Christopher Rivera

High energy event photographer & photojournalist

Yeniel and His Dad

Yeniel and his dad, Benjamin, spent time together modifying this Toyota AE86 to compete with modern cars. Just like the both of them, this AE86 has a big heart. Modified differentials, a turbo system, air conditioning and heat, and an upgraded fuel system are just some of the upgrades they shared with me. The small body isn’t something to look over either. They’ve brought the bad habit from San Lorenzo of facing off against cars with bigger engines than his Toyota and leaving those racers wondering how this little car could be so competitive.

Benjamin says, “Nosotros somos fiebrues desde pequeño,” meaning that since childhood he’s been involved in the street racing scene in Puerto Rico. Growing up in San Lorenzo, his neighbors growing up had race cars and still run the fastest competition in the world, Falito Racing. According to him, the way to tell if a Puerto Rican is driving a car is if it's a Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, or Honda with a sticker or flag somewhere on its body. That's not all. You can also know if a car is owned by a Boricua if you find religious rosaries hanging from the rearview mirror. Its special that as Puerto Ricans we continue to show where we’re from and who we are.