J.T. Ada rules car show

J.T. Ada takes home the award for Best in Show at last Saturday’s 3rd Summer Island Auto Fest.(Kimberly A. Bautista)

The summer heat and limited capacity of the Marianas Business Plaza parking lot failed to douse the fervor of hundreds of car enthusiasts who descended on the site for the 3rd Annual Summer Island Auto Fest last Saturday.

The Best in Show award, which represents the overall festival winner, was presented to J.T. Ada for his 1994 Honda Civic.

The car show, which is fast becoming an annual rite of summer, showed off the personalized touches of many car enthusiasts who showed off their vehicles at the festival. They didn’t just showcase their cars; they showcased their talents and their passions.

According to organizer James Fleming, the car show was inspired by his love for cars.

Fleming and his wife, Carol Fleming, started the island auto fest to create an environment for car enthusiasts, like themselves, to meet with other individuals who share the same enthusiasm.

The night was filled with varied competitions: the sound off competition, flex competition, sound system competition, and more.

It even allowed car dealers like Triple J Motors, Joeten Motors, and Atkins Kroll to showcase the brands they carry and got to talk with individuals about the significance of their brands.

From automotive classics to the latest car models, the auto festival also exhibited muscle cars, SUVs, sedans, motorbikes, trucks, and more. Many of the cars that were entered in the auto festival were personally modified and customized by their owners.

Roman Tudela, whose car won second place in the truck category, told Saipan Tribune that his vehicle is unique because it combines the best of both the Toyota and the Dodge Dakota.

Tudela calls his truck a “Toyota Dakota.” He swapped the internal parts of his vehicle with Toyota parts but left the exterior like the original Dodge Dakota.

Tudela was so proud of his work he felt he had to showcase his truck and his customizations. This is his first year to enter the auto festival.

“I really wanted to bring this out and showcase it over here is so that Saipan can see something different and something they haven’t seen in a while,” said Tudela.

Numerous awards were handed out in different categories and places. There were winners for the SUV category, 4×4 category, truck category, café bike category, cruiser bike category, scooter/moped category, four-door category, two-door category, sound off category, and the four main awards, which were the Triple J award, Joeten Motors award, Atkins Kroll award, and the Best of Show award.

In the 4×4 category, first place was awarded to Sean Ficke’s 2016 Toyota Tacoma. Second place was awarded to J.J. Cabrera’s 2016 Toyota Tacoma. Third place went to Christopher Deleon Guerrero’s 2017 Toyota Tacoma.

In the trucks category, first place was awarded to Abe Barce’s 1991 Toyota Pickup. Second place went to Tudela. Third place was awarded to Ellery Cruz’s 1995 Toyota Tacoma.

In the café bikes category, first place was awarded to Fal Arriola’s 2009 Yamaha YZFR1, while second place went to Joseph Ocampo’s 2003 Honda CBR, and third place was awarded to Ramil Elistaquio’s 2007 Yamaha R6.

In the cruiser bike category, first place was awarded to Bizzo Borja’s 2016 Harley Davidson V-Rod, second place went to Franchesco Ulloa’s 2016 Harley Davidson Sportster, and third place was awarded to Juan Blas’ 1975 Honda CB750.

In the scooter/moped category, awards were given to Mia and Melia Fleming for their 2009 and 2008 Honda Ruckus.

In the four-door category, first place was awarded to Jeffrey Riman’s 2007 Honda Civic. Second place went to Derek Reyes’ 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer, and third place was awarded to Edwin Takai’s 2017 Honda Civic.

In the two-door category, first place was awarded to J.T. Ada’s 1994 Honda Civic, second place went to Reyel Quezon’s 2013 Honda Civic Si, and third place was awarded to Jeffrey Riman’s 1996 Honda civic Hatchback.

In the soundoff competition, first place was awarded to Jerry J., second place was awarded to Abe Barce, and third place was given to Antonio Muna.

The Triple J award was given to Sean Ficke’s 1993 Mazada Rx-7, the Joeten Motors award was given to J.T. Ada’s 1994 Honda Civic, and the Atkins Kroll award was given to Sean Ficke’s 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD.