Kunia land targeted for youth box-car track
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The city is jump-starting a plan to build O'ahu kids a new race track for souped-up "box cars," along with a program to teach them the rules of the road.
Hanalani Schools second-graders Donovan Sabog, left, Cody Sison, center, and Bryson Hirokawa race for box cars at Honolulu Hale. Mayor Jeremy Harris called box-car racing a healthy alternative to trouble for youngsters.
A nonprofit youth group struck a deal to build the $400,000 racing center on an unused chunk of land at a city park-and-ride lot at Kupuohi Street and Kupuna Loop in Kunia.
American Box Car Racing International hopes to move there within 9 months from its Pearl City track, which opened five years ago behind Sam's Club, said B.C. Cowling, ABCRI executive director.
The group has collected about $150,000 for the move so far, and is launching a campaign dubbed "Race to the Future" to raise the rest, he said. The city agreed to provide the land for at least five years.
Box cars are small motorless vehicles that children roll down hills and around short tracks, and are similar to the "soapbox" cars that many kids built from scrap years ago.
The popular hobby keeps kids busy with a fun activity while teaching them skills and responsibilities, Cowling said at a City Hall news conference that included dozens of youngsters and their cars.
"Up to 40,000 kids and their parents come to our facility every year to learn safe box-car driving, physics, maintenance skills and have great quality bonding time together," he said.
How long it takes to build the track will depend partly on how long the month-old concrete workers' strike lasts, Cowling said.
"We're stuck like everybody else right now," he said.
Sabrina Stratton, 7, rolled around in front of City Hall in a bright yellow car named "Thunder Bolt," with a red lightning flash on the hood. She demonstrated how the car's hand-powered brake works, and said she's looking forward to racing on the new track.
"It's really fun to go down the hill and make it turn," she said.
Mayor Jeremy Harris said the sport is a healthy alternative to trouble many youngsters find when they don't have organized activities.
"We've made a firm commitment that we are going to take care of the youngsters in our community, and that they will have opportunities to grow and to learn in a healthy way," Harris said. "We're going to make sure that they're not simply left with drugs and crime and gangs on the streets."
He said the track would be built at no cost to taxpayers.
City Councilman Nestor Garcia, who represents the area where the track will be, said it's a welcome addition. Many parents work more than one job and have little time left to organize activities for kids, he said.
"This is an activity that is fun and affordable and can bring families together," Garcia said.
Earlier plans called for building the track at Central O'ahu Regional Park. Cowling said the Kunia location was substituted because it's closer to homes and more convenient.
Visit the ABCRI Web site, www.boxcarracing.org, or call 947-3393 for details on box-car racing.
