"Hey, Suzie! What are you doing March 21st through 25th? Wanna go to Daytona Beach for spring break?" I was speechless. I stood before Editor Chang, who was anxiously waiting for an answer, pinching myself just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. (Well, first I was grateful he didn't invite me on another one of his Twilight Zone viewing marathons.) Me? Go to spring break? Too cool.
This would be the very first Super Street/Max Power Spring Break Tuner Bash. My duffel bag was packed with nothing but shorts and tanks, and I didn't know what to expect from the event. After a five-hour flight from L.A. to Atlanta and an eight-hour tour from NOPI headquarters in Atlanta to Daytona Beach (see Mike's masterful sidebar), we were blocks away from our final destination-the Plaza Resort Hotel-where we would spend the next few days exposed to lots of skin (sometimes more than what I wanted to see), tons of sun, and a lot jam-packed with cars.
Some of the import performance industry's hottest names were also there to support the Tuner Bash.
Companies such as BFGoodrich, Pioneer, Giovanna, and HP Racing were among many who hung out with us to play air turntables and display their most wanted products.
"Oh...My...GOD!"Can you say "testosterone?" There I was, surrounded by hundreds of guys screaming "Take it off! Take if off!" (And no, it was not directed at me.) Twelve girls were participating in the first of two bikini contests held at Tuner Bash. They strutted down the catwalk in their insanely high 5-inch platforms and colored dental floss disguised as string bikinis. Yes, almost every contestant was half...no, 99-percent naked. All except for one girl who stuck out like a sore thumb. She looked like she had been randomly picked from the crowd and thrown in just to make the number of contestants even. She was the only one wearing a normal bikini-kind of like the one I have. (Ten bucks says mine is cuter.-MD)
Regardless of what the girls were wearing (or weren't wearing), every guy in the crowd tried to bribe Jonny to give up the best seat in the house. He was inches away from the ladies, happily snapping photos like a professional. Mind you, taking pics is a ton of work, so I offered to help but he kept screaming, "Oh...my...GOD!" After the fifth "Oh...my...GOD!," I moved away from him to save myself from going deaf, assuming that he had everything under control.
The bikini contest seemed like it would never end, but I patiently waited next to the jaw-dropped male judges, holding a bucket in front of them to catch their drool. After the winner and two runner-ups were announced, the maddening crowd suddenly scattered and seemed to vanish into thin air. I'm actually still very bitter that there was no hard body contest...but there's always next year.
Tuner Bash ShowdownBefore the sun was even up, people were glossin' and flossin' their rides, prepping them to look their best for the Tuner Bash car show. An array of cars showed up-everything from Civics to Audis.
When it was time to make the final call, we had to narrow our choices down to nine categories. There were many that caught our eyes as we looked at more than a hundred rides, but the decisions were finally made. Our congrats go out to all the winners of the Spring Break Tuner Bash and, to everyone else who competed, Super Street recognizes all your hard work as well.