WEKFEST SFO | Part One

Sunday morning we got up early… still recovering from what was a long Saturday taking photos and being woken up in the middle of the night by the pizza guy. I thought for sure Paul was going to get stabbed but then again, Paul looked like he was getting ready to beat that guy for waking him up. A quick cab ride took us down to Fort Mason where WEKFEST IV was about to go down. We were both happy to be hauling less equipment than day before but we still had quite a handful. After a quick walk, we met Anh and we were soon walking to Pier 3, where we would set up camp.

 

We both knew this was going to be a big event but the more we walked the more we realized this was going to be a jam-packed event. This was solidified when we walked by the line of people waiting to come in, looked like a sea of people for as far as we could see. It was 9:15 a.m. and from what I heard, some of those people were there since 2:00 a.m. which I think is flat out insane. Even for the people that were just arriving, the doors would still not open until 1:00 p.m.

 

The show used two Piers, 2 and 3. Pier 3 was by far larger and held the most cars. Minute by minute cars kept coming in and waited their turn to be directed on where and how to park. It reminded me of a slow version of Tetris, only with much bigger and louder pieces.

 

I think WEKFEST SF had the best overall collections of cars we have seen yet. I was overall impressed by the quality of cars and how organized it was. The only hiccup was when I went outside by accident and had to wait to come back in. I was not allowed to go back in since they had to make sure the Fire Marshals inspected the Pier in case of an emergency….at least that is what I was told. I was with ICB Matt talking about the show when we saw Anh coming back from Safeway. He had food with him so we took the opportunity to get a quick bite. Almost as we were done, we were allowed to go back.

 

I saw so many familiar faces that day, some of which I had just met and some old faces. Even though I wanted to stop and chat with peeps, I knew that as soon as the doors to the public opened, the opportunity to take photos would get dim. I made my way around the two Piers and I kept coming across incredible cars. I was very happy that we both got the chance to make it up here. At this point, the show by far exceeded our expectations… the cars the setup, the venue… amazing!

 

A few click past 1:00 p.m. the doors were opened and it really looked like they opened the gates of a dam. A sea of people rushed in and soon both Piers were bumping. We still managed to go around and take a photos but we were a little limited. This gave us the opportunity to enjoy the show and catch up with new and old friends. I think on a way, the amount and the enthusiasm of the people attending made this show very special. I don’t think I can stress the amount of people we saw, it was non-stop. From what I heard, last year’s show had more people so I can only imagine.

 

Between media covering the show and your average person attending the show, we saw a ridiculous number of cameras, rigs, and cranes. The most we have seen so far, if it wasn’t for the cars around us, one would think this was a camera convention or something.

 

The end of the day got there quite fast and as we were putting some things away, the announcer started going over the class winners. As we were walking down there, we heard Anh Truong’s name being called as 1st Place Acura. Congratulations again Anh and Fred, Jasmine is truly a one-of-a kind car. The car made a traffic jam inside the Pier from all people admiring her. I can only imagine the photos her GoPro captured. We know some other ATS cars picked up some hardware as well, unfortunately i have no idea who else… sorry!

 

The night ended with a stop at Boudin for a Clam Chowder Bread Bowl and a beer. Thanks for the lift Anh, I don’t think either of us would have made it 50 yds.

 

Thanks again Anh, Fred and the whole ATS family for letting us crash your area. This show was a blast and we hope to come back next year. Rumors of Matt having a booth are spreading which can only make it more fun. We hope more peeps from Arizona make it out next time. Until then, so long SFO.

 

Stay tuned for more crazy stories from our SFO trip. Jasmine made a special appearance Saturday and a surprise group of Honda’s most iconic car crashed the party…