Street Racing Illustrated | Motegi Racing x Street Racing Made Safe

Motegi Racing and Street Racing Made Safe collab to make the Project Focus ST great again

Story | Phillip Pratt

Motegi Racing x SRMS

Scion tC on Motegi Racing MR400s | Photo courtesy of Motegi Racing

Famed wheel manufacturer, Motegi Racing, and South Florida based automotive enthusiast event/race organizer, Street Racing Made Safe, have joined forces. Motegi Racing will be providing a slick set of 18×10 (+10 offset) MR400 2-Piece, wheels for the SRMS Project Ford Focus ST. Unlike its flow-formed, cast-aluminum cousin, the MR133, the MR400s have forged centers and barrels. Motegi Racing, a Wheel Pros owned company, was established in 00’. Their wheels have graced the hubs of production cars to show-stopping trailer queens and rubber melting track stars alike. The SRMS Project ST is poised to turn some heads with Motegi Racing’s lite-weight, dynamically designed rolling stocks. See them in action on September 9th, 2018 at the AMR Motorplex in Homestead, Florida for Cars, Coffee, and Racing.

Motegi Racing x SRMS

Motegi Racing MR400 | Photo courtesy of Motegi Racing

Street Racing Illustrated | Unusual Suspect – Joshua Rodriguez’s Track-Bred CTS-V

Joshua Rodriguez’s ferocious 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

Story | Phillip Pratt

Photos | Gerry Burke & Phillip Pratt

Joshua Rodriguez's 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

The name Cadillac denotes visions of old-school American luxury. It’s the car that an entire generation of working-class Americans strove to afford. The prize that’s bought at the end of a long career, or after a big raise. It’s the trophy that’s loving parked in a garage and washed every weekend, whether it’s dirty or not, outside of a two-story house surrounded by a white picket fence. I’m envisioning a shady street or a cul-de-sac of some sort (stay with me). The last thing anyone expects to hear when a Cadi is fired up is a ruckus so violent, and sonically disruptive it drowns out just about anything and anyone within a 100-feet. While Joshua Rodriguez, the owner of a 09’ CTS-V admits that he originally bought his Cadi as a fun daily, if you’ve been around his car while it’s running, it’s no secret that he’s gone far beyond that intent.

Joshua Rodriguez's 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

It’s easy to forget that Cadillac, an automobile-line for the middle and upper class, is made by GM. The same company that produces Chevrolet, and in turn, one of the fastest production cars in America, the Corvette. I bring this up because the CTS-V shares something in common with it. The engine. Inside the bay of this luxury sports sedan lies the 6.2L, 556 HP, heart of an American supercar. The supercharged LSA V8 (a detuned version of the Corvette’s LS9) inside of Joshua’s CTS-V is similar to the one that powered the C6 ZR1, but with a few parts implemented to tame the beast; such as hypereutectic pistons versus the forged pieces found in the LS9. While the CTS-V is about 849lbs heavier than its Chevy cousin, coming in at around 4222lbs from the factory, the power provided by the LSA is more than enough to keep it faster than most other factory-tuned vehicles… but friends, Josh’s Cady ain’t stock.

Joshua Rodriguez's 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

The initial intention for Josh’s CTS-V was to keep it in its original state. I mean, who wouldn’t be happy with a 500+ HP car to drive back and forth to work? Josh… that’s who. “I was looking for a nice, powerful, daily driver…” Josh explained. “I had an Injen air-intake on the car within a week of bringing it home.” From the aforementioned noise, his LSA makes, Josh obviously didn’t stop there. Over the span of 3-years Josh dove headfirst into making his Cadi a firebreather. Not satisfied with engine’s stock levels of boost, he upgraded his factory supplied 1.9L blower to a ported Joker Performance Stage 5 unit. Allowing the greater volume of air to enter is a TPIS 102mm throttle body mated to a 5-inch charge pipe.

