With most blogs and websites having done their features on the VW
Campfest 2014, we thought we’d provide a different approach, instead of the
general overview that many will give.
This was our first year attending the much anticipated and
talked-about Vdub Campfest, the show that every car enthusiast in SA knows
about, even if they’re not into VW per se. With weather forecasts predicting
rain during the weekend of the show, we still decided to take the +-1000KM
drive up to Vereeniging for the biggest car show on the African continent. Being
one of the first to arrive, we were lucky enough to get a good spot on the
corner just as you enter the camping grounds. This provided us with a perfect
view to see all the cars coming to the show, and come they did! The constant
stream of modified VW’s started with the convoy of FR&R Tuning coming into
the resort, I remember; we were still busy lowering my car when we heard turbos
spool and looked up to see the most uniform and bad-ass array of golf 5s and
6s, siroccos and polo GTIs, the best of which was a static Mk6 tucking 20inch
BBS CH’s. Right then, we knew that this would be a great weekend.
After setting up camp we decided to walk around and mingle
with some of our fellow VW enthusiasts, and I don’t know if it was just us but
everyone was so friendly, asking if we wanted to join their party for the
evening, praising our work (those who have seen it) and offering their help
when they saw us lowering the car, even Vic Pardal stopped at our camp and told
us “go lower boys, take it to the ground”. It made us feel at home and not like
we were in a different city never mind province.
The atmosphere got even better the following morning when
most of the crews and day visitors showed up, I’m talking about an endless buzz
of cars driving up and down, music playing all around and the smell of braai
meat filling the air. Needless to say, the festival was now in full swing. The
various stalls selling and promoting their products added a sense of legitimacy
to the event, giving the campers a full spectrum of automotive this and thats,
not forgetting the food and beverage stalls conveniently located so you don’t
go hungry or thirsty. The Pitbull stand really attracted our attention with
their Audi R8 on Vossen CV3’s and not to mention beautiful models perusing
around and posing with cars.
Saturday night meant after party and this was as on par as
the rest of the festival, with the DJ’s killing it on a deck built into a the
front section of an Mk1 body, the ground became so soft and muddy because of
the rain but this did not stop the dubbers from stomping their feet, and having
Harrison Crump perform was the icing on the cake. Although the after party ended
at about 12am, it did not stop everyone from continuing the festivity at the
camp site until about 3am, some going straight through until sunrise.
As the sun rose on Sunday morning while copious amounts of
energy drinks were being consumed, so the car washing began, everyone getting
ready for the show and shine, making their way slowly but surely to the show
grounds. All makes and models of Volkswagen came out from the bushes into the
light, and when I say all makes, I mean all makes; like Mk2 Polos and Type 3
variants. The sense of “Vdub Family” was felt.
The show and shine was underway with cars struggling to
enter the grounds as a result of the thick mud caused by the on and off showers
since the Saturday morning. The rain then continued to be a hindrance during
the course of the day, having participants continuously drying off their cars
for judges’ inspection. The judges then, armed with their umbrellas and
tablets/smartphones, went on to inspect the cars and rated them using the
E-judging app, and after some time and tense debating, the winners were
announced.
That pretty much sums up most of the good of the Campfest,
we now unfortunately have to look at the bad, and we apologize if this sounds
like a gripe list but we feel it needs to be said in order to move forward harmoniously.
First of all, and this was a general consensus based on the amount of people
posting it on Facebook; the toilet facilities were horrid after the first night
and were never cleaned. This wasn’t really a problem for the guys but for the
ladies it’s a huge “no-no”.
Secondly, when you decide to host an event that attracts
lowered cars, a venue with decent roads should come to mind. We say this
because there were speed bumps all over the resort (those thin high ones that
catch you in the middle). This is not an issue for bagged or high cars, but for
many of us rolling staticly low, it’s a nightmare, even though it was fun to
see the creative ways cars go over these bumps.
This brings us to the final issue; as it goes with show and
shine competitions, there are always problems with regard to the judging and
sadly even a show of this magnitude is not immune. Issues which range from
judges not being independent enough, to cars winning simply because of amount
of money spent, or even lack of competitors in its class. But it goes without
saying, that no matter the obstacles, it shouldn’t deter anyone, and in fact
should only cause one to go harder the following year.
Overall it was an excellent weekend with lots of
friendly people and remarkable cars, irrespective of certain issues, and we
hope to attend next year when it’s even bigger and better.