Ultimate Street Car 2012

It has been so long since USC was called Ultimate Fast Car and was kind of Fast Car magazine’s happy associative show. It took a year of the first climate change fuck up of a summer to change it. It had never been so horribly wet as to totally thwart all Run What You Brung draggers for a whole weekend ever before. Their competitive energy had nowhere to go but raucousness and Santa Pod’s camping fields turned into a lawless festival. With generators running their own massive sound systems, not enough security and almost no fencing. It was a mayhem of mud and misery and there were some horrible things that happened. It’s been much better policed since and has more hardtop and clearer and slightly more draconian regulations about independent sound systems.
Random sexy hair trick imageto whet the bass appetite

That was ages ago and Fast Car, while having been at many USC shows since, no longer had their brand upon it. But despite the economy and even despite the known-to-be-coming mediocre weather, the Ultimate Street Car of 2012 show was a bloody huge success. Acres and acres of camping, from club, to ‘quiet family’ to general public, with the UK’s finest drag strip alongside it and over the back, after going around the end of the legendary straightaway, all the grandstands and trade areas. This is where the professionals set up their impromptu pits, where the Fireforce jet funny car crew park their truck. Further along we found the stage for one lot of events including the awesome Fuel girls, a smaller one for the NUTS magazine crew and a full size circus big top at the far end for raving lunacy like Mr and Miss USC. (I used to judge those, ah me&;.) and the night time partying.
Even a fair ground and big top

Among the traders’ section we saw the massive 155dB Vibe Bass Tunnel rig and their fleet of awesome installs, with the Hertz mega rig of six cars and five canopies to make a hellish DJ insanity of power sound right next door. The Source Sounds Golf PA car is sounding incredible and really needs to be used to entertain more often.

But most of my time was spent with the EMMA guys. I started off with appointing the Order of Mister Skittles (Dodo Juice Prizes) to the three sound off competitors who were either assiduously cleaning their cars like beavers – one was borrowing stuff in all directions, so this was especially apposite, or else had a car so filthy it begged for the stuff But the following three sets of lucky stiffs each swagged the fifty quid selection of a crucial tub of Hybrid high Carnauba wax content polish, a finger mitt to apply it with, a Microfibre buffing cloth and even a Dodo Juice Karabiner-style key ring with logo that can open bottles.
Happy Shiny People!



The competition attracted a really good selection of the maddest bass heads, some of whom are also into their Propper Droppers competing as well, which is nice. The Sound Quality side of things is really hotting up too, with Chris Martin in particular showing amazingly rapid improvements in his system’s tuning from show to show, according to the most Golden Eared SQ judge, Sir Dave Legg. (I have officially knighted him. Damn, I’m a king maker, innit?)
Andrew Ackerley of EMMA UK managed to secure a slice of fine Rockford Fosgate car audio product to sponsor an Installer Challenge. A subwoofer in an enclosure, two amazingly dinky (for the 300watts quoted) amplifiers, four coaxial speakers and a headunit were affixed to a table top, with a block nearby with twin studs to represent a set of battery terminals. A selection of pre-crimp terminated wires of all the various types needed and no more were to hand. The clock started as soon as you touched the first wire and you were timed as to how fast you could CORRECTLY plug all the wires in, to make the system.
I had to try.

I dropped a few things and even got a left/right/green/white/purple/grey issue cocked-up too, so as well as being nearly twice as long as the lithe 21 year old who won, I FAILED!
21 Today and won a £1,000 Rockford Fosgate system – cool!

But mostly, it was a day of fun and boom in the mixed weather, which included 1cm hail. You have to hand it to Andrew Ackerley of the EMMA UK scene, he runs a mean ship and his family and also and especially the adhesive team of North Easterners and other regulars who make it all happen, deserve a bloody medal. I love you guys. Below are some video clips, showing I still have a lot to learn about smooth cinematography with the lovely new Sony sponsored camera. The new technology is both a boon and a real kick in the pants to get better at it. So do please excuse a few of these for being more enthusiastic than skillful!
James Renshaw, star of USC 2012.


James tries to really kill it..


The NUTS stage – you had to see it&;


USC Atmos stuff from the NUTS stage environswith MAJOR body flex


Sound systems fighting – Project X and James Renshaw


Trophy Glory


There was lots more I shot like these sexy babes working for Hertz, with the stressy looking bosses (yeah, right!)

And the NUTS girl who did a hair trick and oozed into her cameraman’s lens and mine too, briefly.

Oh gosh and this,

but this was FUNNY:

If you click this link, you will get a large gallery open up, slideshow style, with two more shots of the NUTS lass and many more. It’s more an event gallery than lots of woofer shots for a change.
link
Here’s to TRAX in September!