BangShift.com was there for the 2009 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational on November 7, but yours truly was jamming hard announcing the event and could not get out there and take photos or video. But there were a bajillion other media outlets there, and Tony Bicknell was there for Ridetech and put together a huge photo gallery of all the cars in action.
Click here to see the Ridetech.com coverage of the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational.
In case you are not familiar with it, the Optima event is a shootout of Pro Touring cars at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada (also known for legal brothels). There are 50 cars there, some from sponsors, some invited from SEMA, and some there because they won a Ridetech Autocross Challenge at one of the Goodguys events. The cars have to run the BFG open track event, the Ridetech autocross, and the Baer brakes 0-60-0 challenge. They are also judged for design.
There was a one-owner ’65 427 Cobra there that won all the driving challenges, but that placed dead last in the show judging. So the win went to the Bad Penny Camaro owned by Steven Rupp of Camaro Performers magazine. This is amazing, because Bad Penny also took the win last year, which was the first Invitational.
The undefeated Bad Penny.
BangShift approved: a real one-owner 427 Cobra being beaten hard on track!
Hot Rod editor Rob Kinnan did not have a good day. He went off in turn 1 and broke a control arm.
The Roadster Shop Corvette is the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year.
Troy Ladd from Hollywood Hot Rods had a great time in this Model A with a Ardun Ford. The V crew was shooting for a show that will air on Speed.
