For most women, fast cars are just plain boring. But for some men they are to be worshipped. LEO LEONIDOU meets one
ANDROS Mitsopoulos is a man who likes living dangerously. The 24-year-old mechanic from Larnaca has taken part in over 20 drag races in his beloved Nissan Pulsar GTI-R, emerging victorious on every occasion.
“I bought the car three years ago and have since added a lot of modifications to improve its performance. I installed a bigger intercooler, an external waste gate for the turbo, injectors, boost control, engine vacuum and an electronic management system, as well as various other extras. All this has cost me roughly £2,000.”
Mitsopoulos says all the extra modifications mean the car is not currently street legal, “but this could soon change as the law is under review at the moment.”
He said he has to be on the constant look-out for the police “but this won’t put me off as even when they stop me, they never check for modifications, some of which are well-hidden. I’m also planning on installing a radar detector so I know exactly where the police are. The devices are illegal in Cyprus, but they can be obtained via the internet.”
The car nut has had more than his fair share of run-ins with the boys in blue, having amassed 12 points on his driving licence, all for speeding. “I am currently waiting for a court date and could lose my licence. But I’m not really that worried as even if they take my licence away, I’ll be left with no choice but to continue driving as I live in Larnaca and work in Nicosia. Just because I sometimes drive over the speed limit does not make me a bad or dangerous driver.”
He went on to say that his first drag race in the Nissan took place around three years ago and he has never looked back.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved speed, so a few of us get together in Larnaca, at the Panorio Palace, where we race against one another. The races take place on the public road outside the restaurant, which is ideal as it’s around 400 metres long and totally flat. It’s also pretty quiet, with very few other cars around. I know most of my opponents already and they sometimes call me up beforehand to arrange a race or I’ll just go down there on a Saturday night, for example, and find people there to race against. They are generally aged between 18-30.”
He said the police have now become aware that the road is used for racing and have “caught me there a few times. We try to watch out for them and have driven off without being caught several times. It doesn’t bother me though as racing is like a hobby to me and I love my car as it’s so good-looking and fast. It has a top speed of 270 km/h but there is an engine cut-off which limits the speed to 185 km/h.”
Mitsopoulos, who became a father for the first time at the beginning of July, said the birth of his daughter has caused him to slow down and he hasn’t raced since. “I haven’t arranged any more races, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t race again. My wife loves the thrill of it just as much as I do and has come to cheer me on every time.”
THE WOMAN’S VIEW
By Eleni Antoniou
DRAG racing! I am fairly logical and understand that cars are to men what clothes are to women. And that’s precisely why I accepted my partner’s invitation to spend the day watching cars. But it’s a completely different matter when you are willing to stand around in the ridiculous heat just to watch cars racing from point A to point B. I wouldn’t even go to a fashion show if it meant going through all that but nevertheless, there I was with a bottle of cold water, a hat… and my heels. I had no idea it was going to take place in the middle of nowhere. Hello? Where are the chairs? Where are the huge, white umbrellas and er, where are the toilets?
The drag race that takes place once a year at the Lakatameia runway was one of the hottest events, as far as the boys are concerned, and it didn’t take me long enough to realise that. The place was packed! Of course, there were the odd few girls I noticed walking pass the revving engines but most of them were, obviously, “the cheerleaders”. Not much cheer from me though as all I had done was pay £7 to sweat and watch my pink kitten heels turn into a shade of black. What was I doing there? I could have been to Makarios Avenue shopping.
As I was cursing the moment I accepted the invitation, I found myself perched on a railing looking down on the runway. I was high up enough to notice that people had come well equipped. In fact, the only thing missing was souvla. People had driven through the fields with their lorries and their monstrous diggers and were hanging from all over the place just to get a good view of the runway. The sandwich buses made a fortune and multi-coloured beach umbrellas were set up everywhere.
Being with someone who is completely obsessed with cars means I have spent many hours listening and have even learnt a few things. I know how to check the car’s oil but I couldn’t change a tyre to save my life. However, as much as I try to comprehend the excitement about fast cars, I really cannot understand one thing: why do they have to make the poor cars look like circus vehicles? Tasteless, yes but also effective! These overloaded cars that seemed to me like a heap of rubbish, are estimated to be worth your average street model. The fascination, however, I must admit did start to rub off on me, especially when I returned the second day in trainers, sun tan lotion in hand and a bit more information about how an old mini could possibly take part in such an event. Turned out it can’t. As soon as it took off, the steering wheel snapped and the small car headed for a crowd of people. No one was hurt; the only damage was to my shoes.
Just drifting along
By Frixos Masouras
CAR tuning has been around since the beginning of the nineties even though in Cyprus, as it is with many other things, there was a slight delay but thanks to the film Fast and Furious, we soon caught up.
Drive down Makarios Avenue late at night and it is easy to understand how far this culture has progressed since 2001. Love for cars has suddenly grown stronger and Cypriot youngsters have both the passion and the knowledge of the dangers involved.
Earlier this summer, the annual Dragster event took place in Nicosia and the spectacle was indeed one of a kind as car owners from all over Cyprus gathered to watch participants race and discuss their love for tuned cars. The event was a success and only days after the first ever Drift show was announced. And so it was, a few days later, the first ever Drift show took place in the Karting Center in Larnaca. The highway drive towards the track was brimming with tuned cars and bikes all moving together towards a single destination with no feuds and no accidents.
A drift event is not a competition but a show where participants race one by one on a track specifically designed for such an event and in safe conditions to show off their cars and their driving skills. And so, the participants took to the track. More than twenty cars were signed up for the event.
One by one the cars took to the track slipping and sliding as burning rubber filled the air. The appreciation of the people was apparent as they erupted in wild applause every time a driver took a turn completely sideways or lost control of the car. As the show progressed steadily through the night, spectators had a chance to approach the participating cars after their laps were done, adding to the already beautiful experience.
