Diaspora

Olivier Jean-François: Rising race car star made in Haiti strives to make it in US – Texas Metro News

February 14, 2022148 views0

Hi, what are you looking for?
By
Published

The Haitian Times
By ONZ CHÉRY

FORT LAUDERDALE — Olivier Jean-François can still see the thousands of people who showed up to the races he took part in Champ-de-Mars, Port-au-Prince back in 2006, when he was just 17.
“I was impressed by how much people loved this sport,” Jean-François said. “It was there, but not at the level in the U.S. or in Europe. We dreamed, me and my friends, of doing it professionally.”
About eight years after those amateur races, a racetrack called Circuit 9 Haiti re-opened and a racing league, The Grand Prize, was formed. However, the league was dogged by unsatisfactory setups due to lack of financial investment and car racing not being among Haiti’s most popular sports. It stopped running in 2019 due to political instability.
To view the full story, please subscribe to The Haitian Times. You can choose a $60 Annual Subscription or a $5 Weekly Pass.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

window.googletag=window.googletag||{cmd:[]};googletag.cmd.push(function(){var mapping4=googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768,0],[[728,90],[970,90],[970,250]]).addSize([767,0],[[468,60],[320,50],[300,100]]).addSize([400,0],[[320,50],[300,100]]).addSize([1,1],[[320,50],[300,100]]).build();googletag.defineSlot(‘/22301238249/TMN_midstream’,[[468,60],[728,90],[300,100],[300,250],[320,50]],’div-gpt-ad-1615444810407-0′).defineSizeMapping(mapping4).addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs();googletag.enableServices();});

googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1615444810407-0’);});

When you join The Haitian Times family, you’ll get unlimited digital access to high-quality journalism about Haiti and Haitians you won’t get anywhere else. We’ve been at this for 20 years and pride ourselves on representing you, our diaspora experience and a holistic view of Haiti that larger media doesn’t show you.
Join now or renew to get:
— Instant access to one-of-kind stories and special reports
— Local news from our communities (especially New York and Florida)
— Profiles of Haitians at the top of their fields
— Downloadable lists and resources about Haitian culture
— Membership merch, perks and special invitations
First-time subscribers also receive a special welcome gift handmade in Haiti by expert artisans! Do it for the culture and support Black-owned businesses.
If you’re seeing this message but you’re already a subscriber, you can log in for immediate access to this story.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1615444810407-0’);});

View All Events
The Haitian timeswww.haitiantimes.com By SAM BOJARSKI NEW YORK CITY — A Haitian government official said the country is making progress in strengthening the justice sector…
The Haitian TimesBy ONZ CHÉRY CAP-HAITIEN — Michel Martelly ushered Jovenel Moïse to the National Palace with a robust endorsement, but now Martelly is allegedly…
The Haitian Timeswww.haitiantimes.com By Sam Bojarski NEW YORK — For the past year, the WXPN public radio station in Philadelphia has elevated Haitian music through…
The Haitian Timeswww.haitiantimes.comBy PAUL JR. PRUDENT UNIONDALE, NY — When Slovenia Dorisca’s two-year-old got sick with the flu, she rushed to North Shore University…
Copyright © 2021 Texas Metro News