In spite of the hype, the calendar year 2000 was pretty much the same as any other year. Those insolent worry warts who went militant at the many Y2K Bug "survival camps" that sprung to life in mid-1999 had to feel foolish at the dawn of the new millennium. The computer geeks made out like bandits though, feeding off the fears that computer systems were doomed to crash at the strike of midnight unless they were force-fed special programming. I remember hearing about people who literally filled suitcases with cash to save them from short-circuited ATMs on January 1.
I never got too excited about the new millennium. My four-year-old daughter, Clarise, fell asleep 15 minutes before midnight and I dozed off 10 minutes before the glass ball made its trip. The lights in New York didn't black out and Dick Clark has looked the same for the last 30 years-why would 2000 be any different? I am a cautious-but reasonable-person and took some money out of the bank and used the occasion to restock my family's earthquake emergency supply. But all in all, New Year's was just another day.
Looking back, there have been highs and lows. In the import scene, it's been mostly highs. The drag race action has been bigger and better, with nationwide events still growing in number and attendance. Racers are travelling more extensively and for the first time there is a national points championship up for grabs (big money, too). These are all positive signs of growth and as the industry gears up for the annual SEMA Show, I am hopeful to see our segment once again take centerstage in Las Vegas.
As for Turbo, the magazine has never looked better and our trend toward extreme street performance has not hurt the drag race portion of the package.
This issue serves notice that the staff at Turbo will be conducting a good deal of product testing in 2001. If you want the bottom line on what's hot and what's not, what works and what doesn't, look no further than Turbo. Just as in year's past, you can count on us for jaw-dropping performance, eye-popping attention to detail and wheel-hopping event coverage.
Import performance has come a long way in 2000.
As the calendar pages turned to 2000, Kenny Tran had the quickest Quick Class car at 9.68. Today, the fastest Quick Class car is Brent Rau's second-gen Eclipse at 9.18 (and the race season isn't over yet). Look for Brent's machine on the cover of the January 2001 edition. In the street class, Ari Yallon has taken a street-trimmed RX-7 further than anyone could imagine. The FD (cover, Sept. 2000) blasted a best of 9.58 on street tires while funneling power through a stock Mazda gearbox. The A&L Racing FD was running slicks and swapped to a G-Force transmission to land in the 9-second club. Also, like in the past, 2001 looks to see Flaco Racing and Sakura going head to head in the Pro class.
Looking to 2001, I am hoping to do the right thing for the magazine, for the scene, for the people behind the cars and for the readers. Stay tuned.