Holding the lion’s share of work on the powerplant are the ported cylinder heads, with all it’s valvetrain pieces sourced from Brian Tooley Racing, along with a Stage 3 PDS Camshaft (the culprit responsible for its rowdy idle). A 2.38 upper pulley and a 9.1 lower pulley on an ATI Super Damper help complete the set-up while Injector Dynamics 850cc fuel injectors and a JMS pump booster ensure the LS is supplied with ample amounts of E85. At the time of the writing this piece, Josh hasn’t made too many passes with this set-up, but prior to upgrading the supercharger and related pieces, the CTS-V did a 10.24-second pass at 135 MPH on around 715 WHP. On the current set-up, we’d assume the car is quite faster and will probably break 9-seconds on the next trip to the track.

Joshua Rodriguez's 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

With the firepower available to him Josh was able to rise to as high #4 on the SRMS Top 10 List, which is no simple task with the amounts of fast cars that come out for the monthly event. However, the success didn’t come without its pitfalls. At an event, last fall, Josh’s tranny broke “I only had a few weeks to source a built transmission and carbon driveshaft…” Josh recalls. “I also had to get the car to Fastproms in Tampa to have it tuned. Finished 2-days before the event!” Luckily, most of the work on the Cadi is done in-house by himself and his crew known as “Theory Garage”. So, some labor and time are saved there. The Pitbull-like stance of the Cadillac is aggressively complimented by a staggered set of Weld RT-S wheels wrapped in luscious Mickey Thompson Street Radials.

It’s amazing what we gearheads do when a project falls into our laps. Within 3-years of owning it, Josh’s Cadi went from daily driver to being amongst the fastest street cars in South Florida. The itch for velocity coupled with the satisfaction of building a machine up with your own hands can be all-consuming. Might even classify it as an obsession. Even with the neck pains, raw knuckles, and dirty, broken, fingernails that come from wrenching on cars; I don’t think there are many other things that Josh would rather spend his nights doing.

Joshua Rodriguez's 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

Instagram: @blazin07ss

S2000 at SRMS' Cars, Coffee, and Racing

Street Racing Illustrated | Cars, Coffee, and Racing 08/12/2018

“Auto-Xing actually becomes more fun when it’s raining!”- Mario Ojito

Story | Phillip Pratt

 

SRMS Cars, Coffee, and RacingStreet Racing Made Safe’s inaugural Car, Coffee, and Racing was everything that SRMS President, Mario Ojito, said it would be. Even a massive speed trap on the turnpike and forty-five-minute downpour couldn’t stop the meet and races. Despite the wetter circumstances of the end of the day, the beginning was effing flawless. The racers were blessed with sunny, clear, skies as prep began and walks of the track were allowed. This isn’t a go-kart track with a tiny lane and nearly unreasonable amounts of hair-pins. AMR Motorplex supplied racers with lots of stretches to open those throttles up and get some speed going. The rain that arrived halfway through the event slowed down the meet-section, but unlike on a drag-strip, water just makes the racing more engaging. It was easy to tell the first time Auto-Xers from the seasoned vets, but as this event grows, I expect to see skills and car engineering do the same. Auto-Xing times can be viewed here. Next event will be held on September 9th, 2018 at AMR Motorplex.

 

SRMS Cars, Coffee, and Racing

The Concours Club

Street Racing Illustrated | The Concours Club

Opalocka is now home to South Florida’s premier Auto-club?

Story | Phillip Pratt

The Concours Club

The Concours Club

I humbly introduce to you, The Concours Club. Home of South Florida’s luxury, private, driving experience. Nestled next to Opa Locka Executive Airport and equip with over 2-miles of rubber melting, smooth pavement, it’s the local speed track of our dreams… but with a $125,000 membership fee (not including annual dues), 99.9% of us probably can’t even begin to entertain the idea of utilizing its many services and perks.

 

“The amenities are what set us apart” – Neil Gehani, Co-Founder; Bloomberg.com

 

The Concours Club

The Concours Club

The project is a $220 million dollar endeavor and obviously aimed at catering to an affluent crowd. Designed by Alan Wilson, it is set to open in May of 2019. Amenities, outside of the mouth-watering driving course, will include; a restaurant/bar, spa, infinity pool, jacuzzi and… whatever a hammam is. Members will also be able to store their toys on site The developers plan to roll out 40-founding memberships for $350,000, unlike the $125k one, will exclude the yearly annual fee. Chances are if someone isn’t already some kind of super and hyper-car connoisseur, or makes a habit of collecting GTRs, The Concours Club is going to be little more than a dream for most. What a sweet dream it will be.

