TONIGHT it is a couple of Porsche 911s but it could be a Ferrari, a Lamborghini or a supercharged American racer. A group of young men have gathered on an empty road on the fringes of the desert to watch the latest craze in the oil-rich Middle East — illegal road racing.

Two cars swing into position on the impromptu starting grid. From vantage points nearby, lookouts keep watch for police vehicles. Two more cars move into position behind the racers to act as a rolling roadblock and hamper any pursuit.

A glance, a nod and the drivers floor the accelerators and disappear into the night in a cloud of acrid smoke from burning tyres, reaching speeds of up to 180mph.

For the drivers, this is a chance to show off their prowess but it often leads to injury or death. Throughout the Middle East a heady mix of high incomes, youthful boredom and a plentiful supply of highly tuned, high-performance cars have made the white-knuckle races a cult.

The impromptu events are mainly held in outlying areas where roads have been laid for housing developments. Worried at the carnage, however, police are clamping down. Saudi Arabia is one of the most dangerous places on earth to drive with an annual death toll of 4,500 on the roads.

Tighter policing in one area drives the races elsewhere. There is evidence of young Saudi racers taking their cars to Bahrain at weekends.

“The police have really put pressure on us,” said Ahmed Al Faisal, 25, a magazine executive. “The number of racers is down and we’ve moved out to less populated areas.”

The illegal sport, also popular in Egypt and throughout the Gulf states, is fuelling demand for ever faster cars. Porsche sales grew by 30% in Saudi Arabia last year.

With no rules and regulation, the carnage is often terrible. The Wall Street Journal reported that in Egypt a race between local drivers and youths from the Gulf left half a dozen people dead last year.

Spectators, who have been known to bet up to £20,000 on the outcome, film the races and crashes on their mobile phones. One video clip shows a highly tuned Japanese saloon accelerating on an impromptu drag strip, losing control, somersaulting and throwing four people clear of the car. All survived, albeit some with serious injuries.

Another clip shows a mid-range sports car slewing sideways across the road and mowing down spectators standing too close to the strip.

In a region with few distractions for young men, the sport has a fatal attraction. Ibrahim Al Ghamdi, 35, an advertising executive, admitted to joining in with his Porsche Carrera 4. “The adrenaline rush is fantastic,” he said. “Sometimes here you just have to go crazy.”

In an attempt to stop street racing, the authorities have announced custom-built race tracks for Riyadh and Jeddah. The tracks may slake some of the thirst for motor sport. But will they cure the ennui that impels young men to risk their lives?