San Diego Lowrider Hopper Cars Competition

This year's Lowrider Magazine Tour stop at San Diego, California's Qualcomm Stadium was a great success and a fun event for those in attendance. The weather was sunny, but not so hot that you couldn't enjoy the show's many attractions. The hydraulics competition, sponsored by CCE Hydraulics, went off without a glitch as 17 of SoCal's finest came out to compete.

The San Diego competition was all about the hoppers as most of the competitors were car hoppers. Even with only a handful of car dancers, there was still enough of a mix for the crowd to enjoy the competition.

First off was the Single-Pump Hop. San Diego local Daniel Blanchard set the pace by hopping his Lincoln to 24 inches, locking in Third Place. Next up was Nene on the switch of the Red's Hydraulics Pro Series '60 Chevy Nomad. Nene managed to smash the back bumper and max out at 56 inches. Last up was Dave Marquez, who gave it his all and hopped 67 inches to take home First Place honors.

There was a classic battle in the Double-Pump Hop with several competitors all within inches of each other. Kicking it off was Ron Eggers of Las Vegas, Nevada, who hopped his Euro-clip G-body '86 Olds Cutlass to 69 inches. Next up was John Valdez and his white '64 Chevy Impala, which smashed its back bumper while topping out at 71 inches. Last up was Dave Marquez with his '86 Cutlass. Dave tried to break his own class record, but was only able to tie it as the car maxed out at 76 inches.

There were only two competitors battling it out in the Truck Hop, and it was literally like taking candy from a baby as Sean Eggers hopped against nine-year-old Tony Zuniga. Tony started off first and his '86 Ford Ranger won over the crowd on the way to hopping 55 inches. Sean then stepped up and hit 72 inches with his '88 Mazda to separate the men from the boys and qualify for the Las Vegas Super Show.

Next up was the Radical Hop where there's more flexibility with the rules. Jim Follan's '64 Impala set the pace at 44 inches. Nene of the Majestics C.C. then broke out his latest creation, an '84 Buick Regal that hopped to an impressive 56 inches. Next up was Raul Cisneros' '90 Cadillac, which is the current car to beat on the street as it can stand on its back bumper. At the show, though, it ran out of power and maxed out at 62 inches. O.J. Gibbons of Royals C.C. was up next and his Chevy Monte Carlo Luxury Sport did big things, creeping into First Place at 63 inches. Not too bad for the Radical Hop battle.

Last up was the Car Dance-a fun class where the guys came out to have a good time. Jerry Lamm was the first to place with 19 points, enough to go home with some money in his pocket as he's already qualified for Vegas. Alejandro Fregoso of Phoenix, Arizona, did well and scored 21 points, enough to qualify for Vegas. Last up was Adam McMains of Team 707, who tore it up as his candy green '87 Cutlass danced to a tune of 23 points, winning the competition and also qualifying for a spot at the Super Show.

With nothing but good hoppers doing their best, the San Diego Hop competition turned out well and the crowd was glued to their seats. With the season fast winding down, the guys who are already qualified are laying low and the new guys are starting to come out. We'll have to see what unbelievable hydro action transpires at this year's Las Vegas Super Show. But there are still several Tour stops to go before the Sin City showdown. We hope to see you at one of them.