Seattle, Washington
During the '90s, Battle of the Imports was the event to attend. Hell, it was the only event. Dozens of vendors, over 500 cars competing, 10,000-plus spectators; it was the glory days of our scene. And just when you probably thought those days were long gone, 3,000 people and 300-plus cars showed up to Battle of the Imports' Seattle event late this summer. When BOTI opened the gates at 4 p.m., the flow of tuners vying for entry blocked traffic outside Pacific Raceway's main entrance, and 2NR was there to catch all of what ensued.
Is it just us, or does it seem like every '08 Battle of the Imports event coverage begins with Ed Bergenholtz? This one was no different; Ed not only battled his way into the Pro FWD champion spot in Seattle, he also nearly wrecked himself trying to back up his "grudge match" performance set in Vegas a few months back. After clenching the Champ title in competition, Ed called out the fastest domestic V8 in attendance-an absolutely flawless, bottle-fed '63 'Vette-to the line for an import-versus-domestic title shot. But unlike Vegas, things didn't quite go as planned in Seattle; not only did the mighty Mazda fall to the racing slick-clad 'Vette (by four thousandths of a second), but it nailed a patch of oil down-track that sent it shooting into the behemoth's door at 190 mph. The cars collided, but fortunately both drivers were able to regain control, limiting damage to their vehicles.
The Pro Import and Pro Stock classes got Ed's back, though, as Kenny Tran and his tC walked all over Bryan Jimenez's Cobalt to take the win, while our boy Jeremy Lookofsky and his all-motor 9.2-second DVS Civic ran consistently faster than all his competitors, including his final-round opponent Leslie Armendarez's and her tC-powered time of a 9.30. Factor in the more than 30 bikini model contestants, DJs, and prizes, and 2008's Battle in Seattle shaped up to be an event to make even Don King crack a smile. Full coverage at importtuner.com.www.boti.tv