High anxiety was clearly evident among the competitors at the 2002 USAC International World Finals. If you could convert nervousness into electricity, Bartle Hall would have supplied enough juice to light up half of Kansas City, MS. "Nervous? Yeah, you could say that," admitted Eric Walton of Colorado Springs, CO, as he waited for the judges to evaluate his 1995 Chevy Blazer. This was Walton's first USACi World Finals, and like the proverbial fat girl at the prom, he was just happy to be there. "To compete in a show of this magnitude is incredible," he said. Weeks of work and preparation come down to a few minutes of judging. It's pretty tense." Walton ended up fourth in the Basic Pro 301+ power class, a mere 19 points separating the top four cars. More than 100 of the world's best in-car entertainment systems were lined up in Kansas City's Bartle Hall for the 16th annual USACi grand finale. Competitors were classified as Consumers, Pros and Experts, based on their level of experience and past competition success.
Mike Richards of Sugarloaf, PA was another competitor wringing his hands in the judging lanes. Richards finished third at the 2000 World Finals and second last year in the Advanced Consumer 301-600 class. He liked his chances of moving up a notch at this year's event. "Naw, I'm not nervous," said Richards in a moment of bravado. He paused and then volunteered, "Well, maybe a little." Richards had high hopes when he made the 24-hour drive from Pennsylvania with buddy Allen Myers. Last year's winner in his division was not present this year, and Richards had made significant improvements to his 1996 Acura Integra this season.
"I redid the battery system, changed the angle of the speakers and did several cosmetic things," he explained. "We competed in 15 shows this year, from Florida to Canada to here. I just love doing it. I've always liked stereos and cars."
Richards, who was only four points from first place in 2001, lost this year in a nail-biter to Christopher Volpert, whose score was one-tenth of a point higher, relegating Richards to another second-place finish. "I'm kinda used to it," said Richards of finishing second. "This class is one of the most competitive classes in the world, so I'm happy to finish second. I'll definitely be back next year."
Not every competitor had to sweat out close competitions. Mickey Brones's 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse beat second-place finisher Amanda Halter in the Advanced Pro 301-600 division by a whopping 94 points, one of the largest margins of victory ever at a UASCi World Finals. It was Brones's sixth consecutive world title.
Veteran competitor Markey Detrich and his 1994 Ford Probe GT repeated as champion in the Advanced Pro 151-300 division by less than two points over Coy Hudnall. Thomas Morant repeated as champ in the Advanced Consumer 0-150 group by edging Charlie Brandt by two-tenths of a point. George Saltzman was a repeat winner in the Advanced Consumer 151-300. In the Expert Open class, Mark Eldridge edged Will Adcock, reversing last year's order of finish.
With the possible exception of Brones in the Advanced Pro division, the competition in the various power categories was closer than ever in 2002. "Every car here is worthy of being at the World Finals," said Chris Dorszynski, one of 25 SQ judges at the event. "The scores will be very, very tight."
Many competitors sought an edge in SQ judging by boosting their SPL output. When everything else has been tweaked to the max, adding a few dB can mean the difference in a very close Sound Quality race. "To be competitive now, you've got to get bigger SPL numbers," explained Dorszynski. "We're seeing a lot more big subwoofers in cars, even the world-class SQ vehicles." Veteran competitors Jim and Denise Fulford moved up this year from the 151-300 power class to the 601+ power class in the Advanced Consumer division. The first thing Jim noticed after the power class change was a greater emphasis on SPL. "You see cars that do a lot higher SPL in this division," said Fulford. "We really need another year to refine our system for this power class." Despite Fulford's anxiety, his car finished a respectable fifth among 12 cars in the crowded division.
With so much time and work invested, it's easy to see why USACi's World Finals competitors were on edge. But not every car owner in the SQ lanes was fretting over his score. Some were downright relaxed.
"I love car audio competitions; I absolutely love it," said Bramouse Mohammed of Milwaukee, WI. Mohammed, who finished 10th in the Advanced Consumer 601+ division, was named the Region Five SQ points champion for 2002. "I'm a school teacher and this is strictly a hobby. I'm here to have fun. It's just a joy to be here." v
Beth Breeland: Competing for a Cause
> Three years ago, Beth Breeland received a late-night phone call she will never forget. That night in 1999 her only child, Jimmy, died in a car crash. Jimmy loved high performance cars and awesome stereos and was involved in both car audio competitions and racing. She now admits he was driving a little too fast that evening in '99, and for some reason he had forgotten to buckle his seat belt, something he normally did.
"I'm an emergency room nurse, so I know about tragedy," she says. "I don't want any other parent to get a call like the one I got."
Breeland, 51, wants kids to be safe with their cars. That's why she started competing in car audio events two years ago, to tell kids to stay safe. "I want to encourage kids to get involved in car stereo competition, but if they insist on racing, do it at a drag strip and not on the streets," said Breeland, who lives near Birmingham, AL. "Parents need to get involved with their kids, and car audio is a good way to do that. It's is a great environment for young people -- everyone I've ever met at a car audio event has been super nice."
Breeland is a fixture on the USACi scene and has the hardware to prove it. Her 1997 Mazda Protege won first place at five events in 2002 and placed third at the prestigious Spring Break Nationals in Daytona. She placed seventh at the 2002 USACi World Finals.
"We want to do well in competition, but that's not our priority," said Breeland. "We look at the car audio events as an opportunity to get our message out there to kids. That's what this is all about."