TWO young men who "drove like lunatics" as they raced each other at up to 94 mph on a single carriageway road have been jailed.

The cars of Ben Maurice Spink and RAF serviceman Harry Greenall were crammed with female passengers as they repeatedly overtook each other and hurtled through villages at more than twice the speed limit at night., York Crown Court heard.

Brooke Morrison, prosecuting, said their high speed journey from Sherburn-in-Elmet to Tadcaster ended when Spink lost control of his Ford Fiesta and hit a pedestrian island before crashing at 80mph into a parked car and a wall. in Towton.

One of his four passengers suffered spinal injuries that left her in a wheelchair and three other girls suffered lesser injuries.

She and two other of Spink's passengers are now frightened to get into a car, the court heard.

"It is just luck that these eight girls are still alive," the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told the two men after watching dashcam footage of the race.

"Undoubtedly this was a joint enterprise of racing. The court has to take into account the need to deter other young men from driving like lunatics bringing death and destruction to other families."

Senior aircraftman Greenall, 18, of Romans Close, Riccall, had difficulty holding back the tears as he was jailed for 10 months after admitting dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for 17 months.

The court heard the RAF is likely to give him a dishonourable discharge.

Spink, 20, of Bramble Avenue, Wetherby, who had previous convictions related to alcohol, was jailed for 14 months, banned for two years and seven months and had six penalty points put on his licence. He admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Both will have to take an extended driving test before driving alone again.

Ms Morrison said Spink drove "like an idiot" as they went to Sherburn-in-Elmet late on July 29.

Some time later they headed back to Tadcaster.

"The standard of driving dropped further with both defendants driving at excess speed overtaking each other on multiple occasions," she said.

The girl with spinal injuries had to have metal poles inserted into her spine and spent a period in a wheelchair. She now wears a body brace and faces a major operation, said Ms Morrison..

Barristers for both defendants said they were remorseful.

For Spink, Glenn Parsons said: "If he could turn back the clock and reform his behaviour by not driving in the way he did that night, he would do so."

Spink had suffered facial and back injuries that took months to heal as well as psychological suffering as a result of the crash.

He had lost his job because he couldn't hold it down.

He now understood how his driving could have cost lives.

For Greenall, Fen Greatley Hirsch said the "folly of youth" had led to him behaving out of character and he had "let himself by carried away by the situation".

The way he had driven his Vauxhall Corsa had not led directly to the injuries.

But the judge said both men were equally culpable.