 

The Concours Club

The Concours Club

The SRMS, Auto-X purpse-built, Project ST

Street Racing Illustrated | Behind the Wheel – Mario Ojito; Cars, Coffee, and Racing

SRMS is back like they never left with their Car Meet & Auto-Xing Event; Cars, Coffee, and Racing.

 

Story | Phillip Pratt

Interviewer | Clifton Hernandez

 

Nice S2K Auto-Xing at PBIR Karting track

Nice S2K Auto-Xing at PBIR Karting track

 

Like a phoenix rising from the proverbial ashes, sometimes you have to let something die to build it back up stronger. Street Racing Made Safe came onto the South Florida racing scene like a tidal wave. Starting small at the now-defunct County-line Raceway, the non-profit organization eventually found its footing when it became a fixture at Palm Beach International Raceway (or PBIR). After some turbulent times, things have come full circle for SRMS president and founder, Mario Ojito. He took the time recently to sit down with SRI and layout plans for his new projects, most notably, what we can expect with his new crossing-promoting endeavor: Cars, Coffee, and Racing.

 

Street Racing Illustrated: Tell us, what does the timeline look like? What came first? Cars and Coffee or Auto-X?

 

Mario Ojito: Auto-X came first. I’ve always been passionate about Auto-Xing. It’s been something that I’ve always enjoyed. It definitely lasts longer [in terms of racing] than a quarter-mile. Right there, that’s the selling point [for me]. It’s a bit more technical. I actually did another Auto-X back when we did County-line [Raceway]. We used the other side of the property. I set up a bunch of cones. It wasn’t anything big. Then in 2017, before the “corporate take-over” happened, we did an Auto-X over at PBIR, but then it all stopped after that.

 

SRI: How long did it take for Auto-X to get incorporated into SRMS’ portfolio officially?

 

Mario: We started SRMS in 2011 and we did Auto-X two-years later in 2013.

 

SRI: Is there something else you working towards? I mean between Cars and Coffee and now Auto-X, is there any other cross-promotions you have your eye on?

 

Mario: Oh, yeah. We’re working on something close to downtown Miami. It’s going to have everything. It’s going to be like culture-overload for the car enthusiast market. Essentially what I’m trying to do now is similar to what we did back in 2011. Something that has never been done before. Why? Because Roll-Racing is everywhere. It’s copied by everyone. So now I’m reinventing the wheel.

 

SRI: Do you plan on having a list for Auto-X, similar to the SRMS Top-10 List?

 

Mario: No, because Auto-X has multiple classes. You see, you have SRMS classing and SCC classing. SRMS classing is designed and created for the novice types that don’t want to go through the 125+ classes and standard SCC rulebook. That’s why we created the classing differences. If I were to create a Top-10 List for that, there would have to be a Top-10 List for each class. That’d be impossible. In SRMS, there are already 9 individual classes using the three different drive types (FWD, RWD, and AWD).

 

Mazda Miata eating a turn

Mazda Miata eating a turn

 

SRI: Where did the idea of Cars, Coffee, and Racing come from?

 

Mario: Ok, I’ve wanted to do Cars and Coffee event for some time now and we were able to do that with our partners, CLRDHOT. That’s where Cars and Coffee Key Biscayne came from. They’d been doing it for a while before we came along. I had already been working on the Homestead deal, so that’s where the “Racing” came into play. After that, I made sure our new dates didn’t conflict with the pre-existing Cars and Coffee Key Biscayne dates.

 

SRI: Cars and Coffee meets are more informal. People park and sit around. Very much a culture-thing. How do you want to this particular event grow? More of a relaxed meet-up or more like an SRMS racing event?

 

Mario: Ideally, it’d be more of a mixture of both… So it’d be a mix of the racing crowd with a focus on the purpose-built vehicles and less of the streetcar flying down the track trying to get to end. This allows for a much more diverse market. Not just regular Mustang GT guys with full bolts, but people trying to build all-around vehicles coming together.

 

SRI: You’re looking to get more than just the Test-N-Tune crowd then?

