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Editor's Diary archive
21st July: Kjell Pettersson has been in touch with a reminder to racers that tomorrow (Monday) is the closing date for standard-rate entry to the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals which takes place at Tierp Arena on 22nd-25th August. For more details, or to enter, check out www.dragracing.eu.
This coming Friday, 26th, is the absolute closing date for entry to the Green Light Nationals which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 17th-18th August. No late entries will be accepted. You can download entry forms from the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Swift snippets.
21st July: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to our good buddy, His Worshipful Flatulence The Very Reverend Sir Neville Mottershead ODE. Have a great day Nev.
Enter the Bug.
21st July: Andy Raw, Karl Harrison and the Nitro Bug team got the Beetle Nostalgia Funny Car out on track at Dragstalgia Karl says that after a monumental four-year build all he can say is "Wow!":
Andy, Steve Taylor, Jason and Roy Phelps and I have put countless amounts of hours into creating what we all think is not only a pretty, but also a running and functioning Nostalgia Nitro Funny car. Believe me, it's not easy to achieve. The run up to the event went like this...
A month prior, we had test fired the engine on petrol, methanol and then nitro - thanks to Mark Hawkins and Brett Sheriff for giving up a free Sunday to assist and advise us with the first fire-up on nitro. The car was then taken to Jason's at FGR Motorsport on the Saturday before Dragstalgia and he worked for three days solid to finish off the last fabricating jobs required to make Nitro Bug ready to hit the track.
We all arrived at Santa Pod and Jason's workshop during the day on Thursday. We soon had a brand new pit, team and race car all together for the first time and we cracked on finishing off all the little jobs like building a spare new rack of rods and pistons, organising the clutch parts, tools etc. Thank you, Tony Betts, for the loan of the piston ring grinder - I want one of those now!
Ready to get the first run in on Friday, we had planned to run earlier in the day but simply ran out of time but luckily Santa Pod kindly put a slot in the busy schedule for those cars entered into the Cannonball to have a test session. We warmed up early to ensure that we were ready, just in case there were any last-minute issues - thankfully there weren't).
Nitro Bug was the first car out for the test session. We soon realised, once the body went down, that we had a clutch issue. The car just wasn't driving on its own. Lee and Shane pushed the car into the water box and Andy let it go. It roared into life and did a burnout. He got it stopped and the same again... just too much stall on the clutch. Steve pushed it back and then what seemed like the whole Santa Pod start line crew jumped in and helped get the car back. Thank you to David Warren for directing Andy, I do apologise for not thanking you all at the time. After all that, I pulled Andy into stage, pulled a couple of air bleed plugs out and luckily he had enough extra rpm for the clutch to engage enough for him to drive into the beams. Andy hit the throttle for about half a second and away it went! I don't think I've ever felt so much joy and relief all at the same time as I did when I saw that car launch.
Back to the pits, and the engine was in perfect condition. The clutch was good too, so we kicked back, had some well earned food and a couple of beers. Then off to bed, ready to do it all again Saturday. In the morning the crew got the car ready, we warmed up, refuelled, did the last few checks and off we went again. Towing down with eight other Funny Cars, a nitro dragster and an altered was quite something, and something I'll never forget. We were on a solo again, but this time the clutch was working! We fired up, body down and Andy let his foot off the clutch and it drove without being pushed! Burnout done, back and then into stage. Andy hit the throttle again for about the same time as the first launch - don't worry, he's been told off and also told that if he doesn't keep his foot in it longer next time, I'm going to drive it! Back in the pits and again perfect engine etc. Unfortunately it went downhill from here.
We were ready for the third go, but during the warm-up we sustained a damaged blower. Not through human error though; drag racing is harsh and running blown-injected engines in drag racing is just brutal. The good news is that we will back at Bug Jam for a planned 330-foot hit. If that goes to plan, we will test once more this year in preparation for going racing next season hopefully giving the Apache, Venom and Dirty Deeds teams a Bug to chase.
There has to be a massive thank you to Tash and Lisa, and to our crew of Steve Taylor, Lee Stirling, Shane Bigg, and Jono. The truth is, even with the above people, Andy and I can honestly say that it wouldn't have happened without the following people: Jason and Roy Phelps, Jeff Bull, Post en Dros (Egbert Dros and Dick Koster), Kenny Gomez, Ricky Ruiz, John Dunn, Shaun Hide, along with our sponsors Cool Flo, Fastec Racing, TSR Engine Conversions and Superpower Unlimited, and my dad for machining the con rods.
Please come and say hello to us at Bug Jam. It's going to be busy, as we are also crewing on the Gladiator FC.
Tesco petrol station closed.
20th July: If you are headed to Santa Pod Raceway over the next few weeks then our own Kirstie reports that the petrol station at the Wellingborough Tesco Superstore is closed for refurbishment.
We have spoken to the store and the petrol station is due to reopen on 28th August. There are several other petrol stations within a short drive.
Damn Yankees Car Show tomorrow.
20th July: If you have got this far through the weekend without plans for tomorrow (Sunday) then Gary Hall tells us that the Damn Yankees are holding their annual Car Show at North Weald Airfield in Essex (map).
"We have over 800 American cars, hot rods and custom cars", says Gary. "We also have a drag race display with John Price commentating. Anybody who would like to show a race car is more than welcome."
If you have any queries then you can call Gary on 07740 827288.
Green Light Pro entry still open.
20th July: James Forster of Santa Pod Raceway has been in touch with a reminder that entry is still open for Green Light Pro, a heads-up class which will run exclusively at the Green Light Nationals on 17th-18th August. Green Light Pro will be open to all vehicles which comply with the GSRs and which are capable of and proven to run quicker than 7.50.
James writes: with the European Championships in Hockenheim that weekend, we're offering an opportunity for some track time to those who aren't travelling abroad. It's also a unique occasion at which we hope to see some unusual match-ups. In the past we've seen some impromptu match racing at other events and it's all been more than a little entertaining. We're hoping for a real battle royal of drag racing with the class firmly aimed at any Pro Mods not travelling abroad, Nostalgia Funny Cars, Altereds, slingshots, the selection of Super Pro ET and Comp Eliminator cars at the quick end of the classes, and anything else which meets the criteria.
The format will be pretty straightforward: heads-up on a Pro tree with qualifying and eliminations.
For further information please contact Darren or myself on 01234 782828 (outside the UK +44 1234 782828), firstname.lastname@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Entry closes next Friday, 26th July, and entry forms are available on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Bug Jam racer update.
19th July: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us details of the arrangements for next week's Bug Jam at Santa Pod Raceway:
Thursday 25th July
10:00 Gates open
21:00 Gates close
Friday 26th July
09:00 Gates open for the duration of the event
10:00 Signing On opens for Run What You Brung; DVLA licences only for RWYB
12:00 Signing On opens for race competitors; Competition licences required to sign on for racing
12:00 Track opens for Run What You Brung
14:00 Scrutineering opens, no specific order sign-on/scrutineering details
19:00 Track closes
Saturday 27th July
07:00 Signing On opens for competitors; Competition licences required to sign on for racing
07:00 Scrutineering opens, no specific order sign-on/scrutineering details
09:30 Track opens for RWYB
15:00 RWYB ends
16:00 Track opens for qualifying
Sunday 28th July
08:00 Signing On opens for competitors; Competition licences required to sign on for racing
08:00 Scrutineering opens, no specific order sign-on/scrutineering details
09:30 Track opens for qualifying and eliminations
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other reason deemed necessary by race officials.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event, which in this context includes Friday. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes, to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards.
Swift snippets.
19th July: Jason Yates and the whole Orange Pop team asked us to say a big Happy Birthday for today (Friday) to Outlaw Anglia racer Simon Barlow. Our pleasure, have a great day Simon.
Polish your RTs, win big.
18th July: With the pivotal Bug Jam 33 just a week away, Andy Dibley is pleased to announce the return of the Reaction Time Award in Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET for next week's event:
The winner will be the racer with the lowest cumulative total time during qualifying. Red lights or missing a session of qualifying count for 0.5 seconds towards your time. All times will be put into a spreadsheet so you will need to bring your timing tickets to the 50 Shades of Racing pit after each session for the totals to be calculated.
Entry for the RT Award is £5 and looking at the current entry list there is potentially £200 up for grabs by one lucky racer! Hutchinson & Dibley together with the very kind Tog at Eurodragster.com (Aww - Ed) are starting the prize fund at £75.
As at all Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET rounds, a Number One Qualifier trophy will also be up for grabs.
With Eurodragster.com putting up £50 for a Perfect Light and £50 for a Perfect ET in association with Bad Habit Racing and the Twister Race Team there is quite the wad of notes waiting to be won.
Wilding wins Spirit Award.
18th July: UK Fuel legend Peter Crane writes that Roy Wilding is a very worthy winner of this year's Pete Crane Spirit of '76 Award:
The Award is presented for outstanding achievement or contribution to Nostalgia drag racing in the UK, and to acknowledge those involved in any aspect of Nostalgia racing from racers to admin staff, crew members and anyone else involved in running or shaping the Nostalgia racing scene of today. The recipent is selected and presented by myself and I would like to congratulate Roy.
A summary of Roy Wilding's thirty five-year drag racing career would make reference to his affable, unyielding and dedicated approach to racing. Roy Wilding has become one of today's established and more well-known drivers from all walks of British drag racing and has been involved with just about anything and everything! Roy began racing thirty five years ago in his V6 Ford Pop Hot Rod which was driven from the back seat and could achieve 98 mph in 14.9 seconds - and that was just the beginning. Approximately thirty years ago, a fourteen-year-old Mark Luton - now Roy's Crew Chief - began helping with Roy's first dragster, a 322ci Nailhead Buick which went on to achieve 131 mph in 11.001 seconds despite running on Kelly Springfield Pie Crust slicks. From there, Roy went on to build and race car after car with the ETs tumbling on each attempt.
One of the more notable cars Roy built and drove was a restoration of the Hemi Hunter dragster, which was originally owned by Gerry Andrews (who ran Pro Fuel in the 1970s). Roy installed a 392ci Chrysler engine and two-speed box snd ran an impressive best of 183 mph at 8.001 seconds on methanol before the car changed hands. Moving on, Roy built his Chariots of Fire slingshot which he still drives today. He has achieved a very respectable 199.1 mph in 7.16 seconds and insists that the car has more to give.
After building race car after race car for friends and customers alike, Roy opened up Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars which is still churning out cars like nobody's business today. Roy actually restored three of the famous British altereds, Paranoia, Helzapoppin', and Thunderbird which we are looking forward to seeing some time soon. Roy's own current project is a Competition Altered with a 426ci Chrysler Hemi and three-speed Lenco, running with a 14:71 blower. This is being built for Roy, Mark and the crew to have the experience of running a blown-alcohol car.
Recently, with the help of drag racer Chris Round, Roy even surprised himself with the speed in which he could work producing a complete rolling dragster chassis from raw materials within twenty eight hours! Throughout all this very productive time Roy also continued with a full-time job, and currently works at Futura Design concept car builders.
In addition to contributing to the Nostalgia drag racing world, for the last six to seven years Roy has been actively involved and driver for the S&K Racing Team, competing in Super Pro ET.
This is just a small glimpse into the commitment Roy has to racing life and a career that has led to him being known as a prolific chassis builder and renovator.
In addition to this, Roy has actually been instrumental in founding several race classes which we were lucky enough to have running at Dragstalgia. Roy started the Supercharged Outlaws along with fellow racer John Guthrie, he also began the Wild Bunch in 1994 and he was even one of those who badgered Santa Pod into starting up the Slingshot Showdown. Even today Roy is still well-known around the pits for being on hand to advise and assist anyone and everyone whom he can help.
Roy always had a soft spot for Shakespeare County Raceway and over the years offered help in the form of materials, manpower and just about anything else he could to support the track and was instrumental, along with Brian Gandy and Jerry Cookson, in building the transit van jet dryer.
Roy is a true stalwart of the sport and from myself and all of us at Santa Pod at the weekend, we'd like to thank him for his contribution to the sport which simply wouldn't be the same without him!
NSRA Dragstalgia Top Five.
18th July: Many thanks to Hannah Thomas for forwarding details of the winners at the National Street Rod Association's Show and Shine at Dragstalgia:
Top Five and Best In Show: 1929 Ford Model A Pick Up, owned by Garry Higgins
Top Five: 1932 Ford Model B Tudor, owned by Marianne Woolfall
Top Five: 1955 Chevrolet, owned by Charlie Gatward
Top Five 1930 Ford Model A, owned by Martin Friend
Top Five: 1953 Ford F100 Pick Up, owned by Kevin Bridges
You can find out more about the NSRA on their web site at www.nsra.org.uk.
Post-Dragstalgia notes.
16th July: Thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us the official timing data from the Dragstalgia, which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Slingshot Showdown racer Sam Freeman got in touch to say a big Thank You to Santa Pod Raceway's fire and safety crew for their response to his crash on Sunday. "They did an excellent job and very quickly had the car on its wheels and me out of it", says Sam. "My sincere apologies to Bob who unfortunately got caught up in my crash. Thanks for the many messages and calls wishing me well. The cause of the crash took some while to establish and was traced to the fire bottle on the left hand front of the car; it moved back and set itself off also breaking the pipe which carries the extinguisher fluid to the engine and drivers compartment. The discharge nozzle squirted the fluid out of the right hand side of the chassis and under the right hand slick from there on I was a passenger". Sam's partner Lindsey Walsh adds "The crew at were brilliant, I was somewhat getting hysterical about not being allowed up the track but fully understand the reasons why. However, the staff were brilliant with me whilst waiting to see if Sam was OK. I was relieved that he was and I applaud all those who helped both Bob and Sam."
Mark Bishop of the Grey Vegas team says that whilst last Wednesday's spy picture was not really the biggest secret or the hardest spy picture, it was great to finally get Kim's Willys out alongside the Slingshot at Dragstalgia. "Unfortunately time really beat us in being fully prepared with both cars having new engines that were only completed on Thursday and fired up for the first time on Friday!", he says. "We decided to concentrate on the slingshot for the first two runs on Saturday and after having trouble on the burnout with the idle too high and then an oil leak at the rear of the manifold we took the car back to reseal it. As we lifted off the manifold we found a little bit more metal in the valley than we were willing to continue with on a brand new engine, so decided to take it home to clean it up properly before running it again. This left us time to run the Willys but we decided against it in the end as we were having issues with that as well. Thank you to everyone who came around that said they looked great together. Hopefully at some point we will have them lined up together on the line to race."
Thanks to Neil Marks who as well as sending nice words about our induction to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame sent this great picture of Tim Garlick trying to outdo Santa Pod's resident stunt driver Terry Grant.
Fans of the Knut Söderqvist and Harlan Thompson shows of yore will enjoy Mike Collins' latest work exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers, a brief tale of the legendary duo's various Funny Cars. Click on the picture above right for the PDF.
Swift snippets.
16th July: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for passing us the final version of the Motorsport UK Pro Modified entry list for the Mopar Euronationals, which takes place on 2nd-4th August (racing 3rd-4th). You can check out the entry list by clicking here.
Comp Eliminator racer Robin Orthodoxou has asked us to say a big Happy Birthday for today (Tuesday) to Chaos Brothers Crew Chief Darren Orthodoxou. Robin tells us that Darren plans to spend today at Silverstone, one knee lower than the other and going round in circles looking for the finish line (right). Have a very Happy Birthday Darren.
Further to the passing mention above, on behalf of the whole Eurodragster.com team, the extended family and Honorary Staff Members Your News Editor would like to thank everyone for the E-Mailed, messaged and verbal congratulations on our induction to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame which are still coming in a few days after the announcement.
Dragstalgia results.
15th July: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway:
Nostalgia Cannonball: Tobba Jansson 6.4370/196.19 def. Robbie Grabham 11.1190/88.74
Slingshot Showdown: did not take place, Joe Bond declared winner
Outlaw Anglia: Scott Crookston 7.4657/178.50 def. Colin Millar 7.5380/182.13
Nostalgia Super Stock: Kiwi (9.87) 9.9925/115.49 def. Neill Watkins (11.31) 11.3454/116.81 DQ red light
Gasser Circus: Nick Barnett (11.46) 11.4299/118.00 def. Sean Milsom (10.02) 10.4632/106.27 DQ red light
Nostalgia Pro Stock Bike: Len Paget 8.5351/154.17 def. Claire Rule 8.7038/149.69
National Sprint Association: Tim Blakemore 9.0401/161.92 def. Justin Newell 9.8857/138.97
Congratulations also to the Showmanship tropy winners:
Spirit of Dragstalgia: Phil Middleton for the return of Al's Gasser (Outlaw Anglia)
Moment of the Weekend: Hayley Fyfe's and Rob Brown's engagement at the cacklefest
Driving Job of the Weekend: Chris Manning (Slingshot Showdown)
Best Back-Up Girl or Guy: Thomas Cook-Abbott (Wild Bunch)
Best Appearing Team: Dave Hinson's Elvis impersonators (Willys Wars)
Best Wheelstand: Jim Usher (Supercharged Outlaws)
Best Burnout: Colin Millar (Outlaw Anglia)
Best Appearing Vehicle: Anthony Wilkins, Butcher's Shop Willys (Willys Wars)
Low ET: Tim Garlick, Apache Nostalgia FC, 6.3873 seconds
Fans' Choice: Tony Betts, Venom Nostalgia FC
Spirit of '76 trophy (presented by Peter Crane): Roy Wilding
Congratulations also to Dave Billadeau who took the bonus Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team with a 10.7504 on 10.75 dial-in during Nostalgia Super Stock qualifying, and to Hayley Fyfe and Rob Brown of the Rebel Wild Bunch team on their engagement during Saturday evening's cacklefest.
The Slingshot Showdown was marred by a two-car crash between Sam Freeman and Bob Hawkins, the latter just returned from repairing damage sustained in a crash earlier this season. Both Sam and Bob walked away, as did Fuel bike legend John Hobbs after he took a spill from Olympus during the penultimate Nostalgia Sprint Association session.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Dragstalgia reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame 2019.
12th July: The British Drag Racing Hall Of Fame continues into its fourteenth successful year and is pleased to announce the 2019 intake.
Nominees are eligible by dint of having raced, owned, designed, built, maintained, prepared, promoted, officiated, supported or taken part in British drag racing in any capacity, having been involved for at least twenty years, or having made a significant and recognisable contribution to the sport.
The 2019 inductees are:
IAN LLOYD Profile by Graham Beckwith
lan was always a car enthusiast and superbly turned-out, highly-engineered fast cars were his passion. His first project, which took over ten years to complete, was the restoration and rebuilding of a Mk 1 Ford Zodiac. Sporting a finely-tuned six-cylinder motor, finished in red and running on wire wheels, it was a head-turning street racer in the sixties. The sport of drag racing seemed to fit the bill for a young man who was keen to go faster in safety, and when the owner of the garage where lan worked asked him to work on his Vauxhall Ventora to bring it up to the standard of the one just sold, the opportunity arose for him to produce a race car. He fitted the car with a Rover V8 and went on to win the PDRC Street Racer Championships with it. The car also became an early race car for Dave Warne when it was eventually sold.
The quest for quicker times had begun! It took lan only six weeks to build the Rover V8-powered Dutton that was a real threat in both Super Comp at York Raceway and the Rover V8 Challenge rounds. First outing for the car was at a meet at the old US Air Force base at Burtonwood, organised by the newly formed PDRC, where lan raced the red kit car against all comers, along with Pip Higham on his bikes. Having broken the gearbox, he consoled himself by doing burnouts for the crowd... in reverse!
It was in 1978 that the birth of an idea to build a state-of-the-art Competition Altered led lan and a friend to fly over to Detroit USA armed with a bundle of cash to buy the parts needed. lan's plan was that only the best would be good enough for what he intended would be a quick-turnaround race car so he could achieve the maximum number of runs. Following a discussion with Fred Whittle about building a mid eight-second car on a box chassis, those plans changed. Instead Fred built lan a chrome moly tube-frame chassis to go with the Pat Cuss fibreglass Fiat Topolino body. Powerplant was to be a normally-aspirated small-block Chevrolet engine with the best of everything. Gonzo the Great was débuted in 1981 and continues to be raced today, now by Ian's son Alan. An acknowledged masterpiece of engineering, besides running and competing successfully in England Gonzo also toured Europe, appearing at Hockenheim, the Österreichring and twice at Le Mans.
ln the early 1990s the state of the track at Melbourne, York Raceway, was of great concern if racing were to continue there. lan was the first to back the Mac the Track campaign and commit money to the fund. From that point on, lan took on the role of project foreman at York Raceway, organising the work parties and materials deliveries whilst other campaigners drummed up sponsors and support. Ian was on site each weekend from October through to the following April as work progressed, and became an ambassador and spokesman for the project, working tirelessly over those eight months to ensure the track would be ready for the new season. Effectively Mac the Track gave racers a further twenty years of racing at York.
ln more recent years lan was contracted by Bentley Motors in an engineering role. He is very proud of his achievements with that company, in particular designing a Dyno tester for them to prepare their 6.7-litre V8 engine to meet current-day emissions regulations, thereby enabling them to continue to provide engines for the many restored Bentley cars still on the road today.
As a footnote, in 2018 lan tuned Gonzo to achieve a European best for a normally-aspirated small-block Chevy of 7.879s/154.85mph with Alan at the wheel – quite an achievement.
THE McCOY DYNAMICS TEAM Profile by Keith Lee
One of the important areas of drag racing to acknowledge is innovation - and thinking outside the box. In the mid-1970s, three bike racers got together to form a racing team, known as McCoy Dynamics. All three made their mark on the sport, and set world records at Elvington, with spectacular performances on two – and sometimes three – wheels.
Angus 'Ag' MacPhail is someone definitely able to think laterally. After a spell riding a miniature Ariel two-stroke, he built his version of a three-wheeler, which featured the Triumph engine and gearbox positioned between the rider and passenger. He next built a novel Ford-powered three-wheeler, which featured the rider prone, in front of the engine. When three-wheelers were banned from competition – due in no small part to the performance of Ag – he remodelled the bike as a two-wheeler, with wide slick, to mutterings that it would never work. It did!
The McCoy machine was effectively a test bed for the unforgettable Jade Warrior, boasting a monocoque chassis, one-off two-litre supercharged motor, torque converter transmission – and a very effective exhaust-driven ground effects system. Helped by Mick, this most unusual machine eventually broke into the seven-second zone in 1985, running on straight methanol, which was a brilliant achievement.
Mick Hand was very much at the heart of the group. He and Angus would bounce ideas off each other in the search for ways to advance performance. Mick's own bike of choice was one of the early Japanese-engined entries – a diminutive twin-cylinder blown 250 Honda. Small it might have been, but it was the sharpest, noisiest bike on the strip, and set a world record in 1971. With massive boost, the bike eventually got down to 9.08/158 after extensive development work on an enlarged engine. It was a true world-class achievement.
Keith Parnell was the third member of the team. Rouge et Noir, his special short-stroke blown Triumph, is well remembered for winning the race to be the first European bike to run under nine seconds, at Santa Pod in June 1975. His follow-up bike was the first to trial a ground effects system, which was then further developed on Jade Warrior. Keith himself carried on in a distinguished sprinting career until he hung up his leathers at the age of 73. Bert Hopkinson deserves credit for his ongoing machining input to aid the racing efforts of the team.
Times have changed since the McCoy Dynamics runners made their mark on the sport, but it has not stopped the ideas. When Mick gave up riding himself, he continued helping Barry Eastman with his turbo CBX Honda. Mick wanted to pursue the idea of a compound turbo bike, so Barry was up for a partnership in the experiment. After much hard work over the past few years, in 2018 the Storm Funny Bike really proved itself to be another machine to successfully demonstrate that there are alternative ways to go racing. The methanol-fuelled compound turbocharged Puma-engined entry, coupled to sophisticated electronics, has been painstakingly developed and won the 2018 Funny Bike Championship. The machine has recorded best times of 6.56/218, with more performance still to come.
Ag, now in his eighties, made his own notable contribution to the Storm drag project – especially with the fairing design. Completing the McCoy involvement, the pilot is none other than Keith Parnell's son Lorcan. Sadly, early in 2019, Mick's partner in the project and his old friend of more than fifty years, Barry Eastman, passed away. On a happier note, it looks like the project will continue, as a fitting tribute.
The innovative McCoy spirit is what marks the team out as special, and deserving of this recognition.
THE WILD BUNCH Profile by Jerry Cookson
The idea for UK drag racing's Wild Bunch first saw the light of day in 1994. After many years competing separately at hot rod events, Nostalgia enthusiasts Roy Wilding and John Guthrie both had visions of forming a class to cater for those slingshot dragster and competition altered owners who were racing for fun on a budget. Towards the end of the season Roy and John presented the idea to then Avon Park Raceway promoters Goodguys UK and the class, with an invited eight-car field, was given a chance at the season-ending Night of Fire.
A partial season of events for the club was run exclusively at Avon Park the following year, which led to more new and historic cars joining the Club. The first full season came in 1996 with an ambitious series of events taking place at the Club's home at Long Marston Airfield. Averaging around fifteen to twenty teams at any one event, the inaugural series win went to Roy Wilding and his Chariot of Fire slingshot.
For the first nine years the club ran its events within the track's Run What You Brung meetings but this then grew, as many wanted also to run at RAC/MSA level and at rounds held at the newly renamed Shakespeare County and Santa Pod Raceways. At these races, instead of running to the Club's traditional time trial format, teams would race in bracket-style eliminations at MSA events.
In the 1990s the nostalgia scene in UK drag racing was evolving with events such as the Hot Rod Drags and the Nostalgia Nationals. The Wild Bunch Committee constantly came up with fresh ideas to make their class more appealing. One such idea arose from a letter written by Roy to the King of the Dragsters, Don Garlits, to have an annual award presented at the season's end in the great man's name. A few days later, Roy received Don's enthusiastic endorsement, and so the Don Garlits Spirit of Drag Racing Shield was born in 1996; a fantastic accolade for any individual or team who gets to be nominated, and especially for the winner. The award recognised the recipient's sporting values and virtues, dedication and achievements, all in the spirit of nostalgia drag racing.
Since those formative years, the Wild Bunch has grown from strength to strength with a fantastic line up of racers and machinery and a huge fan following. In 2001, Roy retired as Chairman to concentrate on developing his chassis-building business while forging a new racing career with the Supercharged Outlaws, but he will always be affectionately known to the Wild Bunch as "Little Daddy Roy".
In 2002 'Crazy' Chris Hartnell, owner and driver of Backdraft, the restored Malibu Express slingshot dragster from the late 1960s, was elected Chairman and, together with partner Claire Meaddows, oversaw the running of the Club until the end of 2014 when he retired. Since then Claire, along with a very supportive Committee, has overseen the day-to-day running of the Club.
