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[LSNN] Drifting, Drugs, and Dates - An Inside Look At Los Santos' Car Meets and Sideshows


Foxicus

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Drifting, Drugs, and Dates

An Inside Look to Los Santos' Car Meets and Sideshows

BY ROBIN ZYSKOWSKI

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Los Santos, SA -

AW CRAP, IT'S THE COPS!

Sirens, police lights, and screeching tires is the scene I drove up to when trying to visit the car meet announced by the Spicy Hoodlums on the early morning of February 8th. When I arrived, a group of squad cars were pursuing a number of tuned up foreign imports and American muscle, all of them tossing smoke in the air as they made a mad dash for the freeway or to disappear into downtown Los Santos. Two of them - a Hot Rod and what looked to resemble a Rally Car - didn’t quite escape. But, that didn’t matter to this group - not five minutes later, all of them reassembled at the beachside gas station in Del Perro; or at least, most of them it seemed.

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GETTING TO KNOW THE HOST AND HIS PURPOSE

Once they rendezvoused, I was able to get an exclusive interview with the aforementioned Hot Rodder - who also happened to be the organizer of the event, Rico. To establish a background, I asked how long he had been hosting these car meets, for him to reply that this was his “first time”. Despite him being relatively new to hosting the scene, and the aggressive chase that I encountered upon approach, he didn’t seem phased in the slightest. In fact, when he mentioned the purpose behind the meet, he seemed firmly resolute.

“If sideshows and car meets can stop the violence and get us together to have some fun, [the community] should be for it”, stated Rico. Especially after the Davis riots earlier in January, as well as the persistent gang violence that’s been wreaking havoc on the streets of Los Santos, it was a refreshing sight to see just an ordinary individual trying to piece the community back together and do his part. In fact, he said he plans on hosting a lot more of them: “If I’m in the driver seat of a vehicle that goes over twenty miles an hour, these sideshows will happen,” he said.

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WHO? WHEN? WHERE?

Compared to the participants, I’ll say I certainly stuck out like a sore thumb - even with my poor excuse of a hatchback. So, who shows up to these car meets and who fits in?  As Rico stated in his own words, “put down the guns”, it seemed to imply that maybe the car meet scene wasn’t particularly for everyone, especially for those who didn’t smoke either (there were a number of blunts being passed around, besides just the cigarettes). But, when asked if a lot of gang members attend the meets and sideshows - Rico affirmed that people from all walks of life come to participate, even CEO’s of prominent Los Santos businesses. 

“Some dude pulled up in an expensive…car earlier, suite and tie, the whole nine. Where as another pulled up in a [not so great car] with his [not so great] friends just comin’ to have a good time.”

If anyone’s welcome - when and where are these hosted, then? Outside of my interview with Rico, I asked one of the bystanders who had been attending car meets “for years”; Rick. When asked where and when someone like myself could find and attend these meets and sideshows, he replied with a few ambiguous locations - “Fruit Stand, Gas Station”, etc. They didn’t make any sense to me, but with the interruption from law enforcement, it’s no surprise that there was anonymity in his answer. But, for someone who’s been coming for years and has an inside relation with much of the group, Rick undoubtedly knows each spot by heart and could reverse his way to wherever the Fruit Stand may be (even if it’s a codeword).

The best thing to do, from what it seems, is to look for the advertisement published by Spicy Hoodlums, or other organizing car meet groups. That’s how I found this one; they made it especially easy with the included GPS waypoint.

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A REPORTER JOINS THE SIDESHOW

It should be noted that a sideshow is different from a meet. According to Rico, meets are generally just to get together, hangout, and talk cars. But at sideshows, you get to show off your skills by burning rubber, doing doughnuts, and drifting around the light poles in the parking lot. Rico also mentioned that a sideshow similar more akin to a “boy meets girl” scenario; and to clarify - yes, according to Rico, you can certainly score a date from one.

After my exclusive interview, Rico offered to take it a step further and let me join them as they moved their sideshow from Del Perro to a parking garage deep in the heart of Los Santos’ concrete jungle. Of course, I took him up on the offer and followed their convoy off to Downtown. I’ll admit, those stylish cars certainly aren’t just for show; I had trouble keeping up with the immensely high horsepower engines many of them had beneath their hood, some getting from zero to sixty in under five seconds.

But, once we arrived on the roof deck of the parking garage - that’s when the true event began. Rico started by showing off his drifting skills, burning marks onto the pavement as he continually streaked around the lot with everyone else watching in amazement. Dodging light poles, curbs, and cars with their drivers right next to them, he filled the air with a cacophony of tire squealing for nearly five minutes or so.

My personal word of caution is to stand clear, because I certainly didn’t. Almost done with his performance, Rico accidentally slammed the rear quarter panel of his Hot Rod into me, knocking me to the ground! Despite him nearly breaking my camera, and my legs, I was able to wobble up and continue to take photos of the scene - but this time from a greater distance. Rest assured, he was incredibly apologetic, and I only have a bruise the size of a softball on my thigh!

Rico eventually parked his Hot Rodder, and let two other vehicles - a lifted truck and a tuned racer - take over. They circled each other around the same light pole like Yin and Yang in a dance, truly a sight to see!