 

Mario: Well the cool factor about Cars, Coffee, and Racing is the fact that the racing is happening just 10 to 15-feet away from where you’re at. So, you’re right there. There will also be a VIP lounge, and VIP stage, so you can go up 20-feet in the air and literally look over the whole track, which is pretty cool. The other cool aspect is… people drive an hour and a half to go to Cars, and Coffee Palm Beach. Instead, for a large part of South Florida, this is only 35 to 45-minutes away. There’s definitely more parking with the 3000 spaces, and then you have the racing. Of course, with a new event, to start off we don’t expect the pack the house, but we’re hoping for the best. Doesn’t really matter, to be honest, we’re going to be there, and what counts the most is consistency. We’re consistent. After January when we hammer everything out, we’ll be moving over to the Speedway, while still holding the [Auto-X] event. We’ll be holding bigger festivals and Homestead Speedway come 2019.

 

AMR Motorplex layout for the upcoming Cars, Coffee, and Racing event

AMR Motorplex layout for the upcoming Cars, Coffee, and Racing event

 

SRI: What can the non-racing attendee, the person just coming to come, expect to see at Cars, Coffee, and Racing?

 

Mario: We’re going to have multiple vendors, we’re going to have food trucks, go-kart rentals at a discounted price, the racing around the track. There’s also going to be a VIP area which will have the VIP cars and stuff like that, not to mention the regular dope cars that come out for South Florida meets.

 

SRI: Is there anything that like a long-term goal? I know you mentioned the coming Downtown Miami event, but what about this one in particular?

 

Mario: I guess, what I’d like to see happen is for this to become a monthly enthusiast festival. You know; kids play areas, different forms of entertainment. But that’s essentially what I’d like to see. Of course, I’d like to see that place completely packed! I’d love to see 3000 cars there but I want to emphasize the racing aspect because it gives people so much more. We’re just trying to make it different than anything else that’s ever been done. The layout of the parking, the way the racing is happening. Everything.

 

“We pioneered Rolling-Racing, and now everybody does it. It’s cool, but now it’s like we’re doing it again…”

 

SRI: So what’s your personal favorite part of the event?

 

Mario: Racing obviously. I’m a racing guy! I love everything that has to do with racing.

 

SRI: Yeah, I remember you jumping into your ST while emceeing the Auto-X event up at PBIR!

 

Mario: Oh, man, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy that! Our first logo was simply “I Love Street Racing”. It’s just something that’s not hidden with me. Though when I drive on the street, I have to set an example. I haven’t street raced since 2009 before I put in an application to become a nonprofit. Going on 9-years now. People have lined up next to me a million times since then, but I’ll never race them.

 

Cars and Coffee Key Biscayne 07.29.2018

The “ILoveStreetRacing” sticker on display at a Cars and Coffee Key Biscayne event.

 

SRI: Is there a car at an Auto-X event that you haven’t seen yet that you want to show up?

 

Mario: Sure, the new NSX. Electric motors, twin-turbo, well-balanced, very lightweight… I’d love to see Joker_NSX come out.

 

SRI: Besides the Auto-Xing, what else are you looking forward to with this event?

 

Mario: The spectator-factor. Usually at a Cars, and Coffee event, what gets people hyped up and breaking necks is people just revving their motors, or someone rolling in with a high-end car. When you show up at a [drag racing] track and don’t run, no one really cars. But in this type of event, you can have fun without worrying about breaking anything. Your high-end car should perform perfectly fine.

 

SRI: Now it comes down to driver skill…

 

Mario: Exactly. Which is why I love Auto-Xing even more. It’s not really about what you drive at this point, but how you drive it.

 

SRI: Do you plan on branching out anymore? Outside of South Florida?

 

Mario: Not sure… we did that in 2017 and really all that ended up happening was us sharing facilities and those track managers turning around running with the concept. Kind of just happy with Florida, right now.

 

A GR Subi making rounds at PBIR Karting track

A GR Subi making rounds at PBIR Karting track

 

SRI: As far as the weather at this event. This is Florida, after all…

 

Mario: This is a rain or shine event. We do not stop Auto-Xing. Of course, it’ll have an effect on people coming out to spectate. We expect the main amount of people coming out will be from 8 AM to 2 PM and then after that, the only people left will be the ones still racing. The only time we have to stop the event is if there’s lightning. If not, we keep running. Auto-Xing actually becomes more fun when it’s raining!