The Wild Bunch have come a long way during the last quarter-century and ensured that Nostalgia drag racing continues to thrive in the UK. Everyone who has been involved has a passion for the sport, a burning desire to go fast safely while, most importantly of all, preserving our sport's history. Even now, more vintage dragsters and altereds are being brought back to life, while new recreations are being built. Competition with a fun element is always at the forefront of every Wild Bunch racer's mind, and it is for these reasons we have inducted the Wild Bunch Nostalgia Drag Racing Club into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
EURODRAGSTER.COM Profile by Robin Jackson
Can anyone imagine a drag racing world without the presence of Eurodragster.com? It is in the nature of institutions that they are taken for granted – the very word 'institution' implies an immutable foundation built on rock. Yet Eurodragster.com confounds that perception. It is an institution that hangs by a thread, existing solely on the dedication of a handful of fellows who devote time and energy to the revelation of our sport in all its glories across the continent of Europe. Snap that thread and a pillar of the sport crumbles into an institutional-sized sinkhole which no social media outlet could hope to fill.
Eurodragster.com never sleeps. To the casual enthusiast, it provides an almost-daily journal of the comings and goings, happenings and proceedings of the sport – "All the news that's fit to print", to borrow the New York Times' motto. To the serious student, perhaps engaged in chronicling the sport for a purpose – say, compiling programme notes for a race – it is a vital tool, a treasury of facts and data stretching back over two decades. Need to follow the round-by-round developments in a big race in another country? Eurodragster.com takes you there (try following a race which Eurodragster.com is not covering and you'll notice the difference!). Need to double-check a record performance? Eurodragster.com will likely satisfy your quest. Want to discover who qualified low in Pro Stock Bike at Gardermoen in 2002 (Vesa Rautio, to spare you a search)? There's a goldmine of information concealed in the microscopic red print running down the left side of Eurodragster.com's home page, and its value grows more evident the more it is used.
Eurodragster.com was conceived in 1997 and published its first news item in February 1998. Lest we forget, the internet was in its infancy and one had to wait till magazines went on sale to find out race results and other news. Since then, Eurodragster.com has expanded its pioneering scope exponentially, for example listing and analysing Championship points standings; archiving records and timing data; generating live webcam and video streaming; providing a racers' on-line marketplace; disseminating regulations, race details, entry lists and other official information from Clubs, organisers and sanctioning bodies; furnishing a direct line from racers to fans, which never existed before; delivering a focus on European drag racing for enthusiasts and followers around the world; and generally helping to draw together the diverse European racing community.
Today's Eurodragster.com crew is led by founding editor Andy 'Tog' Rogers, joined by Simon Groves, author of the compendious Pit Notes which add so much light to Eurodragster.com's race reports, and photographers Kirstie Tramm and Julian Hunt, with Diana Macrae and Callum Pudge providing auxiliary camera work. It is for the ceaseless devotion of this small team to the portrayal of the European drag racing picture, and for the efforts of the few who preceded them in helping build the wealth of material that populates and underpins the web site, that Eurodragster.com is inducted into membership of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
ANITA MÄKELÄ Profile by Lesley Wright
Anita Mäkelä spent one summer in Ohio State, USA, far from her native Finland, when she was sixteen years old and after that became a huge fan of American cars, her first being a Pontiac Trans Am. That brought American car shows, cruising evenings and drag racing into her life, and at one Street race the fastest lady got a special award, which she won. Anita says that left a competitive spark in her soul which is still there today.
In 1987 a friend was working at an FHRA race office and overheard Rune Grönlund saying his Competition Eliminator dragster was for sale. Anita asked Simo Patoharju to become her Crew Chief and form a team with her. She won the last race of the year at Motopark, Finland, a great start to her career.
Anita then heard there was one more race that year, at Santa Pod Raceway, and made the long journey to compete. On Sunday she ran against Tony Morris and won, but the chutes didn't open immediately after the finish line and she ended up rolling in the field. She emerged safely, but sore, and her new dragster was in pieces. The team built a fresh dragster, and won the Finnish Championship in 1988 and 1989.
Anita decided to step up to Pro Comp and bought a Top Alcohol Dragster from Ken Murray and Brian Hansell in Canada. She went to the USA to make a deal with them and got her licence at Bakersfield. Jarmo Pulkkinen was a huge help to the team. The rivalry between Anita's Sega dragster and Tony Donges' Nintendo dragster was legendary and Anita finished in the top three in the European Championship from 1992 to 1996, gained two Championship titles and held the record for the quickest ET and fastest speed several times over this period.
Returning home on the ferry in 1996, as the FIA European Top Alcohol Champion, Anita got to know Tommi Haapanen, whose car she drove to licence for Top Fuel and who would become her soulmate and husband. After their daughter Hanna was born Anita made a deal to drive Peter Lantz' Top Fuel car, and finished third in the 1998 FIA European Top Fuel Championship. At Alastaro, Tommi and she had a bet – the loser would change Hanna's nappies. She won! Heikki was born in 1999 and Anita took a year out, returning in 2000 to take the FIA Top Fuel Championship, becoming the first racer to win FIA titles in two categories. In 2003 she ran the first four-second run in Finland and in 2019 ran the first three-second thousand-foot pass in Finland.
In 2007 Tommi returned to racing and the children were growing, becoming well behaved, and loving pit life, so by 2009 Anita was back in the driving seat. As Anita says "Once a racer, always a racer. Nothing beats Top Fuel racing. Especially if you can do it with your family".
After meeting the Lagana brothers, the team rose to a new level with their racing and Anita reaffirmed her 2000 title by taking the Championship again in 2016 and 2018. The consistency of their car was outstanding at the 2018 European Finals, running a string of three-second runs, culminating in a European ET record of 3.870 seconds. At the time of writing, she has made a great start to defending her title, achieving low qualifier and winning the 2019 Main Event at Santa Pod – setting a new European low ET of 3.842 seconds in the final – and winning again at Tierp in June with a personal-best speed of 315.66 mph.
Anita's thirteen Top Fuel event wins are an FIA record and her vast achievements over her thirty-year drag racing career make her more than worthy to be inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. But for all the spectators, officials, photographers, journalists, crews and their families, it is the smiling personality which she brings to every race which makes her so deserving.
Members of the Hall of Fame receive a 'Bootsie', a trophy encapsulating an image of the late Allan 'Bootsie' Herridge, a man who put so much into British drag racing, together with an exclusive commemorative pin. They join the élite list of inductees from previous years and will be listed on the official British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the British Hall of Fame link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
The 2019 inductees will be presented at the Gala Awards Dinner to be held on 23rd November at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey. The BDRHoF are taking reservations for the 2019 Gala Awards Dinner by E-Mail at firstname.lastname@example.com or by telephone on 01933 279102. This year the dinner tickets, which include table wine, remain competitively priced at £70. The BDRHoF have managed to keep the same rates for hotel rooms of £115 for double rooms and £94 for single rooms which includes breakfast and VAT as well as parking. The event always sells out well in advance, so if you would like to join us for the occasion we suggest that you make your reservation sooner rather than later. On receiving your reservation you will be given the procedure to book rooms.
On-going news about the Gala, sponsors and other events in which the BDRHoF is involved is regularly published on the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site at www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk, here on Eurodragster.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Dragstalgia on two wheels.
11th July: There is a great buzz about this year's Dragstalgia, as we look forward to a real feast of nostalgia drag racing action at Santa Pod this weekend, and Keith Lee writes that there will be plenty to enjoy if you like your drag racing on two wheels:
There will be twenty six historic bikes taking part in the popular NSA Shootout, in an event which will be somewhat bittersweet, as it will mark the final time that John Hobbs will pilot the renowned 1700cc Hobbit double Weslake down the track before it is given an honourable retirement.
Enjoy the many actual machines of the period, and also their period riders, attacking the equally historic track, as they show off these living legendary machines of the sport. It is the only time that many of these bikes get together, which makes it a weekend to savour. From double-engined bikes, and the unbelievable Drag Waye, through to the little 250 Honda which Mick Hand made famous, enjoy the variety in action at this event.
Adding to the two-wheeled show, the Nostalgia Pro Stock eliminator has rapidly expanded since being added to the programme, and looks set to provide an excellent eliminator race for the seventeen bikes vying for the win.
The historic car and bike marquee will contain both of the Vincents which Brian Chapman rode to so much success, as he shows both Mighty Mouse and Super Mouse over the weekend. He will be joined by the double Triumph of Pete Williams, which dates back to the late sixties. Early drag racer Bernie White will have Endeavour on display. David Taylor is restoring father Paul's machine, while Ian Feltell will have his late father Ray's last bike, which he is working on.
The ex-Bob Webster double Kawasaki of Peter Scott will also be shown, along with his own Rickman turbo Kawasaki. Finally, we are very pleased to feature the new steam rocket bike of Graham Sykes, who will be looking to make his own piece of history when they hit the track in earnest. Do make a point of visiting the marquee during the weekend to see these special machines.
Pop go the Anglias.
11th July: A Dragstalgia field of thirty one is the largest in the twenty seven-year history of Outlaw Anglia. Colin Millar writes:
We're out tomorrow night for a first qualifier, hoping the air is good and the sun has been out all day, with another two qualifiers on Saturday and straight into first round eliminations at round seven on Saturday evening. Sunday will be busy as we have had to squeeze in another elimination round due to the 32 car ladder. The racing as always will be electric and never boring, making Outlaw Anglia what it is.
+ We have a few new faces with Nathan Barlow running the original Orange Pop, Nathan got some seat time last weekend at The Ford Show, Andy Cunningham débuting Lee Taylor's old Pop for the first time and jumps in with both feet, Peter Jones who has been out for three years upgrading his car and who also took the opportunity to get some seat time last weekend will be joining us and tasting what's its like. Barnaby Levy returns to the track after a while away and making the long trip from southern Ireland with all the family, Phil Ginner Middleton returns also after time out with a sick engine, lets see what he has under his belt ?
The class as always has people creeping up on the numbers with Steve Wells running a storming 8.10, Mat Cooper back out this year and back on form with a straight, yes straight 8.2 and feeling confident, Mick Taylor has found the key to go fast, Nitrous hit of the line with a nice 8.27 and certainly more to follow. Jeff Meads chapping on the door of that seven with an 8.0, all these cars have the potential of a seven-second pass so fingers crossed they can do it this weekend.
The gauntlet has been massively thrown down by Simon Barlow with a storming 7.08 last weekend at The Ford Show, absolutely amazing with the magical six-second barrier in his sights, who would have thought these numbers were even possible? He deserves this as there has been a massive effort from Simon and all the crew, this can only mean one thing: "Turn it Up". Paul Hensher is I'm sure planning to come back even stronger after his 7.4 run, Scotty Crookson running yet another PB of 7.49 with more in the tank and being young is rapid on those lights. I will of course be trying to catch Simon as that is the name of the game, the proof will be those numbers on the timing slips and for qualifying and there will be some damn close racing I'm sure.
Time permitting we have in store an Outlaw Anglia ET bracket class which will feature the sixteen cars eliminated in the first round, fingers crossed we can get this done right through to the final as we've even gone out our way and got a trophy this time. This is not easy, far less getting the numbers right, but running ET on a Pro Tree is hard. Good luck to everyone involved.
Whatever happens come and see us. We will be in the pits mucking about as always, misbehaving is a must and the older you get the worse you get, the biggest thing to come out of Outlaw Anglia is the need to enjoy and have fun no matter what. There may be a wee surprise in store so make sure you make a point of catching up and visiting us in the pits with the most entertaining class out there, Outlaw Anglia, however I may be slightly biased!
Swift snippets.
11th July: We have a birthday on the Eurodragster.com team today (Thursday): please join us in wishing a very Happy Birthday to our Photographer and Sportsman ET racer Kirstie. Have a lovely day Kirstie and see you tomorrow. Happy Birthday also to Track Announcer and all-round top bloke Graham Beckwith - is this the right room for an argument Graham? - to Perfect ET Award sponsor Andy Fadster's main spannerist Craig Dixon, and to six-second Super Pro ET racer Mark Todd. Have a great day all.
Best wishes to Dave McKenzie of the Team Thing Supercharged Outlaws team who is poorly in hospital. Fuzzie is a big strong guy and he'll be back before we know it.
Martin Drake aka Drakie has released Issue 3 of his magazine Street and Strip Times with features from the worlds of drag racing and hot rodding, show reports, and everywhere Drakie's excellent photography. You can check out the free PDF-format magazine by clicking here.
Event entry update.
10th July: We have a number of entry list updates for events at Santa Pod Raceway.
The final official entry list for this weekend's Dragstalgia is available on the event's web site at www.dragstalgia.co.uk.
Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for the following entry updates:
The final official entry list for Bug Jam, which takes place on 26th-28th July (racing 27th-28th), can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Version 1 of the official entry list for the Mopar Euronationals, which takes place on 2nd-4th August (racing 3rd-4th) and which is a round for Motorsport UK Pro Modified, can be checked out by clicking here.
Version 1 of the official entry list for the Green Light Nationals, which takes place on 17th-18th August and which hosts the special Pro Drag class*, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Funny Bike (double-header), Comp Bike (double-header), NMCN 8.50 Bike (double-header), 9.50 Bike (double-header), Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Super Twin Top Gas (double-header), Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike (double-header), In Posterum Junior Drag Bike (double-header), NEM Plant Ltd Nostalgia Super Stock, Outlaw Anglia, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, the Supercharged Outlaws, Outlaw Flat Four and the Wild Bunch, can be checked out by clicking here.
*Pro Drag is open to all vehicles which comply with GSRs and which are capable of and proven to run quicker than 7.50. The class is firmly aimed at any Pro Mods not travelling to the NitrOlympX, Nostalgia Funny Cars, Altereds, slingshots, the selection of Super Pro ET and Comp Eliminator cars at the quick end of the classes, and anything else which meets the criteria. The format is heads up on a Pro tree with qualifying and eliminations.
Standard-fee entry for the Mopar EuroNationals closes on Friday 12th July, after which date a Late Entry penalty may be applied. Entry for the Green Light Nationals closes completely on Friday 26th July; no late entries can be accepted as Ian will be away working at Hockenheim. Green Light Nationals bike racers please note that one entry fee covers both days of the double-header.
Mopar EuroNationals and Green Light Nationals entry forms can be downloaded from the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at email@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
Dragstalgia Perfect ET bonus.
10th July: Further to yesterday's news item we are pleased to announce that Andy Hadfield aka Fadster is joining in the fun and that a bonus Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team will be available at this weekend's Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway.
The Perfect ET Award of £50 will be presented to the firsr racer to record an Elapsed Time +0.000 on dial-in, starting from Friday afternoon's qualifying session. The Award will be available in Nostalgia Super Stock, the Gasser Circus and the Wild Bunch (starting with session 4 on Saturday's schedule) but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the event. Other classes may be added dependent upon their qualifying and elimination rules. As this is a bonus event, if the Perfect ET Award is not won at Dragstalgia then it will not roll over but will remain at £50 for Bug Jam.
Eurodragster.com decals are not mandatory to collect the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate if it they are carried, although we do of course understand about decals on period-correct cars and bikes. If you would like to carry Eurodragster.com decals then they are available in Signing On or from the Eurodragster.com staff.
Slingshot Showdown preview.
10th July: As the 2019 edition of the Dragstalgia Slingshot Showdown approaches, Mark Bishop has been in touch with a look at some of this year's entries:
This year we have nine entrants vying for the crown, seven from the UK and two from Switzerland. Following an engine blow-up at Easter which resulted in a brush with the wall, the chassis of Bob Hawkins' Time Traveller 2 has now been completely rebuilt and upgraded. A new, shorter stoke, more nitro-friendly engine has also been scratch built. With a win and two runner-up places so far in the Slingshot Showdown, the team is very firmly focused on getting quickly up to speed and will be looking for a second win!
Joe Bond's Nuthin' Fancy 2 has had a motor freshen and a few minor chassis upgrades. Chris Manning's Villain has a new engine from EDA, 538 ci with 15% blower overdrive. The motor made 1324 hp at John Sleath's and Andy Frost built a tough Powerglide after the output shaft sheared at the Nostalgia Nationals. The team are looking forward to going quicker!
Christian Frei's The Linac #2 is a 1968 Woody Gilmore Chassis with an old Tom Hanna body which he has owned since purchase from Wayne Luddington in 2011. The BB Mopar is 500 ci with Hilborn methanol injection and a Powerglide. Last year the team finally achieved their target of a seven-second pass and Christian won Super Pro ET at the Hills Race at Rivanazzano Dragway.
Mark himself says of his Grey Vegas: After snapping the crank on our first qualifying pass last year we have built a brand new engine with thanks to Billly Macdermid at Topspeed Automotive/CM Frosts for helping source our many of our new parts including Jon Kaase's brand new SR71 heads, Oliver Rods and Diamond Pistons. We will once again try to achieve our first seven-second pass!
Dave Nelson of the Dorris Dormouse team says that it is really exciting to see the class so strong: after an unplanned two years off are glad to be back racing. Life got in the way to some degree and I've spent some time working on myself with some weight savings away from the car. We aim primarily to have as trouble-free a weekend as possible, maybe get a bit closer to Dorris' potential and to qualify, although I fear it will be asking a lot for us to get anywhere near to the top half of the qualifying list. If we manage to sneak fifth then maybe we can go a round or two - this is drag racing so anything is possible! Fingers crossed I'll also be in the Hot Seat at the end of Saturday.
Mick Hannah returns in the Haggis Hunter and the Showdown is joined by two new cars, Sam Freeman's Long Time Dead and Christian Zulauf in Silberblitz.
Wild Bunch preview.
10th July: Wild Bunch Race Co-ordinator Claire Meaddows writes that the Nostalgia racers are looking forward to this weekend where with thirty eight teams entered theirs is one of the largest classes:
The entry is made up of long-standing regulars, returning drivers and a few newcomers, including a teenager with a passion for drag racing! We will also have some welcome overseas drivers from Italy, Sweden and France joining the festivities. There will be a large variety of slingshots, altereds, dragsters and Funny Cars, back-up girls galore (Yay - Ed), wheelies, burnouts and the Cacklefest plus a celebration of all things Nostalgia!
Speaking of which, one team celebrating very special anniversaries will be Crazy Chris Hartnell and Claire and family, with Chris racing Backdraft for the first time in five years, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the car's début as Malibu Express at the Big Go at Santa Pod in May 1969, as well as the twenty fifth year of the car running as Backdraft. It will be fantastic to see you back Chris!
This year is the Club's twenty fourth full season and Dragstalgia will be our fourth event for 2019. The competition will include Wild Bunch Series Round 2, Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series Round 4 and Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Round 2. The Wild Bunch Series is currently led by Mark Coulsell in the Ballbreaker slingshot (after his win at the Nostalgia Nationals with fantastic runs in the low eights), followed by last year's multi-Series winner Phil James in the Rampage Funny Car. Craig Larman in The Ferret altered (proudly running in tribute to dad Tom) is third and Callum Swinchatt is fourth in the team's period-perfect Topolino altered.
The Roy Wilding Series currently has the same leaders as there has just been one event for each so far. We will be glad to have Roy around in the pits with us this weekend, as his health improves, and hopefully building up to fulfilling his dream next year of running that 200 mph pass. Young Callum is the current leader of the Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series by just one point over Phil James, followed by Mark Coulsell in third and Keith Crampton fourth with his Soul Town Shaker slingshot. This is sure to be a developing battle throughout the season with good close racing and friendly rivalry.
At Dragstalgia, the Wild Bunch Spot Prizes are kindly being sponsored by Team East of the Ellie's in Trouble Now slingshot. Many thanks to them! We also have some great two-tier trophies for the winners. With so many teams entered, the competition is bound to be really close, so we're really looking forward to finding out the winners on Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
We would like to say a huge Thanks to all the fantastic marshals and officials, track and safety crews, promoters, organisers, media, photographers, and the brilliant Eurodragster.com team (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed). You are all stars! Thanks for helping us all do the racing we love and telling the stories.
See you at the drags!
Swift snippets.
10th July: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com (right) came with the words "Back home and and looking like her long sister. Ready for Dragstalgia... #WW1". You probably don't have to be James Burke to make the connection here but if you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Many thanks to stats guru Andy Marrs for letting us know that, although no records were broken at the FHRA Nitro Nationals, congratulations are due to Pro Modified racer Micke Gullqvist who at the weekend became the first FIA European Championship racer to win 150 rounds in a single class. Well done Micke!
Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two FHRA Nitro Nationals reports on the Autosport.nl web site. There is a race report which you can check out by clicking here and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by clicking here.
We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to Pat Salt; have a great day Pat. Tog would like to say a big Happy Birthday to his non-racing friend Malcolm Pellett; have a great day Malcolm and hope the quarter pounder, egg and chips have gone down now.
Gane takes the Challenge.
10th July: UK Super Pro ET racer Brian Pateman was one of the UK invasion to the Clastres 8 event and got in touch to let us know how things went:
Twenty eight cars qualified in Super Pro ET with two Pontiacs at the top and Billy Gane Racing third (qualifying list).
Pateman Racing got past Eric Mathijs in E1 but we were dispatched by Oliver Petzold in a very close race in E2. Billy Gane went all the way with five straight round wins in The Only Way Is Essex Vauxhall from Chelmsford. Well done Billy and team! You can find a race report on the Challenge web site at www.suproet.de.
Billy is now effectively leading the Super Pro ET Challenge by twenty five points with the best score from two events - only the best four scores are counted (points).
There is already a good entry for Clastres 9 with five UK entries in Super Pro ET and five UK entries in Pro ET.
Dragstalgia Perfect Light bonus.
9th July: We are pleased to confirm that a bonus Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award will again be available at this weekend's Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards are usually posted at UK National Championship events but sponsors Cath and Tig Napier of UK Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing have kindly offered to post £50 for the first 0.000 Reaction Time at Dragstalgia.
The Perfect Light Award will become available at the start of qualifying, currently Willys Wars Q1 which is scheduled for 17:00 on Friday, and from that point will be available to all racers in all classes. As ever, the money will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. As this is a bonus event, if the Perfect Light Award is not won at Dragstalgia then it will not roll over but will remain at £50 for Bug Jam.
Eurodragster.com decals are not mandatory to collect the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate if it they are carried, although we do of course understand about decals on period-correct cars and bikes (The lead time was just too long on vellum with illuminated manuscript - Ed). If you would like to carry Eurodragster.com decals then they are available in Signing On or from the Eurodragster.com staff.
The next Eurodragster.com Perfect Light Award supported by the Twister Race Team will be posted at Bug Jam.
Swift snippets.
9th July: Regular readers will know that US legend Roland Leong is in the UK to work with Tony Betts and the Venom Nostalgia Funny Car team. Both the Venom and Apache teams tested at Sunday's Ford Show at Santa Pod Raceway and our own Simon was there with them. You can check out Simon's John Woolfe Racing-sponsored gallery of Venom's and Apache's day at the track, as well as some of other Ford Show attractions (Congratulations to Simon Barlow on the 7.0 - Ed), by clicking here, clicking on the picture below left, or clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Sandie Gibb asked us to say a big Thank You to longtime family friend John Dewey who chauffeured her daughter Thaliah to last week's school Prom in his 1969 Ford Mustang (above right). Nice one John.
July is a popular month for birthdays both on the core Eurodragster.com team and in our extended family. Our first birthday of the month falls today (Tuesday) and the lucky recipient of that twenty four-hour no-firing guarantee is regular Contributing Photographer and all-round top bloke Callum Pudge. Have a very Happy Birthday Callum. A big Happy Birthday also to UK Funny Bike racer Lorcan Parnell, have a great day Lorcan.
Mister Six goes to Dragstalgia.
8th July: UK legend Dennis Priddle will be making the trip up to Santa Pod this weekend, where he will be taking part in the popular British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Legends' signing sessions during Dragstalgia, on the Saturday and Sunday of the event. Keith Lee tells us that a few copies of his book Mister Six: The story of Drag Racing Legend Dennis Priddle will available on the BDRHoF stand. More details of the legends attending the signing session will be revealed in an upcoming news item here on Eurodragster.com.
Keith comments that Dennis will obviously also be taking a keen interest in one of the Nostalgia Funny Car runners and the latest update on the Paul Harris Racing team is that Paul will be competing with the Omni-bodied Chi-Town Hustler set-up for Dragstalgia. The Mister Six Monza tribute body is not yet in a position to be making an appearance. Talking to Paul, he is very much focused currently on securing his racing licence, which he hopes to do during the course of Dragstalgia. Fuelling issues which hampered the previous outing have been addressed by the team, and they are aiming to make good progress during what promises to be an excellent weekend for flopper fans.
The much-awaited début of the Monza, styled by Darren West at Power Race Graphics and which was unveiled at last November's BDRHoF Gala, will be at a suitable Santa Pod event when Paul and the team are fully satisfied with the current set-up.
Editor's note: As is traditional this year's inductees to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame will be announced here on Eurodragster.com at 12:00 midday UK time on Day 1 of Dragstalgia, this Friday (12th).
FHRA Nitro Nationals winners.
7th July: Congratulations to the Pro class winners at the weekend's FHRA Nitro Nationals at Kauhava, Finland:
Top Fuel Dragster: Timo Lehtimäki
Top Methanol: Sandro Bellio
Pro Modified: Peter Kunc
Pro Stock: Simon Gustafsson
Top Fuel Bike: Filippos Papfilippou
Supertwin: Harri Piensalmi
Pro Stock Bike: Fredrik Fredlund
Super Street Bike: Vesa Ruhanen
Sportsman classes were not finished due to frequent interruptions from the weather.
Many thanks to Åsa Kinnemar and to Job Heezen for sending us the post-event points standings in the FIA European Drag Racing Championships and FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships respectively. You can check out the European points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
You can check out FHRA Nitro Nationals reports and results and pictures at the Drag Racing Europe web site at www.dragracingeurope.eu, a gallery at www.dragracingeurope.eu/edrs/kauhava-finland-4-7-july-2019, and qualifying lists and ladders on the FHRA forum by clicking here. A replay of the entire webcast is available free at www.livestream.com/fhra.
Swift snippets.
7th July: Swedish Top Doorslammer racer Andreas Sjödin fulfilled his plan to set world records with his standard bore space big block Chevrolet with conventional heads whilst running at the Doorslammers and FIA/FIM Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway. "Two weekends in a row and two awesome events with awesome performance with our Swedish self-built bad-ass doorslammer!", says Andreas. "We now have a Personal Best for the quarter mile of 5.8813/242.55 mph or 390.35 kmh! How awesome is that?". You can read all about it at www.abmracing.se.
UK Outlaw Anglia racer Steve Wells has rebranded his Team Orange Ford Pop pick-up to the Hellcat Special to celebrate longtime crew man and fellow drag racer Malk Motler's musical début at Dragstalgia. The Hellcats will appear on the Live Stage on Saturday at 18:00 and again at 22:00.
Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall tells us that the final version of the Bug Jam entry list will be available this Tuesday.
It came too late for yesterday's news update so a slightly belated Happy Birthday for yesterday (Saturday) to Michael Dowdy. Hope you had a great day Michael.
We've done the Time Warp again.
6th July: Paul Stubbings has been in touch to admit responsiblity for last Sunday's spy picture. The chassis on the right in the spy picture was that of the new Time Warp Nostalgia Funny Car which makes its début in Wendy Baker's hands at Dragstalgia next weekend. Paul writes:
Around November last year we decided that it was time to get on with putting together a new car. We were happy with the way the old Buttera chassis handled so it made sense to build a replica. A pile of chrome moly was ordered, which arrived in late November, and the chassis was started. A new torsion bar, steering box and a heap of tabs and sundry bits were ordered from Mark Williams.
In the Christmas break the basic chassis was welded, and in January the original body was dropped off to have a mould taken. It is not possible to get a new body with a 115" wheelbase as all those available in the States are mostly 125" with a very few at 120".
The new body was collected at about the same time as the final welding was done to the chassis. Next came fitting the running gear - recycled from the old car - and tinning out the new body. Sadly time has prevented us from having a proper paint job, instead we have resorted to a "rattle can" finish rather than miss Dragstalgia.
So a few shakedown runs to check out the handling and hopefully we will have a race car again!
SPR seek demo cars, bikes.
5th July: Santa Pod Raceway plays host to the BMW Show on Sunday 21st July and Jake Wray says that eight vehicles, cars or bikes, are sought to make exhibition passes:
If you are in need of some track time and to show your car or bike off to a great crowd, then this is a great show for you! A prime summer date and hopefully the sunny weather to go with it.
Cars running 11.99 or quicker, and bikes quicker than 9.99, are more than welcome to get involved.
If you are interested then please get in touch via E-Mail at email@example.com
The Hawaiian has landed.
5th July: UK Nostalgia Funny Car racer Tony Betts tells us that The Hawaiian has landed in Essex (UK, not NH - Ed):
Roland Leong, his daughter Ralanda and Jerry - ex-Chief of Police in Hawaii - all arrived at Heathrow yesterday afternoon.
Roland will look over the car today and we will head to Santa Pod tomorrow morning. We will be testing at the Ford Show on Sunday with Tim Garlick and then head back to the Pod next weekend for Dragstalgia.
Swift snippets.
5th July: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the words "Fresh for Dragstalgia". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at email@example.com.
Dragstalgia racer update.
4th July: Many thanks to James Forster of Santa Pod Raceway for forwarding us details of the arrangements for Dragstalgia, which takes place on Friday-Sunday of next week (12th-14th).
Gates will be open between 12:00 and 19:00 on Thursday for racers with racer tickets only. The general public will not be admitted on Thursday. Gates re-open to racers and open to the general public at 08:00 on Friday.
Run What You Brung
RWYB will take place from 09:30 to 16:00 on Friday only. Qualifying for the weekend begins at 17:00 on Friday. If you have entered to race in an invited class then your entry includes sign-on for all sessions of qualifying and racing but excludes RWYB on Friday. Racers are welcome to take part in the RWYB on Friday at a price of Ł25 for unlimited runs. The Signing On office will be open from 08:00 on Friday.
Please note that, new for this year, crew will be required to sign on. Racers and crew in invited classes can sign on once for the entire weekend; this can be done from Friday.
Calling out
Each class, including the Custom Car Invitational, will be called out from the pits to run as per a regular race event and at Dragstalgia in previous years. During the racing timetable, please do not join the pairing lanes without being called out.
Please follow our marshals' instructions at all times, including when being shown where to pit for the weekend. Pitting will be strict as we have a lot of you to fit in. Anyone who has raced at a permitted event so far this year will be aware that we are having a clampdown on pit access in 2019 – this clampdown will be in force at Dragstalgia too. For more information on that please see the news piece of 7th May here on Eurodragster.com.
Noise curfew
Please remember that race engines are not to be started before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event. The only exception to this is if we end up running on track between 20:00 and 21:00.
The full timetable for the weekend can be found at www.dragstalgia.com.
Deadline: Friday.
4th July: Close tomorrow (Friday) is the deadline for:
4th July: UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Tethys' return to the class hasn't been entirely without problems, but he says that on balance it has been positive:
At The Main Event, we struggled to get the car down the track in qualifying for one reason or another and ended up qualifying in seventh. The good news was that it all came together in the first round of eliminations, and I ran the second-quickest ET of the round. The bad news was that I was racing Liam Jones who ran the quickest ET of the round, so that was the end of the weekend. Still, I came away with new Personal Bests for both ET and speed, and was pretty happy with that. Looking at the incrementals, it was probably on course for my first three-second pass until we pushed out the head gasket, which cost us a bit a the top end.
We arrived at Tierp full of optimism, but that was soon dashed in Q1 by a pushrod failure which triggered a chain of events in which we dropped a couple of valves and threw rods out of the side of the block. You can't race a nitro car without breaking parts, but this was more than any of us wanted to see. It made for some spectacular photographs, with Stefan Boman getting the best of them, but there was a lot of damage to repair. We worked through the day, missing Q2 and on into the night. We left the track at 4:00 am to get a brief hour and a bit of sleep before returning the following morning. I can't thank my crew enough for the work they put in to get the car turned around.
We thought we were set for Q3, but in the warm-up the supercharger was getting too hot - we'd bent the rotors in Q1, so we had to swap the blower out which meant skipping the round, and it gave us one shot to qualify in Q4. Fortunately, we got in a reasonable pass to put us fifth, and we faced Stig Neergaard in the first round. That resulted in my first ever round win in Top Fuel, and Stig was enough of a gentleman not protest the win due to my front wing triggering the pre-stage bulb, for which I'm grateful. In the semi-final I lost to Micke Kågered due to two dropped cylinders, which just didn't give me enough power to catch him.
Still, despite troubled weekends at both of the meetings so far, I've come away feeling upbeat about the season. Budgetary and logistical constraints mean I can't do the full season, so I'll wish good luck to team mates Urs and Jndia in Finland, and I'm looking forward to getting back in the hot seat later in the season.
Swift snippets.
4th July: Further to Thursday's news item, Ramon van der Weurf's Wild'r at Heart Nostalgia Funny Car is now for sale on our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet. The page is now fully recovered and all ads posted after the recent server malady so take a look at this and all of the other recently-posted bargains.
We have three birthdays today. First up, a Happy Birthday and hugs to Santa Pod Racers Club official Kathy Taylor. Have a lovely day Kathy. Happy Birthday also to 6.0-second street-legal racer Andy Frost, have a great day Frosty, and finally a big Happy 18th Birthday and hugs to Erin Marrs; have a lovely day Erin.
Also on the subject of birthdays we would like to wish all of our friends and readers in the USA a Happy 4th July. Have a great day guys.
Dylan does drag racing.
4th July: Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET and VW Sportsman Racers Jon and Karen McGarrigle want to thank Santa Pod Raceway, all of the racers and everyone else who made Dylan so welcome and gave him a great experience at the STP Summernationals. "Dylan"? Read on...
We were asked to give a talk to Sunday School children at our church, which is Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Blackwood, South Wales. Dylan, who is a cuddly donkey and a biblical animal, decided that he would come to the SummerNationals and would then go back to church to tell all the children what a great time he had.
On Friday morning he went training at the local gym in readiness for his adventure where he jogged on the treadmill and lifted heavy weights.
Having arrived at Santa Pod Dylan wanted to experience everything. He had his photo taken everywhere including with the fabulous paramedics who helped Karen after she took a tumble on Friday - thank you to Bill, Chloe, Jo and Amy. Dylan also went on the Street Eliminator Cruise so a huge thank you to Nigel and Ricky Hale and all the other racers, as he had his photo taken with all the cars. In the photo below left he can be seen in one of the engine bays as assistant mechanic, checking things over.
Dylan was also a crew member/mascot for the Clueless Racing Sportsman ET team, who did so well in getting to the final on the Sunday. Driver Jane Macready is pictured with him with the runner-up trophy. Congratulations also to Dan Holloway who was the winner.
Dylan can't wait to tell the children about his weekend and is looking forward to Bug Jam to see more drag racing and explore more of Santa Pod! He has already been promised a trip up into the Tower and possibly even a ride in a fire truck!
Thank you once again to everyone for their kindness and support, which make our sport and Santa Pod so special. We hope everyone else had as much fun with Dylan as we did!
Web site updates.
4th July: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr site with a gallery from the STP Summernationals at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check out Mad's pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.
Bug Jam entry update.
2nd July: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 4 of the official entry list for Bug Jam, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-28th July (racing 27th-28th) and which is a Championship round for VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four, the European Nitro Funny Car Series (over a quarter mile), Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Outlaw Anglia, and a non-Championship round for Lucas Oil Junior Dragster.
You can check out the Bug Jam entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com. Bug Jam entry closes this Friday (5th) after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racers please bear in mind the rule that to enter Bug Jam you must either have contested an event this season, or have pre-entered an event later this season; this does not apply to VW Sportsman racers wishing to double-enter.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
Elsom's FC needs a tow.
2nd July: Anais Shepherd has been in touch seeking the help of Eurodragster.com readers to get Rob Elsom's Nostalgia Funny Car to Santa Pod for Dragstalgia. However please note that help is needed this weekend:
We need a fifth wheel pick-up truck to pull the Funny Car trailer, but we would need the owner to come to Mansfield this coming Saturday morning to pull the trailer off the drive so that we can load up and then go to to Santa Pod for Dragstalgia.
If you can help then please call or text me on 07462 886609.
Swift snippets.
2nd July: As this week's inaugural FHRA Nitro Nationals at Finland's Kauhauva approaches, our good friend Remco Scheelings has posted previews of the FIA European Championships and EDRS Pro Nordic MC Championships on the Drag Racing Europe Blog. You can check out the FIA preview by clicking here and the EDRS Pro Nordic MC preview by clicking here.
We would like to wish a big Happy Birthday with added hugs for today (Tuesday) to Podington Pea and Eurodragster.com Off-Track Photographer Diana Macrae. Have a lovely day DD.
The server issue having been fixed we have now posted all outstanding classified advertisements on our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet. Those advertisements which were held for the longest are at the top so if after a careful look you can't see an ad which you have submitted in the last couple of weeks then please re-send.
Web site updates.
2nd July: Paul Bryan has updated his Flickr gallery with 380 pictures from the STP Summernationals. You can check out Paul's great pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/paulbryan_photopedia.
Nostalgia FCs welcome.
1st July: Jonny Nilsson says that Sweden's Autoart Motorsport will be at Dragstalgia next week with plenty to check out as well as a special invitation to UK Nostalgia Funny Car racers:
I will be there with my sons Dennis and Teddy. The Autoart Motorsport trailer will support the Tre Kroner and Nitrocalypse Funny Cars. We will also be displaying Peter Lantz Racing's blower rotor cutter and piston rack and organiser, and we will have lots of new and used race parts for sale.
I will also be inviting Nostalgia FCs to the race at Tierp Arena in August, I will try to have at least two UK cars there.
Hit with the Ugly schtick.
1st July: The cheering has only just died down after UK Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator racer Andy Bond ran the class' first six-second pass at last week's STP Summernationals. Andy got in touch to tell us how he and the Ugly team got there ahead of schedule:
After returning to the track mid season last year and kicking off with a couple of wins and a runner-up end-of-season trophy we had learned enough about the Ugly Sister to know that the car was in good shape and ready to move forward in the 2019 season.
The Festival of Power was a decent meeting and, although losing out with a red light in the semis, we gleaned plenty of information and were able to rectify several small problems. We left that meeting with a solid back half performance in the bank - consistently gaining 50+ mph in the second eighth.
We were getting a handle on the MoTec system and the Doorslammers promised an opportunity to look at the short numbers but the weather had other ideas! An improvement mid track netted us a 196 mph and a glimpse at our first target, 200 mph. A few adjustments resulted in a 201 mph/7.68 backed up with a 202 mph/7.66 to take the win and the bonus of a fat cheque from Mr B - fantastic!
The pre-Main Event test day is always a great opportunity to bank data and dial into the track. We concentrated on sixty to one hundred feet and gleaned plenty of information. We dialled back for Q1 to put a good number on the board and then returned to testing. By Q5 we had sufficient data to progress and tuned to beat the 7.24 target, potentially improving our PB by 0.5 seconds. Picking up the 7.13/206 slip and breaking the Street Eliminator ET record by such a huge margin - fantastic!
Rain on Sunday meant that we were bumped. In the afternoon we enjoyed the statutory twenty eight-mile mile cruise around a wet Northamptonshire and on Monday, after waiting all day, we ran three elimination rounds in an hour and a half. The objective was to win the meeting, but the prospect of taking the ET record from Mark Todd (7.24 seconds, 2015) and the speed record from Richard Billings (208 mph, 2012) was just too tempting so a more competitive tune was put in. 7.08/209mph! We took all three - what a moment! The Ugly crew were ecstatic.
The Summernationals appears to have Ugly stamped all over it. 2017 meeting was the scene of that brush with the wall and in 2018 the Ugly Sister returned to the track. In 2019 we arrived with great expectations and made good use of the Test Day, packing in seven runs to continue testing the short numbers.
We played safe and once again dialled in a default tune to get the Q1 slot. Our game plan was to edge closer to the elusive six-second pass with the intention to bring it home at the European Finals. Now maybe it was the team momentum, our growing confidence, or sheer impatience but after an assessment of the track there was a discussion with our Crew Chief and the decision was made. Game on! 6.99/210, the first Street car in full street trim to run a six! I didn't need to see the ticket, the top end crew were going nuts with the time held high on a board - what a feeling! Such an immense achievement for the car and team.
It's been quite a ride so far, ups and downs but throughout it all we have never doubted the capability and potential of this awesome car. Huge congratulations to the Ugly crew led by the genius that is our Crew Chief Martin Kerr (Tubeworks) whose vision, patience and quiet resolve have allowed us to hit so many targets in our first full year - six-second pass, 210 mph - ten back-to-back 200+ mph passes. Full credit to ICE Automotive for the design and build of an incredible engine and for their ongoing support. Thanks to Santa Pod Raceway track staff for consistently providing a top-quality track whatever the weather.
Looking forward to the second half of the season - it seems that Ugly really is the new cool...
Swift snippets.
1st July: We have two spy pictures for you today. The first (below left) came with the words "Out in front"...
...whilst the second (above right) with the words "Skool's out for Bug Jam but The Lady will be back!". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com.
We have recently experienced a server issue which has prevented postings to the Jeff Bull Race Engines Swap Meet, but we are pleased to say that this has now been sorted out and we will catch up with outstanding submissions this evening (Monday).
Swift snippets.
30th June: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with no words. If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com.
A quick reminder that this Friday (5th) is the closing date for entry to both Bug Jam and Dragstalgia. Bug Jam entry forms are available on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc and you can enter Dragstalgia on the event's official web page at www.dragstalgia.co.uk.
The new Young Gun.
30th June: UK Comp Eliminator racer Jordan Payne took his first senior win at last weekend's STP Summernationals at Santa Pod Raceway and got in touch to tell us about it:
We made two test passes at the All Torque Test Day on the Friday to dial in the set-up of our shocks, serviced courtesy of Adam Lambert at Precision Racing Suspension. The first pass made with the car was a launch to 330 feet. The car ran a season best sixty foot time squatting hard and driving straight off the line. After servicing the car we made another run, this time a full pass running a 7.52/181, my fastest ever quarter mile pass. I was absolutely buzzing and looking forward to the day of qualifying to follow on Saturday. Thanks goes to Martin Moore for allowing us to use his accumulator on the Corvette weekend after we discovered a small issue with the function of our own during testing.
We arrived at the track early on Saturday to fuel the car with VP Racing Fuels Q16 using their all new SureCan fuel jug, before we were called into the pairing lanes for our first qualifying session. After running a new PB for me of 7.51/181 we were placed second running 0.48 seconds under our index. We remained in the number two qualifying position until the end of the day on Saturday after running a 7.52 in our second session and improving with a 7.50 on our third and final qualifying run before eliminations commenced on Sunday. It was great to meet so many first-time spectators over the weekend at Santa Pod Raceway and talk to them about my racing, my sponsors, and to educate them about our sport.
In the first round of eliminations I was paired against number five qualifier Dave Smith in his Powerflow Drag Racing Team A/A Pontiac Firebird. The Corvette drove straight and true through to a 7.49/182 and the round win! This was my first sub 7.5-second pass and my PB ET and MPH too! This race win matched me against Rene Ehrismann in the semi-finals where I won on a massive holeshot running a 7.53 with a 0.04 light. I was now in my first ever Comp Eliminator final!
In the final I was paired up against good friend and number one qualifier Andy 'Fred' Hone in his Ford Scorpio. I left the line first with a 0.07 light against Fred's 0.2. Fred moved across the track close to the left wall however I powered on through to take the event win running a 7.51/181!
Thanks goes to my super crew: Martin Chesterman; Elaine Chesterman; Kyle Chesterman; Rachael Duncan; and of course, Mum, Dad and sister Milly for all of their hard work and support during the lead up to and over the course of the event weekend. I'd also like to thank the Santa Pod crew for providing us racers with a flawless track surface to run on as well as for organising and running yet another great event. Without the gracious support of my sponsors I would not be in the position I am lucky enough to be in, competing in this sport of drag racing which I undoubtedly love! Thank you to all for their support which is greatly appreciated by the Sticky Situation Drag Racing Team: VP Racing Fuels, CTR Developments, CAM Auto Developments Ltd, Nimbus Motorsport, Fuelab, Racetech Seats, Goodridge Ltd, Torco Oil, Dart Machinery, Lifeline Fire and Safety Systems and BUA Motorsport.
Bug Jam entry update.
28th June: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 3 of the official entry list for Bug Jam, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-28th July (racing 27th-28th) and which is a Championship round for VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four, the European Nitro Funny Car Series (over a quarter mile), Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Outlaw Anglia, and a non-Championship round for Lucas Oil Junior Dragster.
You can check out the Bug Jam entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com. Bug Jam entry closes on Friday 5th July, after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racers please bear in mind the rule that to enter Bug Jam you must either have contested an event this season, or have pre-entered an event later this season; this does not apply to VW Sportsman racers wishing to double-enter.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
Johnson's back.
28th June: Thanks to Martyn Jones for bringing us an update on the condition of Super Pro ET racer Steve Johnson, who was injured when his slingshot landed from a huge wheelie at last weekend's STP Summernationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Steve has a crush fracture of the L1 vertebra. The fracture is stable and so Steve was released from Bedford Hospital on Sunday evening and is at home. It's expected to be six to eight weeks before he is completely healed. Steve is sore (particularly when the pain killers are wearing off) but able to get up and about when medicated, although he is getting more sore as the bruises are coming out.
His pick-up truck and trailer were taken back to Hampshire by Daniel Giles, and parked at Phil Hartley's. It was moved back to Steve's home on Tuesday. The chassis will have to be stripped and put on a jig to fully investigate what repairs are needed.
Steve would like to thank all of the many people who helped to get everything sorted, but is a little concerned what the bar bill will be. He also thanks everyone who has wished him a quick recovery.
See Nimbus for unleaded Fuse.
28th June: Steve Clark writes that if you need a serious unleaded fuel then Eurodragster.com sponsor Nimbus Motorsport has a range of unleaded race fuels from Fuse:
Fuse have developed a range of unleaded race fuels specifically aimed at drag racers who are used to running high-octane race fuels, but until now have been limited to leaded fuels.
Fuse HF25 unleaded has been designed for big-inch nitrous Pro Mod motors and is already being used by Pro Mod competitors in Europe and the UK. Fuse HF20 OE and HF17 are 120 octane and 117 octane fuels, which are ideal for motorcycle racers in Super Street Bike and Pro Stock Bike. Both these fuels are unleaded, with the HF20 OE being oxygenated and the HF17 non-oxygenated, and are also currently being used very successfully in the UK and Europe.
For Those racers who use E85 fuels, Fuse produce an exceptional E85 with the gasoline part based on their unleaded race fuel. This fuel also contains a corrosion inhibitor package that protects fuel system and engine components.
Nimbus Motorsport also stock Torco leaded race fuels for those racers and engine builders who prefer a leaded fuel.
For additional information take a look at www.nimbusmotorsport.com or contact Nimbus Motorsport at email@example.com or 01759 322100.
Nostalgia FCs sought for NitrOlympX.
27th June: NitrOlympX Race Director Jerry Lackey has been in touch seeking two Nostalgia Funny Cars to run at the event at Hockenheim in August.
The two FCs will be booked for the Night Show on the Saturday night but may also run in exhibition on the Sunday if time permits.
If you are interested then please get in touch with Jerry at email@example.com.
Ramon stops a-Rockin'.
27th June: Nostalgia Funny Car racer Ramon van der Weurf has announced his retirement from racing after twenty five years. His low six-second Wild'r At Heart Funny Car is to be put up for sale.
"All good things come to an end and make way for better things", Ramon told Eurodragster.com. "After a decade with the Funny Car, which has been too good to be true, it's time to quit.
"It wasn't an overnight decision. I'll be shifting my gearhead focus towards my ever-growing collection of Mopars - more than fourteen of them - which need time and work and need to be driven too. Some have been collecting dust for more than ten years because racing was the priority. Then you sacrifice other fun stuff and before you know it another year has passed. It takes dedication all year long if you want to do the racing right, and safe, and doing it right is the only way to go. That consumed a lot of time which from now on I'll be spending on my other toys and hobbies. And I'll probably build me a Nostalgia Super Stocker... shit, here we go again!
"I achieved the most possible in the sport, to the best of my ability, with a Nostalgia Funny Car which I built myself. It was a lifetime dream come true, and fulfilled to the max! Being the first European-built Nostalgia FC ten years ago, doing it the Nostalgia way. I'd like to see it from the stands - dry hops, back-up girl, etc. I tried to promote and relive those roaring 1970s, when it was the upcoming class. Mission accomplished!
"I was part of the class, it has come to life now, and that makes me damn proud!
"I also got to spend two days and six runs at Gainesville Raceway with my hero Frank Hawley, to get jump-started with confidence. I match-raced many heroes: Pat Musi (in Curacao), Ron Hope's Rat Trap and Bradfords Topolino to name a few. I was invited to be part of the NitrOlympX night show five times, great times with the Timewarp and team, many wicked times with the Supercharged Outlaws at Shakey. And I do miss Shakey with the best cacklefest! Fantastic side-by-sides with the other AA/FCs and Fuel Altereds, and probably gave them a few scratches behind their ears many times! I have attended all of the Dragstalgia events, where I made it to the final every time, and won most of them! And then some - can't beat those memories, so no complaints here!
"Am I going to miss the racing? Most definitely! A wise decision is not always the easiest one! But I'm getting plenty in return from now on. And being a racer and a fan alike, I can now take one of my rods and visit my favorite Nostalgia events all over Europe, and enjoy the show again. So, see y'all at Dragstalgia, but Bankside this time!
"It'll be for sale as a whole operation, turn-key and race-ready, with trailer and all. Pro Jacks, blower starter, laptop etc, as if I was going to an event, plus all the spares. Just fill it up and go! I'll help the lucky buyer to get sorted, and hopefully get to watch my own car roaring down the track.
"I wish to thank my team, my sponsors, my fellow racers and all my countless fans."
HARA's half-century cackle.
27th June: Half a century ago, a very special German-American friendship began on US Fliegerhorst Erlensee near Hanau when GIs raced their daily drives on the quarter mile and some Germans joined in the fun. Benni Voss writes:
The Hanau Auto Racing Association got into gear in 1969 and the Fliegerhorst was The Home of Drag Racing in Germany. These days are sadly gone since 1984, but HARA is still going strong, with racing members crowned National and FIA Champions, and others doing their best to support the sport and helping in various functions at race tracks.
For their 50th anniversary, HARA has organised a special kind of exhibition in Mainhausen, close to Hanau: a live pit area with static cackles from cars and bikes from Junior Dragster to Top Methanol and Nitro Twin. The smell of motors will mix with Bratwurst in the catering area.
The HARA Dragster Show takes place on Saturday and Sunday and is free of charge. More information can be found at www.hara-dragracing.com.
Swift snippets.
27th June: Thanks to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for passing us the post-STP Summernationals points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships and SPRC Championships. You can check out the points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Down to the wire.
27th June: The UK's Andy Dibley went into Friday's All Torque Test Day at Santa Pod Raceway with a transbrake issue and left the ensuing STP Summernationals with the event win in the Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout:
A seemingly intermitent fault on the transbrake had cost us qualifying at the Springspeed Nationals, where I left before the Tree on the only qualifier we got that weekend.
The first run of the day on Friday went well: the car seemed to leave spot on, it went nice and straight and gave us a ball park figure on the box running a 10.00. After cooling down and giving the car a once-over, we went back to the lanes and ran just before lunch. The car again seemed to leave on the button, but made a move just after the gear change. I got out of it and idled through. The third run of the day netted the same result just in the other lane, with the car making a move towards the centre line and I got out of it. Back in the pits we serviced the car and put it through scrutineering ready for qualifying on Saturday.
In the first qualifying session the car made a nice run, making a slight move, but still went 9.98 and scoring us third position. Second qualifier and we left the car set the same as the first session, hoping it would go straighter and that the move was costing us ET. Sure enough, a straighter run and we managed a 9.94. While we improved so did many others, we actually moved down to fourth in that session. In the final session at the end of the day our intermittent fault with the transbrake returned, I left before the Tree ran and got no useful data from the run. We finished qualifying in sixth place and a little annoyed that we could still have an issue.
Chatting to Dave Fulton that evening he mentioned that he had had a similar issue with his transbrake and found it to be a loose connection on the box. While going through all the wires he then found that we also had a loose connection on the transbrake circuit. Not enough to be obvious, but enough that the vibration of the two-step would very briefly break the circuit and cause the car to leave.
In next morning's eliminations I paired with Collin Morrice. Not knowing if we'd actually found the problem or not I didn't have high hopes about getting through this round. I was absolutely trounced on the start line by Collin's 0.04 light to my shameful 0.22 - the positive note was that the transbrake button actually worked! I somehow managed to just get around Collin before the line, take the stripe by 0.015 and not break out. Round one sorted, onto round two or the semis against Mark 'Chalkie' White in his Vega. A bit more practice at this Pro Tree got me a 0.11 light and another top end charge to put a wheel on Chalkie at the stripe, again taking the line by 0.032 and getting the win.
In the final I was paired with Dave Fulton, which was kind of fitting after he spent the night before helping us out with what now used to be our issue with the transbrake. The Tree ran and I pulled a 0.067 light to Dave's 0.083, after the stop came out Dave was in front of me all the way down until just before the 1000' where I somehow squeaked round him to take the line by 0.013 and get my first event win in Super Gas.
