| June 3, 2002
Installer Challenge III, held at the 2002 Spring Break National between March 22-24, will
be aired on The Speed Channel on June 23. The competition will be shown on the
channel’s new show “Hi Rev Tuners,” which runs every Sunday at 10:30 p.m.
Featured in the show will be the sound quality competition (SQ), which pitted two
Florida-based 12-volt chains, and the Installer Challenge’s first-ever Sound Pressure
League (SPL) competition.
“This is a very cool step [for the competition],” said Robert Garza, president of Select
Products and event organizer. “It feels really awesome. This type of excitement is what
our industry needs.”
The sound quality event consists of two, five-man installing teams going head-to-head,
using the same product and tools to complete an installation within 48 hours. At the 2002
Spring Break Nationals, Team Conception, the team from the four-store Audio Excellence
12-volt chain, walked away with two checks worth $5,000 for winning both sound quality
and custom installation. Its competitor, Rhinomaniacs, the team from the Florida-based
Sound Advice Chain, won the People’s Choice Award and $2,500.
Similar to the sound quality competition, the SPL competition pits two, three-man
installation teams, who have 24 hours to build an SPL vehicle using the same vehicle,
products and tools.
Thunder Buttons, who won the first Installer Challenge last year in sound quality, beat
out its competitor, The Specialist, for Highest SPL and in the five-minute Deathmatch.
The Thunder Buttons Team was made up of Gary Biggs, a highly regarded installer in the
12-volt industry, Ian Black, chosen as the 2002 Installer of the Year by Mobile
Electronics, and Jeremy Carlson.
The Installer Challenge has created a nice platform for showcasing the best installers the
12-volt industry has to offer. Competitors have called it the “Superbowl” of the industry,
with most installers entering the event with the thought of elevating their status as
installers to that of other famed installers. “As far as I am concerned, this is all about
media coverage,” said Shane Bellamy, captain of Team Conception. “This is an
opportunity for us to get into the media and join the ranks of guys like Gary Biggs and
Steve Brown.”
Now, with the Installer Challenge headed to the Speed Channel, Bellamy and his team
have the added benefit of getting national exposure. | 
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