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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

Street Racing Illustrated | 2018 SoFloSubies Annual Cruise

The annual SofloSubies cruise and meet at Okeeheelee Park in Palm Beach.

Story & Photos | Phillip Pratt

Let’s start out with an admission on my part. I’m a Subie-guy. I drive a 2002 bug-eye Impreza WRX. I’m a member of SoFloSubies and a loyal customer of the WRXperts. I’m biased. Now that that’s out of the way, onto the beauty that is the 2018 SoFloSubies Annual Cruise to Okeeheelee Park, in Palm Beach County, Florida that took place on Sunday February 25. Maybe not that much of a “cruise” for local Subaru enthusiasts (hard to believe, but people do actually live in Palm Beach, its crazy, I know), it’s roughly a fifty-five mile or forty to fifty-minute drive if you’re like me and coming out of Broward County. Add about ten to fifteen miles or twenty minutes to the trip if you’re a denizen of Miami, proper. After meeting up at one of two of our local spots, we caravan North to the midway point, that being the Pompano Beach Service Plaza. While we gather in numbers that more oft than not eclipse three digits, we try our best to avoid blocking-in the openly annoyed truckers attempting to get on with their lives. I don’t even want to know what the ones sleeping in their cabs think about the ruckus we make. We don’t generally spend any more than a half-hour there before we get underway with the final leg of the trip. Barring any unforeseen circumstances and/or official set-backs (a Trooper seemingly escorted us one year… good times) it takes about thirty-five to forty minutes, the fastest route taking us through a laughably quiet suburban neighborhood. Once we arrive at the park and start unwinding from the drive, it turns into a big meet; except with food and a reserved shelter provided by the event’s many sponsors. As the day comes to an end there’s a 100% legit raffle that typically one-person wins 30% of the prizes (seriously what the @#$%?! This has happened at least twice. I want a #%#@%$# key-chain too!), trophies for “best ________”, and a group picture to cap it all off. If you are in the South Florida area, and a Subie-driver, you need to experience this event. There really is nothing else quite like it. Make the time.

 

SoFlo Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Mean BRZ

SoFlo Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Okeeheelee Park Line-Up

SoFlo Subies Okeeheelee Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | WRXperts’ Multi-Gen Knowledge-base realized

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Won the best STI of the Cruise

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Delicious STI from Machines Gone Wild in Miami

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Clean, right-hand drive GC

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Israel shows off his immaculate 03′ Bugeye WRX

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Trophies for the day

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | White Hawkeye STI getting a wipe-down after the drive

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | David Bazooka Money-pit

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Beautiful Community of Subaru

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Sick stance on this one

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Rolling into the meet

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Got to love the taste of Subie drivers

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Sittin’ pretty

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Perfect weather for the meet

SoFloSubies Okeeheelee Park Meet

SoFloSubies Annual Cruise 2018 | Beware Dave’s octopus