None of this would have been possible without the help of my dad Dave, Jon Morton, and Chris Ellis for help on crewing. I'd also like to thank all the other Super Gas racers and crew for making me feel welcome in the class, what a great bunch of guys and gals to race with!
Now the long wait to do it all again at the European Finals, but before then I think I might have a little play back in Sportsman ET!
A bloody Perfect weekend.
27th June: It was a suffering and depleted Capricious Modurstang Pro ET team which headed to Santa Pod Raceway for the STP Summernationals as car owner Paul Baynton had a bad back, driver Laura Baynton had a heavy cold, and Team Mum Mandy had to stay home in the absence of a dogsitter. Paul writes:
When we arrived we were grateful for the assistance of Tig and Cath Naiper to get the car off the trailer and move everything into position. They also offered a crew member to assist with pushing duties.
On Saturday morning Laura said that she was feeling a bit better but was clearly still full of cold. The first run was a red light and a 10.44 on a 10.37 dial-in. We got back and prepped the car for the second qualifier then I went into the motorhome to find a bloodbath. Laura unfortunately suffers with nose bleeds when she gets a cold and this one went on for about half an hour, fortunately stopping before we got called for the second run. aura insisted on going for the next run but there was no improvement; we were fourteenth so it all came down to the third run. We agreed on a 10.42 and we ran 10.4208, we were over the moon. Not only number one qualifier but we also took the Perfect ET award, thanks Eurodragster.com and Twister Race Team.
On Sunday Laura's reward was a bye in the first round. No problem, we thought. Pulled round for the burnout and the carb flashed back requiring a squirt of the fire extinguisher. Engine restarted and burnout completed. We dialled in 10.40 and ran a 10.3858 so that gave us a good guide for round two. It warmed up a bit so we pushed the dial in back a bit to 10.42 for the match up against Elaine Hancock in her altered, almost a heads-up race as Elaine dialled in 10.47. Laura cut a 0.04 light and ran 10.4155 and took the win, breaking out by the lesser amount.
Round 3 was another Capri match-up with Neil Hunter and a repeat of the first round burnout with another carb fire. The Capri restarted but that was clearly not ideal to put the driver in a relaxed frame of mind. We dialled in 10.41. Laura was obviously cross with the red she pulled, running a 10.33 which was our quickest run of the weekend.
Considering how we both were feeling at the weekend we were very happy with the result. Thanks go to Tig and Cath, Andrew Roo Hudson and everyone else who assisted over the weekend. Thanks to Eurodragster.com for the £50 Perfect ET award supported by Twister Race Team, which has given Laura some more spending money as she is currently on holiday in Turkey (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed).
We've now got a couple of months to sort out the carb fire issues before the European Finals.
Spinner coming back, again.
27th June: Nigel Taylor says that the legendary Detroit Spinner will be back again in 2020 and that you can get involved:
This Ford Prefect was bought for £20 by Arthur Bonner back in 1974. He fitted her up with a Pontiac 400 engine and in the 1970s raced at Blackbushe, Long Marston and Santa Pod. The Detroit Spinner was built in a shed at the bottom of Arthur's garden and he became a very well-known and -liked figure at drag racing events as well as in his local village . Arthur campaigned the car for many years but unfortunately took a tumble at the top end of Avon Park in the mid-1980s and ended up rebuilding the chassis and many other components before coming back out again.
In the early 1990s Arthur stood the car up then twenty years later I and a staggering fifty five sponsors came back not only with the car but with Arthur back behind the wheel! We campaigned the car at Nostalgia events for another four years before selling it to Steve Summer.
Steve unfortunately cannot complete all the work which he had started and has had to sell the car. Welcome Jordan Kinghorn, the new owner and driver of the Spinner since March of this year. Jordan hopes to carry out a winter rebuild on the Spinner finishing off all of Steve's good work including the 496 Big Block Chevy. The TH400 may get replaced with a two-speed Powerglide with a transbrake if funds allow.
If you or anyone you know, or any company would like to get name on the back of the Spinner, £50 sponsorship will seal that deal and you will be kept up to date with all updates on the car and obviously welcome to be involved closer to the action in the pit etc. Find out more on the new updated Facebook page The return of the Detroit Spinner 2020.
Ålund's ups and downs.
27th June: Jimmy Ålund is staying busy this year, racing the full schedule for two FIA Championship classes, Pro Modified and Pro Stock, most recently at the Tierp Internationals on 6th-9th June.
In Pro Modified, electrical issues and driveline problems led to a less than satisfactory qualifying sessions for The Old 51, including not coming out for Q3. Jimmy was not still not qualified to race in eliminations after Q4 but the team hit it good in the fifth and last qualifying round, ending up as the #5 qualifier in a strong twenty two-car field.
Eliminations started fine with a win in the first round, moving into the quarter finals, but another electrical gremlin put an end to the weekend as The Old 51 could not be repaired in time for E2.
"We've had better weekends", says Jimmy. "This one will be filed under 'F for forget'. The positive thing is that we've cleared some technical hurdles and the whole team is raring to go to Finland and follow up on our win there last year with a victory also this year."
Pro Stock qualifying went very well with five solid rounds. Although Jimmy ended up in the #2 spot, he collected thirteen of the fifteen available qualifying bonus points and had the best speed in every round.
The consistent performance continued into Sunday's eliminations. Jimmy won E1 with the event top speed of 341.34 kmh (212.09 mph), won the semis with a 6.57/340.48 (211.56 mph), and took the event win against #1 qualifier Michael Malmgren.
"This was a very good weekend for the team and the Summit Racing Camaro", says Jimmy. "The guys gave me a good car and it was up to me to do them proud. A tough racing crowd as usual, the competition in Pro Stock this season is as tight as it can be."
Jimmy left Tierp as the leader in FIA Pro Stock and in sixth place in the FIA Pro Modified standings. The next race is the FHRA Nitro Nationals, on the new track in Kauhava, Finland, on 5th-7th July.
Summit Racing Equipment is sponsoring both the Old 51 Pro Mod car and the Ålund Pro Stock Camaro this year. This is in addition to Viking Industrimålning, Sverigedemokraterna, KB Racing, Camaroskroten, All American AB and Stigs Axle and Parts. Jimmy Ålund Racing is very grateful for the continuing support from such great companies.
European Top Gas Round 2 review.
27th June: Herman Jolink writes that the second round of the 2019 European Top Gas Series took place over the quarter mile at Gardermoen Raceway in Norway on 14th-15th June:
The track was very, very good - Jorg Lymant set a new record of 7.383 seconds on his 2622 V-Twin - and the best organisation. We had three qualifying runs on Friday and two on Saturday. Qualifying:
E1: Lymant 7.394/284 bye, Strom 8.443/249 def. Schleichert 10.022/216, Schack 7.517/259 bye run (Niklas broke), Jensen 8.224/223 def. Larsson 12.945/129, Hormann 9.279/218 def. Malmberg 8.866/0232 (new Personal Best for Hormann), Menzi and Godske broke, Jolink 8.508/240 def. Miettinen 9.594/220 (new Personal Best for Jaakko).
E2: Lymant 7.460/281 bye, Strom 8.425/246 bye, Jensen 8.335/256 def. Hormann 9.451/215, Jolink 8.525/241 bye.
E3: Lymant 7.460/280 def. Strom 8.477/242, Schack 7.534/267 def. Jensen 8.500/251, Jolink 8.669/238 bye.
E4: Lymant 7.965/210 bye (trying a different clutch set-up), Schack 7.479/274 def. Jolink 8.495/243.
Final: Fredrik Schack Denmark 7.474/269 def. Jorg Lymant Germany 7.548/283 DQ red light.
European Top Gas Series Championship points:
27th June: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr site with a gallery from the pre-Retro Show Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check out Mad's pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.
Drew Irvine's first visit to Santa Pod Raceway since 2009, for the FIA/FIM Main Event, has resulted in a number of great on- and off-track shots. You can take a look at an.drewirvine.photo/Automotive/2019-Santa-Pod-Raceway-The-Main-Event.
Paul Lister's DragCarAnon photo site has a new address and can now be found at www.paullister.zenfolio.com. Paul has updated the site with a gallery from the FIA/FIM European Finals.
Bug Jam entry update.
26th June: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 2 of the official entry list for Bug Jam, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-28th July (racing 27th-28th) and which is a Championship round for VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four, the European Nitro Funny Car Series (over a quarter mile), Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Outlaw Anglia, and a non-Championship round for Lucas Oil Junior Dragster.
You can check out the Bug Jam entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com. Bug Jam entry closes on Friday 5th July, after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racers please bear in mind the rule that to enter Bug Jam you must either have contested an event this season, or have pre-entered an event later this season; this does not apply to VW Sportsman racers wishing to double-enter.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
VP Racing Fuels for Kauhava.
26th June: Simo Patoharju writes that Specialty Engineering/VP Racing Fuels Finland will supply VP fuels to the FHRA Nitro Nationals at Kauhava on 4th-7th July:
Motorsport 109 and C85 fuels are available in 5 gallon pails and 15 gallon drums, M1 and M5 methanol in 5 gallon pails. Handy plastic 5 gallon VP fuel jugs, for easy refuelling, are also available. Please be sure to show the VP Racing Fuels decals on your car/bike to be eligible for the contingency pay-outs; decals will be available at our 'little fuel shop' at track.
Please place your orders by E-Mail at race(at)speceng.fi by next Tuesday, 2nd July.
See you at Kauhava!
STP Summernationals timing data.
26th June: Thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us the official timing data from the the STP Summernationals, which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. As well as the UK records which we detailed on Monday, Marrs tells us that the following track records were set:
Street Eliminator ET: Andy Bond 6.9993 mph
Street Eliminator speed: Andy Bond 210.92 mph
Outlaw Anglia speed: Simon Barlow 194.63 mph
Competition Bike speed: Eric Richard 204.23 mph
You can check out the new records on Marrs' table of UK and European Bests by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Swift snippets.
26th June: Thanks to Howard Holmes for letting us know that the date of the York Raceway Revival has been changed to 3rd-4th August.
Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street Machine magazine including bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers. You can check it out by clicking on the images above.
STP Summernationals results.
24th June: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's STP Summernationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Motorsport UK Pro Modified: Marck Harteveld 6.0411/238.60 def. Kev Slyfield 6.2243/231.68
Secret Worx Comp Eliminator: Jordan Payne (7.99) 7.5111/182.78 def. Andy Hone (7.99) 10.1498/87.35
Hydrahose/Alders Automatics Super Pro ET: Brad Jackson (7.67) 7.6812/173.67 def. Dave Fulton (8.99) 8.9370/150.05 DQ b/o
Modurstang Pro ET: Neil Hunter (9.82) 9.8678/136.85 def. Lee Huxley (9.62) 9.6225/139.45 DQ red
Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET: Dan Holloway (16.10) 16.2272/77.20 def. Jane McCready (15.80) 15.6026/82.86 DQ b/o
Phoenix Personnel Super Comp: Leah Kellett 8.9043/166.06 def. Paul Hudson 8.8703/167.90 DQ b/o
Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout: Andy Dibley 9.8910/145.30 def. Dave Fulton 9.8875/145.71 DQ b/o
Lucas Oil Junior Dragster: Matthew Dowdy (8.30) 8/2530/78.27 def. Purdie Hadfield (7.93) 7.9480/81.23 DQ red
Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator: Andy Bond 7.0682/208.87 def. Joe Stevens 8.2527/172.40
VW Pro: Graham Fairhead (12.10) 12.2357/101.85 def. Alex Knott (12.10) 12.9598/98.83
VW Sportsman: Paul Saroch (15.75) 16.2070/74.05 def. Jake Belton (14.40) 16.3186/85.21
Wild Bunch: Phil James (9.31) 9.3072/141.62 def. Callum Swinchatt (8.90) 8.8904/146.75 DQ b/o
Outlaw Anglia: Simon Barlow 7.5777/176.41 def. Colin Millar 7.8068/188.21
NEM Plant Ltd Nostalgia Super Stock: Rick Denny (11.10) 11.0925/123.41 def. Nic Williams (9.76) 9.7486/132.94 DQ red
Funny Bike: Eric Richard 6.6637/204.23 def. Kars van den Belt 8.4478/105.79
Taylor's Trophy Super Street Bike: Graham Balchin 7.0125/204.19 def. Rick Stubbins 7.3424/200.78
Comp Bike: Margot Schmidt 7.4009/192.24 def. Louis Davies 7.5015/174.42
NMCN 8.50 Bike: Jay Roe 8.6524/140.25 def. Alan Morrison 8.5686/150.59
9.50 Bike: Richard Sawatzki 9.4906/131.42 def. Martin Hallett 9.4865/135.22 DQ b/o
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Supertwin Top Gas: Les Harris 9.7811/129.79 def. Michael Gooding 10.0500/126.65
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike: Phil Pratt (9.06) 9.0905/141.13 def. Harrison Brown (9.50) 9.6805/138.59
In Posterum Junior Drag Bike: Liam Holgate (8.29) 8.3386/78.98 def. Meggie Talbot (9.56) 9.7157/68.03
Subject to official ratification the following records were set, including the first six-second pass in Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator. Congratulations to:
Street Eliminator ET: 6.999 seconds, Andy Bond
Street Eliminator speed: 210.92 mph, Andy Bond
Funny Bike ET: 6.651 seconds, Eric Richard
Super Street Bike speed: 212.89 mph, Steve Venables
Congratulations also to Lucas Oil Junior Dragster racer Harley Jay Darby and Modurstang Pro ET Racer Laura Baynton who won the Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team respectively. Both Awards have been reset to £50 for Bug Jam, although there will be a one-off non roll-over Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award at Dragstalgia.
Best wishes to Hydrahose/Alders Automatics Super Pro ET racer Steve Johnson who suffered an injury to his lower back on touchdown from a huge wheelie.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored STP Summernationals reports, results and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. A big Thank You to photographers Callum Pudge and Diana Macrae for their hard work over the weekend.
Norfolk no-prep.
20th June: John Murray of Street Fighter Productions says that all are welcome to eighth-mile no-prep drag racing at Tibenham Airfield in Norfolk, UK.
"The runway which we use is a mile long and 56 metres wide", John told Eurodragster.com. "We run eighth-mile, flag start, flag finish, untimed racing. There are no noise restrictions! The surface is tarmac, unprepped for now, there are no obstacles on the track and there is grass or corn field either side. Spectators are welcome and we have a licence for trackside betting."
Facilities for racers and spectators include Norfolk's top track marshal and his wife providing fire and first aid cover. Camping is available the night before an event and the facility has a new shower block and toilets, a cafe with inside and outside seating and a licenced bar. High-octane fuel is available for £1.80 a litre. "We sweep the track before and after an event, and the airfield love us for it!", said John.
Tibenham is an active airfield, hosting a gliding club, and tends to be busier at weekends so race events are held on Fridays. Dates so far for this season are Fridays:
28th June
19th July
23rd August
20th September
18th October
Other events may be added over the winter months and given demand it may be possible to arrange weekend dates on future Bank Holidays.
"The pits are very friendly", said John. "We won't have any snobbery or people criticising others."
At the last event Ron Atikson took a prize pot of £160 after participants agreed to put money into a bucket.
"We have had one complaint from neighbours so far", said John, "and that was because we didn't put a sign outside saying it was on. They wanted to come to see it!".
Event entry is £30 for unlimited runs, payable in advance by PayPal to email@example.com. Spectators £10, under-14s free, camping is £5.
Tibenham Airfield is not far off the A140, postcode NR16 1NT (map). You can find out more on the Street Fighter Productions Facebook page.
As one Tour closes...
20th June: After a very challenging and successful series of events in the USA with Nic Williams' '69 Camaro, which included the US Nationals and the 50th Gatornationals, the car has finally arrived back in the UK in time for this weekend's STP Summer Nationals. This is not, however, the end of the end of the US story for the UK's Williams Bros Racing team:
Nic's car may be back, but Dan's '69 Nova has been fully prepared and updated and, after testing at the Main Event, is now on its way over the Pond ready to continue the team's racing endeavours. As part of a lot of forward planning last year the team purchased a second hand trailer which, along with the bargain basement Dually, has enabled the costs to be kept right down. Thanks to family and friends the truck and trailer has been kept safe whilst not in use. As with all racing, plans can change but Dan will definitely be flying the flag for the UK at the US Nationals, the Dutch Classic and next year's Gatornationals with the Tour starting at the Lucas Oils Division 3 event at Indy on 5th-7th July.
We learnt a huge amount racing in the USA last year, made a lot of friends - or should that be rivals - and Dan cannot wait to carry on with the Unfinished Business Tour. Nic will act as Crew Chief for Dan at the first event, then the team will expand as the events get bigger with Lorne Denny, Keith Williams, James Oliver and Guy King all joining in at various races. As with Nic's car, Dan's will be extremely competitive; we are not going out there to make up the numbers.
Once again massive thanks to our new and continuing sponsors. We will of course update you once all are confirmed. We will be updating our Facebook pages regularly and of course sending Eurodragster.com a news story after each event. Wish us luck....
Nigel's gift to Nostalgia fans.
20th June: Longtime fan Nigel Stack has been in touch to point us to his fantastic collection of historical pictures from Santa Pod Raceway, Avon Park as it then was, and York Raceway, the fruit of several hours of scanning.
The spectator- and pitside pictures start in the 1970s and feature every UK big name and every legendary vehicle of which you've ever heard and/or wished was still around.
You can take a look by clicking here or by clicking on the picture at left.
Swift snippets.
20th June: Frans Steilberg asked us to say a big Happy Birthday to UK Tech Crew legend Geoff Martin. Our pleasure, have a great day Geoff.
Accelerate that Bloodwise total.
20th June: Derek Flynn of Eurodragster.com sponsor Accelerate Your Marketing writes that the Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure campaign has and will hopefully continue to accelerate donations for Bloodwise, not just of money but of blood and stem cells:
We have raised over £1500 that we know of so far. Obviously we are encouraging readers, racers, team members and fans to donate directly to Bloodwise by clicking on the logos and links provided by Eurodragster.com, Accelerate Your Marketing Ltd and Gold RV web sites. The funds raised by the drag race community as a whole for Bloodwise have been fantastic, let's keep it going every penny helps them to beat blood cancers.
As if that was not enough Derek decided that he should encourage racers and others that we should give blood and to ensure that our net blood given against blood taken is positive: sometimes us racers break more than just our cars or bikes, and our sport should not just take from the National Blood Bank but contribute to it. We have been asking for one team member from any team to Give Blood for your Team, and while you are giving blood you might like to think about asking about stem cell donation or at least register that you would consider it. If a match can be found with someone then you might get a call which could literally save someone's life... and maybe others, as they will freeze what they do not use. I am so pleased to say that this is also accelerating with dozens of you telling me us you already have or are going to give blood, I even received a picture of the actual event from Andy Flav, thanks Andy!
Thank you everyone who has got behind this campaign, please let's keep it going.
There are now literally far too many people to name them all here but special thanks to all at Eurodragster.com (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed), the Santa Pod marshals, Trakbak Racing, John Clark, Fiona Flynn, Ian Marshall and Santa Pod Racers Club, pit marshals, Signing On crew, Peter Walters of PWRD and all the Walters family, Les and Tara Harris, Benzy, and many many more. Thank you one and all.
We are planning on making this weekend's Summernationals, and we shall be bringing up Tilly the Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Super Twin Top Gasser ridden by co-owner Les Harris, so you will be able to find us in the bike pits. As class sponsors for both STTG and ET Bike we have been provided with VIP hospitality to watch the qualifying and racing on Saturday. Good luck to all Super Pro ET racers competing for the Accelerate For a Cause and a Cure #1 Qualifier.
To all my racing buddies, be quick be fast but most of all be safe. See you at the Pod.
If you would like to find out more about blood or stem cell donation, or if you would like to donate, then you can find the Bloodwise web site at www.bloodwise.org.uk.
Bug Jam entry update.
19th June: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 1 of the official entry list for Bug Jam, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-28th July (racing 27th-28th) and which is a Championship round for VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four, the European Nitro Funny Car Series (over a quarter mile), Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Outlaw Anglia, and a non-Championship round for Lucas Oil Junior Dragster.
You can check out the Bug Jam entry list by clicking here. Bug Jam entry closes on Friday 5th July, after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racers please bear in mind the rule that to enter Bug Jam you must either have contested an event this season, or have pre-entered an event later this season; this does not apply to VW Sportsman racers wishing to double-enter.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at email@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
STP Summernationals snippet.
19th June: Further to yesterday's news item, bike racers please note that this Friday's scrutineering session at Santa Pod commences at 16:30 with no specific order. We have updated the text of yesterday's piece.
Dragstalgia gets Funnier.
19th June: James Forster of Santa Pod Raceway writes that with just under a month left to Dragstalgia the line-up is beginning to take shape:
Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted the addition of a couple of Scandinavian Nostalgia Funny Cars to the Cannonball class, one of which has been here before, some time ago! After a recent outing at Tierp Arena, Tobba Jansson will be making the trip across the North Sea with his Nitrocalypse Corvette Funny Car in the company of Erik Wallinder and the iconic Tre Kronor Plymouth Arrow.
The original Tre Kronor car began life as Ed McCulloch's famous Revellution, which became the American Home Shield flopper. Knut Söderqvist purchased the car and had it re-branded as Tre Kronor before shipping it to Europe with Harlan Thompson as driver. The combination was an immediate winner as Harlan won the 1980 World Finals in the car on only his second appearance at Santa Pod and the rest, as they say, is history.
Johnny Nilsson commissioned the replica car and duly put Harlan in the hot seat once again in 2009. Since then, the car has made a few outings with various drivers such as Leif Helander, Stig Neergard and Johnny's son Dennis. Now, ten years on from the replica's début, we're pleased to report that 2019 is the year that we've finally managed to organise a return trip to the Pod with the Tre Kronor but this time it'll be driven by the current owner Erik Wallinder. We wish Erik all the best at Dragstalgia but we know that the current crop of European Nostalgia Funny Car drivers will be queuing up to show him what the back of their cars look like!
The two Cannonball entries however, are not the only vehicles to be making the trip from Sweden for this year's event. We are very pleased to report that Janne Johansson will once again be bringing his incredible display along to the event, this time with a different car in the line-up. As well as the stunning Pisano & Matsubara Monza and the 240 Gordie Bubble Up Trans Am, amongst others, Janne will be bringing Jungle Jim Liberman's restored Vega Funny Car. A chance to view such a car up close and personal will, for many, be worth the cost of admission alone. We've seen the car in Janne's workshop in Sweden and we can tell you that it really is the real deal.
All of this is without even mentioning the host of race classes with entries from across Europe that are preparing for one of the highlights on the calendar. To anyone that's planning on racing please be aware that entries close on Friday 5th July but please don't leave it until the last minute, get your entries in now!
New for 2019 is the expansion of the Vintage Hub area, located on the bank side of site, which features a proper home for the popular beer festival (hurrah!), an expanded Vintage Fair and a new stage with live music throughout the day and into the evening. Whilst Dragstalgia will always be about the cars, who doesn't like to have a good boogie when they're letting their hair down for the weekend?
Dragstalgia takes place on 12th-14th July. View the full line-up, entry list and get your tickets at www.dragstalgia.co.uk.
We'll see you there!
No Prep and Nomads.
19th June: No Prep, Street Outlaw style, Heads Up, Flashlight start, no time no speed eighth-mile drag racing arrives for the first time at Elvington on 27th July. Paul Marston writes:
No Prep is hosted by Straightliners at the ever popular Ten of the Best event. Elvington reportedly has the best No Prep surface in the country, and we are expecting all the heavy hitters to be there. The entry has been filling up fast, but there are still some spots left, just contact us direct through the No Prep Drag Racing Facebook page, E-Mail email@example.com, or call me on 07831 650230.
The event will be done in a day. Prize money will be cash as usual £1500 subject to a sixteen-car entry. There will be two test hits then into eliminations, names out of the hat, call-outs allowed first round only.
Once this is won and done then, courtesy of Howard Holmes, we will have the Nomad Street Racer Shootout, so any cars which can make it as street cars are eligible to then compete in the Shootout. Details can be found on the Nomads Facebook page. There will be a small entry fee.
No Prep is no rules, outlaw drag racing, other than safety and in this case a 105 DB noise limit. You can bring as much as you can find. No weight limit, no cubic inch limit, no power adder limit... blown, turbo, Nitrous kits, Procharged, bring it all!
As mentioned earlier this is filling up fast so if you are coming let us know today, don't delay!
STP's return to Santa Pod.
19th June: Santa Pod Raceway are proud to announce a brand-new partnership with STP, the well-known automotive care brand. STP will be the main title sponsor for the 2019 National Championship STP Sportsman Series which includes three events:
Paul Hough, UK and Nordic Sales Director for STP, stated "There is a strong alignment between our two brands so it was a logical decision for us to get involved. We are very excited to increase STP's presence in motorsport within the United Kingdom and beyond to build on our rich history in racing."
STP is a trusted brand in the automotive care industry and has long been synonymous with car racing. From the début of the STP Special race car at the Indianapolis 500 in 1969, to NASCAR and the iconic No. 43 Ford, the Petty Blue and Day-Glo Red colours of STP have passed many a chequered flag to forge a strong heritage within motorsports.
STP Summernationals racer update.
18th June: Many thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding us details of the arrangements for this weekend's Springspeed Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Friday 21st June
08:00 Gates open for the duration of the event
10:00 Signing On office opens
10:00 Car scrutineering commences, no specific order
16:30 Bike scrutineering commances, no specific order
18:45 Signing On office closes
Saturday 22nd June
07:00 Signing On office opens
07:00 Car scrutineering commences: sign-on/scrutineering details
07:00 Bike scrutineering commences: sign-on/scrutineering details
09:30 Track opens for qualifying
Sunday 23rd June
07:30 Signing On office opens
07:30 Car scrutineering opens
07:30 Bike scrutineering opens
09:30 Track opens for eliminations
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other reason deemed necessary by race officials.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event, which in this context includes Friday. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes, to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards.
Swift snippets.
18th June: We have a birthday in the extended team today: a big Happy Birthday to Kay, aka Mrs Tog, one of the powers behind the throne... all of whom seem to be female now that we think about it.
NitrOlympX entry update.
17th June: NitrOlympX Race Director Jerry Lackey tells us that entry is open for the race at Hockenheim on 16th-18th August.
Invitation, entry forms and other information are now available at www.tw-sportsoft.de/NitrOlympX_2019, but racers should please note the following:
All NEAFP Open/Sportsman class cars Autos and EU Open Sportsman class Bikes will be limited-entry. As in the past, a minimum of two time slips from 2019 must be submitted with each entry form in all Sportsman classes, both cars and bikes.
Please follow all of the information and instructions in the Racers' Information and submit your entries in a timely manner.
