- Reinaldo 'Tito' López: Never. I was never able to race legally because I was too young. The problem is that when races were legal here, I was only 10 or 11. When I was young, my dad told us to every race. We have it in our blood.
- Carlos Alvarez: There are people who race in the streets in the middle of the night. They accelerate and you feel it. If the police catch you testing your car, they throw you in jail and take your car.
- Reinaldo 'Tito' López: The best decade for American cars was the 50s. Very strong cars. Fast cars. Cars capable of handling any innovation you try.
- Reynaldo López: When I get in my car and there's another car next to me, I forget everything. Even if there's no legal place to race, at some point I still have to do it.
- Reynaldo López: Cubans are very inventive. With the little that exists here, we modify, adapt, and that's how we make our cars drive well. I have an unusual hybrid here of Ford, GMC and Chevrolet. It has modifications, but all the parts are from 1955.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: This engine came from a boat. Boats like that are used to smuggle people. They're made by Americans. The boat ran aground. It was captured on the border by our Coast Guard. They removed the engine and threw it overboard. So then a Cuban guy put on scuba gear and dragged out the engine.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: I don't mind when people get parts abroad. If you're able to send for parts, good for you. I make them.
- Reinaldo 'Tito' López: I have four grandkids. Three girls and one boy. The boy doesn't like the workshop. The girls are crazy about driving, racing, fixing, learning. They will be the heirs.
- Reinaldo 'Tito' López: My uncle prepared cars for the races here before 1961. I was just a kid, but I'd always watch them test-drive and check out what they did to the engines.
- Reynaldo López: Do you feel anything in particular going on in the car?
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: Yeah, in first gear. I came here once before and you said there was a problem in first gear.
- Reynaldo López: Really?
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: You start it and pow-pow-pow.
- Reynaldo López: But when you're driving it feels good?
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: It's like a piglet. It sounds like a piglet eating. Chock-chock-chock.
- Carlos Alvarez: My family doesn't want me to race. My mom doesn't like it. My dad doesn't either. My dad's a military man. Military men see things differently.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: The hardest thing about living here is that there's no life for an honest man. I make a living working. But they won't give me a work permit or materials. They allow you to sell bread and croquettes from home. What's that? I don't do that. My life is working here with cars. I'm working here now but tomorrow the police could come and take it all away.
- Ernesto Dobarganes: For the first time in the history of car racing in Cuba we are organizing a car racing championship. We can no longer ignore he will of the people over something as important as car racing. It will require great effort and work from many people. But it will definitely be the first time, officially, that car racing has a formal place as a national sport.
- [first lines]
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: Why do I race? It makes you bigger. It gets you a little more respect. When we race, we race in the streets.
- Armando 'Pity' Lorenzo Munnet: I was born in this Revolution. You taught me to rebel, to fight for the Revolution. Now I'm going to fight for you to let me race my car.
- Armando 'Pity' Lorenzo Munnet: It's very important to me to have this official race. That's how the world will get to know us. I believe we should have the race. Period. So then no one can say, "In Cuba they don't do that. In Cuba everything is prohibited."
- Armando 'Pity' Lorenzo Munnet: Four years ago I got cancer. Thanks to my doctors, I'm alive. Thanks to the Revolution that provided me the medicine. And thanks to my family. I talk a lot about the Revolution because I was born in this Revolution. My dad fought in the underground movement. I've always been a bit of a rebel.
- Ernesto Dobarganes: Despite our best efforts, it became impossible in such limited time to implement the organization and security needed for the race. That is the reason why we suspended the race. This is the official communication.
- Eduardo Hernández: Why are they really suspending it?
- Ernesto Dobarganes: Unofficially, the barricades that we were counting on are being used for the Pope's visit to Cuba.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: This Monday. This Monday, back to the water. Rafters are people who try to leave Cuba illegally by water. It's someone who tries and tries again and again until he drowns - or gets there. That's a rafter, that's what I think I am.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: Everything remains the same with less and less. Dreaming? Yeah, dreaming is nice. You dream that you're preparing your car for that day. But the next day you wake up, without a damn cent, without a damn part, and you can't go anywhere.
- Armando 'Pity' Lorenzo Munnet: We prepare a car the way we raise animals. Look how he eats it. Look at that strength.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: I'm just one of many. I'm a citizen of this country. But what I want is to leave.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: Over there everything is uncertain. My world's here. I know everybody here. If I have nothing to eat, I just go to the house next door. That's the best thing here - the solidarity. I think it's better to be here racing a car. I think so.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: I feel like a jackass. I spent everything, lost my car, and I'm still here. I deprived my family of many things pursuing a goal that I failed to achieve. Always thinking that I'd be able to help them more.