 

SRI: You did something with Auto-Xing up at the BB&T Center parking lot once, considering taking this North?

 

Mario: That wasn’t an SRMS’ event, really. Just something we participated in, but insurance is ridiculous when using sites not regulated for racing. Besides that, I’m focusing on the Miami market, and the Homestead Speedway location and just capitalizing on that. Killing the game there. Everyone else can play catch-up after that.

 

SRI: SRMS is about getting people on the track and off the street. Going back to when The Fast and The Furious premiered and the industry really took off; do you foresee this format of racing doing something similar as you move forward?

 

Mario: No, not like that. I do see an uprising in the market because we’ll be putting it in front of people and changing the perception of it. Giving them a way to see it and giving them a way to enjoy it. I see us one day maxing out and not being able to [facilitate] any more racers, just because we won’t be able to. We’re capped at 120 cars in 4 running groups. We’re trying to offer a minimum of 5 runs a day. But because we’ll be running from 8 AM to 6 PM at night, I think most people will be getting 10 or more runs to start out, which is a lot for $55.00. Compare that to a Test-N-Tune where you’d be lucky if you got 5 runs.

 

It really isn't about what you drive.

It really isn’t about what you drive.

 

SRI: So you want people to come out early and get as many runs as possible?

 

Mario: Well, it’s mandatory. Registration will open at 8 AM, the drivers meeting will be at 9:30 AM and the track goes hot at 10 AM. From there we call the run groups accordingly.

 

SRI: That’s cool. Man, I’m getting this old feeling I used to have when I was a kid. Getting all excited about driving up to PBIR (then, named Moroso) and running my car. I can see this turning into that for people.

 

Mario: It’s an exciting time! We pioneered Rolling-Racing, and now everybody does it. It’s cool, but now it’s like we’re doing it again [with Auto-Xing and our other projects], and I’m getting that same emotion I had, where I’m excited. We’re pushing this beyond the boundary that other people had and I’m going to keep doing it. I’m not going to stop and there’s nobody that can stop me. We’re going to change the face of racing (again). What we’re doing in Miami, what we’re doing at AMR and what we’re going to do Homestead Speedway. I will continue to push the envelope in directions no one has.

 

Cars, Coffee, and Racing inaugural event kicks off 8 AM, August 12th, 2018 at AMR Motorplex in Homestead, Florida. For more information email: info@streetracingmadesafe.com

 

The First Ever Cars, Coffee & Racing Event at AMR Motorplex!

Street Racing Made Safe Partners with AMR Motorplex for a unique one of a kind event! Cars & Coffee events have grown immensely in popularity amongst all car enthusiasts. Now with a monthly Autocross program at Homestead Motor Speedway and more than 3,000 parking spaces what better place to host the first ever Cars, Coffee & Racing Event! The inaugural event is August 12th from 8am to 6pm with Food Trucks, Vendors, Go-Kart Rentals, VIP parking and more!

 

See the Map and event flyer below!

Pagani Zonda R in Miami Condo

Street Racing Illustrated | Pagani Zonda R as a room divider

There is a Zond R in a condo.

Story | Phillip Pratt

 

The Pagani Zonda R in Pablo Perez Companc’s Miami Condo Instagram page: @pperezc

 

Yeah, someone installed a Pagani Zonda R into their 8-million dollar, 4200 sq-ft, Miami condo and that someone is Pablo Perez Companc (pperezc). This isn’t a home and garden page so we won’t go much further than that, but we will admit putting up the Zonda R is quite the statement piece. Probably because only 15 of these beasts were ever made, so putting one up on a wall is really saying… something. To be clear, the car isn’t actually “up on a wall”. It took some truly ingenious engineering not to just get it up into the ocean-front property (they used a crane) but to then safely and securely fit it into place; that is hovering between the ceiling and floor smack dab into the middle of the open concept dividing it into two workable spaces (sorry, too much HGTV…). While on the concrete these things are blessed with 740HP, 6.0L V12, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR engines. While in Mr. Companc’s living room, it’s dropping jaws and confusing people. Beats my vinyl Ryu Pop! figure.