We look forward to greeting all of the familiar and new racers and their families to our event.
STP Summernationals Perfect Awards.
17th June: £100 is up for grabs at this weekend's STP Summernationals courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors.
This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by Super Pro ET racer Ian Brown at the FIA/FIM Main Event. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available to racers in all classes during qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has also been reset to £50 after it was won by Pro ET racer Al Platt at the FIA/FIM Main Event. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at the event to tun +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available this weekend to racers in Hydrahose/Alders Automatics Super Pro ET, Modurstang Pro ET, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Phoenix Personnel Super Comp, Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only), NEM Plant Ltd Nostalgia Super Stock, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, the WIld Bunch, NMCN 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike and In Posterum Junior Drag Bike, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Andy Hadfield of the Twister Race Team.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
Web site updates.
17th May: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr site with a gallery from the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals and a gallery of off-track shots from the Doorslammers. You can check out Mad's pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.
FAO UK racers: Race car log books.
16th June: Phil Kenyon of the UK's Tech Crew writes that UK race car log books issued prior to 1st January 2000 will expire on 31st December 2020 and will need to be replaced with a Vehicle Passport:
If your car runs on the track in a non road-legal state (including slicks), you need a Vehicle Passport or Log Book; see current Motorsport UK Blue Book section J.
To apply for a Vehicle Passport at a Motorsport UK permit event the owner must bring the car, a completed application form, and payment in cash to the Scrutineering Bay by the finish line at Santa Pod Raceway. The fee is currently Ł44 (see blue book page 4). Forms and guidance can be found on the Motorsport UK web site at www.motorsportuk.org / Resource Centre / Technical: Car. If you are unsure about anything then leave it blank and we can complete it when processing your form.
Photos can be brought on a USB stick or E-Mailed to firstname.lastname@example.com. The title of your email should be PP PHOTOS followed by your surname and competition number, for example PP PHOTOS Bloggs A/A 1234. Please send the email before bringing your car.
For obvious reasons, we are unable to process applications during initial scrutineering; please bring your car at a less busy time such as during eliminations or later rounds of qualifying.
York Raceway's gates reopen.
16th June: Howard Holmes writes that the Nomad Drag Racing Club is thrilled to announce that Straightliners are creating an event at York Raceway on Sunday 30th June:
Straightliners don't stand still, they keep moving forward and making progress. Straightliners have seized the opportunity to help enthusiasts to go drag racing again at non-permanent no-prep venues across the country.
Where hope had all but disappeared for York Raceway, there is now a real opportunity to make a fresh start. This is more than a reunion, this is progress, although it's not ideal - not just yet.
For this first event, there will be a single eighth-mile track, which will start near the old finish line and head towards the old start line. This kind of symbolises the change, and a new and fresh approach. There will be a Christmas Tree and Tag Heuer timing equipment. It will be a proper job, as far as it can be, for now.
Since the Church Fenton event on 29th-30th June had to be cancelled, many were left scratching their heads and rubbing their helmets wondering what to do. So, the York Raceway Revival event is the perfect antidote.
"We really want the event to attract massive support to start a new era for York Raceway, and to prove the viability to resurrect the venue", said a Nomad DRC spokesman. "For now, we make do and repair", added Straightliners' Trevor Duckworth. "The next objective will be side-by-side eighth-mile tracks, and then the quarter mile. Money made will be going back into the track,"
"We now have the opportunity to prove that drag racing should re-start at York Raceway, and can progress into becoming a successful and viable venue and a great place to race, participate and spectate" adds the man from Nomad DRC.
Stay in touch, search York Raceway Revival and Nomad DRC on Facebook.
Remembering John Woolfe.
14th June: Dave Riswick writes to ask Eurodragster.com readers to reflect upon the fifieth anniversary of a tragic incident which completely changed sponsor John Woolfe Racing forever:
On 14th June 1969 John fatally crashed his 917 Porsche in the first lap of the 37th Grand Prix of Endurance held at Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France and the fate of what would happen next was held in the balance.
When the French flag was dropped indicating the start of the twenty four-hour race John ran across the track, jumped into his new 917 Porsche sports car, and headed out with forty one other drivers in contention.
Near the end of the first lap while negotiating the notorious White House bend esses, John got two wheels on the grass verge and lost control. The Porsche spun and hit the bank on the opposite side of the track. He was thrown from the car and died from his injuries. John's accident caused the traditional Le Mans start to be forever abolished, the following year as most drivers would start the race without fastening their seat belts to save precious time at the start of the event. John was no exception and it was felt that this may have contributed to his death.
He was only 37, a tragic end for so many whom he touched with his gentleman kindness.
To highlight John's career is to write a book about all the things he accomplished. But let's just concentrate on John's keen interest in drag racing. Almost from the start back in the early 60s he was exposed to the elements of acceleration and the sport of drag racing: he drove many high-powered race cars in Sprints, Hill Climbs, and Speed events long before there was such a place to call the home of drag racing.
From the late 50s and up to the middle of the 60s John had competed with C, D and E type Jaguars, Lola Elvas and TVR Granturas, and by 1967 had graduated to the big stuff in the form of the now-legendary AC Cobras. He found the Brighton Speed Trials the ideal setting to exhibit the raw power of these British hybrids by entering not one but two of the famous seven-litre Holman and Moody versions in the annual event which took place along the promenade known as the Madeira Drive on the Brighton sea front. John's Le Mans-prepared Shelby Cobras took Fastest Time of Day and Second Fastest Time of day.
The next stop was Santa Pod's Last Chance Meeting in early October. This was the day when John came across the sport of drag racing and it bit him hard, especially when he was shut down by a Small Block Chevy. That Chevy was Mark Stratton's Hustler altered, driven on the day by Kenneth Blake from Texas, one of the three Americans in Mark's drag racing team who was from Upper Heyford, a nearby American NATO base.
John was hooked, so much so that he offered to sponsor the Hustler team and in doing so he provided the latest Chevrolet 427 L-88 V8 engine to replace the small 283. The intention was to enter the Hustler in the 1968 Brighton Speed Trials, but not before Mark won the 1968 Super Eliminator Trophy at Santa Pod's National Championships a week earlier. However, at Brighton, John experienced clutch problems and retired the car. In spite of the setback he knew the potential was there.
This was a major influence in the sport in the late 60s. While campaigning his V8-powered sports cars around Europe John had engaged Mark to construct a twin-engine V8 Chevrolet Dragster for entry in the ISO's World Speed Records Weekend held at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire in the Fall of '68. With this John established an outright World Record for the Standing Start Quarter Mile for the over 8 litre class.
The results intensified John's passion for drag racing and he encouraged the Hustler team to go to work on one of the very first Funny Cars to be raced in the UK. This took the form of a Reliant Scimitar GTE powered by that famous L-88 V8 and was placed in the hands of Dennis Priddle. But John had passed away before he could see Dennis win his first Championship.
In the weeks following John's untimely death, the late Arnold Burton set the bar for me to follow. It was at this point, along with the support of Arnold, that I took on the responsibility of honouring John's intentions and ambitions with drag racing.
More than fifty years on and John Woolfe Racing continues to fly the flag in John's honour, supporting and encouraging the sport. With this thought many drag racers and fans alike have felt the good John Woolfe placed on the sport. May we take a moment to reflect?
First of the 2020 calendars.
14th June: Artist Paul Whitehouse says that he has often been asked if he has considered producing a calendar of his drag racing paintings and is now soliciting expressions of interest for a 2020 calendar:
The image shows a sample which I have had made so that I can get an idea of overall size and quality. This is A3 and wall hanging and features some of my paintings of Nostalgia Funny Cars, Altereds and Fuellers. Images for each month are the Apache FC, Pure Hell Altered, Thunderbird, Bradford Altered, Chi Town Hustler FC, Olavi Knuutinen FC, Bubblegum Capri FC, Tudor Rose, Venom FC, Mr Revell, The Hawaiian and my latest piece featuring Michael 'Doc Stinger' Mugrauer's '71 Dodge Challenger FC.
If there is enough interest then I'm planning on getting this organised towards the end of this year and release as a calendar for 2020. Please register interest via E-Mail at firstname.lastname@example.com or mobile 07432 564110, so that I can get an idea of numbers.
For details of all my drag racing paintings, prints and commission details please visit my web site at www.paulwhitehouseart.com.
Kauhava: All you need to know.
13th June: A big Thank You to Esko Raisvuo for sending us a definitive guide to Kauhava in Finland, the site of the FHRA Nitro Nationals, the next FIA and FIM European Championship rounds:
Kauhava is located on the west side of central Finland. The track is located 2 km from railway station and town services (shops, fuel etc) are available within a mile. Seinäjoki town is 40 km away and Lapua Village is in between. It is easy to find hotels or B&B places if you spend few moments on booking websites.
The picture at www.lskbusinesspark.fi is old so doesn't show the track.
Racers should reckon the following time for driving from ferries, or from the north of Sweden, including breaks:
From closest north Sweden border: 6 hours
Naantali (from Kapellskär Finnlink ferry): 5 hours
Turku (from Stockholm ferry): 5 hours
Hanko: (from German freight ferries): 7 hours
Helsinki area: (from Estonian, German and Swedish ferries): 6 hours
Southern Russian border stations: 7 hours
The most convenient flights to try to find are to Helsinki and Tampere airports.
Car rental is bit expensive due to high taxes, but reasonable if you want do road trips to see other places. Most lakes in Finland have public beaches if you look or ask the wild local natives. I can compile advice and tips on other places, what to see in Finland, if anyone wants to know about holiday activities. One of biggest northern amusement parks, the Power Park, is about 20 km from the track. It's a very good idea to spend extra days in area, especially if you have kids, and the owners are actively helping us.
Trains travel from Helsinki to Kauhava in three to four hours. It's holiday season, so I suggest pre-booking at www.vr.fi.
The Lentohotelli (flight hotel) is probably already fully booked, at least for the better rooms. I believe there is still a chance for B&B.
You can find the invitation at www.dragracing.eu and the entry forms at www.dragracing.eu/event_details.asp?id=481.
The track itself is now fully finished. The first eighth mile has 80 cm barriers and the rest one metre.
The burnout area, start line and out to sixty feet are concrete. The rest is special asphalt created for this project and for the future. Traction has been pretty consistent and great so far.
FHRA and Tierp Arena's track crew will take care of preparation. Good traction and rapid clean-ups.
We have full 24/7 security and first aid in area.
There should be a stable electrical network at the Nitro Nationals. It is an ex-Air Force base so just the local network to expand.
The law now allows adults to drink in separate grandstand area with commercial service. The pit area already has its own bar. At night we offer the Hangar Club, where about 2000 people can easily have good time inside.
The camping area can host an unlimited number of caravans and tents. More or less commercial management, by the site owners. Again, as it is ex-military, there plenty of showers, sauna and catering areas available. Real food at good prices, and teams can pre-order full catering straight to their pits. Teams can also pre-order private portable toilets. The race traveller who has a few extra clothes, tent etc needs no more than an open, happy mind, a pocketful of cash and everything is sorted. The track site has everything. Card payments work fine.
Finland has good 4G wireless throughout, I don't believe there are any big drops in performance.
Please address VIP enquiries to www.lentohotelli.fi; officials, media etc, please contact www.fhra.fi. Media accreditation is available at www.fhra.fi/median-akkreditoituminen-kisoihin.
Advance tickets at a discount are available at www.tiketti.fi/nitro-nationals-2019-lsk-business-park-kauhava-tickets. Gate prices will be higher.
The event will be streamed live at www.livestream.com/fhra.
Swift snippets.
13th June: Donna Finnegan and the Fireforce Jet team asked us to say a big Happy 80th Birthday for today (Thursday) to Roy Webb of the Split Second Jet Dragster team. Our pleasure, have a great day Roy.
Wouldn't it be Wobberly.
12th June: Darren Prentice of Santa Pod Raceway has been in touch to announce the winner of the Name the Ale contest which was run at the 2018 UK National Finals with all proceeds going to Bloodwise:
Drum roll please... the winners are the White Noise Drag Racing Team, and introducing to you for your drinking pleasure Wobberly Bob, an IPA 4.0% beer which has three light hops including simcoe, and a generous finish of citra right at the end, leading to a light hoppy taste, and a lovely lingering finish (and it will sometimes go too quick - Ed).
As ever the Potbelly Brewery in Kettering have generously donated the first barrel, with all proceeds going straight into this years fund-raising efforts for Bloodwise.
At Dragstalgia be sure to make your way to Fuelers Bar to taste Wobberly Bob at our very own Beer Festival and support Bloodwise at the same time.
Tierp Internationals stats and more.
12th June: Thanks to our good buddy Andy Marrs for forwarding us some interesting personal stats from the Tierp Internationals:
Tethys was the fiftieth racer to win a round of FIA Top Fuel Dragster
Micke Gullqvist reached 150 round wins in Pro Modified and is the first FIA racer to reach 150 in a single class
Marrs also tells us that the event featured new side-by-side records:
Pro Modified speed: Andreas Arthursson / Freddy Fagerström 412.21 kmh / 382.17 (256.14 mph / 237.47)
Top Fuel Bike ET: Filippos Papafilippou / Rikard Gustafsson 5.8074 / 5.8588
Top Fuel Bike speed: Filippos Papafilippou / Rikard Gustafsson 376.04 / 397.94 (233.66 / 247.27)
Pro Stock Bike ET: Kalle Lyrén / Fredrik Fredlund 7.0050 / 7.0155
Pro Stock Bike speed: Kalle Lyrén / Fredrik Fredlund 311.78 / 309.81 (193.73 / 192.51)
Finally thanks to Marrs for an updated table of European Bests featuring those records set at Tierp. You can check it out by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two Tierp Internationals reports on the Autosport.nl web site. There is a race report which you can check out by clicking here and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by clicking here.
Tierp Internationals results, points.
10th June: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's Tierp Internationals at Tierp Arena:
FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Anita Mäkelä 4.0344/383.52 def. Micke Kågered 5.9586/188.61
FIA Top Methanol: Jonny Lagg 5.5336/433.04 def. Silvio Strauch 5.4893/414.75
FIA Pro Modified: Jan Ericsson 5.8365/389.05 def. David Vegter 7.0792/234.99
FIA Pro Stock: Jimmy Ålund 6.6075/338.35 def. Michael Malmgren 6.6204/333.75
FIM Europe/EDRS Pro Nordic MC Top Fuel Bike: Filippos Papafilippou 6.6394/369.61 def. Rikard Gustafsson 6.7035/266.80
FIM Europe/EDRS Pro Nordic MC Supertwin: Marcus Christiansen 6.4867/344.17 def. Gert-Jan Laseur 8.0902/187.37
FIM Europe/EDRS Pro Nordic MC Pro Stock Bike: Kalle Lyrén 6.9875/307.34 def. Fredrik Fredlund 8.5066/161.00
EDRS Pro Nordic MC Super Street Bike: Vesa Ruhanen 8.0391/212.77 bye, Anders Blanck broke
Comp Eliminator: Lars-Georg Johansson (7.49) 10.4457/135.88 def. Jens Eklund (7.33) 15.0951/117.31
Super Comp: Micke Nilsson 9.2672/205.87 def. Pontus Garefelt 9.9368/166.20
Super Gas: Christer Uhlin 9.9225/206.89 def. Kenny Åsberg 9.8426/196.08 DQ b/o
Super Street: Uffe Lundgren 11.0646/165.04 def. Christer Gustafsson DQ left before lights ran
Stock/Super Stock: Mathias Munther (11.11) 11.1553/178.87 def. Lars Johansson (12.41) 12.3993/171.21 DQ b/o
Pro Street: Peter Trång 7.6413/288.932 def. Ossi Oikarinen 7.6197/249.31
Street: Sami Holm 8.6074/253.28 def. Maurtiz Rådberg 8.5764/238.41 DQ b/o
Junior Dragster: Eskil Dahls (7.90) 7.9332/.130.75 def. Atle Poolsar (7.90) 7.9950/132.00
Super Comp Bike: Rasmus Östlund 8.5462/244.57 def. Peter Svensson 8.6352/250.81
Super Gas Bike: Trygve Kjærstad Helgerud 9.7372/204.70 def. Jenni Pekkarinen 9.4369/223.75 DQ b/o
Junior Drag Bike: John Rolfstad (6.90) 6.9862/145.790 def. Seth Friström (6.90) 6.7507/159.62 DQ b/o
Subject to official ratification the following records were set. Congratulations to:
FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike ET: 5.783 seconds, Filippos Papafilippou
FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike ET record: 6.969 seconds, Kalle Lyrén
FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike speed record: 311.78 kmh/193.73 mph, Kalle Lyrén
Many thanks to Ås Kinnemar and to Ian Marshall for sending us the post-event points standings in the FIA European Drag Racing Championships and FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships respectively. You can check out the European points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Tierp Internationals reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
A big Thank You from Tog to Simon for his hard work on the pit notes, to Oscar Lindgren, Lotta Ahlgren and Maja Rapp for their help with timing matters, to Lena Perés and Remco Scheelings for the supply of photographs, and to Mike Kraaij for additional pit notes. On the home front a big Thank You to Spencer Tramm, Andy Marrs and Robin Jackson for proof-reading, maths-checking and Personal Bests.
The Hobbit retires.
7th June: Dragstalgia is now only a few short weeks away, and Keith Lee brings us the latest news on the historic bike entry, which is shaping up well for this much-awaited event at Santa Pod Raceway on 12th-14th July:
We are well on course for the best entry ever. It is something special to see these old drag bikes come together to blast down the strip in the NSA Shootout, but the upcoming event will be notable also for marking the end of an era, as we announce the retirement this year of one of the best loved machines in the sport. John Hobbs is one of the legends of drag racing, and the Hobbit, his supercharged double Weslake, notched up many race wins during a spectacular career. After an original retirement in the early eighties, John was persuaded to pull the bike out from under his workbench to enjoy a much extended second lease of life for the 1700cc machine.
From the very first Dragstalgia event in 2011, John and the Hobbit have been the star attraction on two wheels. The bike takes a lot of upkeep, and it has come to the point now, with John in his early seventies, to accept that he is reaching the point that riding and maintaining the bike is becoming too physically demanding for it to continue. Always known for his clear decision making, John has decided that this year's appearance at Dragstalgia will be his last one riding the iconic bike, as 2019 brings down the curtain for the Hobbit. The old race team, who supported John back in the bike's racing years, will all be present at Dragstalgia to join in - including second rider Jonny Munn, who is flying over from Australia to be there.
The good news is that it will not be the last time that we will see John himself in action. He will still be blasting down the quarter on his blown 500 Triumph-powered Olympus, which he faithfully recreated back in 2012. He still enjoys riding the lightweight twin - and we look forward to seeing him over the coming years.
In addition to a fine cross section of machinery we have enjoyed previously, I am very pleased that there will be a number of first time entrants for this year's meet. These include the ex-Chris Richards, Terry Sidebottom, Charlie Butterworth 750 Triumph, which is currently being fettled for a return to the track by new owner Graham Sykes. I am also pleased to announce that Graham will be displaying his fabulous new Force of Nature steam-powered rocket bike in the historic marquee, which is back this year, and which will display more historic bikes. Dragstalgia regular Justin Newell will be making much noise with the much-anticipated return of the rebuilt Mick Hand 250 Honda, which is looking very good. Joining them should be Dave Woodard, who has been working hard on rebuilding the 500 Triumph, which Mick Hand's longtime friend Barry Eastman first raced in the early seventies. Sadly, Barry himself, who was partner with Mick Hand in the Storm Funny Bike, passed away earlier this year, so it will be a fitting tribute to see this bike appear on the strip once more. A new French entry is a recreation of the Nira Johnson Triumph, which competed at the 1965 Dragfest as part of the US team.
While one bike bids a fond farewell at Dragstalgia, the scene looks set fair for a continuing feast of two-wheel Nostalgia racing. Be there to enjoy the sight and sound of the Hobbit one final time.
Arthursson plays home fixture.
6th June: This weekend Sweden's Andreas Arthursson and the PPF Racing Pro Modified team will be racing at their home track, Tierp Arena, ninety minutes from HQ. Ulf Stadig writes:
The team's first Championship round at Santa Pod Raceway ended in the semi-finals with a red light against Micke Gullqvist. The PPF Chevelle performed pretty well with a 5.865 ending up in third qualifying place. The first elimination round bettered the ET to 5.819 against Fast Freddy. Andreas and team wanted to run a 5.7 but came up short and must save it for the Finals in September. The track, the crowd and the show at Santa Pod Raceway are top notch! As of this moment the team are fifth in the FIA Championship.
Qualifying for this weekend's race starts at 13:50 on Friday. The Chevelle has undergone some pretty big changes from Santa Pod as we could see that there was room for improvement. The car has been acting a little bit strange, even if the performance has been pretty good. But as the competition grows with many great blower car runs in the 5.8s at the Pod we needed to look things over and maybe take further steps forward. We have an eager team which wants to go and make hits on what is normally an awesome track at the first-class facility of Tierp Arena.
Thanks to our sponsors PPF Racing, PA-So Produkter (Patrik Björk), FuelTech, MPM Oil, PLR Proline Racing, Precision Turbo and Engine, Allmek and Nuke Performance.
Swift snippets.
6th June: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us a tweaked final version of the official entry list for the SPRC Summernationals. You can check out the SPRC Summernationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks to Bianca Booij for passing us an account of the Pro Dutch Racing Pro Modified team's weekend at the FIA/FIM Main Event. You can check out the Dutch-language PDF by clicking here.
Rachel, Duncan and Morgan Wilson asked us to say a big Happy 16th Birthday to reigning UK National Junior Dragster Champion Caitlin Wilson. Our pleasure, have a lovely day Caitlin.
One for the team.
6th June: May turned out to be for the UK's Williams Bros Racing team:
The fun started at the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals with the new addition to the team in the shape of Dan Williams' stunning 1962 Impala which was only purchased a week prior to the event. Dan had just sold his '32 Ford hot rod, known as the Williams Bros Special, and it didn't take long to find another car to his liking. A visit from the outstandingly talented Neil Melliard and the stunning hand-painted graphics were applied and the car made its début with totally stock engine and transmission, the only change was the tyres. Could it run close to the lowest dial-in of 15.00 seconds for UK Nostalgia Superstock... the weekend started in the 16s but oh so close in round one with a 15.01 ET. More drama, though, for Guy King who managed to basically destroy his rear axle internals putting his nine-second Chevelle out of action... but not Guy himself. Keith Williams and Guy made the trip back to Norfolk to collect his street-only (where have I heard that before) 1970 Chevelle so that he could still race. Having never driven the car on the strip before it was a best guess for dial in and fair to say we were about half a second off. James Oliver though was flying. His Firebird was going quicker than ever and proving to be super consistent. Ollie qualified second and was on great form. Three team cars into round one, unfortunately none into round two, despite Ollie running 9.5504 on a 9.55 dial-in, but the cherry on the tree ended his weekend.
Next weekend the eagerly-awaited Doorslammers. Again Ollie and Guy in action, especially Guy as it was a mad thrash to get the axle repaired in just four days. This time though the team was joined by Nic Williams in the fearsome blue Chevelle. The last time Nic raced this car was at the 2017 National Finals where he took the event win and also the SPRC Pro ET Championship. Three cars then into the OCS Group sponsored Big Bracket to see if we could win back some of the class sponsorship money. Saturday was a washout so it was all on Sunday with an incredible £10,000 on the line for the winner.
A brilliant perfect light from Guy King in round one proved that the axle repair had been spot on and, despite a breakout, his was the lesser of the breakouts so onto round two where his progress was ended by last year's Sunday Big Bracket winner Lee Huxley. Ollie next and a red light from Pete Youhill aided Ollie progress to round 2 and a match up with last year's finalist Jens Könnecke. Another win light for the Firebird but to be in the money the Cortina estate and Tom Atkinson would have to be beaten. A cracking light from Ollie forced Tom to break out so we were in the quarter finals. A great race with Ronnie Mercer, who is becoming a racer to fear and rightly so, as Ronnie had a 0.00 light and ran one hundredth off his dial-in to end Ollie's day.
So how about the third car, Nic in the WBR Chevelle. A 9.78 on a 9.77 dial-in against the super tough and last year's Saturday winner Collin Morrice set up another tough random draw, this time Ian Brown in the Camaro but a red from Ian sent Nic through to round 3. Rosello Cassar with the Escort from Malta was proving to be quite a package but Nic and the Chevelle were on a mission and wouldn't be stopped. They don't get much tougher than the Professor Brian Pateman and to progress to the semi-finals Nic had to be at his best. An 0.01 light and hundredth off dial-in were too much for Brian so Nic into the semis and Ronnie Mercer who had just beaten Ollie. A 0.007 red from Ronnie and Nic was in the final... against none other than Lee Huxley, one of the most experienced bracket racers out there. Nic dialled 9.77, drove it out the black door to a 9.787 and the win light, the trophy and the Ł10,000, the biggest prize money in Sportsman drag racing in the UK.
No time to rest however, as four days later and back to Santa Pod for the Main Event. No Guy King this weekend but Dan back behind the wheel of his 69 Nova after a major engine rebuild and upgrades and using this event for testing. Thirty three cars going for thirty two places in eliminations and clutch issues meant that Dan ended up in thirty third spot but would come in as an alternate. Ollie ended up eleventh, just a hunredth off dial-in, Nic fourth bang on his number but so were five others so down to the ten thousandth to separate them. All three team cars got through round 1 which set up a round 2 match-up between Dan and Nic. Dan's clutch issues which had plagued him in qualifying were certainly fixed now, but the car reacted so well that Dan went red, so Nic went through with another 0.0 light and one hundredth off dial-in. Ollie also through as Vic Parsons broke out spectacularly. Ollie was right on his dial in for his round 3 race with Neil Hunter who broke out, Nic getting round Ethan Lisle who was one to watch out for. Semi-finals and could we have an all WBR final. Only three cars were in the pairing lanes as Ben Newsome had unfortunately broken, we hate to take a win like that and hope Ben is repaired soon. So Ollie into the final on a solo, could Nic make it two finals in a row. Yes he could as again a 0.01 light was too much for Mike Lacey who went red. The dream final for Williams Bros Racing, both cars hooked up perfectly off the line to perform side-by-side wheelstands but it was one race too far for Ollie's transmission as a second gear issue, which was being nursed throughout the event, finally gave out forcing Ollie to coast up the track and watch the win light shine bright once again for Nic.
Without a doubt the best racing month the team has ever had. There are lots of things happening within the team at the moment, we will do another update next week in which all will become clear, including news of the return of WBR to the USA.
Making maintenance easier.
4th June: Peter Lantz tells us that PLR Manufacturing will be showing two new products of use to their fellow racers at Tierp Arena this weekend:
The first is a rotor cutter with which you can cut or machine the teflon of your blower rotors. This is a unit which you can take with you to races, helping you to step up your game on the blower side, even between rounds if necessary. The rotor cutter is designed and produced in laser-cut steel sheets instead of an earlier billet aluminum version, to reduce costs and make it more affordable.