- Armando 'Pity' Lorenzo Munnet: That car is my baby girl and she's beautiful... She has a great ass. None of these cars has an ass like mine does.
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: I'll tell you what happened in the past eight months. I tried to leave five times. For my first attempt I sold my workshop. We built a makeshift raft and went out to sea. But it broke down. We had to turn back. But I still wanted to emigrate. I went back and sold my gearbox. I sold my tires. The second time we got far. I saw it, the glow of the U.S. But the American Coast Guard caught us. They brought us back to Cuba. We spent three days in a Cuban prison. Then they let us go. And I still wanted to emigrate. Then I sold it - my engine. We built another raft, left, and got caught by the Cuban border police who threw us in jail. After that, I stopped trying.
- Saul García: There may or may not be a race.
- Carlos Alvarez: Yeah, there'll be a race. The race is for sure.
- Saul García: Here, nothing is for sure.
- Carlos Alvarez: The problem is...
- Saul García: Here, nothing is for sure.
- Reinaldo 'Tito' López: If they beat us, it's because they were truly better than us that day. But there has to be a rematch. Just like in boxing, there's always a rematch.
- Carlos Alvarez: The car is really good. We can't ask for more. Forget about it. This car is like a razor blade. And can I tell you something? Look! Those guys might as we'll not show up.
- Reinaldo 'Tito' López: I'm still Tito. We'll see how it goes next time! Because we have big enough balls to do better. They need to get better too! Just so you know!
- Jose 'Jote' Antonio Madera: When you think that all is lost, that's when things turn out best. The telephone rang, an unknown number. I thought it might be a racing fan asking if I"m going on Sunday. It was Carmita and he sent me the money he owed! I thought he'd ripped me off. He sent me $2,000! I said, "Shit - $2,000!" I went and bought a new engine for my car.
- Saul García: If he's having problems, he should stay home. It's always the same story. If they win, they say, "Oh, we won!" If they lose, they have an excuse. They should stop using that trick, it's old.
- Ernesto Dobarganes: In Cuba they celebrated car races before the Triumph of the Revolution. And all the effort that we're putting in today is to secure a future for Cuba's racing fans. We are taking the first steps.
- Ernesto Dobarganes: Just like any other sports competition, this requires the spectators' collaboration. It's especially important today because racing is a dangerous sport. Congratulations, spectators. I can see that you're behaving wonderfully. I hope it stays this way until the end. That is will be exquisite.
- Ernesto Dobarganes: The event is happening. It is fully authorized. Everything is good. But we continue to have enemies. You must know that because you're the stars. It's critical that we make no mistakes. We don't want spectators spilling out onto the track. When driving, helmets are mandatory. Seat belts too. Whose cars don't have seat belts? Raise your hands. Eduardito, why don't you have one?
- Eduardo Hernández: No problem. I'll tie myself with a rope.
- [Cuban Motor Federation members laugh]
- Ernesto Dobarganes: The racing we're speaking of isn't street racing. It's professional car racing. It's a sporting event that adheres to norms established by the International Federation as respected by Cuba.
- Milton Díaz Canter: I want to tell you guys a secret. I'm the face of auto sports in this country. And I've been told that there can't be anything on Cuban Television about the event on Sunday.
- Armando 'Pity' Lorenzo Munnet: What a shame.
- Milton Díaz Canter: But on Sunday I"m going to film anyway, because, I'm convinced that racing will become established sooner rather than later. It will happen because it's something that the people want, that you guys want, and because you attract thousands of people. I will bear witness to what you do this Sunday. Then if there's no incident and it's well organized, Sunday's footage can be used to defend racing.
- Race Day Vendor: Sweets, eggs, chocolate cookies, candies, snacks, lollipops. Mint candies for your throat. Chips!
- Excited Spectator: It was very, very close, that's all I can say. I saw them bumper to bumper. I didn't see anything. We'll have to see a photo finish. That's the only way.
- Milton Díaz Canter: Are we having an automotive revolution? Yes or no?
- Amigo Del Motor Members: Yes!
- Milton Díaz Canter: But not a political one, a sporting one. A car racing revolution. We are revolutionizing car culture. So, as the song goes, "Handsome, right?"
- Amigo Del Motor Members: Super handsome.
- Milton Díaz Canter: "Crazy, right? "
- Amigo Del Motor Members: Super crazy.