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Subiefest 2012

It was a deceptively warm day in Pomona last Saturday afternoon for Subiefest 2012.  The Sun wasn’t fully shining and it really wasn’t all that hot, but I still walked away looking a little toasted.  Although I am aware that the clouds don’t filter UV rays, I simply didn’t come prepared for the outdoors.  Perhaps this was because I didn’t make the decision to attend Subiefest until 7:15am, the morning of, when I purchased a ticket for an 8:35am flight and barely got dressed before running out the door – I’m lucky I made that flight!  Matter of fact, I was so unprepared that I stopped at Popular Cafe in Montclair (highly recommended, by the way) to eat an Italian omelette while charging my camera and phone.

Eventually, I made it to the Fairplex in Pomona.  I was a little frustrated with the parking lot crew that day.  There was no signage for Subiefest (or anything else) and I was unknowingly directed with the bulk of the traffic toward the Lucas Off-Road Expo.  So I paid for parking, parked, walked to the shuttle, rode over to the entrance area, and realized that something was astray.  On the way through the parking lot, I saw tons of lifted trucks fully fitted with off-road gear lining the rows.  Peeking inside, I saw RC trucks on a dirt track, truck parts vendors, and really no sign of anything Subaru.  Probably not a good place to buy tickets.  I asked the ticket cashiers where Subiefest was and they all shrugged.  Convinced that I was in the wrong place, I made my way back to the shuttle, rode back to the parking lot, and headed back to the car.  I asked probably four more workers along the way where they thought it could be, and finally someone pointed in the direction of the drag strip, where the entrance was.  Finally!

I got back in the car, drove out to the entrance again, and figured out where the side road was that led to Subiefest.  And how relieved I was to see Subarus lining the parking lot this time!  A good turn out of Subie owners, and all different models, from SVX’s to BRZ’s.  And it must have been BRZ day because anyone who owned one was eager to show it off.  I saw many, including one from Crawford performance with their turbo kit installed, Cusco’s FR-S with all of their parts installed (including Cusco’s LSD, strut top bar, and I’m willing to bet their powerbrace and rear lateral links were on there as well), AVO displaying their intake plumbing on both a BRZ and FR-S, a BRZ being given away to mailing list subscribers by subarugenuineparts.com, and many more BRZ’s and FR-S’s in the parking lot.  It was great to see so many of them in one place – such beautiful cars! It’s also exciting to see that so many products are hitting the market for these cars just months after they shipped.  Many more are on the way and I’m anxious to see what comes out next!

One of the first cars I saw was Pomona’s Chrysler 300 patrol car.  This is what police cars should look like!  The police officer who brought the 300 was happy to talk about it.  He was quick to point out that this car was confiscated during a drug bust and the only things that their department added were the lights and the two lines of lettering on the trunk stating, “No Taxpayer Money Used” and “Seized From Local Drug Dealers”.  He commented that they take a little heat from the public about it because the city of Pomona is currently in the red.  This car typically goes to shows and occasionally patrols the city.

Also on display were some of the new goodies out for Subaru owners, such as Grimmspeed’s new radiator shroud, complete with “innovative” built-in tool tray.  In the photo, you can see the tools resting in the wrinkle red painted shroud.  For more information on this product, visit Grimmspeed’s product page.

All in all, it was a fun day out at the Fairplex checking out all of the Subies, enjoying a Lagunitas, watching the cars make it through the autocross course, playing with the RC cars on the miniature autocross track, speaking with all of the vendors and manufacturers, seeing Subies being tuned on site, and listening to an exhaust competition.  Oh ya, and racing back to the airport to catch my flight.  If it wasn’t delayed, I wouldn’t have made it.  What a rush this whole day was!

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