PLR have also designed a piston rack-cum-organiser. After years building piston racks for Top Fuel teams, we came up with this solution to try improve the product.
The rotor cutter and the piston rack/organiser will be displayed in Jonny and Dennis Nilsson's Autoart Top Fuel Dragster pit at Tierp Arena this weekend and at other events which the team attends. Feel free to come by and take a look, and to get more information.
If North American and Australian customers are interested then Mike Domagala and PMP Premium Motorsport Products have the items in stock in the USA.
Tierp Internationals coverage.
4th June: Simon and Tog are on their way to Tierp Arena to bring you all the news from the Tierp Internationals in association with John Woolfe Racing.
Our coverage, which commences on Thursday, will consist of real-time reports and results throughout each day and pit notes courtesy of Simon throughout each day. We will also post a gallery at the end of the day courtesy of our good friends Lena Perés and Remco Scheelings.
You can check out our Tierp Internationals coverage index, which also includes links to the provisional running order and Web TV (see below), by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Lelle Olsson and Nitroz will be providing Web TV which will be free to view on Thursday and Friday, and chargeable on Saturday and Sunday. The viewing fee includes access to replays. You can find out more or sign up at www.solidsport.com/eu-dragracing-championship or via our Event Index as above.
Swift snippets.
4th June: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us the final version of the official entry list for the SPRC Summernationals. You can check out the SPRC Summernationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Ålund doubles up.
4th June: Over the last two seasons, Jimmy Ålund has competed in two of the premiere classes in the FIA European Drag Racing championships, Pro Modified and Pro Stock. Par Willén writes that it has been good:
Last year in the Pro Mod class with Jimmy behind the wheel of The Old 51 Chevy Business Coupe, he and the team went all the way and brought home the coveted FIA Pro Mod Championship trophy. Jimmy did not complete a full season in the Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro but did make history at the Alastaro race in Finland where he was the first driver in FIA history to win both the Pro Stock and Pro Mod classes at the same event.
2019, a new season. Jimmy will be campaigning both cars again, but with a twist. Not only will he run the full season in the Old 51 as usual, but he will also go for gold in FIA Pro Stock by contesting all six races of the Championship in the Summit Racing Camaro. Two FIA Championships in a single season, quite a challenge. "Yes, most definitely", says Jimmy, "it's been in the back of my mind and now after two very solid seasons with The Old 51 team, we feel that we have the kind of strong and close relationship needed to go this extra mile. Of course the whole team behind the Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro is central in this endeavour. They have tremendous experience and skills, they have of been instrumental in collecting our ten FIA Pro Stock Championships."
The FIA racing season started with the Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway, UK, a classic venue for drag racing. FIA Pro Mod, The Old 51: Qualifying ended up OK, #1 after Q1 and #4 after all four rounds. Two of the runs in the 5.8-second range with solid speeds. Tyre shake in Q2 and Q4 but no technical issues. "Good and bad", says Jimmy, "#1 qualifier at the first hit of the FIA season is good as is running in the 5.8s but we had trouble with tyre shake in two of the rounds. And, whoa, it's a real tough crowd to go up against. Progress, our 5.86 puts us back in fourth place now, last year that would've been #1 here."
Eliminations, round one. The Old 51 pulled another 5.8, a win with a 5.88 at over 241 mph (387 km/h). Quarter finals, consistency, Jimmy ran a stout 5.87 at 240 mph (386 kmh) to move on to the semi-finals where it ended. Tire shake, pedalling and the weekend was over for the Old 51. "We're OK, we did as well as we'd expected", says Jimmy. "I've had the privilege to drive this car for two seasons and during that time we've never have as many changes to the car as for this one race. New rules, the car has been made lighter, blower speed slowed down, new converter, new engine parts, and new suspension set-up. We're right on track, the whole team knows what to do and we're all very much looking forward to the next event in front of a Swedish crowd at Tierp Arena."
FIA Pro Stock, the Summit Racing Camaro: First time at Santa Pod since 2016. Impressive performances throughout qualifying, Jimmy ended up #2 behind veteran Michael Malmgren. Very tight, 6.572 for Michael, 6.575 for Jimmy who ran the quickest elapsed times in three of the four qualifying rounds and the fastest speed in all rounds including the fastest speed of the event in Q4. Jimmy thus picked up eleven of a possible twelve qualifying bonus points.
Eliminations round one, 6.58 made for a win. Sem-finals against 2018 Champion Bengt Ljungdahl and Jimmy dodged a bullet. Bengt redlit while Jimmy fought bad tyre shake but took the win. The final, a tough task, Ĺlund up against the #1 qualifier Michael Malmgren. Jimmy took the event win at the first race of the season with another quick and fast run, 6.59 seconds at 209.95 mph (337.88 kmh).
A good start of the Championship. "Definitely, this came out well", says Jimmy. "I could've done better in the seat but it's like first day on the job getting the cobwebs out, I'm lucky to have such a good team giving me a good car to drive. I hope you've all seen the new livery across the whole side of the Camaro, we now have an even bigger commitment from our main sponsor Summit Racing Equipment. It really sets the standard for us this year, we're in deep and solid to fight for the 2019 FIA Pro Stock Championship."
Jimmy leaves Santa Pod as the leader in FIA Pro Stock and in fourth place in the FIA Pro Mod standings. The next race is this week's Tierp Internationals, Tierp, Sweden.
Summit Racing Equipment is sponsoring both the Old 51 Pro Mod car and the Ĺlund Pro Stock Camaro this year. This is in addition to Viking Industrimålning, Sverigedemokraterna, KB Racing, Camaroskroten, All American AB and Stigs Axle and Parts. Jimmy Ålund Racing is very grateful for the continuing support from such great companies.
Chisholm-Brown 2 for 2.
2nd June: Sam Chisolm-Brown again took the win at the second VWDRC Heads Up race which took place at Das Auto Show at Santa Pod Raceway. Sam and fellow finalist Chris Roylance were forced to hot-lap immediately after the semi-finals due to a long rain delay, but Chris didn't make the call leaving Sam to take a bye.
You can check out our VWDRC Heads Up 2 qualifying and elimination report by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
100e Challenge Round 2 report.
2nd June: Nigel Taylor writes that the second round of the 100e Challenge, which took place at the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway, featured more car and driver débuts:
Scott Colin has been flat out getting the blue supercharged Chevy-powered 100e ready and progressed to a respectable 12.2/113.18. He will now be flat out tuning it ready for an eleven-second pass as well as getting a car ready for his other half Monika Szili. Mark Haswell's feature car was pulling in the crowds and both Mark and Garth Wong are already well into the nines. Garth pulled an enormous wheelie in his side-by-side pass with Mark so had to back off slightly but still ran a ten!
Jubilee Lorne was driving her dad's Out on Bail 100e and ran its first 13.8-second pass, but dad Paul wasn't having any of that and progressed to a 13.7 - more to come from this one! Sharon Carver was having a great weekend too with her black 100e Jezebel running a 13.4/103.76. Joshua Duncan got his first go in the Squire; he would like to say a massive Thank You to his dad Steve Halls for all his hard work and for getting his car built and ready in just five months!
Congratulations to Lizanne Doyle for her Assassin 100e which won a NSRA Top 6 trophy for Most Entertaining. Her story about her drive to the track with husband Sean Doyle was entertaining just on its own!
The 100e Challenge has certainly brought together a great group of people with lots more interest, and more cars joining in all the time.
When it started, the group decided that racing points should be split into three classes:
Class 1: 1300cc-2100cc
Class 2: 2101cc-3500cc
Class 3: 3501+cc
Karl Reardon and Monika Szili will be grabbing points in Class 1 very soon. I have ended up taking all the points in Class 2 as I'm the only car in that class at the moment, and Class 3 is well into competition status:
Class 3 results
Thank You to Scott Colin and Sean Doyle for organising such a cool group of cars and people, and for all of their hard work behind the scenes. The Modified Ford 100e page sponsored by Zero 3 Customs can be found on Facebook.
Swift snippets.
2nd June: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday for today (Sunday) to Eurodragster.com Team Nutritionist Syd McDonald. Have a great day Syd and thanks again for the catering last weekend. Diana Macrae and all of the family and crew have asked us to say a big Happy 60th Birthday to Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator racer Nigel Hale. Our pleasure DD, have a great day Nigel.
Web site updates.
2nd June: Liam Lodge has updated his European Drag Racing Blog with a review of the Professional classes at last week's FIA/FIM Main Event. You can take a look at liam66europeandragracing.wordpress.com.
Lightning strikes the Main Event.
1st June: UK Pro Mod and Super Pro ET racer John Tebenham had a great weekend at the FIA/FIM Main Event including a final licence pass of 6/24/230 which he says shocked the life out of him:
The Lightning McQueen Super Crew was run by Crew Chief Luke Robinson. All of our fuel timers either worked, or didn't work, or worked only when they wanted to. But we managed to qualify fifteenth out of twenty five, ahead of great guys such as Kev Slyfield and others - when you achieve something like that you know you haven't done a bad job!
We lost first round, but when you're up against experienced drivers who get great times of 5.8 there's not a lot you can do. It's funny, Luke says it's 150 lbs overweight but man, when you hit third gear, nothing will stop it! Marco and Jacob came to crew and Marco watched four passes between 6.2 and 6.5.
We also ran Ol' Smokey, our Ford Pop with the crazy burnouts, and we managed to go a few rounds. Andy Robinson changed the first gear on our B&J gearbox - I think he really only wanted to see how it worked, as he's got a Lenco. Andy is great and what he doesn't know about driving a Pro Mod is not worth knowing!
Hockenheim is next and I only want to race in front of the big crowds. We're taking both cars, along with new slicks for Ol' Smokey!
The Corvette is sort of up for sale - I only ever wanted to achieve 230 mph and 6.2 and now I've done it. It's easy to drive. If you want it call me, if you don't want it then don't call me. My mobile phone number is 07583 615973.
Swift snippets.
1st June: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 5 of the official entry list for the SPRC Summernationals. You can check out the SPRC Summernationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. We are expecting one further version on Monday.
The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com (below left) is not the usual mystery as it came with its own revelation.
Also not exactly a spy picture but Ashley Crane got in touch with a shot from the FIA/FIM Main Event (above right) and asked if any Eurodragster.com reader has a suggestion for a caption. If you have a caption then drop us a line at email@example.com.
Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street Machine magazine, plus bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers including a QR code link to a nostalgia video featuring the legendary Allan Herridge.
Web site updates.
1st June: Paul Bryan has updated his Flickr gallery with 296 pictures from the FIA/FIM Main Event. You can check out Paul's great pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/paulbryan_photopedia.
Ferry discounts for Kauhava.
31st May: Job Heezen of the FIM Europe Drag Racing Commission has been in touch to advise bike racers that if you are planning to contest the FIM Europe round at Kauvaha then there are a number of ferry discounts available:
If you travel from Central Europe then you can get discounts on the Travemände-Malmö vv ferry. Contact Finnlines at firstname.lastname@example.com or ask Åsa Kinnemar of Speedgroup at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you travel from Travemände to Helsinki then discounts can go up to 50%. Call Finnlines on +358 923 143 100; the discount code for the cargo side is NESTEVAN and the discount code for the passenger side is FHRAC.
If you travel from Kapellskär to Nådendal, discounts go up to 35% on the evening ferry and up to 50% on the morning ferry. The discount code is FHRAC and includes two free meals per person (no alcohol included I'm afraid).
Additional information on ferries can be found on the Racers' page of Speedgroup's web site at www.speedgroup.eu.
Good luck with booking, I hope that the vessels with be close to overloaded with teams travelling to Kauhava. See you there.
SPRC Summernationals entry update.
31st May: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 4 of the official entry list for the SPRC Summernationals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 22nd-23rd June and which is a round of the Motorsport UK, UK National and ACU UK Championships as well as a Championship round for some other classes. You can check out the SPRC Summernationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
SPRC Summernationals entry closes today (Friday), after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
FIA/FIM Main Event stats wrap-up.
31st May: Many thanks to Åsa Kinnemar and Peder Eneroth for sending us the post-FIA Main Event points standings in the FIA European Drag Racing Championships and FIA Europe Drag Bike Championships respectively. You can check out the European points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks also to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for passing us the post-FIA/FIM Main Event points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships. You can check out the points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us the official timing data from the the FIA/FIM Main Event, which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. As well as the European records which we detailed on Tuesday, Marrs tells us that the following records were set:
Santa Pod Raceway track records
Top Fuel ET: Anita Makela 3.8426 seconds
Pro Stock Bike ET: Fredrik Fredlund 7.1165 seconds
Street Eliminator ET: Andy Bond 7.0874 seconds
Street Eliminator speed: Andy Bond 209.16 mph
Top Doorsammer ET: Mattias Wulcan 5.6479 seconds
Top Doorsammer speed: Mattias Wulcan 256.55 mph
European side-by-sides
Top Fuel ET: Anita Makela/Liam Jones combined ET 7.7630 seconds
Super Street Bike ET: Mogens Lund/Steve Venables combined ET 13.8408 seconds
You can check out the new records on Marrs' table of UK and European Bests by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two FIA/FIM Main Event reports on the Autosport.nl web site. There is a race report which you can check out by clicking here and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by clicking here.
A big Thank You to everyone for the appreciative comments about our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored coverage of the Doorslammers, Pro Peak Performance Day, FIA/FIM Main Event and Private Test. Like they kind of said on Vision On, we can't return all compliments at the time but they are read and appreciated, as are suggestions and constructive criticism.
Giselle's Thank You.
31st May: UK ET Bike racer Giselle Moor has been in touch to thank all those in the drag racing community who have supported her and donated after her accident at Santa Pod Raceway last season:
I just wanted to write a few words to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to help buy me a smart drive via the Just Giving page started by my friend Brogan. The support from all you fantastic people in all honesty has been incredible and overwhelming and we have been left a little speechless. The on-line donations, alongside those which Suze Morris collected from the chocolate easter egg and sweets competitions, have meant the target was reached quicker than we could have imagined and we have you all to thank for that.
Brogan was then left with a difficult dilemma. When she originally spoke with me about setting up the page and what I needed there were two items we discussed; The Smarttdrive and a Batec mobility trike - both designed to help increase mobility in the wheelchair. We decided on the Smartdrive as we thought that £5000 was a hard enough target to reach. But we are nearly there and Brogan still has a couple of challenges to undertake herself with donations coming from our local community.
Therefore Brogan has made the decision to keep the Just Giving page open, aiming for the Batec wheelchair attachment instead. This will give me increased mobility over a much greater range and variety of terrains, and also allow me to easily partake in one of my greatest loves, music festivals.
The purpose of this post is not to ask for further help, but to say Thank You. The support from this particular community has been outstanding and I personally cannot express my gratitude enough. I want to keep you all in the loop with where your donations are actually going and how the Batec will be of a better benefit. To everyone who has helped to reach our target so far, please sit back and need not feel like any further contribution is necessary. It is amazing to have got so far already and we thank you so much for your generosity.
As a final note, for those of you who haven't seen on social media, I wanted to share a little progress report. Since being discharged from rehab on 1st December I am now living back in London, in an accessible flat. I am working four full days a week and travelling on a Tuesday for therapy from a charity. I can walk, with a frame for support and my steps continue to get stronger. There is still a significant amount of recovery still to make and some movement still to gain but I am motivated and positive I've got more progress left. My family and I are very much looking forward to returning to the track again on 22nd June to spectate at the Summernationals and to thank you all in person.
Event entry update.
30th May: Today (Thursday) is the absolute closing date for entry to next week's Tierp Internationals at Tierp Arena.
You can enter at www.dragracing.eu, and you can check out the Tierp Internationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 3 of the official entry list for the SPRC Summernationals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 22nd-23rd June and which is a round of the Motorsport UK, UK National and ACU UK Championships as well as a Championship round for some other classes. You can check out the SPRC Summernationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
SPRC Summernationals entry closes tomorrow (Friday), after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
Private Test Day coverage.
29th May: We are in place at Santa Pod Raceway to bring you the action from today's second Private Test in association with John Woolfe Racing.
The Webster Race Engineering/Nimbus Motorsport webcam will be on-line broadcasting live video and trackside audio so long as the track is open. There will be a photo gallery at the end of the day; a report is contingent upon the number of runs made.
You can check out our Private Test reports and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
FIA/FIM Main Event results.
28th May: Congratulations to the winners at the FIA/FIM Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway:
FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Anita Mäkelä 3.8426/296.72 def. Maja Udtian no time DQ
FIA Top Methanol: Sandro Bellio 5.5331/253.80 def. Manty Bugeja 5.4514/268.24
FIA Pro Modified: Micke Gullqvist 5.8357/245.03 def. Mats Eriksson no time DQ
FIA Pro Stock: Jimmy Ålund 6.5961/209.95 def. Michael Malmgren 7.9678/122.07
European Nitro Funny Car Series: Steve Ashdown 4.7558/188.14 def. Kevin Chapman 5.5822/134.02
Top Doorslammer: Caroline Strand 5.9421/242.54 def. Mattias Wulcan 6.6770/144.80
FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike: Rikard Gustafsson 5.9555/242.54 def. Glenn Borg 6.9074/201.58
FIM Europe Supertwin: Marcus Christiansen 6.5058/215.13 def. Samu Kemppainen no time broke
FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike: Janne Koskinen 7.2337/185.01 bye, Martin Bishop no show
FIM Europe Super Street Bike: Steve Venables 6.8548/213.90 def. Erich Gruber 7.8473/185.12
FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike Cup: Blade Dummer (13.66) 13.8944/48.05 def. Meggie Talbot (9.75) 9.6576/67.17 DQ b/o
Secret Worx Comp Eliminator: Kev Perkins (7.99) 7.7377/151.02 def. Kevin Jenkins (7.58) 13.7793/80.93
Good Vibration Motorsports/Przym Paintworks Super Pro ET: Stu Doignie (8.51) 8.5235/153.65 def. Daniel Giles (7.40) 7.3812/179.23 DQ b/o
Modurstang Pro ET: Nic Williams (9.75) 9.9010/115.52 def. James Oliver (9.68) 18.7585/38.31
Phoenix Personnel Super Comp: Martin Curbishley 8.9116/147.60 def. Pete Creswell 9.0102/147.20
Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout: Simon Fulton 15.2398/84.26 bye, Mark White shut off
Lucas Oil Junior Dragster: Matthew Dowdy (8.31) 8.2989/77.47 def. Tom Kaye (8.15) 8.1003/81.66 DQ b/o
Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator: Andy Bond 7.0874/209.16 def. Joe Stevens 8.0510/173.10
Subject to ratification the following records were set. Congratulations to:
FIA Top Fuel Dragster ET: 3.842 seconds, Anita Mäkelä
FIM Europe Super Street Bike ET: 6.854 seconds, Steve Venables
Street Eliminator ET: 7.087 seconds, Andy Bond
Congratulations also to Super Pro ET racer Ian Brown and Pro ET racer Al Platt who won the Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team. The Bob's Photo Finish Award, posted by Eurodragster.com supporter Bob Roberts, has provisionally been won by Pro ET racers Nic Williams and Ethan Lisle whose finish line margin in their Pro ET E3 race was 0.47 inches. This, together with other records such as side-by-side bests will be confirmed by Andy Marrs when he has analysed the weekend's timing data.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored FIA/FIM Main Event reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Hall of Fame's SPR donation.
23rd May: The Trustees of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Benevolent Fund have donated a patient monitoring device to Santa Pod Raceway.
The G3H Portable Patient Monitor is battery-powered and can easily be carried around. It is suitable for use in bedside monitoring in medical centres or hospitals and can print out graphs of patient readings.
Stuart Bradbury, Chair of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame and Trustee of the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund, said 'This donation will be directly for the benefit of racers and of fans at Santa Pod Raceway and we hope that it can help to save lives at the track."
Keith Bartlett, Santa Pod owner and CEO of Trakbak Racing Ltd, said "We at Santa Pod Raceway are very grateful to the BDRHoF Benevolent Fund for their generosity in making this direct donation to our medical services."
There will be a start line presentation to mark the donation at lunchtime this Saturday during the FIA/FIM Main Event, conditions permitting.
The BDRHoF Benevolent Fund will again be hosting signing sessions at Dragstalgia on 13th and 14th, at which legends of the sport over the last fifty years, including legendary Funny Car owner and Crew Chief Roland Leong, will be present to sign autographs and to chat to fans.
European Top Gas Round 1 report.
22nd May: After a 1000-kilometre journey from The Netherlands Herman Jolink contested the first round of this year's European Super Twin Top Gas Series over the eighth mile at Malmö Raceway:
There were ninety two competitors in the car and bike classes. The track was very well-prepared by the team from Malmö Raceway, a lot of rubber and glue on the full eighth.
For the first time with the team was Lex Deemter who is nineteen years old and who is studying Machining Techniek at Zwolle. We met Lex at Carrosseriebouw Jansen Wesepe, where we are working on the Ducati Panigale-1 Drag Bike. On Friday evening we practiced starting the Ducati 1198 RS Drag Bike and how to handle the start. We did everything but the Ducati was just not running.
At 11:15 on Saturday Top Gas had their frst qualifying session. I ran 5.718/197 kmh, shortly before the finish line I shifted into the fifth gear. The sixty foot time was 1.377, not so good, could be a lot better. Then a fast car put a lot of oil on the track.
At 15:28 we had the second qualifier, 5.537/197 with just four gears, the sixty foot time was 1.331. The third qualifyier was at 17:13, 5.525/198, sixty foot was 1.331 and again four gears and on the rev limiter. The last qualifier was ar 19:25. After launching the first three qualifiers on 5000 revs we started on 6000 revs and I used all five gears. 5.411/203 and the sixty foot time was 1.239. We qualified seventh of the eighteen competitors for a sixteen-bike field. Top Gas qualifying:
Rikard Gustafsson made his first run on his Top Fuel Bike after the crash at Hockenheim last year, on the throttle for 100 metres and ran 4.4 seconds. Marcus Christiansen was on his home built Supertwin Top Fuel Bike with a bigger motor and a new carbon fibre wheelie bar, Marcus made a half pass of 4.5 seconds. Then they went home with their very rusty old Mercedes. Marcus and his father are two of a kind, a strong relationship.
European Super Twin Top Gas eliminations:
E1: Schack 7.313/159 def. Herr 8.872/164, Schack had clutch problems but he had a lot of luck as Herr was riding very slowly. Miettinnen 6.223/182 def. Caspari 6.134/187, Caspari almost crossed the centre line and Miettinen had a very good Reaction Time. Hormann 7.262/99.7 losing his push rods def. Jensen who had a spark plug escape the cylinder head. Albers 4.977/228 def. van Nimmen 6.565/184. Menzi 4.686/235 def. Larsson 8.800/86. Jolink 5.431/201 def. Schleichert 6.322/175. Lymant 4.681/235 def. Foit 8.583/88 Ström 5.386/205 bye, Bruhn broke.
E2: Schack 4.711/241 def. Miettinen 6.172/181. Albers 5.576/214 bye, Hormann had no spare push rods. Menzi 4.556/239 def. Jolink 5.450/201. Lymant 4.651/233 def. Ström 5.383/205.
E3: Albers 5.138/235 def. Schack 13.334/43, clutch problems. Lymant 4.623/234 def. Menzi 4.784/204 red light. Menzi was already in pre-stage when Lymant was still three metres from pre-stage, Menzi probably over-concentrated.
Finale: Lymant 4.591/236 def. Albers 4.827/237. Lymant set a new Top Gas ET record of 4.591 with a back-up of 4.623.
European Super Twin Top Gas standings:
Swift snippets.
22nd May: Lizz and Kevin Charman asked us to say a big Happy 20th Birthday to their resident geek and pretty cool guy Jake Charman. Our pleasure, have a great day Jake.
Missing in action.
22nd May: Eagle-eyed readers will have noted the absence of Timo and Dennis Habermann's Top Methanol Dragsters from this season's entry lists so far. The team say that after discussions between the team, family and team management the decision has been made to contest only the NitrOlympX at Hockenheim and the FIA/FIM European Finals:
A lot of you will ask why the European Champions of 2017 and 2018 will only join in two races? First of all, we want to point out that there is no main reason for that decision. Furthermore there are many different reasons (some high impact, some low impact) why the pendulum swung in that direction.
"Of course it was our main goal to confirm our amazing season of 2018 with six races and six victories", says Dennis Habermann. "You just want to jump into the car, fire it up and chase your own record. That's why we love drag racing so much: passion, fighting against your opponents and fast runs. But last season there were so many things behind the scenes - less by the organisers, more from the FIA - that are so demotivating to us and you reach the point where you ask yourself why are we still doing all this?
Timo explains "All drag racing teams are racing for passion and as a hobby. We don't have a budget running into the millions like in the US and it's not our main profession. Amongst our team all of the crew members have a family, a lot of them have kids and a full-time job. Nearly all of the the time during which they support us is vacation and the reduction of overtime. But when those boys and girls get the feeling that some people are putting spokes in their wheels there is something not entirely correct. All of those who know our crew can probably imagine what's going on there."
Our team and therefore our drivers as well received financial penalties from the FIA which they have never proven to us - they probably aren't able to prove it. At the NitrOlympx in Hockenheim we received a €500 fee - without paying the fine Timo would have been suspended for the last two races - because a team boss pointed out some oil spills in the starting area before Timo's run in the semi-final. Immediately after the run the start crew thanked him for pointing out that safety risk to them. But the FIA and their Race Director? The Race Director stormed into our trailer, confronted Werner, Dennis and Timo, and accused Werner of impeding the track crew. He never showed any proof or evidence and he refused to talk to the start crew. The penalty remained - par ordre du mufti.
We paid the fee (under protest) before Tierp II because at that time our dream of the double European Championship was bigger than investing a lot of energy to appeal the decision. "without paying the penalty fee, Timo would have been suspended for two races", says Werner Habermann. "The work of the entire team would have been all a waste of time. But there is something that causes way more demotivation to passionate sportsmen: there is no hand-over of the FIA trophy after a long and energy-sapping season. In 2015 and 2017 the FIA trophy was delivered by the postman who left it on the doorstep. In 2018 Dennis recieved the trophy in Sweden at Speedgroup's season-end party. A big Thank You to Speedgroup for making it possible."
But this is just one of many reasons that we decided to run only twice this season. Timo clarifies: "The entire topic regarding the FIA was annoying, cost a lot of nerves, took time and cost us money. Especially in times of an increasing entry fee whilst the prize money is still at a level like in the 1990s. But this summer so many things are happening: first day at school, first day at kindergarten, some building construction and some long summer trips. We take those circumstances into account every pre-season". Dennis says "A big irritation is the schedule of the season: between the NitrOlympX and the second race in Tierp there are just three days. Not only our team is unhappy with this - all drivers are. And the thing is: it's against the regulation. For at least fouryears there is the promise to change this, so the teams get one week more between those two races. But it's all talk - no action. At the same time the FIA is surprised that less and less teams compete in the European Championships. Maybe they should think about those things."
