2009 Lowrider San Bernardino Show - Blowing Up in "Berdoo"

The Lowrider tour came back to the Golden State this past June for another amazing event that showcased the country's top lowriders. Featuring a display of the latest and greatest advancements in design and technique, the 2009 Lowrider San Bernardino show took place inside the comfortable confines of the National Orange Show Grounds in San Bernardino, CA. The event, sponsored by Lugz, Dr. Pepper, Krazy Cutting, Stevie Stone and Ruthless Records, was an indoor/outdoor extravaganza that went off without a hitch, thanks to some wonderful Southern California sunshine.

Boasting an incredible line up of 700 pre-registered cars, the show graciously allowed the competitors to show up on Saturday, in order to allow proper preparation time for the numerous competitors. Since the show was on Sunday, this gave the contestants ample time to vie for the perfect spot to park indoors and begin waxing, and buffing their glorious machines for the competition. After several hours, the contestants were all safely parked inside the grounds, and the cars' owners and their assistants shined up their automobiles for the rigorous judging that would soon take place.

As the event attendees walked in on Sunday, they were greeted by several custom lo-los by the outside lake area, as well as a plethora of cars parked along the grass area. Needless to say, it didn't take long for the onlookers to find several machines already worth the price of admission. High Class Car Club came out strong with a great showing of some of their newest rides. Another club in the grass area was the UCE Car Club, holding down the edge of the lake with a multi-chapter showing of some of their best custom- made classics.

The outdoors was a visual playground featuring several cars and car clubs that quickly caught our attention. Young upstarts like The Islanders Car Club of the Harbor Area caught our fancy with a number of great rides, including their custom yellow Cadillac Coupe De Ville. The Good Times Car Club has grown impressively since its inception over 15 years ago, as evidenced by this year's strong summer showing, which had all the other big clubs talking. Other young clubs that stood out at this event included Kings of Kings, Our Style, Maniacos, Trece Style and De Aquellas. The show brought out the veteran clubs as well, which gave a great balance for all the spectators and enthusiasts. Some of the veteran clubs in attendance included the Groupe, Klique, Carnales Unidos, Casuals, Santa Ana and Style Car Club of the Inland Empire.

Though the outer grounds held a bevy of impressive cars, the indoor participants stepped it up a notch, filling two separate halls with the best of the best. Premier Car Club surprised spectators by breaking out a few new rides, including Joey's classy '56 Nomad, and Maclovio's astonishing '75 convertible Glasshouse. Elite also brought the heat to "Berdoo" with a few cars, most notably Mario Senior's candy apple red '37 Chevrolet. The Oldies had a strong presence as usual, breaking out Chris Roark's "Perfect Score." Other strong contenders in this hall included Trino's Wild Cherry 64 Impala and John Torrez's '69 Impala.

The second hall also featured several top contenders hailing from various clubs. The Stylistics displayed some amazing machines, as did the Las Vegas-based Royals, who made their trip worthwhile as they had a great line-up that impressed the fans and the judges. The true stand-outs of the second hall came courtesy of the South Side Car Club, who brought out an army of convertibles and classic Chevys that really wowed the crowd. Other clubs that sparked key interest in that hall included the always strong Uniques Car Club, and this year's Lowrider Club of the Year, Rollerz Only.

After the Hop competition was over, the gates were removed, and the spectators rushed to fill up the area in front of the stage for the concert portion of the event. Anxiously waiting for the first performer, the crowd got just that as Ruthless Records Recording artist and show sponsor Stevie Stone took the stage first, rattling through a few of his latest and greatest cuts. Li'l E joined him on the stage for a couple of joints, sending the crowd into a frenzy, as he also performed some of his solo material. Once Li'l E's set was finished, it was time for Li'l Rob to hit the stage and set the crowd on fire. The females went wild as he rapped some of his hit songs, including "Summer Nights" and "Bring Out the Freak in You."

After a small break and some prize giveaways, it was time for headliner Xzibit to really get the party going. Xzibit performed some his classic cuts, including "Front 2 Back," "X," and "Get Your Walk On." Mr. X to the Z never disappoints, and after his performance the arena got even hotter as the highly anticipated bikini contest got underway. Several of the hottest females at the event showed off their best assets, and performed their sexiest seductive moves before Miss Aria was announced as the winner. She received the loudest cheers out of all the contestants, and took home the first place cash, bringing the judging for the bikini contest, and the San Bernardino event itself, to a close.

The 2009 Lowrider San Bernardino show was jam-packed with nothing but quality rides, and an amazing atmosphere, leaving me wondering if I wasn't actually back at the Las Vegas Super Show! Congratulations to all who participated in and sponsored this event, if this caliber of competition keeps up, you know the Inland Empire will strike back just as hard next year.