Bringing Tire-Shredding Track Fun And Spit-Shined Show Perfection, Dubwars Took Over California Speedway And Brought With It A Blend Of Show And Go.
The stagnant heat of Fontana, CA stirred with the sound of VWs and Audis on full boil lapping California Speedway as Dubwars 2006 descended on the racetrack for the weekend event. Hailed as one of the Left Coast's premiere VW/Audi events, Dubwars served up competition both on and off the track, offering something for every Dubhead. For the g-force fanatics there were road racing events and a track exhibition. And for all others, there was the ever-popular car show, Triple Crown Audio event and even a model search for the ladies.
Unique in the sense that Dubwars combines both the show scene and racing, creator George Turner Jr prides himself on staying true to his roots. "Dubwars started as an event for everybody who was talking trash about each others' cars to either put up or shut up, and the fact we still incorporate both the racing and the show makes us different," George said.
Despite the unwavering temperatures, tuners from all over made the trek to display their latest equipment.
As we've come to expect, the Streetwerkes crew arrived with its tarmac-punishing group of boosted R32s. Now offered in four stages, the GT kits start at a mild 380hp and climb to a retina-flattening 620hp. The SW crew also debuted its Mk4 Jetta with a R32 turbo conversion.
The Euro Sport crew displayed its array of tried and true performance parts. And to prove their products perform, both Raffi Kazanjian's marvelous-sounding carbed 1.8 20v Rabbit and his brother Vik's boosted Mk3 GTI VR6 took turns hot-lapping the course.
Dynamic Racing Solutions also cut some apexes with its ITB-equipped high-spinning, solid-lifter '88 GTI 16v. Its 200whp Mk2 could be heard throughout the pits as it ripped off 8900rpm shifts.
Newcomer Late Night Tuning also asserted itself well with its new 2.0T intake and power packages that showed promising gains even on crappy California fuel.
Among the many companies present, Dunlop came in full force, as did tuners like WRD, Evoms, 034 Motorsport, VF Engineering and KW Suspension. HPA Motorsports even sponsored SoCal R32's track exhibition allowing the club to run two sessions on track.
The rest of the event was equally fulfilling as the show attracted nearly 200 cars. Walking the rows, we saw everything from widebodies and Lambo doors to front-end swaps and big turbos. And amid the amazing rides, a handful caught our eye such as Chuck Perez's self-built metallic black '98 Jetta VR6. Using a "Dub/Mex style" as Perez coined it, the car featured a Golf front-end conversion, R32 mono wiper, pulled fenders, full Polk/Momo system, suede headliner and 16x9" Schmidt Modern Lines. More than just show, the enlarged 2.9 liter VR6 was fitted with a Z-Engineering stage 2 blower along with some DSR 256FI cams, a polished Schrick VGI, Jetex exhaust and Samco hoses.
DubTechnik's '01 GTI VR6 sported a Jetta front end, wider flares, Kerscher rear bumper, cup mirrors and custom hood. More than just a wide stance, the car was blessed with Recaro seats, rollcage, custom dual exhaust and staggered 19" BBR Braids with 11s in the rear.
Continuing the trend of show-stoppers, Sal Reynosa's clean '02 Audi TT dropped on staggered 19" Work Meister F1s flaunted a Caractere grille, front bumper and skirts, Mattig rear bumper and Uberhus double wings. Accompanying the fine exterior, his TT had an ICE heart of gold orchestrated by an Alpine head unit. Focal components hit the high notes and a pair of 12" carbon Alpine Type-S subs powered by Hifonics amplifiers added the beat.
Like discovering an unfound oil well, William Stedman's immaculate '82 Audi quattro was a diamond in the rough. As if finding a clean right-hand drive quattro wasn't special enough, Stedman's coupe was force-fed to the tune of 35psi by a massive GT3071 turbo. Beneath the hood, the blood-red bay played home to the alcohol-injected low compression mill eager for high-boost pulls.
Despite a strong showing of both tuners and cars, George hopes to strengthen next year's event by adding drag racing.
"I really wasn't too happy with the model search," George said. "It was more like a strip show."
Topless or not, we look forward to next year's events.
DRS ITB Mk2 GTI sounded great when it bellowed down the straights of California Speedway | 
In the KW Suspension booth, SoCal superstar Eugene Lee brought out his '04 R32 with an HPA FT400 turbo kit and 18" Kinesis K28 wheels | 
Streetwerkes' Mk4 Jetta with a GT480 turbo R32 conversion |
Making the trek from Arizona, Paolo Barrera of Exklusiv Motorsports displayed his '92 GTI VR6 | 
William Stedman's right-hand drive boosted '82 Audi quattro coupe was unique to say the least | 
Ivan Lee's '03 GLI VR6 sitting pretty wearing staggered 18" AMG wheels, Rieger GTI front bumper, OEM HIDs, modified Oettinger skirts and a black roof |
We were surprised to see Matt Demetria's wild '04 A4 1.8T with Tracer Tech 1 wheels measuring 18x9.5" in the front and 18x11" in the rear | 
Tina Elledge owns this '93 Golf turbo with a unique two-tone design utilizing a 24k white gold stripe | 
Although this '01 GTI 1.8T was finished in primer, Todd Calude Cabalquinto is off to a great start with air suspension, shaved bodywork, Jetta front-end, rollcage and 18" Tracer Tech 2 wheels |
Stretched wide, the DubTechnik widebody Mk4 JTI was almost as broad as the booth | 
Euel Manuel's Mk5 GTI had a custom grille, Euro valance and hugged a set of 18" Audi A8 wheels | 
Mmm, we love Mk3.5 Cabbie front-end swaps |
This smooth Alpine white '91 GTI 16v with a Rallye front-end, ITBs, standalone fuel management and 16x9" OZ Futuras is owned by Mike Frechette | 
With a ragtop, air-ride, five TVs and an airbrushed engine bay, Eduardo Ruiz was turning heads with his '00 Jetta | 
Chuck Perez's unique Mk3 Jetta turned heads with some fresh style |