HAYES MOPAR TUNER FEST GOES ON IN SPITE OF RAIN AND HAIL
By Tim Glover
Photos
(Commerce, GA - June 18, 2005) The Hayes / Mopar Tuner Fest, version 2.0, held at Atlanta Dragway, drew an even larger crowd of enthusiasts than the 2004 edition of the event. Participants who came through the gate had their choice of being involved in many different activities, including drag racing, car showing, chassis dyno pulls, listening to the on site DJ, purchasing genuine Mopar merchandise, or simply watching all the various activities. A late day rainstorm with lots of lightning, thunder and even a bit of hail did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the many participants.
The Hayes Mopar booth featured lots of go fast goodies, including performance exhaust goodies. They also offered body dress up items, as well as Mopar apparel. Kauffman Tire had a wide selection of import and domestic performance wheels and tires on display. Another vendor involved with the show was All in 1 Detailing, owned by Michael Otting. In addition to a bikini car wash, Otting also offered car detailing supplies, neon lights, pinstriping and other car body modification services.
All participants in the Hayes Tuner Fest were entertained with tunes brought to the track courtesy of ImportAtlanta.com. Forty 5 Entertainment and SHI Nasty Sounds kept the music going strong enough that thunder in the distance couldn't be heard near the control tower area for a while.
Dave Dunbar set up his Diesel Performance Motorsports DynoJet Mobile Dyno on the grounds to let people see what their vehicles actually do, at the point where the rubber meets the road. He was able to keep all comers happy, on a first come, first served basis. One example was Bobby Bowden's mid 11 second (1/4 mile times) S10 truck, which registered 319 horsepower and 374 lb. ft. of torque at the rear wheels. Terry Hayes' restored 1970 Chevelle, with a factory rated 325hp 396 engine, actually put down 284hp and 346 lb ft of torque to the ground.
The most powerful car on the grounds was the 1000 horsepower Darrell Cox Racing NHRA Sport Compact '04 SRT-4 Mopar Neon, driven by Mike Crawford of Eden, NC. Crawford, who is currently second place in the 2005 NHRA Sport Compact points series, and his fans were looking forward to seeing some 8.50, 180mph passes, but shortly after Crawford went to the staging lanes, torrential rains hit, ending the day's racing activities.
Although, it didn't quite make 1000 hp, Mopar technician John Stahl's street legal 2003 Neon SRT-10 Stage III packed a big punch, registering 384hp and 408lb ft of torque on the chassis dyno. Today, Stahl could only coax a best of 13.08 seconds at 107.09mph out of his car. He then convinced Mike Crawford to drive his car, and was rewarded with a still not perfect but much quicker 12.75 second pass at 117.75mph. Crawford's car owner, Darrell Cox, took the wheel later and one upped Crawford with a 12.73 second pass in Stahl's car.
Surprisingly, the next most powerful engines on the ground were in pickup trucks. Mike Hayes and Robert Wilson brought their Viper engine powered 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 trucks, factory rated at 500 horsepower and 505 foot pounds of torque (at the flywheel). At the rear tires, however, the numbers were still impressive. Hayes' truck registered 407 hp and 414 lb ft of torque (with zero modifications to the truck), while Wilson's truck, which had the muffler replaced with a straight pipe, put down 401hp and 403 lb. ft. of torque. The only reason these trucks were not the fastest on the grounds was their massive weight of 5000 plus pounds. Still, they recorded impressive times, with Hayes turning in a best of 14.17 seconds and 102.28mph, and Wilson coming close with 14.25 at 97mph.
Hundreds of import cars, ranging in condition from mild to wild, were on the grounds. Although some were strictly show, others were made to go, with the ability to leave many domestic cars in the dust. Gull wing doors, slammed rides, gorgeous paint, and other body mods were on display in the packed car show area. One of the more unusual older imports was one belonging to Bala Almeida. Almeida brought his restored and slightly modified 1967 Mini Cooper, which was in a class by itself from the moment it entered the grounds. Edith Smith's "Daddy's Girl" Columbus, GA based '97 Honda Accord, featured beautiful paint and a very low ride (thanks to an air bag suspension).
Jim Robinson from Marietta, GA brought his exciting 1996 Mitsubishi 3000 VR4 Spyder, powered by a twin turbo inducted GTO engine ( the car was marketed in Japan as a GTO). His car was one of only 867 built that year.
Although a torrential rainstorm, including hail, struck around 6:30 (on a day when the Weather Channel predicted no rain), the only activities halted were the drag racing, the burnout contest, and the music (all the electronics were soaked by rain). The only change to the car show was all contestants were judged the same on cleanliness, due to the rain. The promoters got together and gave test and tuners a free pass to the next Year One Fast Friday event, scheduled June 24.
One of the lighter moments during the hour long rainstorm was a group of guys walking around, using their pop up canopy as a ten foot umbrella, trying to stay at least a little bit dry.
As the car show was winding down, another popular contest was held, the annual bikini contest. Five contestants vied for the crowd approval, with the winner being declared by the loudness of the crowd.
Robert Wilson, who is planning several performance modifications to his RAM SRT-10 to get better numbers on the dyno and the track, echoed the sentiment of many when he said, "I'll be back next year!"
