Aug 18 2000
by: Roman Bencomo
Thousands of people die each year in traffic accidents.
According to the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety, the most susceptible are
teenagers, especially 16-year-olds. With the inherent danger
already present on our streets, the last thing we need is people
racing illegally on these same streets. Official statistics are
not kept by the U.S. Department of
Transportation, but multiple fatalities are not uncommon when
two cars duel it out on city streets.
One man committed to making a difference in auto racing is Edward
Inclan. Born in Mexico City, Edward was first exposed to
racing by his uncle, who raced back in the 60s and 70s.
“When he turned on the car in the garage, the roar of the
engine would scare me and make me run out of the garage!” Edward
fondly remembers. Later, Edward’s racing career would begin with
an unlikely and unexpected $50 investment.
While stranded on the highway with his father, he came across a
man with a 1979 Mustang.
He wanted to sell it for $100 and Edward’s father told the
stranger, “all I got is fifty bucks,” which the man accepted.
Edward and his friend -- and current crew chief Nick
Burr -- planned on fixing it up for a quick profit, but before
they knew it, the ‘Stang was on the drag strip and ultimately on
the road course.
Now a veteran of professional auto racing (SCCA),
Edward looks up to Latino drivers such as Adrian
Fernandez of CART and the
now-retired legend, Emerson
Fittipaldi.
“Adrian is an example to follow and look up to. Emerson,
though, is my favorite,” he says laughing.
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| we
want to know! |
| What's your favorite
type of auto racing? |
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27%
NASCAR |
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18%
CART |
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18%
Formula One |
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27%
SCCA |
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9%
Off-Road Racing |
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Edward is committed to helping out the next generation of racers.
He has continually strived to open doors for racing enthusiasts
and believes young people are not aware of the available resources
in legally sanctioned, closed course auto racing.
“There’s such a big problem right now with kids racing on
the street and getting hurt and hurting other people, not to
mention that it’s illegal. Triggering these races are usually
drugs, gambling, and all these things that are totally
negative.”
Edward’s inroads to helping young racers began with
presentations and lectures in Los Angeles area schools. At first
he would speak to them about driver safety and traffic laws with
his ’79 Mustang as the showpiece.
“From there, we would take one kid to a race, and show him
what the racing environment was like first-hand. That kind of led
us to what we’re doing currently, which is a program called
‘Back to the Track’.”
Edward, hopes to “recruit” three people over 18 years of age to become
racecar drivers.
“What we’re trying to do is take people who have that energy
to go racing and show them the right way to do it and try to get
them out of that ‘bad environment’ (of street racing),” he
explains.
“We’re going to show them the business of racing and the
racing itself. We’re going to do this in a series of 10 weeks,
alternating three kids every other week. By the eighth week
we’ll choose the best three drivers and have an actual race.”
To accomplish this, Edward and RPM are currently building
three identical Mustangs to serve as the “classroom” for his
pupils. “Basically what we’re doing is what we would’ve
wanted someone to do for us.”
You can catch Edward and his race team at
Buttonwillow Raceway, located about 50 miles east of Bakersfield,
CA. They’ll be unveiling a new racing series called American
Iron, which will feature American-made ‘muscle cars’ such as
Mustangs and Camaros. Gates open at 8:00 a.m. with main events
held on both days. For information about 'Back to the Track',
email inquiries to edward@online-racer.com.
