i wonder if, some people actually think that the import seen started with "oldskool" da's and ef's ? most of which arent even 20 years old.

 

Briefly....
In the 60's there was the Tampa Bay Autosports Clubs. A coalition
of about 10-20 sports car clubs. If you owned a "sportscar", import or domestic
you were IN.......if you were a sporty person..... LOL whatever that is....

These days 6 import guys meet, drive somewhere and hang out exclusvely with each other. In the past, if you had an import, you hung out with
all kinds of import guys and chicks. You looked at, worked on, the other guys car, and probably helped him with it, no matter what kind of car....and he probably would do the same for you.

TBAC started the autocross modification/street prepared/classification system that SCCA currently uses. The North Tampa Racing Association used Lake Magdalene Blvd and other roads as their suspension test track.
(don't ask how I know this.....)

The Great Tampa Bay Rallye started at Westshore Plaza, Tampa,
and covered Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties around 1968.

When people weren't racing or autocrossing, they got into Daytona, Sebring, or Road Atlanta for free by working Timing/Scoring, Corner Working, Tech Inspecting, or some other specialty.

We stood on the shoulders of Giants....-Bob
---------------------------------------------------------
In the 90's.....
We hung out at Miami Subs/Kmart, Dale Mabry and Columbus.
and I'm not talking about where we raced....

Our current membership, active or not is over 68,000...and includes
15(?) time drag race World Champion John Force, and many others.

I joined Tampa Racing in 2005 and have personally recruited over 120 people,
Kirk joined in 2000, and recruited 3,190, but he and I know his recruiting secret.....LOL

Others were here before me. Some that I know of are...no certain order...
Zate 2000
Roadracer 2000
Flounder 2000
John 2000

Joe 2001
Scott 2001
Tits McGee 2001

D D 2002
Chi Town Brat 2002

Our first BBQ was 2001, our second was 2002 at Clearwater Beach.
to answer your question, that was one where I did not do the cooking.

Our biggest BBQ event was JDM DREAMS/Merv at Phillippe Park Oldsmar/Clearwater
where we had 487 cars......

Our biggest evening meets were the 2008 JDM UPS Summer Saturdays in Riverview where we filled an entire Lowes Parking lot.-Bob

 

You joined in may of 05 lol

 

^ its pretty easy to make a new name ya know...

 

WORD

 

The only imports that I really remember at good old Gandy nights back in 90-92 were all the rotary Toyotas, Datsuns, & Rx-7's, along with the slammed Mazda & Toyota minitrucks.
(Although there was one AWD Talon or Eclipse with a purple & green neon kit that was beating everybody on Tyson one particular Saturday night. )

 

3rdshift

 

TMR Mag. If you don't know about that, hell, if you werent IN that, then you dont know nothin

 

Team Slow/Divine Sounds,Secret Services,ZMR,Lee's High Tech Trucks(LHT) thats about as old school as i can remember since i barely got into the scene in 1999.Swaps were expensive and i got hooked with I/H/E and spray into a single cam civic.I remember certain f-body and fox body crews and MMOT@Gandy.

 

BADRAP (Bay Area Drag Racing And Performance) was one of those. They were rwd domestics only. I used to know a couple of the guys in it, but that was several years ago. I have no idea if the club is still around.