Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Southeast Channel 4 News, this morning!!

Well, if you were up around 11am you got to see the Channel 4 special on "South Florida: Fast & Furious". Download it at www.wfor.com

They went in depth on the issue of Street Racing in Miami, they centered on the Friday night street races on Okeechobee Road (SR 27). They snuck a guy with a camera in to watch the races & show how the cops show up & bust people & all that stuff. Couple of guys showed off their cars, nitro tanks, turbos, talked about "racing being their drug". All that. It was great! They interviewed a FHP who said that "They should give them a place to go" instead of racing on the street.

Same episode, they had a channel 4 anchor w/ I believe it was Mayor Ralph Sanchez talking with a dude named Alex, who was dubbed "Drag Racing Advocate". (You guys may know Alex from other forums, he's got the SC300 with twin turbos). Anyways the debate was going back & forth about the penalties of drag racing going up in Miami. Alex argued that the closest place for Miami racers to go is Moroso, which is 2 hours away, thus not local. Then, like a gift from heaven, the Mayor & Alex seemed to be clicking on an idea of making a place closer to home for us to go... say Homestead (was mentioned several times).

Apparently there's more to it that it seems. We all know the idea of a local track has been brought up & rejected a million times. But "sources" say that the reason the gov't is opening up a little bit is that several key legislative members had children who were busted at the races on Okeechobee a few weeks back. Remember the huge 172 person bust that was in the news? Nice wake up call huh. Keep your fingers crossed people, we may get our own strip finally.

Thank you for that clip. I really wanted to see it, but was busy when it aired. All I have to say is, GIVE US A PLACE TO RACE!

Whats up! Saw that report on Channel 4, the guy wasn't a mayor buy a Hialeah representative. Nice cars in that report no Contour though. Hopefully like you said, they'll make a strip for everyone.

I'm sorry... I realize I chopped up that interview. I really wanted to get all the names right, but I was so pumped about what I saw that I needed to vent. If you have the right info, pls post.

I think every major city needs a place to race. Up here in Minnesota it happens also, we had a reporter at the races also. He was there three weekends in a row to show that "Red Rock Racing Strip" was there before the F&F came out. But tragedy struck, the third weekend when the reporter was there. A 15 year old, in mommy and daddy's brand new stolen Yukon, pulled out in front of a race and a crotch-rocket t-boned him. The biker got launched and went through my friend's windshield and the bike hit my car. The biker died instantly and the reporter got it all.

Now the city is planning to change the road into a "road with many curves(city officials)."

Sorry to go on and on and on, but it happens all over the place. I agree that you need a strip and So do we. Time to push it through to the state legislature.

Thanks for the support... sorry to hear about that accident. Want to hear another great one? Some kid high as hell was doing about 120 racing some other guy... plowed into his own mother driving down the road and killed her... talk about bad apples. ("YOU! Out of the gene pool!")

There's another good article here: http://www.miami.com/c/street/archive/2000/cover1224.htm

BTW - that clip was an old one that took place late Thursday & Saturday night. They re-aired a new clip with the debate I was talking about today at 11am.

Ok guys, I've got some interesting "heard it through the grapevine" info: Apparently the owners of Homestead raceway recently purchased some "extra" land to build another parking lot, but a clause was stated in the deed that said "No Dragstrip". So the idea about Homestead is garbage, but I did hear that the Miccosoukee "chiefs" have gotten the idea that alot of money can be made down south here with a dragstrip, not to mention possibly sparing some lives. Apparently they've already had the plans "drawn up" and are going through with the idea. The way I see it is if they can build a casino then they sure as hell can build a dragstrip.(The law doesn't really apply to them like it does to others) After all it was originally their land, ya know?

Big money business that's all I'm saying... those Native American's know what they're doing.

Quoted from the interview, one of the reasons that Homestead won't have it is the noise level... which makes absolutely no sense to me b/c they have a freakin' Speedway there with 25-30 Indy cars doing 190-something at full blast.

Anyhow... time for a rain dance... anyone?

Wow...."Chief Slapaho" might be a fitting name! :p