"Dear diary, It’s the weekend of 29.06 - 01.07 2018. I’ve just returned home from "THE EVENT" organized by Raceism, and ... my life will never be the same again. "- it sounds like an exaggeration, but that's how most of the petrolhead attendees diary entries could look after visiting the show. For three days, the whole area surrounding the Wroclaw Muncipal stadium is transformed, accommodating several hundred modified cars from the farthest corners of Europe, dozens of automotive exhibitors, as well as thousands of visitors. It cannot go wrong!
A few months ago, while looking back through photos from the first edition of the "cruise" event, I had a chance to reflect on how far it has come. From a relatively small party organized on the roof of one of Wroclaw's shopping centers back in 2010, where a group of a few friends with modified cars would meet, to what the event is now… who would have predicted us to have such good times? In such a small amount of time the event has transformed from a small show of 100-200 Polish cars, to now, a little over 800 cars from all over Europe!
When writing last year's coverage of the event, we described the event as the European capital of tuning. There is a lot of truth in this, but the current event has moved us to a whole new level. Comparison of last year's edition of Raceism with the current, is like comparing Warsaw with Tokyo. The Wrocław-based event has had no real competition for some time. Every year, the organizer sets the bar higher and higher and when you think to yourself: ‘surely this can’t get any better?’ that's exactly what happens. A specially constructed stage area? Here you are. A huge banner covering the stadium? Not a problem. Impossible is a word that is not a part of Raceism’s vocabulary.
The heart of this year's event was the previously mentioned stage (you could even call it a set). It was a set, the likes of which you will not see at any other automotive event. Based on top of specially branded shipping containers, which doubled up as a stage and a pop-up store. It was here that discussion panels, breakdance shows, concert by the Białas & Lanek duo, and the judging process took place. Above the stage - a huge banner showing one of the main cars of this year's event, which was situated below.
We're talking about the BMW M4, which was designed by Khyzyl Saleem, especially for this year's event. Who is Khyzyl? He is a graphic artist, an artist whom probably most of you know from crazy-looking renderings, depicting cars modified in an amazing style. This time, the render became much more than a piece of digital art. Adrian (organizer) and Michał (owner of BMW) decided to put the project into reality, entrusting the BMW M4’s new look to Khyzyl and the hard-working, diligent people from Maxton Design, who brought the imagination to life. Incredibly, it took the Brit just one day to design the bodykit! Much more time however, was spent preparing the special livery for the car. Thanks to the harmonious manner in which the work was completed, we had the opportunity to admire a totally wild, one-off BMW M4, combining the current climate of cars competing in Time Attack events and the Japanese tuning scene.
In addition to the aforementioned BMW, the visitors, as every year, were presented with wide range of cars from different periods – ranging from an eclectic mix of modified cars from German manufacturers Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, and Porsche, to the very best of the Japanese tuning scene – with Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Lexus and Toyota all well represented. There were also a number of exotic cars, ensuring there was something for everyone.
In addition to the aforementioned BMW, the visitors, as every year, were presented with wide range of cars from different periods – ranging from an eclectic mix of modified cars from German manufacturers Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, and Porsche, to the very best of the Japanese tuning scene – with Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Lexus and Toyota all well represented. There were also a number of exotic cars, ensuring there was something for everyone.
Among the cars on display, the Mercedes-AMG GTS belonging to Łukasz deserves a special mention. The car was built based on a custom body kit, reminiscent of the GT4 track car competing in the 24-hour Le Mans race, and made an electrifying impression on the event. From the outside, the car looks like a track beast, driven straight onto the public roads, and on the inside you’ll find a luxurious interior, with custom re-trimmed seats and leather befitting of a thoroughbred tourer. The Dodge Viper belonging to Sebastian also deserves immense credit. The Viper itself is a very rare sight on European roads, and in this form is truly unique. The car is static, and has a set of 20x15 custom six stud Rotiform ROC wheels squeezed under the fenders!
The winning car at "The Event - Raceism 2018" was Christian Ammer’s Porsche 911 964 RWB. We saw the car at the event last year, but now after a few changes its has been taken to another level. Some of the main additions include motorsport-inspired custom turbofans to cool the brakes, and a cut-away rear bumper which reveals the turbo and the new exhaust system. The end result is incredible.
Choosing the best of show is extremely difficult and sometimes raises a lot of controversy - especially among the viewers. But this really sums up the event, because anyone who has undergone the arduous selection process can be considered and there are so many amazing cars on display, it really is the hardest job to choose just one.
TOP 16:
1. PORSCHE 964 RWB - Christian Ammer | LOW FAMILIA
2. MERCEDES BENZ W111 - Alex DWNRS | RAD48
3. FERRARI 250 GTO (replica) – Edelweiss Customs
4. BMW 2002 – Olli Grimme | CAMBER.
TOP8. DODGE VIPER – Sebastian Polit | RACEISM
TOP8. MERCEDES BENZ GTS – Łukasz Pająk | RACEISM
TOP8. AUDI A5 – Matt Carter | LOWNATICS
TOP8. VW GOLF MKV - Vladimir Kormanovsky | LCMFAM
TOP16. BMW E30 Pandem - Cool-tints.com
TOP16. AUDI R8 – Martin Weiß
TOP16. BMW E63 - @ed_35d | CAMBER.
TOP16. PORSCHE 997 TURBO - Jan Schmerschneider | ASPHALT DREAMS
TOP16. BMW E28 – @kev.twenty8 | FLGNTLT
TOP16. MAZDA RX7 FD - Ämix Drei
TOP16. BMW Z4 - @tweetybmwz4
TOP16. BMW M3 F80 – Frodo Dale