Las Vegas Hop

The best of the best come out to play at the Sin City Super Show hydraulics showdown.

Once again, Las Vegas, Nevada's Cashman Field played host to the 2004 Lowrider Magazine Evolution Tour Super Show where more than 60 of the nation's best hydraulic hoppers and dancers qualified for the Tour grand finale hydraulics showdown. The outdoor competition was put together with the help of sponsor CCE Hydraulics, and it attracted the best of the best to see just who's who in the hydraulic world.

There were a few top hop competitors who didn't make it to the venue on time for one reason or another, but regardless of their missing out, the '04 Super Show was one of the best hops to date. With a new platform for them to use, the hydraulic competition went by smoothly as the hoppers gave it their all. Some even set new records.

Starting off the four-hour marathon competition was the Single-Pump Hop. Topping the Hop and setting a new record was Patrick Wilson at 64 inches with his '60 Chevy Nomad wagon. Second Place was won by Shorty Villareal representing Shorty's Hydraulics of Houston, Texas. There was a two-way tie for Third between Eppie Martinez and his '64 Chevy Impala from New Mexico and Joe Dowers' Midwestern '87 Buick Regal.

The Double-Pump Hop was dominated by Dave Marquez who broke the Tour record with his '84 Oldsmobile Cutlass at 73 inches. Coming in Second was Chris Ponder with his Euro-clip '88 Cutlass. Chris edged Shorty Villareal's '87 Chevy Monte Carlo by a mere inch, forcing Shorty to settle for Third.

There was a battle of the Rangers in the Truck Hop as well as an East vs. West matchup. When the dust had settled, Shorty Villareal captured the top two spots with his '92 Ford Ranger at 87 inches (a new record) and '95 Ranger at 86 inches. Third Place in the Truck Hop was won by Jason Marchese with his '89 Ranger.

There were a few contenders missing from the Radical Hop who didn't make the competition due to technical difficulties. Nevertheless, Shorty Villareal took First Place and set a Tour record with his Red's Hydraulics-equipped Mazda at 135 inches. In Second Place was Mike Moreno's '87 Mazda followed by Jose Mireles and his '90 Mazda in Third.

John from Shorty's Hydraulics was on fire in the Car Dance competition as he was the only one who scored a perfect 30 after completing all of the required moves. John flipped the shop's '85 Cutlass and had it dancing on its roof. Coming in Second was Mike Kaufman's '81 Monte Carlo that was being danced by Fresno, California's top switchman, Juan Chavoya. Third Place in the Car Dance was won by Ted Quintero with his '87 Monte Carlo.

There were a couple of breaks during the competition; one for the Quaker State jacket giveaway and another to present the Wayne Costa Award. This award is given to a car or truck dancer who attends several shows and keeps a good attitude throughout the season. Wayne's parents have been presenting this award along with a $200 donation to help cover some of the travel expenses endured during the season. This year, Jerry Lamm of Oxnard, California, won the award. We caught up with Jerry and he told us how this award was more of an honor than anything else that he's won and that he got the same rush when receiving the award as when he does well in a competition.

There was a two-way split in the Truck Dance between Bakersfield, California's Mike Kaufman with his '80 Chevy El Camino and Tejano Gilbert Gonzales with his '89 Mazda, each of whom claimed a share of First Place with 18 points. Actually, the Truck Dance saw a rare occurrence of four trophy-taking performances because David Caines with his '93 Chevy S-10 and Juan Chavoya with his '84 El Camino each finished at 16 points.

The last class of the day was the Radical Dance, which was a slam dunk for T&D Customs, who held onto their title from last year and took home back-to-back First Place wins. Second Place was won by Fresno's Juan Chavoya with his Chevy Malibu wagon that did well until the last few moments of the round when it had technical difficulties. Third Place in this difficult class was won by Rob Robertson with his '90 S-10, thus concluding the show's hydraulic activities.

Having Tour records broken throughout the competition made for an exciting hydraulic showdown. It seemed that everybody enjoyed the Super Show hydro spectacular as it was standing room only. With the Super Show and this year's Tour all over and in the history books, we can't wait for the new season to start. Until then, be safe, be ready and stay low as we'll catch you on the 2005 Lowrider Tour where the first stop is in Miami, Florida, on January 16, 2005.