 

The Pagani Zonda R in Pablo Perez Companc's Miami Condo Instagram page: @pperezc

The Pagani Zonda R in Pablo Perez Companc’s Miami Condo Instagram page: @pperezc

Street Racing Made Safe Partners with AMR Motorplex for Autocrossing program

Street Racing Made Safe Partners with AMR Motorplex for Autocrossing program

 

Street Racing Made Safe has officially partnered with the AMR Motorplex for a new Autcrossing Program incorporating multiple event dates and programs for drivers and spectators alike. Located just minutes from downtown Miami, Florida AMR Motorplex is South Florida’s premier karting facility.  Situated on-site at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, FL, AMR Motorplex is an outdoor karting facility open to the public five days a week, year-round.  AMR Motorplex features two circuits: a 0.7-mile, 11 turn competition track for kart owners, and a 0.3-mile, 3 turn rental track for kart rentals.  AMR Motorplex’s fleet of Rental Karts (Drivers of 6” Tall or Above) reach speeds up to 45 mph, delivering an advanced, exciting and high-adrenaline racing experience for a day of fun with friends, family or coworkers. AMR Motorplex can also accommodate group and corporate team building outings. Additionally, the facility hosts some of the largest professional touring karting series races in the country, making AMR Motorplex the premier source for all things karting at every level of the sport.

 

AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex
1 Speedway Boulevard, Homestead, FL 33035
(833)-527-8267

For more information regarding AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex please email us at
ops@amrmotorplex.com.

 

SRMS x AMR AutocrossSRMS x AMR Autocross

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Street Racing Illustrated | Behind the Wheel with Ricky “Disruptive” Alduen

“Dream big and be disruptive. If you are doing the same thing as everyone else, you’ve already failed” – Forbes

Interviewer | Clifton Hernandez

Photos | Rafael Gabaldon

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

Passing judgment is easy. Look at something, and make your mind up about it. It’s human nature in many ways. What separates the small minded from those that think with a bit more nuance is the ability to look deeper and appreciate the subtle (and not so subtle) aspects of a person or place. Ricky “Disruptive” Alduen’s RX-7 is probably one of the most eye-catching FD specimens in South Florida, heck, probably the entire Eastern Seaboard. At first glance, most would brush it off as a trailer queen. A vehicle that goes from garage to trailer, to show floor, and back to the trailer. Not the case. As many natives of the SoFlo area can attest, Ricky actually drives this thing, and with enough power that even he admits makes him nervous, his FD is no primped-up princess.

 

Street Racing Illustrated: So your car… it looks like a bunch of fun.

Ricky Alduen: Yes! It definitely is!

 

SRI: Not to go off topic, but you’ve got a matching Slingshot… What gets you more looks?

Ricky: Believe it or not, this one [gestured towards the RX-7].

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

SRI: The RX-7 gets more attention?

Ricky: With car people, for sure. With the general public, you know, everyone’s going to be like, yo look at that thing, especially when I drop [the Slingshot] down to the ground. But car people give the RX-7 more attention for sure.

 

SRI: Looking at everything in your garage from the Slingshot to the FD… you custom make a lot, have to admit.

Ricky: I like custom @#$%. [laughs]

 

SRI: What’s your favorite piece on here?

Ricky: The one you cannot see… my headliner. I have a carbon fiber headliner.

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD | Ricky’s custom carbon fiber headliner isn’t visible in this shot but… it’s there.

 

SRI: Nobody has that…

Ricky: Nope. My wheels too. Custom order from Japan, hand assembled, made to order by Mackin Industries. I typically stick to Rays when I buy wheels.

 

SRI: So we’ve got a lot of “first time” @!#$% on this car, I see. So what originally got you into an RX-7?

Ricky: I’d have to say back in 19[Redacted], I was walking out of High School on my way home like I normally did and out of nowhere I hear this engine idling [makes the signature “brap-brap-brap” rotary sound]. It was a 1984 GSL-SE, a burgundy first-generation RX-7. I just stopped and listened to it. It belonged to a classmates’ father. Every day he’d come to pick his daughter up and I’d just stand there and listen to it idle. That sound… you know, it’s different than any other car. Completely different. I fell in love with it. From the first generation.

