There are certain events we especially look forward to each year. Sure, it's a perk of the job that we're able to attend virtually every show in the USA, but we still have our favorites, and Dubwars is among them. There's a simple reason it ranks in our top 10, and that's because there's racing, and plenty of it. Road racing, autocrossing, drag racing - you name it, Dubwars probably has it. Not to mention the organizers put on a pretty good party the night before.
This year, Dubwars was held earlier and with good reason. For the past few years, it's been held in mid-August. The California desert has never been known for its cool summer afternoons, so the date change to June was welcome. The pre-party went off as any good party should - loud music, cars performing burnouts, and plenty of drinking. The California Highway Patrol wasn't nearly as impressed, but since there were permits for the party, they just watched from the streets outside. An interesting side note is that you can get a DUI on a pocket bike; trust us, we saw it happen. Thanks to the boys in the SoCal chapter of DCI, we also now know that doing keg stands in the back of your friend's Caddy while he's competing in the burnout competition is a real crowd pleaser.
This year saw a new trend called Rat-Stylz. There are no real rules and the cars don't look the same, but Dan Koenig, one of the masterminds behind the movement, told us what it means to him, "Rat-Stylz isn't so much a style as a state of mind. It's about having fun and not worrying about anything but the good times being a car-psycho brings. It all started as a joke between friends that's been brought to reality with stickers, primer, and pinstriping."
Among the more conventional Dubs were some cars brought along by Tomas Sport Tuning, which included a beautiful Mk1 Rabbit 'vert 1.8T. It was built to win with custom blue paint laid on flawlessly, shaved engine bay, and an Alcantara interior. Wet Works Garage also brought out Edsel Labao's heavy-hitting TT. With orange paint and plenty of billet accessories holding the stereo equipment in place, this car's bound to set new standards on the scene.
The racing was exciting as always. The expert class was changed to a full-blown race with a standing start. TJM Motorsport had spent its life savings bringing the Dahlback monster Golf from Sweden, and it put on an impressive show for the crowd. The Golf ran three laps in the expert class and created quite a lead for itself. Hearing that car rowing through the sequential gearbox down the front straight at Buttonwillow Raceway was almost a religious experience.
The entire show was fun, and the cooler temps made it even more enjoyable. If you can't tell, this is our way of saying we had a great time and you should come next year.