Hinpomona California"Why in the world would HIN put on a show in Pomona," I thought to myself, gridlocked in rush hour traffic on my way to the event, "especially just months after the LA show only a few miles away? Is anyone even going to bother going?" Just then the phone rang. It was a friend whom I knew was already at the show. "You here yet? No? Well, you might want to turn around. This looks kinda beat." Great. Despite the warning, I drudgingly pressed on. Maybe everyone else was stuck in traffic. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad by the time I got there.
Upon arriving, and parking in the closest space available -- behind seven filled football field-sized rows of parking away from the action -- my walk to the gates reaffirmed just how dim this friend of mine can be; this HIN was hoppin! Boost Mobile's big rig, over which freestyle motocrossers were backflipping lengthwise, greeted me on my right, while an out-stretched arm of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man seemed to welcome me inside. And although I had to pass through a fleet of modified domestics (WTF?), when I finally did make it to the epicenter, the full HIN experience officially sank in: beats filled the air, mixed with the sounds of over-revving 13Bs and SR20s battling each other on the Gymkhana course, as did sweet-smelling tire smoke and burnt racing fuel. Tuned RX-7s, GT-Rs, and Evos mingled with widebody 350Zs and JDM Hondas as far as the eye could see.
...And the models! There were more of them than I remember seeing at any HIN before, and all very, very friendly! Even the legendary Mr. Cartoon and crew brought the heat, with some of the cleanest classic and contemporary rides, and uh... ice cream trucks found anywhere. You gotta have respect for that!
As the sun set, I caught up with that fair-weather friend of mine, who, with a full can of NOS in one hand, and model-turned-friend latched onto the other, managed to redeem himself for the bad advice he'd given me earlier, and sum up the entire event in the same, characteristically blunt sentence, "Dude... this is the best HIN ever!!" Full coverage available at importtuner.com. www.hotimportnights.com
Uti Meet"Hot Rod U" (Universal Technical Institute) recently invited the Source Interlink extended family to their Los Angeles campus, located in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., for their 2008 Car Show - an annual meet showcasing their facility, students' project cars, alumni successes, and more. Far more modified domestics were in attendance than anything import, but with a curriculum including Nissan-, Toyota-, and BMW-certified programs, and a top notch facility larger than many four-year university campuses, if you've ever wondered how to get started in the world of tuning cars... here's one way: www.uti.edu
Super Lap Battle HotlantaRoad Atlanta set the scene for the first round of our East Coast Super Lap Battle qualifying time-attack events, and pulling off the overall win was none other than drag racing superstar Chris Rado in the World Racing Scion tC, with a 1:30.757 - almost 6 seconds faster then his 2nd place finishing time last year, and good enough to edge out last year's winning Porsche 996 Twin Turbo by two seconds.
Limited and Street classes boiled down to a battle of AWD machines; James Elterman took the Limited Class win in his Subaru STI, beating an R35 GT-R, among others, and Street Class belonged to well-known motocrosser Ryan Gates and his Mitsubishi Evo X. Keep an eye out for this one - he's got his sights set not only on the Super Lap Battle Finals, but also 2NR's own Evo vs STI Shootout, presented by Continental Tires, this November at Buttonwillow, Calif.