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

SRI: Takes me back to when we used to visit the track down here. Back when it was called Moroso. There used to be this guy in the stands we’d call “Rotary-Man”. He had this bull-horn, and he’d just be losing his mind anytime a car pulled up to the line with a rotary engine. So much fun to be around that kind of passion, you know, for anything. But that’s how I got introduced to the sound of that engine, what made me take notice.

Ricky:  Yeah man, it’s that sound, I fell in love with it. And the look, it’s so sexy even back then. It was right then, I was done. I had to get me one of these. But I couldn’t afford it. Obviously, I was still in High School. I saved and I tried to buy one, but then I looked at insurance for it and was like, what?

 

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

SRI: How many RX-7s have you had, so far?

Ricky: Three. Two first gens, and this one. There was a point when I had this one, a silver FB, a gold FB, my Veilside 350z [points towards a photo on the wall], and my Spyder Can-Am. All here, in the garage and outside.

 

SRI: How long have you had this one?

Ricky: Six or seven years?

 

SRI: So which one was favorite out of them?

Ricky: This one. This one, for sure.

 

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD | Be Disruptive

 

SRI: Why?

Ricky: Man, what’s there not to like? I mean, I tore it apart. I took every single bolt out. I wanted to take my time and build it the way I wanted. For two and half years it wasn’t drivable. Engine out, front off, seats, interior, roof… a complete shell. We painted the shell-

 

SRI: Awesome paint job by the way.

Ricky: We painted it in a storage container…

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

SRI: Sounds like a story by itself. Where did you find this color? Were there any other experiments or was this the color you always wanted?

Ricky: Because of my line of work, I’m used to planning things out way in advance. I had this color in mind before I even had the car. I found it while I was still with my Veilside 350z. A friend of mine, a painter and body-guy, Frankie, pulled up one day with an orange Civic. I told him how much I loved the color and asked if he had the code, and he said “nope, its custom”, but of course, he knew mixtures. The first thing I actually painted this color ended up being the Spyder Can-Am, then the RX-7 and finally the Slingshot.

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD | Ricky’s color-matched Slingshot

 

SRI: You’ve said this a few times in passing since we’ve been here. That you want to be the ‘first’ or ‘only’ with something…

Ricky: It’s not to be the “only one”. It’s a bit different. Like a lot of people do wide-body [with this car], I don’t like wide-body. I like to see, and I respect what they do, but this kind of car you have cut into the body to get more space to roll. I don’t like it. You’re screwing with a car that has perfect body lines. Perfect. I think it was ahead of its time [in terms of styling].

 

SRI: I remember back in about 2003, Super Street Magazine had this feature, a red RX-7 with like 800HP. I just thought a car that beautiful had no business having that much power.

Ricky: Yeah, you can get a lot of power out of these little engines! Not everyone has a rotary these days. Like even the wheels. Everyone has those Ray Engineering Ts. Not saying that doesn’t look awesome, but I wanted something a bit different.

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

SRI: What other cars have you owned?

Ricky: I’ve had two 350zs, I had Toyota Corolla 1.8- you had to have a Toyota Corolla 1.8. I had a twin-cam GT-S. I fell in love with the Celicas. You know how it was back in the day. You had the club and the events… I had a friend, who I used to swap cars with sometimes. I’d give him mine, and I’d take his. He had a red convertible. I loved it, so I went and got my own. I got a white convertible and put white seats in it with a bangin’ system (of course). Super-super dope, that was like the pantie-dropper!

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD | Ricky Alduen

 

SRI: What’s the show scene like for you with the RX-7?

Ricky:  I do it for fun, the love. Tell you a funny story. I was on my way back from my shop Pettit Racing. I got on Commercial Blvd approaching i95. On the left, I see Elite Roads doing what they used to do all the time, hosting a car show. I was going to get gas and head home but I wanted to see what was up. Soon as I tried to pull in the crowd just went ‘whoosh’, all around the car, I couldn’t get out… After I was able to park it finally, an hour passed (because the show was ending) and I won first place.

 

SRI: Just like that? By accident?

Ricky: Just like that, man [laughs].

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD | The Elite Roads trophy front and center

 

SRI: You said you were coming back from Pettit Racing?

