Smoke filled the air, whether it be from burnouts or one of
the few dozen grills that added to the good time. The smell of burnt rubber
wasn’t nearly as intoxicating as the barbeque, though the windy day didn’t
allow for a choice. As the smoke clears, the reason for it all becomes
apparent.
Peering out onto the horizon revealed hundreds of cars, strategically
lined up to show off the customizations the owners put blood sweat and tears
in.
The break in the cold weather allowed for the annual 1st
of the year Bakerzmeet car club to get together after their passion for cars
was put to the test by Mother Nature.
“It’s really a beautiful thing to see, we’re finally back
out here doing what we love, for awhile I thought this chapter would be a goner,
”said Mauricio Igner, one of the leaders of the tri-state areas’ Chapter.
Bakerzmeet is a car club created in early 1992, although
Igner has loved cars since he was born.
“Cars? Cars is all I know, I honestly have nothing if you
take that away from me”, exclaimed Igner, with his new stark white custom
Bakerzmeet tee, a deep contrast from his dirty greasy hands even after
attempting to wipe them off on the use-to-be white clothe hanging from his pocket.
The first car meet of the year is suppose to take place at
the tail end of March, but the weather pushed the date off further and further
before the car enthusiasts just couldn’t take it anymore, after being cooped up
in the house all winter.
Not even mentioning the six or so meets that were canceled
at the end of 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy Aftermath.
The meet-up took place in a mall parking lot in Hoboken, New
Jersey, a huge parking lot chosen because the first meet of the year is always
the largest, and this year was no different.
No one expected the huge turn out this year, as the sea of
high-powered cars seemed to grow larger and larger.
For Steven Karatzias, the owner of a 2003 Lexus IS300, this
was his first meet after his friend suggested it to him last summer.
“I’ve got something I’m proud of now. Before this car I had
a Lincoln Town Car from ’82,1982 bro, that car first came out in 1981.The
mileage counter thingy stopped working on it after 150,000 miles.”, Karatzias explained
while leaning on his illegally tinted and newly waxed silver vehicle.
“It’s called an odometer, you idiot!” yelled out one of his
friends before bursting out in laughter.
The laughter was rivaled across the parking lot, as if jokes
seemingly rolled off of the tongues of the hundreds in attendance.
The results of Hurricane Sandy didn’t seem to dampen their
moods today, or at least not as much as it had just a few months ago.
“After [Hurricane] Sandy a lot of us lost touch, not even by
choice, just times were tough, you know? What can I say to someone who’s car
floated down the block, the same car that was passed down to him from his
grandfather, the same car that had beautiful canary yellow leather interior but
now just brown mush,” said Igner while
looking at the ground with his arms crossed.
“It was a hard time for us, it may seem selfish to talk
about material items like that, but
these cars are our lives man, I work a 9-to-5 so that can I afford to mess
around with my car. It’s the only time my son and I don’t argue-when we’re
working on the cars together.” said Raymond Cartney, Igners’ right hand man.
Cartney also handles all of the business that goes along
with running a car club. Membership is $30 a month; in return all members
receive countless car decals, the mouth watering barbeque and the Bakerzmeet
t-shirt and hoodie in assorted colors.
For many of the members, it’s a small price to pay to spend
a day with people whose passion burns just as deep as theirs.
A short walk around the parking lot will find guys shaking
new hands and proudly pointing out the changes they’ve made since the last
meet. A lot of the cars may even seem normal or dormant looking, until you pop
the hood, revealing an engine that could rival those of Lamborghinis and
Ferraris.
When asked when the wondrous afternoon ends, Igner chuckled
before shrugging and said “depends what time the cops come, should be soon”
Not long after, the faint sound of sirens could be heard,
and the burnouts and donuts ceased as many cars sped off into the distance. As
the blaring sound of mufflers multiplied, the cars left nothing behind but
thinning smoke and a skid mark covered parking lot.
