THE RETURN OF RACER X

In 1998, VIBE Magazine published a profile on a speedometer-defying driver named Rafael Estevez, who would become the inspiration for one of the most profitable movie series of all time, The Fast & The Furious. As the franchise preps its seventh chapter, the unreal Furious 7, Estevez reunites with “Racer X” author Ken Li to relive the high-stake chases that spawned a blockbuster saga.

Before Vin Diesel sped a supercar from one of Dubai’s Etihad Towers skyscrapers into another like a batshit Evel Knievel in Furious 7; before Paul Walker and friends ambushed and barrel rolled a prison bus in Fast Five; before The Fast & The Furious, when Walker’s car conked out in a street race, there was Rafael Estevez, a real-life speed demon of the road. New York City was his domain and he was a pedal-stomping sultan during the late ’90s, earning eternal respect and dusting any challenger who dared to line up bumpers.

The Dominican daredevil from Washington Heights was making major bank via illegal highway races, flooring Honda Civics at velocities nearing 200 miles per hour all while evading cop cars. But he never imagined that he’d become the inspiration for a film franchise that has grossed in the billions worldwide, 15 years later.

It all started with an article. Kenneth Li, then a newspaper reporter for New York’s Daily News, got put on to the auto underworld in his Queens, New York stomping grounds while chasing a story on a car theft ring. He canned that piece after being introduced to Estevez. Fascinated by the turbo-charged import vehicles and organized races, Li profiled the then 30-year-old speedster, even riding shotgun during a contest to discover first-hand what truly keeps Estevez going. The feature, which also chronicled the quest to build a car that could zip a quarter mile in less than 10 seconds, was published inVIBE’s May 1998 issue. It was titled “Racer X,” and would be plucked by Universal Pictures as source material for a script on underground car culture.

GO TO: VIBE Vault: ‘Racer X’ (The Original ‘Fast & Furious’ Inspiration)

Taken from: https://www.vibe.com/2015/04/racer-x-reunion-ken-li-rafael-estevez-vibe/?utm_source=sc-yt&utm_medium=ref&utm_campaign=furious7