Ricky: Pettit Racing, yes. They built my engine, built my block. One of the things I did… people do swaps. I don’t believe in swaps for this car, I don’t. I respect whoever does it, I’ve got no problem with a 2JZ or an LS swap but my thing is; this car is unique. It has a unique engine. Everyone else has pistons, this is rotary, keep it rotary. So what I did is, I took out the old engine, and threw it in the garbage and told Cam to build me a new one. Everything in here is new, rotors, housing- everything.

 

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD | Engine built from the bottom up by Pettit Racing

 

SRI: Where are you in terms of building a show car, versus a race car?

Ricky: I’m right in the middle. I can’t say this is all race, because you’d see me drag racing, but at the same time look at this $#%&. It’s about a balance… got another story for you. I was at an event at Moroso (now called Palm Beach International Raceway), and this kid comes up talking; saying I was “all-show no go” or whatever. I smiled. I really don’t care what people think or whatever. I don’t get into that really. On the way home on the Turnpike, the same kid pulls up next to me. He’s in a Nissan 280. Of course, he starts jumping and revving. Now I’m just cruising; my windows are down, I’m relaxed, not looking for anything. Then he says it again. Yells “Yep! All-show!”. I’m doing like 80 MPH in 4th [gear]. I drop down into 3rd and just like that, I’m doing 140. He couldn’t catch up; disappeared. A couple months later at another show, the same kid comes up to me; says he blew his engine back then! To be honest, the car scared me that day. It just kept pulling. It was really dangerous and I was doing something really stupid! Note to self: Never do that $#%^ again. Ever.

 

SRI: So you have fun with the car, you’re not afraid to mess around.

Ricky: I like to push it. I don’t trailer it; I drive it around. All the way up to North Carolina. Not a problem. I did that ‘Tail of the Dragon’, it’s the place where you can really just abuse this car. I built this car to have fun on the road. I built it for road racing. I might lose to a car with a big turbo in a straightaway, but curves? Nah.

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD | Custom built carbon fiber door panels

 

SRI: You go by Disruptive. It’s written on the car; you reference it on social media. Where did it come from?

Ricky: It’s simple. Disruptive… it’s not about being rowdy or doing stupid things on the road. Disruptive is about expressing our passion for cars in an individual way. The idea is to create a positive impact and try to change the general idea that associates our passion with a negative connotation due to some few that are killing the scene by doing stupid $@#% on the streets.

 

SRI: You did a sick spread with Super Street Magazine a few years back, how did that come about?

Ricky: One of my sponsors, Apex’i contacted me and said they’d like to install one of their suspension sets on my car. My contact Masaki recommended this set they use for our drift cars. 100% bolt-on and already dialed in, ready to install right out of the box. I put them on and send the pics to Apex’i. After that, Masaki called me and told me he wanted to introduce me to, an editor at Super Street, Sam Du (@duspeed). Turned out, he was going to be here in Miami and wanted to see the car while he was in town. We met up down on South Beach, took some test shots and asked if I wanted to do a spread. Just like that.

 

SRI: How often do you drive the RX-7?

Ricky: I used to drive it all the time. Now, not as much. Maybe once or twice a month, to make sure everything is working. I built it to enjoy it. If I go to a show, I drive it. Definitely not a trailer queen.

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

SRI: So… is this your dream car?

Ricky: Yes. This is it, right here.

 

SRI: Do you understand how rare that is? Just about anyone else I’d pitch that question to would go on these long rants about what they’d been chasing, and what they’d do to it-

Ricky: This is a little boy’s dream come true. I was a teenager in high school, in 9th grade, you know, an earlier model, but I saw it and fell in love with. To be able to have this, x-amount of years later? It’s a dream. And it’s not done. It’s not perfect, I’m still dreaming of rotary perfection.

 

 

Ricky's fully built-out FD

Ricky’s fully built-out FD

 

CBS 12 Feature of our 2/10/18 event

On Saturday 2/10/18 during our event at Palm Beach International Raceway we were featured as the solution to illegal street on CBS Channel 12!!!

See the link below for footage and the Article on Street Racing Made Safe!!!

http://cbs12.com/news/local/local-nonprofit-provides-alternative-to-illegal-street-racing