I think everyone in attendance could sum up this year’s Power Tour in one word…HOT! With record temps and humidity levels at most of the stops, the temperature was excessive…but that didn’t stop the participants and spectators from coming out in record numbers!! Team RideTech was well-represented by Chris in the blue ’71 StreetGRIP Camaro, Bret in the white ’72 StreetGRIP Chevelle, and Amber in her own ’13 Coilover-equipped Mustang.
Kickoff Day found us in Gonzales, LA, at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center. Periods of intense rain were about as frequent as the periods of intense sun, which made for a super-muggy afternoon! This venue also held an autocross sponsored by Mothers Polishes, and the well-designed course was just technical enough to hold a challenge for beginners and professionals alike. The StreetGRIP cars performed flawlessly, despite the heat!
Day 2 found us driving to Baytown, TX. After a cool and slightly overcast drive, we arrived at the venue just in time to watch a couple hours of drag racing action at Royal Purple Raceway before event officials came around to announce the imminent arrival of a large storm, and everyone rushed to batten down the hatches. It passed without major incident, but the rain put a damper on the afternoon’s racing activities, so we headed to the hotel to prepare for the next day’s drive.
On Day 3, we rolled into the absolutely impressive Circuit of the Americas Raceway outside of Austin, TX. Enormous and immaculate, the venue itself was just as impressive as the thousands of cars filling it! Mothers also sponsored an autocross at this stop, and the word about how much fun it was had gotten out…the line of entrants to the course was nearly a half-mile long! We saw a lot of new faces on both of these courses this week, and we hope the bug has been biting and we see them again soon.
Day 4 in Grand Prairie, TX, was a LOT of fun! Not only was it one of the most temperate days, they also held the cars outside of the venue and let them enter all at once in an impressive procession that rivaled anything I’ve ever seen before. Nearly two hours of really great cars; we were also in a great position for streaming, and you can catch that footage here!
Out of Texas and a smooth ride into Oklahoma for Day 5, with wide-open scenery that was just as impressive as the cars. Running with the pack for most of this route, it really brought home exactly what the Power Tour was all about and why so many people come back year after year. Getting to some of those long, flat stretches where all you can see for miles ahead of you is colorful, shiny hot rods…and as you glance in the rearview mirror, the same view greets you in the other direction. Rolling through small towns whose residents have all turned out to watch the “parade” roll through, kids waving, local police just grinning at you as you pull up to the burnout box set up in the middle of main street, the harried look on gas station attendant’s faces as hundreds of cars suddenly descend on their store in a gas-guzzling swarm of chrome and colors.
Day 6 brought more open scenery and rolling hills as we trekked across Oklahoma and into Kansas. Today was all about the drive, and we were all fantastically appreciative of whatever manner air conditioning we had access to. And we saw some fantastic inventions involving foam coolers, small fans, ducting, ice, and more! We also got to stop and visit Kicker’s headquarters in Stillwater, OK., for a tour of one of the most fantastic showrooms we’ve ever seen. By the end of the day, everyone seemed to be of mixed feelings…it was hard to believe it was almost over, and it was equally hard to believe that it wasn’t over yet!
By the time it got to Day 7, the mixed feelings had subsided and it became difficult to believe we were going to have to say goodbye to all of our new friends already. There was even some googling to see if next year’s route had been announced yet; we can’t wait to do it all again! We rolled into a steamy Kansas City, and the end-of-tour festivities ensued before our long ride home.
The RideTech cars performed flawlessly throughout the entire trip and brought us home in comfort Friday night. Thank you to everyone following us on livestream and on Facebook; and if you missed any of the footage, have a look at the links above; and to all of our new HRPT friends, we’ll see you on next year’s Tour!