But we want to make sure that the two races we are going to won't be a pre-test for 2020. We want to win those races like every other race in the past. We are looking forward to seeing many of you in Hockenheim in mid-August - some of you we will see in mid-June. We are revealing this week what's going on in June.
Editor's note: As this is not Plutarch's Lives please see News FAQ 16.
VP expand European logistics.
23rd May: Eurodragster.com sponsor VP Racing Fuels, Inc, recognised around the world as the leader in racing fuel and performance chemicals, today announced a warehousing and logistics relationship with CP Benelux in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
"As VP seeks to expand its distribution network across Europe, this move will further support our distributors and end users with availability and ease of access", said Peter Coleman, VP's Business Development Consultant in Europe. "Establishing a logistics hub means that we can service our distributors better, and enter new markets and service additional customers as a result."
A wide selection of VP's racing fuels and consumer products will be stored at the site including VP's celebrated R5 rally fuel, its range of drag racing fuels, and the club racer's choice, the FIA-compliant RX102. Fuels suitable for virtually any motorsport application will be available, including jetski, motocross, circuit racing, rally, drift or hillclimb. Also on hand will be VP's Octanium Unleaded octane booster, winner of New Product Awards at the SEMA and PRI Shows in America.
"We are looking forward to helping VP Racing Fuels expand their business in Europe by improving their product availability to distributors and racers" commented Hans Wamelink, Executive Officer at CP Group. "As a former rally competitor myself, I know the importance of prompt delivery of the right product!"
CP Benelux was established in 1978 as a provider of logistics services with storage and transportation options for virtually every class of dangerous goods. With many years of experience, they were seen by VP as the ideal partner to handle hazardous goods in a complex regulatory and taxation environment.
For more information about VP and its products for distributors, racers, enthusiasts, and general consumers visit vpracingfuels.com/europe.
SPRC Summernationals entry update.
21st May: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 2 of the official entry list for the SPRC Summernationals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 22nd-23rd June and which is a round of the Motorsport UK, UK National and ACU UK Championships as well as a Championship round for some other classes. You can check out the SPRC Summernationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
SPRC Summernationals entry closes on Friday 31st May, after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
Johnny done Good.
21st May: UK Pro Modified racer John Tebenham doubled up at The Doorslammers driving his Super Pro ET Pop and licencing in his Corvette Pro Mod, and got in touch with us to give us his impression of the weekend:
Wow! Wow! Wow! What a crazy weekend! From smoking burnouts in the Pop to a mad, fast Pro Mod, trying to get my licence and a 6.62/223 on my fifth pass. If you want to drive something mental in drag racing then drive a Pro Mod - when it's going flat out it's like sitting in a chainsaw!
The only problem I had was that if I wasn't ready, or wasn't about, for some of our fire-ups some other bloke was always in it... Marco - no problem, but you don't get to drive it.
We had a busy weekend driving both cars and could hardly see to get back home, we were so shattered.
Thanks to Freddy for his oil pump drive and a big Thanks to my dream team. Great to have Tracy Island back! We all wish Tim Mugridge all the best this week, he came to Pod and helped us all weekend, helping us out and working on both cars. We couldn't hold him back - what a man, great respect to him.
Johnny Bee Good will see you all at the Main Event.
Swift snippets.
21st May: If would seem foolish for a bookmaker to sponsor a car and not take bets on the race, so Top Fuel Dragster racer Tethys' primary sponsor MustardBet, are offering a range of bets on Top Fuel Dragster at this weekend's FIA/FIM Main Event. "If it goes well, they may consider other classes and other bet types in the future", says Tet. "You can see their prices and place your bets at mustardbet.com/sports/events/376821."
Another Thank You to Andy Marrs, this time for passing us the official timing data from the The Doorslammers, which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Sawatzki tops run list.
21st May: Longtime readers will know that once the curiosity of stats guru and Honorary Eurodragster.com Staff Member Andy Marrs has been piqued he will find an answer however much work it takes. A throwaway comment about who has made the most passes down the track prompted Marrs to go through his data and find the answer for Santa Pod Raceway:
Two weeks and many, many hours of spreadsheet blindness later I've cobbled together an answer. I only hold data going back to 1995, and the older the data is the less accurate it is. Also, a fact of which I was already aware, timekeepers aren't the best spellers. Racers variously entering as Steve/Stephen/Steven, Dave/David, Pete/Peter etc have made accuracy somewhat testing.
That said, the runaway leader - something to which he is used - is reigning UK National 9.50 Bike Champion Richard Sawatzki with 943 runs down the track at Santa Pod. His nearest rivals are Dave Cherrett and Pete Cresswell, both on 839. In the process of doing this I was able to work out the most runs per season for each year, and top of that list is Paul Marston with 81 runs in 2011. A special mention, too, for Super Gas racer Tim Adam who topped the lists in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006 and was second in 2002 and 2004.
These numbers are on the basis that the racer was entered into the race computer for a run, rather than completed a run. My data contains over 160,000 runs so going through that lot to pick out who didn't reach the finish line, or the start line for that matter, would take more years than I have left on this planet. Likewise I have not attempted to record the classes involved, this is purely a list of race computer entries.
If anyone wants to know their total then please drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Main Event Perfect Awards and more.
21st May: £200 is up for grabs at this weekend's FIA/FIM Main Event courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors.
This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by Secret Worx Comp Eliminator racer Jordan Payne at the Springspeed Nationals. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available to racers in all classes during qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has also been reset to £50 after it was won by Modurstang Pro ET racer Bob Molden at the Springspeed Nationals. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at the event to tun +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available this weekend to racers in FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike, Good Vibrations Motorsports/Przym Paintworks Super Pro ET, Modurstang Pro ET, Phoenix Personnel Super Comp, Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout and Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only), but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Andy Hadfield of the Twister Race Team, who will be represented this weekend by Lucas Oil Junior Dragster racer Purdie Hadfield.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
Bob's Photo Finish Award, which is presented in association with longtime Eurodragster.com supporter Bob Roberts, will award £50 each to the racers involved in the closest race of eliminations at this weekend's event. The last Bob's Photo Finish Award, presented at the 2018 UK National Finals, was won by Lucas Oil Junior Dragster racers Thomas Cook-Abbott and Luke Mugridge whose finish line margin in E1 was 0.0005 seconds or 0.69 inches.
The closest race will be decided upon distance rather than time since, for example, 0.001 seconds at 230 mph is further than 0.002 seconds at 110 mph. For this reason the official timing data will need to be consulted so the winners will be announced here on Eurodragster.com as soon as possible after the event and the winners will then be contacted for their preferred method of payment.
Bob's Photo Finish Award is open to all classes during eliminations only, and although Eurodragster.com decals are not mandatory we would appreciate if it they are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
Web site updates.
21st May: Paul Bryan has updated his Flickr gallery with over 150 pictures from the Doorslammers. You can check out Paul's great pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/paulbryan_photopedia.
Doorslammers results.
20th May: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's Doorslammers at Santa Pod Raceway:
VP Racing Fuels Pro Doorslammer: Mattias Wulcan 7.0446/116.43 bye, Micke Nord shut off
Turbo Technics Pro Street: Andy Bond 7.6622/202.57 def. Joe Stevens 8.0472/175.75
True Street: Mark Biggers 9.0994/157.97 def. Mark Carr 10.4938/146.17
OCS Group Big Bracket: Nic Williams (9.77) 9.7876/133.22 def. Lee Huxley (9.63) 9.6609/132.93
6 Cylinder: Gary Gooding 7.8962/169.81 bye, Mark Moseley shut off
Webster Race Engineering 4 Cylinder: Kev Jenkins 8.7667/150.67 def. Darren Scannell 11.5501/102.89
Eibach Front Wheel Drive: Nicolas Hackiere 10.3620/139.82 def. Calvin Skerritt 10.3422/136.52
Congratulations also to the SPRC track crews, race officials and marshals who never gave up in the face of weather, trails of fluid and other on-track incidents and to the Santa Pod management for adding Saturday's OCS Group Big Bracket prize fund to Sunday's fund after rain wrecked Saturday's schedule, enabling Eurodragster.com sponsor Nic Williams to pocket no less than £10,000 for yesterday's win and runner-up Lee Huxley and previous round losers to earn substantial amounts.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Doorslammers reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Swift snippets.
18th May: Martin Hill and Donna Finnegan asked us to say a big Happy 50th Birthday to Fireforce Jet team front man Richie Henry. "Go easy on the cider tonight!", they say.
Post-Main Event Test Days still open.
17th May: Places are still available for the Private Test Days at Santa Pod Raceway on the Tuesday and Wednesday immediately after the FIA/FIM Main Event (28th-29th May).
The Test Days are open, at a fee, both to racers who wish to stay after the Main Event and to those who wish to drive or trailer in on either or both days. All classes are welcome, both car and bike, with the exception of nitro-fuelled cars and bikes which cannot be accommodated. Slicks or Drag Radials are preferred; vehicles with street tyres will all have to use a particular lane. Spectators are also permitted to attend, again for a small fee.
The track will be prepped and safety cover will be provided.
If you would be interested in attending then please contact Thorsten Appel either at email@example.com or via Facebook.
Swift snippets.
17th May: Santa Pod Racers Club marshal Caroline Boncey has been in touch to thank everyone who sponsored her to undertake the Bubble Rush in aid of the Hospice of st Francis. "The latest tally is £650 and I am humbled and overwhelmed by everyone who sponsored me to help a charity very close to my heart", says Oscar. "We all ended up a lovely shade of Oscar green!". It is not too late if you wish to add to Oscar's total for such a great cause; you can read more and donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/caroline-boncey4.
Thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us the official timing data from the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals, which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Doorslammers notebook.
16th May: If you are going to Santa Pod this weekend then please bear in mind that the A45 is down to a single-lane-each-way contraflow where it crosses the railway line in between Wellingborough and Rushden (map).
Eurodragster.com will be reporting live from Santa Pod for all three days of the Doorslammers in association with John Woolfe Racing. We will be posting real-time reports and results and end-day galleries tomorrow (Friday), Saturday and Sunday, with pit notes on Sunday. This weekend's webcast will be provided by Santa Pod Raceway and will be available on YouTube (Santa Pod TV) and Facebook (Santa Pod Raceway). We will post a direct Home Page link to our coverage as soon as it commences tomorrow, but in the meantime you can check out our Doorslammers Event Index, which includes links to the entry list, provisional running order, webcast and Nitro FM, by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Nitro FM will be broadcasting all three days of the event on 96.2 FM at the track, or on-line at www.eurodragster.com/nitrofm.
Arthursson aims for title.
16th May: Andreas Arthursson and the PPF Racing team will be headed to Santa Pod Raceway next week for the first step in their tilt at the 2019 FIA European Pro Modified Championship. Ulf Stadig writes:
This is the first time that the team have travelled so far to race the '69 Chevelle. Previous races have been around Scandinavia.
37-year-old Andreas started as a street racer with high performance BMWs. This led to the business Pure Performance Factory, located in Avesta in Sweden, which he now owns with his partner Andreas Bäckström. The need for speed grew rapidly and a turbocharged Nova V8 was next until they stepped up and bought a 25:1E Chevy Monte Carlo from Martin Lundqvist's father Tom. This car was equipped with an LS twin turbo engine and was until a few years back the quickest LS-equipped car in the world with a 6.11, set in 2012.
As PPF grew and PPF Racing became quicker the desire for even better ETs led the team to order a 1969 Chevelle Pro Mod from chassis builder Mats Brag. This was supposed to be a joint effort with engine builder Nilsen Performance but that came to an halt and Andreas took over the engine concept and built a twin turbo BAE 490. The goal was set to became the quickest Pro Mod in Europe! PPF developed a good relationship with Precision Turbo, and FuelTech became their premier engine management provider, so the new engine was equipped with top-notch accessories.
After the début of the Pro Mod the fight was on for a few years to get it under six seconds over the quarter, and it became hard to find a sweet spot as the car delivered 6.0s with various bad outcomes. The team struggled and worked hard but the car was never consistent.
In late 2016 the car showed great performance in a test session in Malmö, recording a 3.88 eighth mile, and the team thought that 2017 would be a great season but still the car didn't deliver and was plagued with tyre shake and other bad stuff.
In the Fall of 2017 an idea arose: why not try to sell the old engine and go for a Proline Racing engine? A deal came up to buy a complete driveline from Troy Coughlin Sr's Jeg's Pro Mod Corvette as he was to parking his operation. This was the motor with which he won 2017 NHRA E3 Spark Plug Pro Modified Championship. PPF and Andreas received good support from friends and sponsors, and an order was sent for top-notch equipment. Help with a baseline was agreed with Proline Racing; Eric Dillard and the team were helpful truly professional.
Some of the PPF team went to Bahrain to meet with Eric, Steve Petty and Brandon Stroud as they were racing there with the Q80 team in January 2018. The PPF team got some great education on this trip! In the Spring of 2018 great partner Pa-So Produkter stepped up and brought Brandon over for the early test session down in Malmö. The car had been provided with a complete front-to-back set-up by the Proline Racing team and PPF and the test was awesome. Brandon was a real pro who helped to baseline the PPF Racing Chevelle.
Andreas and team contested four Pro Mod races in 2018 and won both of the FIA events at Tierp Arena. He also became Swedish Pro Modified Champion and won number one spot in the Summit Racing EDRS series. Confidence grew last season; with a consistent car the PPF team reset the European ET Record four times during the second event at Tierp and in the final round lowered it to a new best of 5.751.
For 2019 the car is NHRA-legal, except the auto-shifter which is not legal in Europe. The team made three hits at a local track and are now keen to get to Santa Pod to try to contend for the 2019 FIA Championship. The first part of Andreas' journey was completed with the ET record last season, this year's target is the number one Pro Mod plate.
Thanks to our sponsors PPF Racing, PA-So Produkter (Patrik Björk), FuelTech, MPM Oil, PLR Proline Racing, Precision Turbo and Engine, Allmek and Nuke Performance.
Bring it on!
Team picture courtesy and ©Marcus Möller
Take twenty three Anglias...
16th May: UK Outlaw Anglia racer Colin Millar writes that a twenty three-car Outlaw Anglia field was strong for their first event of the year, last weekend's NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway, but that there was a reason for that and that it resulted in what everyone agrees was the class' best-ever outing:
Since the event schedule has been altered the need to go racing was even more prevalent as we are usually out and about early April. We had a really nice surprise with the reappearance of an old hand in Outlaw Anglia, namely Jeff Meads. It's so good to see him back out for a full racing season in OA and as always his car is looking and going great, been a while out the seat but didn't take any time to get back into and sporting his new wheelie bars.
A few of us managed to get a run in on the Friday, trying to get those cobwebs blown away and the first-run-of-the-year nerves out of the way before the serious racing began. On Friday night the rain was torrential, mixed with hail and wind and it looked very much like the event would be a disaster. However, waking up in the morning the sun was out and the track was drying, and we thought that maybe the tide was turning (Possibly not the best choice of words - Ed). We were right, as our first race was at midday with some quick times and good solid straight racing, another round the back of three, and the last one with great air at half past seven at night. By this time the qualifying list was starting to show some pretty serious times with four cars into the sevens making it a very interesting time going into eliminations.
Another first was the dulcet tones of two Outlaw Anglia racers, Simon Barlow and Phil Ginner Middleton, in the Tower. A couple of comedians with Colin Theobald no doubt sweating as this was a
A strong sixteen-car field was ready to deliver early on Sunday morning, the winning eight moving through to the quarter finals but, unlike before, the losing cars going through to an Outlaw Anglia ET Bracket which they used to run back in the day. The resurgence of this event was keenly-anticipated for all who ran in it. It sounds simple but running a Pro tree on ET is very hard on your gearbox when do you get on the noise, especially if your competitor is away a few seconds before you!
Going in to the quarter finals something had happened which no one could explain: the need for speed, the electric atmosphere, the tension was all around the OA pits. How had the bar been raised, where did it come from? Who cares as it was happening right there right now, PBs for fourteen out of the nineteen cars which had run, making history which we were when you see the final results. The quarter final pairings were Paul Hensher and Ronnie Mercer, Simon Barlow and Jeff Meads, Colin Millar and Gary Bird, and Scotty Crookston and Steve Wells.
The fiercely-contested semi-finals were Scotty and Simon and Colin and Paul. Simon and Scotty up first with a fantastic race, Scotty getting away first but then Simon's power was unleashed delivering a storming 7.33/190.60 backed up for a new OA speed record. Colin and Paul up next with a storming run from Paul and a bit of tyre shake from Colin and possibly the closest race ever in the OA series, Paul winning with a 7.412 Colin losing with a 7.413.
The Outlaw Anglia ET Bracket final was between Phil Drewitt and Mat Cooper (come on the Benders), with old hand bracket racer Phil taking the trophy - but we forgot to get one, typical of Outlaw Anglia. In the OA final up stepped Paul Hensher, who had just run the quickest ET of his career, skipped the 7.5s and moved straight into the low 7.4s, and up stepped Simon Barlow who had just taken the OA speed record as well as a new ET PB of 7.334. It was a cracking race with Paul getting the jump on Simon, but again the power came on and being a bit forgetful and not changing the nitrous bottle due to all the excitement (and old age) Paul ran out of steam, or rather NOS, and Simon took the win with a storming 7.33 setting a new ET record as well as the speed record.
The following racers noted PBs: Simon Barlow, Mark Bracking, Steve Wells, Colin Millar, Scotty Crookston, Barry Crookston, Garry Hill, Paul Hensher, Gary Bird, Philip Drewitt, Ronnie Mercer, Ted Booth, Kim Harrison and finally Luke Hoskins. All of the ET and speed PBs and much more including an NSRA Nostalgia Nationals event report can be found on the Outlaw Anglia web site. Jemma Bromley has been busy in the background with updates, reports and event galleries so please go and have a look at www.outlawanglia.co.uk.
These mind blowing times in what are wee cars – remember, only a 101" wheelbase with the aerodynamics of a brick - would not have been possible without the fully-prepped track given to us by Santa Pod Raceway for the whole weekend, and we were in the safe hands of all the marshals if we ever needed help. This of course is very much appreciated and never taken for granted.
It has to be said that in the time that we can remember it is hard to think of any event which was better, quicker, faster or more competitive in Outlaw Anglia – and, folks, that's only round one. Can it get better? You bet your life it can. Come and watch live, or watch Santa Pod's fantastic live stream, but make sure that you mark the date for the next fantastic Outlaw Anglia extravaganza, the SPRC Summernationals on 22nd-23rd June. Be there or be square!
Mission nearly accomplished.
15th May: The weekend's NSRA Nostalgia Nationals was a great success for Simon Barlow and the Orange Pop Racing Outlaw Anglia team. Tuner Karl Harrison writes:
After very successful testing in 2018 it was time to get serious in 2019. The van received a few updates during the winter thanks to Jon Webster at Webster Race Engineering, a rear anti roll bar and a nice shiny new pair of rear shock absorbers and springs. Jon spent the Thursday morning before the event baselining the car after the updates and then we headed over to the track to set up the pit and set about making more changes. These included updating the Racepak datalogger with an extra fuel pressure sensor, and wiring in the transbrake which was to be used for the first time with the blown methanol engine combination.
Mods completed and tested we were ready to hit the track. We were ready to go on Friday morning but the weather caused havoc and we didn't get out till late in the afternoon. Unfortunately on the first attempt after the burnout the start line crew spotted some oil under the car. We shut off and headed back to the pits - thanks guys, had the leak not been spotted the weekend could have been whole lot different. We soon found the issue and ten minutes later we were back in the pairing lanes.
This time all was good, Simon staged and got on the transbrake and was out the hole like a scalded cat. A Personal Best sixty foot and 330 foot was the result. Simon was off the loud pedal just before the eighth as planned. The post-run service showed all was good and we all felt quietly confident that we were in for a good weekend's racing, Q1 on Saturday was going to be the first full pass on the car for 2019 so I put in what I thought was a sensible/mild tune-up in the engine. Another great launch followed with no shake or issues and what came up on the boards had us jumping for joy: another PB for ET and speed, 7.51/186. This put us second behind the awesome Flyin Fyfer team headed by Colin Millar,
After some small suspension tweaks from Jon Webster, and a small fuel system change from me, we headed to the line again. It just got better, we jumped into the number one spot with a storming 7.45/188, we were on a roll! We decided to sit out the third and final qualifying run as we wanted to service the car from top to bottom to make sure it was in tip top condition for Sunday's eliminations. As we weren't running Simon headed to the Tower with Ginner for a spot of colour commentary with Colin for the third session. It was worth sitting out just to hear those two enjoying the moment.
On to race day, we got through round one with an early shutoff 8.00. In round two we faced Jeff Meads in his awesome Pop. Jeff gave Simon a lesson on Reaction Times and we were in chase mode and SImon just got the win with a 7.74 but yet another PB was showing with a speed of 190.60 mph. With the 188.91 in qualifying as a back-up we had the speed record! Round 3 was going to be tough race, we faced young Scotty Crookston and his very rapid Flyin Scotsman. This proved to be a fantastic race which thankfully we won with another PB ET 7.33/190.60.
By this point we all had sore shoulders, arms and throats through celebrating but we had to compose ourselves and get ready for what was going to be an epic final. We were up against Paul Hensher who had also had been killer all weekend. Paul had Simon on the lights but then suffered shake but the Fordson was on another flyer, a 7.34/193 got us the win and the ET record to finish off a truly magical weekend's racing.
The whole crew worked their socks off and deserve a massive amount of credit for what they have achieved since this beast of a race car was born. A huge Thank You also has to go to Jon Webster at Webster Race Engineering, Post en Dros for an unbelievable engine, and Jeff Bull for the torque converter and the invaluable advice. Also a big up to the brilliant Santa Pod guys and girls for running a brilliant event from start to finish. I must say a big well done to Colin Millar on his 7.30, close but no cigar on this occasion but believe me the chase is on. The 2019 Outlaw Anglia Championship is well and truly underway with a bang.
Next up is the Doorslammers, where we are going up against the big boys with big toys. Who's up for seeing a blown methanol Pop against a Pro Mod? We can't wait and we will be doing our best to crack the 200 mph barrier. If you're heading to the Doorslammers please come and say hello to us, the pit is always open and welcoming to fans and friends.
Swift snippets.
15th May: UK Pro Modified racer-in-waiting John Tebenham and team say that they are ready and keen for their début this weekend, but not too confident as yet. "I've got a great team of people on board and have had lots of input and help from Andy Robinson Race Cars", says Johnny Bee Good aka Frank. "We'll see you up there, you'll definitely see me... from anywhere in the world."
Returning Super Pro ET racer Ron Bartlett has been in touch to thank Simon Eykyn, his Crew Chief of over twenty five years. "Over the last two months we have been down at the workshop all hours and it finally paid off last week making the final in Super Pro ET", says Ron. "The car was like clockwork which made my job easy... ish! We calmed it down a bit because of the weather and it would run pretty much on its dial-in every time, mid 8.20s not too shabby. I would like to say thanks to my sister Ann for her support on and away from the track, last but not least Frank and Cliff Griffin as without them the car would not be performing the way it is, an awesome little car. A fantastic team effort, roll on the Main Event. Also well done to all at the Pod in what can only be described as difficult weather conditions, it was bloody freezing on the Saturday."
Many thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us an updated table of UK and European Bests now including those class and track records set at the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals. You can check out the record sheets by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Our good buddy Remco Scheelings is continuing his series of Features on the Drag Racing Europe Blog with his latest victim returning Top Fuel Dragster racer Susanne Callin. You can check out Remco's Feature by clicking here.
Super Pro ET Challenge underway.
15th May: Markus Münch writes that the Super Pro ET Challenge is well on its way:
Brian Pateman was the first to score points at the Springspeed Nationals. The Wide Open race at Rivanazzano followed, at which reigning Champion Franz Aschenbrenner managed to get third. The next chance to collect points will be the FIA/FIM Main Event at Santa Pod. Eight out of the twenty one Challenge participants will be there as part of the huge forty four-car field.
If you would like to be part of this series run by the Drag Race Union then you can simply register for a small fee. Your best four races count towards your overall points and at the and of the season the top five racers get prize money. Get in touch at email@example.com.
Thank You to our 2019 sponsors Racepoint.it (Harley Davidson Garage Rudiferia), Rechsteiner Bedachungen, Mike Bruckmüller (Team 74 Racing), Billy Gane Motors, Jens Könnecke Fahrzeugtechnik, Stefan Eisenhauer Hughes Getriebe Service, M+F Montageservice, Geiger Cars München, Hillbilly Racing, Spedition Schumann and the BDRC (Bavarian Drag Racing Club).
Looking forward to the Main Event, let's go racing!
No Prep Nationals 4 entry open.
15th May: Paul Marston writes that entry is open for No Prep Nationals 4:
No Prep 4 takes place on 29th-20th June at Church Fenton, Leeds Airport East, Leeds, LS24 9SE as part of the Ultimate Motor Show, No Prep Outlaw Drag Racing is eighth-mile, flashlight start, no time, no speed, heads-up Doorslammer racing. Other than safety there are no rules.
This is a two-day event for competitors. There is no limit on entries, there will be space for everyone. Arrival day Friday, Saturday is simply test and tune (RWYB) all day. Sunday is No Prep Nationals 4. Depending on entries there may possibly be a race held on the Saturday, but that will be looked at closer to the day. This is the first time that we will have visited Leeds Airport, there is no noise restriction and this is the first event in our 2019 calendar where we can host the big boys of No Prep. So if the Rockingham Dragstrip No Prep National events are anything to go by, this will soon become a date not to miss.
We have thought long and hard about the classes and have come up with the below. If anyone wants to bring another class then please contact us, we are happy to discuss additional classes. RWYBers are welcome on both days, Saturday and Sunday, you will get plenty of runs on Saturday and will also get to run between classes on Sunday. All competitors will have to be members of the Straightliners Club and will need either an MSA license of an IOPD licence, all of which can be done on the day or in advance.
The classes will be:
No Prep Big Tyre, £1500 cash to win (sixteen car field)
No Prep Small Tyre, £1500 cash to win (sixteen car field)
True/Pro Street Combo, £750 cash to win (sixteen car field)
Monster Big Bracket, £750 cash to win (twenty car field) usual timing equipment, eighth mile. RWYB for everyone, with timing tickets, 60 feet, 330 feet, ET and Speed eighth mile
The rules in No Prep are fairly simple, for a copy simply download from the No Prep Drag Racing Facebook page. For entry fees and forms or other information E-Mail firstname.lastname@example.com, call or text me on 07831 650230, or visit the No Prep Drag Racing Facebook page. Once again our sincere thanks to Trevor Duckworth and the Straightliners organisation for hosting us.
