There are car clubs like Go Gyrl Racing, which are there strictly for serious racers. While female participation only makes up around ten percent of the events, judges have added separate female categories because of the high influx. Like their male counterparts, female racers see these events as a way to meet and socialize with friends and new people. Many Orange County youths mention that they live in suburbia and are bored. Import racing gives them a chance to have fun and feel part of something important and meaningful.
Import racing is a reconstruction of a cultural form.
When a few Asian American youths felt excluded by the V-8, Anglo dominated muscle car culture of the seventies and eighties, they decided to start their own events with their own cars. Ten years later, import racing has become the most distinct identity for Asian Americans in Orange County. In addition to being a sport and hobby for many, import car racing and its lifestyle culture has become a socializing tradition for Asian American youths. While import racing has no political agenda, I believe there are parallels to hip-hop culture and African Americans. Like hip-hop, import racing provides a sense of identity and empowerment for Asian American youths who typically feel marginalized from the mainstream.