An example of hooning in Hamilton videos posted on Facebook.

A new section of the Waikato expressway project is being used for potentially dangerous burnouts and drifting races by masses of boy racers, from as far afield as Tauranga and Auckland.

Over the last month hundreds of car enthusiasts have gathered at the northern end of Tamahere's Pickering Rd on Friday nights to watch and perform burnouts, skids and drift around the newly-built roundabout.

Social media has been used to organise the scheduled events dubbed "Auckland Invades Hamilton". In one event, 1132 were reported to have attended with Facebook pages featuring photographs and video of people blocking roads and standing near cars as they drift, or skid sideways on the roundabout and spin their wheels. Some even attempt to hold cars still as they smoke their tyres.

1 of 5 NZ Stance Photography Boy racers and spectators amass on the Pickering Rd roundabout in Tamahere and in other areas south-east of Hamilton. 2 of 5 NZ STANCE PHOTOGRAPHY Boy racers and spectators amass on the Pickering Rd roundabout in Tamahere and in other areas south-east of Hamilton. 3 of 5 NZ Stance Photography Boy racers and spectators amass on the Pickering Rd roundabout in Tamahere and in other areas south-east of Hamilton. 4 of 5 NZ STANCE PHOTOGRAPHY A spike in boy racers has residents, hotels and car enthusiasts at their wits' end. 5 of 5 NZ STANCE PHOTOGRAPHY Boy racers and spectators amass on the Pickering Rd roundabout in Tamahere and in other areas south-east of Hamilton.

The Pickering Rd roundabout is part of the Cambridge section of New Zealand Transport Agency's expressway project. With a large, vacant, concrete roundabout, ample street lighting and a smooth flat, newly sealed road, the expressway extension provides a perfect venue.

But residents on nearby Oakley Lane and Pickering Rd have had enough of the late night noise, the smell of burnt tyres, leftover rubbish and damage to property.

Waikato District Council infrastructure committee chairman, and Tamahere resident, Wally Hayes, said about 23 residents had attended a recent meeting to voice concerns.

"The main concern is the noise in the early hours of the morning, it is building each week and apparently there has been damage to property and leftover rubbish."

Large numbers of vehicles involved had also caused issues for traffic on nearby State Highway 1. He said the design of the roundabout had inadvertently created an "arena" for boy racers. "They can just drive right onto the roundabout, and it is a large roundabout so it's ideal for drifting. They are using the embankment around it as a grandstand, so it's like an arena."

An Oaklea Lane resident, who did not wish to be named for fear of retribution, told the Waikato Times he had been woken between 12am and 3am every Friday night for the last five weeks. "We have had enough. There are hundreds of cars, hundreds of people walking around, drinking, throwing bottles, listening to loud music, drifting around the roundabout."

"Every Saturday we have to go and pick up rubbish off our property. Two weeks ago someone came off the roundabout and hit my fence."

The planned meets are well organised and he believes there are people with police scanners alerting drivers when patrols are nearing.

About four or five properties back onto the roundabout and residents had been told by police not to approach the groups.

Waikato road policing manager, Inspector Dana McDonald said police were cracking down on boy racers and would be "out in force" this weekend.

"Boy racer activity has really ramped up over the last few months. We have impounded vehicles, green stickered them, issued tickets but the message doesn't seem to be getting through. There is no sympathy for this type of activity. It's boys and girls, and we have had reports of people bringing their families to watch. As soon as they see us, they move, but we are going to keep doing it."

McDonald said drivers were putting themselves, bystanders and other road users at risk. "A vehicle could come off the road and crash into someone, they are damaging road surfaces, road markings that could endanger other road users. Get off the road and onto the track."

NZTA project services manager Peter Simcock said NZTA was taking the issue seriously. Measures designed to deter boy racers, including extra security, and traffic island extensions reducing lane width around the roundabout and limit drifting space, had been installed yesterday. Large concrete barriers had been placed inside the roundabout, surrounded by water filled plastic barriers to stop spectators and boy racer activity, and lighting on the roundabout would be dimmed.