Hey everyone, our good mates from Sony Xplod have been recognised for all of their amazing support to the car industry scene, and now they need your help!

All you need to do is follow the link, and click LIKE. The public votes make up 50% of the total, and the judges decide the rest....you can only vote once, and you need to have a Facebook account, so pass it on if you don't have an account so they can get as many votes as possible. http://www.performancecar.co.nz/industry-awards/best-support-of-the-industry-by-a-company  (Voting closes 5pm Wednesday 27th of April)

Sony Xplod did such an awesome job at the Beach Hop, so let's get amongst it, and show our support...vote, vote, vote!!

Entry Update – The Final 50!
We are down to the final 50 car entries for the full 5 day Standard Pass. This is an amazing response and we thank you all for your support. We’re sure that the final 50 will be gone very soon, and from then on entry will be on application only. There are always special cases so we do make some exceptions in special cases. And get this – at least 97 women have entered cars under their name – way to go girls!

Entry Draw Winners
All entries received before Dec 15 went into the draw for 2 copies of Steve Holmes wonderful book the “Kiwi Hot Rodders Guide To Life”. Congratulations to Laurence Roy of Whangarei and Chris Jones from New Plymouth – your books will be in the post to you next week!

Entry Update – The Final 100!
Yep – entries for Sony Xplod 12 continue to keep us very busy, and we are quickly approaching the final 100 vehicles passes for the festival. A big thank you to all of those who have entered the festival already, it makes life easy for us. And it’s great to see so many new cars alongside our many regular entrants, it is going to be a fantastic show! If you would like to enter then we suggest you visit our website and do it online ASAP www.beachhop.co.nz

BH12 Festival Programme Advertising

The Sony Xplod Beach Hop 12 Festival Programme will once again be published by the Coastal News & Bay of Plenty Times. This is a great opportunity for you to advertise your business or upcoming event. Over 10,000 copies are printed and they’ll be posted to all registered vehicle entrants, and passengers, 3 weeks before the festival. They’ll be on sale for just $5 from March 10th 2012, and once again we’ll be doing the draw for one of our promo cars from the Programme – so they‘ll be in HOT demand. The advertising rates are incredibly affordable and much better value than similar publications we have seen. If you are interested in placing an advert in the 2012 Programme then please contact Jennie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ASAP.

We were just sent this photo of a stretched Cadillac taken in Alabama, USA.
Note the BEACH HOP decal on the rear screen!

The owner hopes to attend Sony Xplod Beach Hop 12 - we look forward to meeting him.

2012 Entry Update
Well we’ve passed the 800 vehicle mark in record time - and we thought the economy was supposed to be slowing down! This means we have room for just 200 more cars at the festival. And the trends are continuing – lots of cars we haven’t seen at the Festival before, including some major winners from the recent NZHRA National Hot Rod Show in Hawera. What a thrill it will be to see these stunning cars cruising the streets during the event. Nearly 70 cars from the South Island have entered, and another new trend we’ve notice is the number of vehicles entered by females appears to be on the rise! If you haven’t entered yet, then we suggest you do ASAP as the festival will sell out – that is a fact. You can enter online at our website http://www.beachhop.co.nz

Yesterday we had a special screening of the Movie for the 2011 Festival – and it is FANTASTIC! The team at “Out There Films” have done a great job once again, and many in the audience commented that this is the best one yet. The movie includes most of the festival activities – and it was nice to see all the SUNSHINE at Waihi and Tairua! Some great interviews are included, with many characters that make the event what it is. Ultimate Pass entrants will receive their copy in about 2 weeks.

You can order a copy of the DVD now by dropping an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Cost is $30 + $5 for postage. Production numbers are limited and they will sell out!

Have You Recently Changed Address?
If you purchased an Ultimate, Standard or $20 Saturday Day Pass then we are about to post to you some goodies! As you’ve just read, the DVD and Pictorial magazine are nearly ready to be delivered to you. So if you have changed postal address since March then PLEASE let us know your new address so you can receive them without delay. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Thursday 5th May.

NZ Rodder May 2011
Issue 98 of NZ Rodder hit the bookshelves today and there are another 6 pages of wonderful Sony Xplod Beach Hop 11 coverage. This time the focus is on the people who participated and they really show the spirit of the festival, with lots of smiley faces – even in the rain! This is another goodie for your collection - You can pick up a copy at your favourite bookshop today!

Hot Rod Revue – Latest Edition Featuring Sony Xplod Beach Hop 11
One of our favourite websites is the new, and totally cool, Hot Rod Revue online vzine. And Issue 2 has great coverage of the 2011 festival with world class photographs. You can check it out here – but allow plenty of time!
http://www.vzine.co.nz/issuetwo/issuetwo.html

Sony Xplod Beach Hop 11 Pictorial
The team at New Zealand Hot Rod Magazine are putting the finishing touches on the special edition Pictorial magazine of the 2011 festival – and we can’t wait to see it! The entire magazine will be dedicated to the event and is a must have for your memorabilia collection. You can order a copy online here http://www.nzhotrodmag.co.nz/product.php?id=325 while registered Car entrants will receive their complementary copy via the post Mid-May.

The GOOD Kinda Rumble!
April 16th
Claudelands Event Centre Oval – Hamilton
9am – 4.30pm
All proceeds to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal
Entry to all is via Gold Coin Donation

There will be displays of Cars and Bikes from all Disciplines of Motorsport, plus Classic and Vintage Cars and Bikes. Cars, Bikes and Displays to set up from 7am. The organization of this show is headed by individuals from the NZDRA along with assistance of the NSRA, and NZHRA, and other associations and is supported by a growing list of Sponsors

For more information contact:
Alan Thoresen Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text70853 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Phone 0274 367753 or
Tracey Sherwin Email - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text82776 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Phone 027 2800603

There are thousands of great photos from this years event online at www.thehop.co.nz - make sure you have plenty of time to check them out!!

We are incredibly lucky in New Zealand.  One week after the 2011 Festival and New Zealand Rodder has excellent coverage of the event – how cool is that?  It is available in all good bookstores and while you are there, check out the NZ Truth newspaper – all of Page 7 is dedicated to the event!  We'll keep you posted about the coverage in other magazines as they are published over the coming weeks.