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CONCLUSIVELY

All in all, an early morning that started with tickets and high speed chases ended with a bruise, a host of friends made, and a desire to visit my local mechanic to get ready for the next meet. I’m certainly going to be coming to the next Spicy Hoodlums event - sideshow, meet, or even just a hangout if they offer. As aforementioned, a relaxing get together with people from all walks of life is a welcomed change over the extreme tensions and violence of last month’s riots and all that followed.

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Edited by Foxicus
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Username: K2R3U

Comment: YOU TALK about The UDNERGROUND racing culture bUTHT THW REAL RACE is the RACIAL THEORY being PLAYED OUT IN the greater LOS SANTSOGS area where gOVERNMENT operatives are EXPERIMENTIGN iwth YOU and ME and our livelihood and whether or not we will RACE to THE IFNISH LINE of GLORY togehter nin the shade of sun I PERSONALLY WENT to CRIMEA to look at the pyramids (same one we have iNLos Santos and VLADIMIR PUTIN todl me... YOU CAN HSAVE RUSISA... GIVE ME THE CROWN (CROWN UNDERNEATH THE PYRAMDI) BUT I REFUSED TO because i am ALL AMERICAN (APPLE PIE< MAJOR LEAGUE BASSEBALL) YOU WILL not hcange this Los Santos News Network (Led by Luciferian Ba'al Worsahipeprs) you may talk of RACING on the STREETS but we really know WHAT this race you are pOISTNG baout truly is. this article is DEVISIVE and MANIPULATIVE so that your average viewere forgoes the understanding of apostolic virtues present by the LOS SANTOS PYRAMID amdn similar archaic kholerian practices (ALSO LOOK UP CRIMEA PYRAMID) (ONLY PYRAMID IN NORTH AMERICA THAT EMITS AT 6MHZ!) we must STOP the RACE OF DIVISION and RACE TOWARDS UNITY for if we all RESONATE RESONATE RESONATE

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1 minute ago, Bomber Harris said:

Username: K2R3U

Comment: YOU TALK about The UDNERGROUND racing culture bUTHT THW REAL RACE is the RACIAL THEORY being PLAYED OUT IN the greater LOS SANTSOGS area where gOVERNMENT operatives are EXPERIMENTIGN iwth YOU and ME and our livelihood and whether or not we will RACE to THE IFNISH LINE of GLORY togehter nin the shade of sun I PERSONALLY WENT to CRIMEA to look at the pyramids (same one we have iNLos Santos and VLADIMIR PUTIN todl me... YOU CAN HSAVE RUSISA... GIVE ME THE CROWN (CROWN UNDERNEATH THE PYRAMDI) BUT I REFUSED TO because i am ALL AMERICAN (APPLE PIE< MAJOR LEAGUE BASSEBALL) YOU WILL not hcange this Los Santos News Network (Led by Luciferian Ba'al Worsahipeprs) you may talk of RACING on the STREETS but we really know WHAT this race you are pOISTNG baout truly is. this article is DEVISIVE and MANIPULATIVE so that your average viewere forgoes the understanding of apostolic virtues present by the LOS SANTOS PYRAMID amdn similar archaic kholerian practices (ALSO LOOK UP CRIMEA PYRAMID) (ONLY PYRAMID IN NORTH AMERICA THAT EMITS AT 6MHZ!) we must STOP the RACE OF DIVISION and RACE TOWARDS UNITY for if we all RESONATE RESONATE RESONATE

Username: YourNormalCitizen

Comment: It appears to me that you didn't received your medication today, Howard, calm down and let's go for a walk.

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1 hour ago, Bomber Harris said:

Username: K2R3U

Comment: YOU TALK about The UDNERGROUND racing culture bUTHT THW REAL RACE is the RACIAL THEORY being PLAYED OUT IN the greater LOS SANTSOGS area where gOVERNMENT operatives are EXPERIMENTIGN iwth YOU and ME and our livelihood and whether or not we will RACE to THE IFNISH LINE of GLORY togehter nin the shade of sun I PERSONALLY WENT to CRIMEA to look at the pyramids (same one we have iNLos Santos and VLADIMIR PUTIN todl me... YOU CAN HSAVE RUSISA... GIVE ME THE CROWN (CROWN UNDERNEATH THE PYRAMDI) BUT I REFUSED TO because i am ALL AMERICAN (APPLE PIE< MAJOR LEAGUE BASSEBALL) YOU WILL not hcange this Los Santos News Network (Led by Luciferian Ba'al Worsahipeprs) you may talk of RACING on the STREETS but we really know WHAT this race you are pOISTNG baout truly is. this article is DEVISIVE and MANIPULATIVE so that your average viewere forgoes the understanding of apostolic virtues present by the LOS SANTOS PYRAMID amdn similar archaic kholerian practices (ALSO LOOK UP CRIMEA PYRAMID) (ONLY PYRAMID IN NORTH AMERICA THAT EMITS AT 6MHZ!) we must STOP the RACE OF DIVISION and RACE TOWARDS UNITY for if we all RESONATE RESONATE RESONATE

Username: MRGz

Comment: Ratio

  • Upvote 1
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Username: Litz
Comment: The actual car culture does not emerge from the articles. Isn't it much more about posturing and exchanging ideas about the "automobile"? Just the other day, I had a nice conversation with someone at a meeting that was relatively understandable even to laymen.

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