurtle through a city's streets at 120mph.
The boy is held by a man as a way of starting the Fast and the Furious-style race which police have slammed as 'unacceptable'.
But despite the terrifying danger of the moment, the lad revels in the moment, as he ducks out of the way moments before the souped-up cars roar past him.
The shocking scenes were captured on film by undercover police officers who have been working to stamp out the irresponsible 'cruisers' – branded 'death-wish drivers' - tearing through the streets of Birmingham.
They flock to the two-mile stretch of A47 dual carriageway in Birmingham every Sunday night and Bank Holiday Monday.
The footage shows hundreds of drivers screaming along the road side-by-side at breakneck speeds, just inches from onlookers.
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In one frightening clip, the child, dressed in a white T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, is seen starting the race on his own by mimicking the 'go' signal made famous by the Fast and the Furious films.
In another, his arms are held aloft by a man and the words 'Who wants it?' can be heard from the crowd. Spectators can be heard laughing and cheering the boy on as he waves the cars on their way.
In another clip, a Volkswagen Golf careers into the back of another car before its driver and passenger carry on driving while hooting with laughter.
Around 400 drivers have been identified from CCTV and handed driving bans and hefty court fines, with some motorists who were caught flouting drive bans being jailed.
Investigator PC Paul Bieliauskas said: "It's unacceptable behaviour, they pose a real danger to the public due to the manner of the driving and the speeds they reach.
"Fortunately there have been no fatal accidents - but that's largely down to good fortune.
"It would only take one accident and we could have multiple injuries and fatalities of both spectators and motorists.
"Our covert work has identified offenders and we've already prosecuted around 200 racers with action pending against many more."
Police and Birmingham City Council have issued around 120 injunctions which prohibit 'cruisers' from participating in or watching street racing. Breaking the injunction could mean a driving ban and a £5,000 fine.
Institute of Advanced Motorists spokesperson Caroline Rheubottom described the cruisers as 'death-wish drivers.
"They should be punished with the full force of the law," she said.