New cars, new competition, new venue... on October 7-9, the 2005 dB Drag Racing World Finals at the IX Center in Cleveland, OH, had it all. Competitors to the invitation-only event trekked not only from all around North America, but also from Finland, Switzerland and Germany. Three days of SPL dreams (and nightmares) became reality for those hoping to carry home the title of World Champion.
Bass RaceBass Race at events earlier in the year went over so well that, with the persuasion of judges and competitors alike, it was offered as a Finals event. In this format, participants must play commercially available music for 30 seconds. A competitor's score during the qualifying round determines the class in which they will be bracketed during eliminations. Exceeding the upper end of a class break (i.e., 132.0dB in the 120-129.9dB class) results in a score of 0.
Main Qualifying RoundsSaturday morning, the show opened to the public as the Street Max, Super Street and Extreme divisions began their qualifying rounds. Exhibitors, including XM Satellite Radio, Maxxsonics, dB Drive, JBL, Pioneer, Powerbass, MECP, Ohio Generator, Advanced Mobile Toys and others eagerly promoted their products and supported competitors. In some cases it was hard to tell who was having more fun. Tommy McKinnie's Ho Problems (McKinnie broke the 150dB mark during qualifying) and Aaron Cole's Rump Shaker were on hand for demonstrations along with several tricked-out manufacturers' demo vehicles, including Soundstream and dB Drive's Scions, Memphis's leopard-dcor Astrovan with custom Lamborghini doors, Fusion's Smart and the JBL-sponsored Bronco of Alma Gates.
During the qualifying rounds, it became obvious that many predictions would be upset. Competitors had a high level of motivation, likely because the stakes were higher: DBDRA and XM Satellite Radio made a commitment to give away four Chevy Aveos to the winners of Deathmatch in each division.
The most anticipated qualifications came at the end with the Extreme 5+ competitors. Rumors had been flying for months about how loud Team Loud of Finland really is and how much U.S. competitor Edge Audio (Scott Owens) would be gunning for them. Owens qualified first with an amazing 175.8dB. Shortly after, Team Loud made their first jaunt to the judging lane and made 178dB look easy. It was on! There was no way to tell if either were hiding something more in their vehicles, but you could be sure that the entire hall would be gathered around during the final round. During the elimination rounds, surprising scores once again went up, including a shocking 177.7 tossed in by Edge Audio.
Anticipation for the Extreme 5+ finals built up tremendously. Both Team Loud and Edge Audio had proven that they could knock out an awe-inspiring 175-plus, but did Edge Audio have another three-tenths, and if they did, did Team Loud have more to offer? Edge Audio blasted a 178.0 in the final round, with Team Loud attaining 171.9dB. Knowing that both could hit the 178 mark, the large discrepancy between scores let down many spectators. Although not the winner in their class, Team Loud was given an opportunity to speak to the attendees. They made a plea that all spectators and competitors respect others' equipment and vehicles. Apparently, tampering caused an equipment malfunction during their round.
DeathmatchDuring Deathmatch, the four loudest competitors in each division go head to head for five minutes. The competitor with the highest average SPL at the end wins. Street competitor Brad Firgard opted to enter the Street C class at Finals based solely upon his desire to compete in Deathmatch, knowing that although he was qualified in Street A as well, he would be able to score higher in C. As the clock ticked on, it was evident that either Kevin Koller or Eddie Alfaro would win this race.