Photos
(Commerce, GA - June 18, 2005) The Hayes / Mopar Tuner Fest, version 2.0, held at Atlanta Dragway, drew an even larger crowd of enthusiasts than the 2004 edition of the event. Participants who came through the gate had their choice of being involved in many different activities, including drag racing, car showing, chassis dyno pulls, listening to the on site DJ, purchasing genuine Mopar merchandise, or simply watching all the various activities. A late day rainstorm with lots of lightning, thunder and even a bit of hail did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the many participants.
The Hayes Mopar booth featured lots of go fast goodies, including performance exhaust goodies. They also offered body dress up items, as well as Mopar apparel. Kauffman Tire had a wide selection of import and domestic performance wheels and tires on display. Another vendor involved with the show was All in 1 Detailing, owned by Michael Otting. In addition to a bikini car wash, Otting also offered car detailing supplies, neon lights, pinstriping and other car body modification services.
All participants in the Hayes Tuner Fest were entertained with tunes brought to the track courtesy of ImportAtlanta.com. Forty 5 Entertainment and SHI Nasty Sounds kept the music going strong enough that thunder in the distance couldn't be heard near the control tower area for a while.
Dave Dunbar set up his Diesel Performance Motorsports DynoJet Mobile Dyno on the grounds to let people see what their vehicles actually do, at the point where the rubber meets the road. He was able to keep all comers happy, on a first come, first served basis. One example was Bobby Bowden's mid 11 second (1/4 mile times) S10 truck, which registered 319 horsepower and 374 lb. ft. of torque at the rear wheels. Terry Hayes' restored 1970 Chevelle, with a factory rated 325hp 396 engine, actually put down 284hp and 346 lb ft of torque to the ground.
The most powerful car on the grounds was the 1000 horsepower Darrell Cox Racing NHRA Sport Compact '04 SRT-4 Mopar Neon, driven by Mike Crawford of Eden, NC. Crawford, who is currently second place in the 2005 NHRA Sport Compact points series, and his fans were looking forward to seeing some 8.50, 180mph passes, but shortly after Crawford went to the staging lanes, torrential rains hit, ending the day's racing activities.
Although, it didn't quite make 1000 hp, Mopar technician John Stahl's street legal 2003 Neon SRT-10 Stage III packed a big punch, registering 384hp and 408lb ft of torque on the chassis dyno. Today, Stahl could only coax a best of 13.08 seconds at 107.09mph out of his car. He then convinced Mike Crawford to drive his car, and was rewarded with a still not perfect but much quicker 12.75 second pass at 117.75mph. Crawford's car owner, Darrell Cox, took the wheel later and one upped Crawford with a 12.73 second pass in Stahl's car.
Surprisingly, the next most powerful engines on the ground were in pickup trucks. Mike Hayes and Robert Wilson brought their Viper engine powered 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 trucks, factory rated at 500 horsepower and 505 foot pounds of torque (at the flywheel). At the rear tires, however, the numbers were still impressive. Hayes' truck registered 407 hp and 414 lb ft of torque (with zero modifications to the truck), while Wilson's truck, which had the muffler replaced with a straight pipe, put down 401hp and 403 lb. ft. of torque. The only reason these trucks were not the fastest on the grounds was their massive weight of 5000 plus pounds. Still, they recorded impressive times, with Hayes turning in a best of 14.17 seconds and 102.28mph, and Wilson coming close with 14.25 at 97mph.
Hundreds of import cars, ranging in condition from mild to wild, were on the grounds. Although some were strictly show, others were made to go, with the ability to leave many domestic cars in the dust. Gull wing doors, slammed rides, gorgeous paint, and other body mods were on display in the packed car show area. One of the more unusual older imports was one belonging to Bala Almeida. Almeida brought his restored and slightly modified 1967 Mini Cooper, which was in a class by itself from the moment it entered the grounds. Edith Smith's "Daddy's Girl" Columbus, GA based '97 Honda Accord, featured beautiful paint and a very low ride (thanks to an air bag suspension).
Jim Robinson from Marietta, GA brought his exciting 1996 Mitsubishi 3000 VR4 Spyder, powered by a twin turbo inducted GTO engine ( the car was marketed in Japan as a GTO). His car was one of only 867 built that year.
Although a torrential rainstorm, including hail, struck around 6:30 (on a day when the Weather Channel predicted no rain), the only activities halted were the drag racing, the burnout contest, and the music (all the electronics were soaked by rain). The only change to the car show was all contestants were judged the same on cleanliness, due to the rain. The promoters got together and gave test and tuners a free pass to the next Year One Fast Friday event, scheduled June 24.
One of the lighter moments during the hour long rainstorm was a group of guys walking around, using their pop up canopy as a ten foot umbrella, trying to stay at least a little bit dry.
As the car show was winding down, another popular contest was held, the annual bikini contest. Five contestants vied for the crowd approval, with the winner being declared by the loudness of the crowd.
Robert Wilson, who is planning several performance modifications to his RAM SRT-10 to get better numbers on the dyno and the track, echoed the sentiment of many when he said, "I'll be back next year!"
posted by David @ 12:00 AM
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