Speed Racer big brother.

Like many kids from my generation, I grew up immersed in animated comics. Among them — and one of my favorites — was the Japanese manga Speed Racer — Meteoro in spanish —, which told the story of an 18-year-old boy competing in dangerous car races. With the help of his family and friends, he lived through countless adventures.

My favorite character in the series was lone wolf Speed Racer’s older brother, who was also a racer. He had left home at a young age after a fight with their father and went by the name Racer X. Always racing behind a mask, his identity was shrouded in mystery. Though he was the best driver of them all and could win any race with ease, he chose to stay behind the scenes — protecting Speed Racer and watching out for him in every obstacle he faced. He was lonely, free and rebellious — the antihero, loved by few and disliked by many. But his mission was clear: to protect and serve his family, sacrificing ego and personal ambition.

On the other hand, whenever I heard the unmistakable hit Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf as a kid, for some strange reason I always connected it with Speed Racer. The opening of the song is so iconic — “Get your motor running…” — that the first time I saw the movie Easy Rider, I genuinely thought it was the cinematic version of Speed Racer. To this day, that powerful track still brings Speed Racer to mind every time I hear it.

I mean, who hears the chorus “Born to Be Wild…” on the radio and doesn’t feel that rush of freedom and the adrenaline of highway speed?