Two young drivers of a Ferrari and a Lamborghini involved in a high-speed car crash while racing in Beijing were both sentenced to prison terms on Thursday on charges of dangerous driving.

The case was dubbed "Fast and Furious" by the media in a reference to the United States action movie franchise.

The defendants - the 20-year-old Ferrari driver, Yu Muchun, and the 21-year-old Lamborghini driver, Tang Wentian - appeared at Chaoyang District People's Court in the capital.

Yu was sentenced to four months in prison and Tang to five months. Yu was also fined 8,000 yuan ($1,290) and Tang 10,000 yuan.

Yu, who pleaded guilty, told the court: "I'm so sorry. My wrongdoings have had a bad influence on society and caused great harm to my family and friends. I will abide by the law now."

Tang also said he realized his mistakes and pleaded guilty to ask for lenient punishment.

Prosecutors said both cars careered through a tunnel guardrail in an underpass near the Bird's Nest in Beijing on a rainy night on April 11 before smashing into walls at high speed.

According to the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, damage to the vehicles was estimated at $650,000 each. The two defendants were unemployed.

Prosecutors said the two got to know each other before the accident. They went to the tunnel near the Bird's Nest Stadium with their friends for car racing and to compare their speeds.

Tang's father told Beijing News the Lamborghini was bought with money made by himself and his son from the booming stock market in the past two years.

Tang's mother told the paper: "We are not high-ranking officials or rich businesspeople."

The Ferrari driven by Yu belonged to his mother, according to the court.

The Traffic Management Bureau said the speed of the Lamborghini exceeded 179 km/h, while the Ferrari reached 165 km/h.

The defendants told the court they knew the speed limit was at 70 km/h.

When the crash happened, one of Tang's friends, who was also riding in the Lamborghini, injured his spine.

According to the court, the defendants have paid a total of 320,000 yuan in compensation for damage caused by the crash.

Under the revised Chinese Criminal Law, dangerous driving includes car racing and drunken driving.

Neither defendant had been drinking alcohol, the court was told.

Anyone convicted of dangerous driving faces a possible prison term of between one and six months and a fine.

Since 2011, Chaoyang District People's Court has handled 740 cases involving dangerous driving, with an annual year-on-year increase of 20 percent. Drunken driving accounted for more than 90 percent of the cases, according to the court.

zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 05/22/2015 page3)