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Belize's Wicked Rides
posted (August 18, 2008)

The first so called “Wicked Auto Show” was held yesterday at Old Belize. We’ve taken you to auto shows before but yesterday’s event was on another level. It wasn’t about new cars but rather it gave us a glimpse inside a culture where speed and style and what’s called stunting are part of a lifestyle whose high price to maintain is matched only by its ability to impress. 7NEWS was there to capture it and Keith Swift has the story.

Keith Swift Reporting,
Yesterday the Old Belize parking lot was converted into a speed way where under a punishing sun, spectators lined up to watch big trucks, small cars, motorbikes, and really, really small cars compete in truck pulling, tire burnout competitions and drag racing. Size didn’t matter - speed and style did.

And there were a lot of camera perfect finishes, this one wasn’t. Mark Bowman was showing off in his GMC pickup as he pulled this heavy duty truck. But while it made for a great show with tire burning and all, it ended unfortunately for this truck owner. Watch carefully as the CV joint on his pickup was dislocated. As Bowman told us he didn’t mind because he did it for the love of it.

And no one loves their car more than Ron Lackey. He says he’s spent $20,000 customizing his 1997 Honda Civic for the speedway. For him, style and speed is a way of life.

Ron Lackey, Dynamic Auto Club
“It has single overhead v-tech engine, it has cold air intake, I have two speed bars installed in the front and in the rear, I have coil overs. I have everything you can think of from skunk two suspension parts. Basically I have it tuned for the streets and the tracks.”

Keith Swift,
How much did it cost to customize your car?

Ron Lackey,
“$20,000. It is something where I had to calculate it and I found out. It is over a process of four years right now and over the four years it just adds up. You keep doing it more and more and it becomes your life. It takes you over.”

Keith Swift,
And why did you do it?

Ron Lackey,
“Why I did it, it is a love. I want to show everybody that you don’t have to go out and drink and everything to have fun. You can put your money into a hobby like a car, a vehicle, and keep yourself out of trouble.”

Shane Reyes and Marlon Skeen have lost count of how much they’ve invested in customizing their rides. They are members of the exclusive car club and this is their fleet of 7 cars. For them – speed and style is a labor of love – and also too – somewhat a way of life.

Shane Reyes, Xclusive Car Club
“I drive a 1997 Ford Pro GTS. On the engine we have the intake, we have a header system, full exhaust, floor master exhaust, NGK wires, so basically everything to give it a little bit more power.”

Marlon Skeen, Xclusive Car Club
“It is fully modified from the suspension to the engine to the inside.”

Shane Reyes,
“So basically it is a full package. It is not just one section, we do it overall. So it is fully loaded basically.”

Keith Swift,
How much did it cost to customize?

Shane Reyes,
“We try not to keep prices. If it will hurt us if we tabulate it so it is just for the love of it. It is not about the money. We love it so we pour our passion into it and our money into it. So we don’t keep tabs. As long as we love what we are doing and we love how it comes out, we good with that.”

Marlon Skeen,
“After a certain degree when we get to a limit, we forget all about price and it is just about love of the vehicle and what we are doing and I guess it will never stop.”

Francis Woods organized the wicked rides show.

Francis Woods, Organizer
“The Wicked Rides concept came about, one of our staff members at Old Belize came up with the name and it is just all the other countries in the world are doing all kinds of auto shows and stuff. These kind of auto shows that take custom cars where guys take as hobbies and convert their cars into master pieces, high performance or just for looks.”

And in the end it was style more than speed or modernity that prevailed as this 1970 Chevrolet C10 pick up truck won the top prize for best interior and exterior. Reporting for 7NEWS, Keith Swift.

Both car clubs were disappointed that the prizes for best interior and exterior went to new cars. Francis Woods says they plan to make the Wicked Auto Show an annual event. Both the Dynamic and Xclusive auto clubs are accepting new members. But they say you have to be vetted before you’re accepted. They say illegal drag racing is not condoned. You can find more about the Xclusive Auto Club at Xclusive.bz.

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