AIR 've been competing in IASCA competitions for ten years. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but to me, it all boils down to respect. I'm not just looking to win. I'm looking for respect by showing the judges and spectators how I feel a winning car should be done.

There was a guy in Minnesota who was going around saying people in New York knew nothing about building sound quality cars they only knew bass. That offended me. I had to go prove him wrong. I did. But I had to drive to Minnesota to do it. Once I beat him, I went head-to-head with other competi-tors that were tough in my division. First I would lose to them, and then I would make my car better and better to beat them. Somewhere along the way, I got addicted to soundoffs. Now, I look forward

By Mike Mineo

to tough competi-tion because it forces me to make my car better. Without the

fierce competition, I wouldn't want to compete. I'm at my best when I'm losing; not when I'm winning. When I'm losing, I'm learning and I want to achieve new things. When you're winning all the time, what is there to achieve?

A lot of people seek my advice when it comes to con-structing an IASCA-winning vehicle. The basic rule of thumb I tell to novice competi-tors is that it takes one hour of thinking for one minute of work. Building a winning IASCA car takes more time than you can ever imagine. If it takes three hours to put one screw in place, then so be it. Three hours later I know that the job will be done right. You have to plan out what you want to do, and then allow yourself room in the installa- tion for future upgrades.

You also have to follow the rulebook, but you can't let the rulebook limit your creativity. If you do something that goes against the rules, but you think it's right, go with what you feel. To me, that's the ultimate pledge to your own personal respect. The rules can change. I like to be free

when it comes to what I can or can't do with my car.

After all, it is my car. When it comes to giving

your system presentation, you have to cut to the chase. You can't waste time. If you don't know what you're talking about, the judges will see right through it. Therefore, you have to know all the different aspects of your system cold. As far as a photo log goes, I think that less pictures is more. Judges don't want to sift through dozens of pho-tographs just to find a picture of a grommeted wire. Put the pictures that tell the story in a logical order.

I also tell novices new to this sport to go listen to a few good cars. But you have to go with your gut instinct. I think the best reference is to use sounds that you know record them and then play them back on your system. If you are a woodworker, record tablesaws and then play them back. If the system can play back the tablesaws correctly, then it can play back music correctly.

A lot of novice com-petitors

get hung up on different equip-ment brands. I use the prod-ucts that I use because I under-stand them. I spent a lot of time researching these prod-ucts. I understand what they do, how they work, and I know how to integrate them into my system. You really have to do your homework before you commit to your gear.

Lastly, we can't kid our-selves it takes a lot of money and time if you want to win and you want respect. If you don't have the money to do it right, then save up. Don't ever settle for less than the best this way you can get the respect you deserve, and hope-fully win.

Mike Mineo, owner of Brooklyn's Best Audio, and his 1988 Camaro IROC-Z are ten-year veterans of the soundoff scene. He truly wants the indus-try to soar to new heights, and push the envelope of installa-tion and sound quality in the mobile environment. You can reach Mike at 1-800-11AS-AUDIO or visit him on the net at www.bbaudio.com .

IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT WI,NNING ITS ABOUT RESPECT.

WINNING

AUTHOR MIKE MINED

KNOWS ABOUT WINNING,

BUT FEELS HE LEARNS MORE

WHEN HE LOSES.

PAGE 14 IASCA 10TH ANNUAL WORLD FINALS OCTOBER 3-4 1998

Detaillt- It's the inner's Secret. Attention to detail is a major points category in IASCA. Talk to the winners, and they'll tell you that the details are where competitions are won and lost. That's why at MTX, we put as much attention to detail into building our products as the IASCA winners do in building their audio systems.

For more than 25 years, MTX has been per-fecting the art of American-made audio manu-facturing. With seven manufacturing facilities located in Arizona, Wisconsin and Illinois, MTX produces virtually every material and part used in our products. By controlling all aspects of the manufacturing process, we ensure the highest quality control and keep production costs low, so you get the best performance and value.

State-of-the-art automation. Hand craftsman-ship. Vigorous testing. Details that make a dif-ference. Each MTX amplifier even comes with its own "birth certificate" that reports specs from one final performance check before it gets pack-aged and shipped out.

MTX also tests products in action right on the IASCA circuit with our ThunderForce team vehi- cles. We build Expert Class cars to try out new

rlislik ideas and prototype products to see how they

one very import win- ers get serious, they get MTX.

detail - when IASCA win-

perform before they ever reach the retail stores. Stop by and take a look. You'll notice

SOFAXS4,5'0(17-..5004/R

800-CALLMTX 4545 E. Baseline Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85040 602-438-4545 www.mtxaudio.com

=l1 NEM MI= MI I NMI IM 1=1 MI =I MI

Get a Free Gift!!! Here's How. - NMI =II NNE ISM

1. Fill out our survey. 2. Walk, run, or jump over to the MTX Tru;ck 3. Put the survey in the box, and join us for a wacky

Gender: Male Female Age: Occupation: Make/Model of Your Car

time. Do you have an e-mail address? yes no

How often do you read the following magazines: How often do you do the following: Lowrider Regularly Sometimes Never Watch NASCAR Racing Often Sometimes Never Car Audio & Electronics Regularly Sometimes Never Skate (in-line/skateboard) Often Sometimes Never Motor Trend Regularly Sometimes Never Mountain bike Often Sometimes Never Car and Driver Regularly Sometimes Never Use the Internet Often Sometimes Never Car Sound Regularly Sometimes Never Snowsports (ski/snowboard) Often Sometimes Never Mini Truckin' Regularly Sometimes Never Attend Car Shows Often Sometimes Never Car Stereo Review Regularly Sometimes Never Play Golf Often Sometimes Never AutoSound & Security Regularly Sometimes Never Attend CarSound Competitions Often Sometimes Never What other magazines do you read regularly? Bowl Often Sometimes Never

Tell us how important the following are to you in buying audio products.

Used by an autosound competition winner Very Somewhat Not Recommended by a friend Very Somewhat Not Reviewed in a magazine Very Somewhat Not Product Appearance Very Somewhat Not Recommended in a retail store Very Somewhat Not Price Very Somewhat Not

MTX and Serious About Sound are trademarks of MTX. 9 1998 MTX, All rights reserved.

Page 1Page 2