It was a cold and windy weekend (Feb. 10-11) in Long Beach, CA where 200 exhibitors and 2,000 show vehicles were on display at the SEMA/NOPI trade and consumer event. Due to the weather, turnout was "not overwhelming," according to Mike Jaffe, USAC Southwest and Pacific Coast Zone Director. The West Regional, however, did attract some top competitors who didn't let the bad weather dampen their competitive spirits.
USAC president Ralph Randall attributed the lack of spectator turnout to the weather and the lack of advertising. Yet the sound-off, which was composed of 40 car audio enthusiasts (with manufacturers such as Eclipse, Audiobahn, Crossfire, Phoenix Gold, and Kicker on hand to support the event) was still a success. Winners in the competition collected $2,000 in prizes and other awards.
See our video mini-interview with Ralph Randall on the in the events section of our Web site.