Nomads launch Street Racer Shootout.
15th May: The Nomad Drag Racing Club announced the return of the Street Racer Championship. However, after an unforeseen objection, the Club has started afresh. It was an easy fix and the Nomad Street Racer Shootout was born. Howard Holmes writes:
Typically, street racing is of course an illegal, dangerous and unsanctioned activity occurring on public roads. The Nomad Street Racer Shootout is taking place over a quarter mile, from a standing start, on a sanctioned track with Tag Heuer timing equipment. Like the public highway, however, there is no prep to the track surface.
The key elements are:
Doorslammers racer update.
14th May: Santa Pod Raceway's Doorslammers team have been in touch with information about this weekend's event:
With entries looking strong as we approach the 200 mark across all classes it's still not too late to enter, to check out the entry list and entry details click here.
Pits: Doorslammers racers who wish to leave their race cars and trailers in place for next week's Main Event will need to pit in their Main Event positions. If you wish to do this please make sure you are sited correctly by a pit marshal. Extra security will be in place during the week to ensure the safety of kit left on site, but racers must understand that everything left is at their own risk. Gates are open to racers from 10:00 until 19:00 this Thursday (16th). Racer tickets will not be posted out but can be collected on the gate. There are no ticket sales on Thursday, so racer ticket holders only please. Power is due to be switched on during Thursday afternoon.
Friday: Gates open for everyone else at 09:00 on Friday. The track opens at 09:30; runs will count towards qualifying in the heads-up classes whilst Big Bracket runners will get an extra day to test at no extra cost. After the track closes for the day there will be a drivers' meeting at the Doorslammers stage area at 18:30, please attend this meeting.
Saturday: Due to heavy entries in Pro Doorslammer and FWD the first rounds of these classes will be run on Saturday. The draws for these classes will be at 17:00 on Saturday, with the first rounds taking place from 18:15. Drivers in these classes must be present at the draw. Qualifying for all other classes will end at 17:00 on Saturday. Second round draws for Pro Doorslammer and FWD, and first round draws for all other classes, will take place at the Doorslammers stage at 19:45. A link to the running order can be found by clicking here.
Sunday: For those of you lucky enough (or good enough) to win money at the Doorslammers, payments will be made via BACS after the event so please make sure that Signing On have the relevant details.
Good luck everyone!
Heads Up: Redzone.bet are back.
14th May: Redzone.bet are pleased to be back at Santa Pod Raceway for the 2019 Doorslammers. Registered Redzone customers in the UK and Ireland will get the exclusive opportunity to bet on races at Santa Pod for this event via mobile or desktop; there is even free wifi on the famous Santa Pod banking! Betting will be available on the outcome of all Heads Up classes.
Visit www.redzone.bet/santapod to receive a bonus on your first deposit.
NSRA Nostalgia Nationals results.
13th May: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Outlaw Anglia: Simon Barlow 7.3441/193.85 def. Paul Hensher 8.0394/155.79
Nostalgia Super Stock: Claire Johnson (10.04) 10.0291/125.91 def. Jake Cawthorne (12.20) 12.1729/110.41 DQ breakout
Gasser Circus: Sean Milsom (10.00) 10.0993/13.72 def. Steve Matthews (10.84) 10.8962/118.04
Tri Chevy Shootout: Graham Smith 9.6707/142.49 def. Brad Strevett 11.7910/110.85
Outlaw Anglia ET Bracket: Phil Drewitt (9.50) 9.5799/312.97 def. Matt Cooper (8.10) 8.3184/163.06
Wild Bunch top four (average variance from index):
Outlaw Anglia ET: 7.332 seconds, Simon Barlow
Outlaw Anglia speed: 190.60 mph, Simon Barlow
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored NSRA Nostalgia Nationals reports, results and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
SPRC Summernationals entry update.
11th May: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 1 of the official entry list for the SPRC Summernationals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 22nd-23rd June and which is a round of the Motorsport UK, UK National and ACU UK Championships as well as a Championship round for some other classes. You can check out the SPRC Summernationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
SPRC Summernationals entry closes on Friday 31st May, after which a Late Entry penalty may apply. You can download the official entry forms via the Information link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
If you have any queries about event entry then please get in touch with Ian at email@example.com or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
FIA/FIM Main Event racer update.
11th May: Thanks also to Ian Marshall for forwarding us details of the arrangements for the FIA/FIM Main Event:
Thursday 23rd May
08:00 Gates open for the duration of the event
10:00 Signing On office opens
10:00 Sportsman car scrutineering commences (Scrutineering schedule)
Friday 24th May
07:00 Signing On office opens
07:00 Sportsman car scrutineering commences
09:30 Track opens for qualifying
10:00 Pro bike scrutineering commences (Scrutineering schedule)
12:30 Pro car scrutineering commences with FIA Pro Modified (Scrutineering schedule)
Saturday 25th May
07:00 Signing On office opens
07:00 Scrutineering commences
09:30 Track opens for qualifying and eliminations
Sunday 26th May
08:00 Signing On office opens
08:00 Scrutineering commences
09:30 Track opens for qualifying and eliminations
Monday 26th May
09:30 Track opens for eliminations
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other reason deemed necessary by race officials.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 21:00 on any day of the event, including Thursday's Pro Peak Performance Test and Tune Day. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike racers please remember that vehicles should be pushed, not driven or ridden back to the pits once through the arch beside Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes, to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew, and racers or crew collecting Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards.
Racepak trackside support update.
10th May: Dick Koster of Eurodragster.com sponsor Post en Dros writes that trackside support for Racepak products now has to be chargeable:
As you're already aware, the Holley group purchased the MSD and Racepak brands some time ago, and has since been busy consolidating this and reducing their individual brand and overall group costs. Traditionally, the Racepak brand had always given discounts and other benefits, which allowed us to offer the free-of-charge on-site track support service, which many of you have come to respect and rely upon.
As these benefits from Racepak have now ceased, we can sadly no longer offer this free trackside service and will now need to charge teams a rate of €25 per thirty minutes to cover the time we spend assisting them with their car or bike. We hope that racers appreciate the level of service and dedication we have provided over the last few years and the associated benefit to their racing programmes, and that they will understand and support the need to introduce this new pricing model and will continue to value and utilise our trackside presence and vast technical expertise.
The first event under this regime is the upcoming FIA/FIM Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway.
NSRA Nostalgia Nationals notebook.
9th May: Ethan Lisle writes that this weekend's NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway hosts will host the first round of Round One of the UK Nostalgia Super Stock lifestyle Championship. "Twenty one cars have entered, which is a fantastic field and up on numbers from last year's first round", says Ethan. "Some of our racers have already been out on the track this year in Pro ET and Sportsman ET, and others have competed in No Prep events across the country. We look forward to a fantastic weekend of racing, and we are always looking for new members to join in the fun. Visit our web site at www.nostalgiasuperstock.co.uk for information about the class and follow our Instagram page @uk_nss to keep updated on everything UK Nostalgia Super Stock."
Colin Millar says that the Outlaw Anglias have a confirmed twenty two-car field for this weekend's event. "We're ready to put in a fantastic show for all our fans", says Colin. "We wish all the racers the very best weekend, and we thank the marshals and Santa Pod Raceway for providing us with a great place to race."
Eurodragster.com will be at Santa Pod Raceway from Friday to Sunday to bring you event coverage from the Nostalgia Nationals in association with John Woolfe Racing. The plan is for an end-day gallery on all three days, reports and results on Saturday and Sunday, and pit notes on Saturday. A free webcast will be provided by Santa Pod Raceway. We will post a direct Home Page link to our coverage when it commences but for bookmarking purposes you can check out our NSRA Nostalgia Nationals Event Index by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Many thanks to Stephen Billings for letting us know that the junction of Wymington Lane and the A6 will be closed for three days starting next Monday morning (13th). Click here for a map.
Stats package.
9th May: Many thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us an updated table of UK and European Bests now including those class and track records set at the Festival of Power. You can check out the record sheets by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks also to Andy Marrs for passing us the official timing data from the Springspeed Nationals, which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
JT does it his way.
9th May: The UK's John Tebenham and team were at the Festival of Power at Santa Pod to licence in the JT Racing Ford Pop, ultimately moving between Modurstang Pro ET and Bloodwise/Another Small f Super Pro ET.
"Licencing wasn't too much aggro", says JT, "apart from never having driven an auto except for a dumper! We had loads of problems in the first four burnouts, but then found that the line lock was on the back wheels! Strange... sorry Ian for nearly running you over in the burnout! We eventually made the class and YES, in the first round went 8.93 on that dial-in, but who left that red on the Tree?
"It was great fun and I've missed it loads. Big thanks to Pod crew.
"Pro Mod next - petrified!"
On that subject, our good buddy Remco Scheelings is continuing his series of Features on the Drag Racing Europe Blog and JT/Frank/Johnny Bee Good is his latest victim. You can check out Remco's Feature by clicking here.
VWDRC Heads-Up 1 report.
9th May: 14th April was the date for the Volkswagen Drag Racing Club's first-ever Heads-Up Race, which took place at the GTi Spring Festival at Santa Pod Raceway. Paul Jackson writes:
What a day it was, glorious sunshine and an intercooler-friendly cold snap in the air, the drag racing gods were smiling on us. There was a real cross-section of cars, a mixture of air and water-cooled, front wheel drive, rear wheel drive and even four wheel drive, ranging from Arndt Putzmann's 1000bhp Beetle to Samir Lukac's 4wd Mk1 Golf, with everything from Diesel Seats and Supercharged VR6 Golfs and even road legal Golf Rs in between. Make no mistake, whilst the majority of these were serious purpose-built race cars, we had two road legal, driven-to-the-event road cars, making this class incredibly diverse and open to all.
As this is a trial year, and not yet a Motorsport UK-approved class, it had to be run around RWYB at GTi SpringFest. Tthis meant military precision timekeeping to ensure that everyone was ready to go at the correct time. Luckily Committee member Paul Jackson is a military man, so between he and Club Treasurer Abi Tether everyone was signed on, drivers' meeting complete, safety gear on, and lined up on time ready to go for Qualifying Round 1. Round 1 of qualifying had some highs and lows. Carl Goldsmith was first out, and he found himself in the unique position of being the first ever person to stage in VWDRCHU, and seconds later he was the first person ever to get pushed back in VWDRCHU due to a broken driveshaft. That's what happens when you try putting nearly 600 bhp through a thirty year old year old Golf! Carl isn't one to let a snapped shaft ruin his day, so back to the pits and in the usual VWDRC family way, help/tools/advice/friendly abuse were soon provided. The only problem was that Carl had a custom driveshaft to fit the six-speed 02M gearbox into his MK2, and the chance of getting one in the pits was a million to one... incredibly, fellow racer Sam Lloyd had exactly that as spare! Fifteen minutes later Carl was ready to go for the next qualifying round.
Samir Lukac came out fighting in his Mk1 Golf, laying down an incredible 10.57-second pass making him number one qualifier. Adrian 'Goose' Solly surprised everyone by turning up in his newly-wrapped A3 courtesy of sponsor EST Tuning. It looked fantastic in grey with the goose silhouettes, a far cry from a car once described in print as crusty! Adrian's day only got better as the R32T put in a strong low eleven-second pass, but with a 139 mph terminal speed, so there was certainly more to come from him. Chris Roylance of Volks Workshop fame was in his spur-of-the-moment eBay purchase Crappado; bought cheap just to see what it could do. Chris, being a master tuner, had manged to produce 450 bhp from the completely unknown quantity 20VT, however he had fuelling issues due to a damaged pump and trundled down the strip for the slowest pass of the day - twenty four seconds! Oly Whitehouse in the Beetle was completely down on power, this turned out to be a snapped spark plug which was quickly fixed. Sadly, Bruce Collins in the beautiful Air Hoodlum Beetle was having lots of issues and could only manage a fifteen- seconds pass. After Q1 seven racers had met the 11.99 cut-off including Luis Silva's rapid, smoke-billowing TDi Seat.
During Q2 Sam Lloyd finally got his amazing, completely home-built VRT Mk2 to hook up, earning him a 11.8-second pass and a qualifying position. Barrie Wallis put on a great Red Arrows-style white smoke display as the turbo let go in his MK7 Golf R, meaning an early bath for him. Chris in the Crappado had sorted out his fuel problems and produced a low twelve-second pass, not quite enough to qualify, but still very impressive for a such a last-minute budget race car.
The plan was to have two qualifying rounds in the morning and then move on to eliminations after lunch, however SPRC's Chief Starter Ian Marshall was so impressed with how well the class had been run that he gave us a third qualifying round. This ended up being great news for a couple of the racers; Ed Keech had resolved his earlier nitrous problems and was able to put in a stout 11.77 qualifying pass, and it was smiles all round for Goose as he ran his first-ever ten-second quarter-mile pass moving him up to number three qualifier. Carl not having qualified yet, and having been understandably cautious in Q2, needed to qualify. A monster burnout proved too much and unfortunately the huge drag slicks caught on a wheel arch ripping the passenger side tyre to bits, so Carl was pushed back for the second time Chris Roylance was also trying hard in the Corrado, possibly too hard as the gearbox decided it didn't want to be part of a race car anymore and scattered itself over the start line, sadly putting an end to his day.
After the dramas of qualifying, with five of the fourteen entrants retiring due to damage, there were nine cars left so the decision was taken to run an eight-car ladder with number nine Arndt as first alternative: he was guaranteed a spot, as despite qualifying third Damian MacDonagh had decided to call it a day after his Mk7 R had developed a misfire, and Barrie Wallis was definitely out after his turbo failure in Q2.
In the first pair of round one of eliminations Ed Keech lined up against Goose. Ed was keen to get a good start and managed to snap a driveshaft in the process, handing the win to Adrian who wrung the neck of the A3 and produced a new Personal Best 10.78-second pass. Arndt's crazy methanol-powered Beetle was having some fuelling problems at low revs and bogging on the line, but once the taps opened it flew. Arndt managed to reach 151 mph despite a fairly easy launch, knocking Sam Lloyd out in the process.
We were down to two pairs for E2, and Samir produced the quickest time of the day with a blistering 9.8-second run giving him a place in the finals next to Sam Chisholm-Brown.
Finals time! 650bhp of FWD MK2 Golf v 750bhp of 4wd MK1 Golf, it was going to take a lot for Sam to beat Samir but, as ever in racing, if you want to finish first, first you've got to finish. After a lightning start Samir's sequential gearbox was damaged and locked itself in fourth, letting Sam through to take the win although not to take away from Sam's very impressive 10.64 pass.
So that was the end of what was a fantastic inaugural event; the standard of cars was superb and the racing unpredictable as ever, the class is sure to go from strength to strength. The next round is on 2nd June at Das Auto Show at Santa Pod, so if you think have a quick VAG car and want to get involved then check out www.vwdrc.com or contact the club via social media.
See you at the track!
All hail No Prep.
9th May: Lancaster Dragstrip and the Straightliners organisation hosted No Prep True Street and Pro Street last Saturday, and Paul Marston writes that to say that conditions were trying would have been an understatement:
A lot of rain and hailstones, biting wind etc, you get the picture. Not ideal drag race conditions but this is No Prep. The weather naturally kept a good number of competitors away but there were half a dozen, like us, not intelligent enough not to go - or hard core to the bone - who made the trip.
This was my first visit to Lancaster Drag Strip at East Kirkby, as I missed the April meeting due to work commitments and so had to buy breakfast for all the No Prep crew. The track at Lancaster Dragstrip is outstanding, a real nice surface, plenty of grip was available, a great venue for No Prep. This facility has alot of potential. There was plenty of room for all the teams, no restrictions on pit space area, take what you need.
The event was run in mildly moist conditions, but as all of the competitors had treaded road-legal tyres they came to us and said "We are up for this as it's No Prep, which means it's the same for everyone!".
The competition was fast and furious, run in our usual format of three rounds back-to-back with everyone running everyone. This is done on a points system: two points for a win, one point for a defeat, and no points for a no-show. The winner was none other than Pete Lane in his mighty Plymouth Barracuda who took all of his rounds - one being a real squeaker which needed video camera footage replayed quite a few times to determine the winner. Hard-fought and well-deserved. Second place went to Dave Wiggins in his matt black nitrous SBC '66 Nova which was his second No Prep Trophy: Dave won the inaugural No Prep Nationals at North Weald in 2017.
Cash and trophies sorted, another race was won and done.
No Prep returns to this great facility on Saturday 7th September, the same weekend as the European Finals. Our next event is the No Prep Nationals at Leeds Airport on 29th-30th June. Although the No Prep Event is on the Saturday competitors can arrive on the Friday and, providing that they have Straightliners membership, can stay and test on the Sunday in between the bikes running their eliminations and qualifying.
Mucho thanks to Trevor Duckworth and the Straightliners organisation for hosting us, and to all of the No Prep Crew for running our side of things. Last but by no means least thanks to all of our competitors who braved the conditions and had a great time, much respect to you all.
For rules or other information E-Mail email@example.com, call or text me on 07831 650230, or visit the No Prep Drag Racing Facebook page.
Web site updates.
9th May: With two Nostalgia Funny Cars at Santa Pod at the weekend Chris Eyre went along to see what happened and he has updated his European Nostalgia Funny Car web site with an illustrated report. You can read check out Chris' report, videos and photos at euronostalgiafunnycar.jimdo.com. "Thank you to Eurodragster.com for the videos, and the event coverage too" says Chris (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed).
Tierp Internationals entry update.
8th May: Tomas Pettersson has been in touch with a reminder that tomorrow (Thursday 9th) is the closing date for Tierp Internationals entry at the standard rate. You can enter on-line at www.dragracing.eu.
You can check out the current Tierp Internationals entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Swift snippets.
8th May: Further to yesterday's news item from Keith Bartlett, Darren Prentice writes to remind riders wishing to enter any FIM European Drag Bike Championship class that to be eligible for prize fund and travel money, including the promoter adjustment, you must be registered for the FIM European Championships. You can register for the Championships on the Trackgroup Europe web site at www.tgeurope.eu.
Many thanks to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for passing us the post-Springspeed Nationals points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships and SPRC Club Championships. You can check out the points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Editor's note: Due to a badly-timed fire alarm (That's what happens when you let the waiter cook the chips - Ed) the rest of today's news update will have to be posted later. Keep the news coming to email@example.com.
Santa Pod message to racers and crew.
7th May: With the ever-popular Main Event nearly upon us and a high entry field, Darren Prentice of Santa Pod Raceway has been in touch to remind and to ask the racing community for their help on a few matters to maximise use of available pit space:
Thank you for your understanding.
Tierp, Kauhava FIM confirmed.
7th May: Trakbak Racing CEO and FIM European Drag Bike Championship promoter Keith Bartlett has sent the following release regarding the 2019 FIM Championship:
Although extremely late in the day I am pleased to announce that the FIM European Drag Bike Championship will return to both Sweden and Finland in 2019. The two new rounds will be held at Tierp Arena on 6th-9th June and at the new track at Kauhava in Finland on 5th-7th July.
At Tierp Arena there will be only three classes: Top Fuel Bike, Supertwin Bike and Pro Stock Bike; there will be no FIM Super Street Bike at Tierp in 2019. At the new Kauhava track all four classes, Top Fuel Bike, Supertwin Bike, Pro Stock Bike and Super Street Bike, will be running.
There have been very long and drawn-out negotiations to make these two rounds happen in 2019. This has been due to much contractual, scheduling and overall direction discussions between the FIM and the track promoters for European drag bike racing going forwards. I am fully aware that this is far too late for many riders, if not all of the teams and riders, to have rounds of the Championship confirmed.
All I can add is that we are already in discussions on the provisional 2020 calendar and race schedule, which will be announced by early October at the latest, if not sooner. The final fixed calendar for the 2020 FIM European Drag Bike Championship will be confirmed late in October 2019.
We intend to hold meetings with all the riders and teams at the Main Event, and at Tierp Arena two weeks later, to discuss the whole situation between the riders and track promoters. We will announce the proposed dates for those two meetings later this week.
Swift snippets.
7th May: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday with hugs to Hayley Fyfe of the Wrathchild and Rebel Wild Bunch team. Have a lovely day Hayley; the cake date has gone into the scheduler.
Venom found in pineapples?
6th May: From UK Nostalgia Funny Car racer Tony Betts, who sat out the weekend's race, comes something akin to a spy picture:
Venom Racing have gone through a few changes over the last couple of months. It meant us sitting out the Springspeed Nationals; this is something we never wanted to happen but it was agreed with the team that this would be best. However we are back on track, and after a good couple of days at the Snake Pit there is light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Bob Nigh. Mark Luton and Ashley Phipps have come on board with Venom for the 2019 season.
We have also had a request from some guy across the Pond to join Venom for Dragstalgia. We think he looks familiar, but we only have an old photo he sent us. He will be bringing close friend Jerry to assist him. Big thanks to Geoff Stillwell for organising this for us. I am so looking forward to the coming meetings.
Supercharged Outlaws open 2019 account.
6th May: The UK's Supercharged Outlaws have a record entry of eighteen for this weekend's NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Jim Maher of Good Vibration Motorsports has continued the company's sponsorship of our rounds with the Quick Reaction Award. They are a family run business, nothing is too much trouble, a wonderful service. Also Simon Boot of the Bootlegger has also sponsored this round.
There are a lot of new cars out this year and Aaron Windridge, after winning the Championship in his first year in the hot seat of the Team Thing altered, will be defending his title with an updated version of the old car to try to get into the sixes.
Swift snippets.
6th May: Lizz Charman tells us that, real life having got in the way and now sorted itself out, the time is right to continue with the construction of her and Kev Charman's Top Fuel Bike. "We are under no illusions that there is a whole heap of work to go", says Lizz. "Big thanks to Dave Branch for finding time in between his salt flat build to machine parts for us. Now it's all at Webster Race Engineering, massive thanks to Jon for his enthusiasm and workmanship, as always. It looks outstanding. We will add more to the story as work progresses."
Further to Ian Marshall's news item last Thursday, Andy Marrs tells us that Kunmadaras FIM Super Street Bike victor Alex Hope is only the fourth rider to win events in two different FIM Europe classes, the others being Roel Koedam in Top Fuel Bike and Supertwin, Rikard Gustafsson in Funny Bike and Top Fuel Bike, and Christian Jäger in Supertwin and Funny Bike. Alex also overtook dad and Pro Stock Bike racer Chris Hope in all-time FIM points earned with 875 to Chris' 795.
Springspeed Nationals results.
5th May: Congratulations to the winners of the Springspeed Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Secret Worx Comp Eliminator: Kev Perkins (7.99) 7.9004/169.748 def. Dave Smith (7.45) 7.6695/178.52
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure/Pete Walters Race Design Super Pro ET: Brian Pateman (8.74) 8.8115/145.26 def. Ron Bartlett (8.25) 8.3277/164.23
Modurstang Pro ET: Brian Huxley (9.53) 9.5507/139.44 def. Bob Molden (9.52) 9.4954/138.10
Hutchinson and Dibley Sportsman ET: Ben Newsome (12.00) 11.5538/119.46 def. Kirstie Tramm (14.86) 14.8404/91.56 DQ red light
Phoenix Personnel Super Comp: Steve Hudson 8.9928/132.50 def. Paul Hudson 10.1847/127.68
Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout: Andy Harrison 9.9860/145.23 bye, Collin Morrice no show
Lucas Oil Junior Dragster: Daniel Weir (9.59) 9.5531/66.94 def. Frankie Fordham (7.99) 7.9085/77.46 DQ breakout
VW Pro: Simon Blackburn (10.60) 11.6897/126.62 def. Carl Goldsmith (10.85) 11.0008/130.13 DQ red light
VW Sportsman: Holley Sanders (14.75) 14.9972/87.52 def. Jon Crawford (15.75) 16.0127/81.37
Banks Nightclub Top Fuel Bike: Neil Midgley 7.1253/151.56 def. Allan Davies 11.7154/69.85
Funny Bike: Dave Batcheler 7.6386/160.73 def. Kars van den Belt 7.8002/176.40
Taylor's Trophy Super Street Bike: Dave Smith 7.5250/192.23 def. Graham Dance 7.5385/188.92
Comp Bike: Louis Davies 7.8608/152.20 def. Valentijn Sandtke 8.1148/169.16
NMCN 8.50 Bike: Jay Roe 8.6856/155.21 def. Ian Critchlow 17.7319/46.22 DQ red light
9.50 Bike: Craig Wright 9.5437/142.59 def. Alan Morrison Jr 9.4591/127.94 DQ red light
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Supertwin Top Gas: Michael Gooding 9.3984/150.12 def. Mike Nelthorpe 15.5751/84.26
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike: Steve Ashby (9.38) 9.4426-151.63 def. Gary Hester (10.52) 10.6169/126.14
In Posterum Junior Drag Bike: Blade Dummer (8.35) 8.3507/79.80 def. Ciaran Lucas (9.34) 9.2414/74.08 DQ breakout
More than half of yesterday's qualifying was curtailed by rain and hail but today's eliminations ran smoothly.
Congratulations to Secret Worx Comp Eliminator racer Jordan Payne who won the Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award, and to Modurstang Pro ET racer Bob Molden who won the inaugural Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team. Both Awards have been reset to £50 for the FIA/FIM Main Event.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Springspeed Nationals reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks to Callum Pudge for standing in as primary photographer for the weekend, and to Team Nutritionist Syd McDonald, Spencer Tramm and Elaine Hancock for catering. Thanks also for the compliments on the commentary, although the credit rests with Colin Theobald for making it so easy.
Tethys back in the hot seat.
5th May: The last time that UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Tethys made a public announcement about his racing, it was to say that he had cancer which forced him to take a step back. Although not completely out of the woods yet, Tethys is fortunate that his health is currently good; at the moment he is cancer free and can get on with life again, which seemed like as good an excuse as any to return to Top Fuel:
I'll be back driving an Erbacher car again, this time with backing from MustardBet, a sports betting and casino web site. Peter Walters at PWRD has done a design for the car, which looks great. I'm not one to make predictions about how I'm going to get on, but I'm not planning to just make up the numbers. The aim is to be competitive. Liam's impressive form at Easter has shown that the bar is going to be pretty high this year, but we'll give it our best shot.
It may only have been a couple of years, but it feels like an eternity since I last sat in the hot seat, and I'm looking forward to it. Roll on the Main Event. I can't wait.
Flynn's campaign Accelerates.
3rd May: Derek Flynn of Eurodragster.com sponsor Accelerate Your Marketing says that he was very pleased with the launch of the Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Campaign at the Festival of Power at Santa Pod Raceway. The campaign, headed by Derek and his wife Fiona Flynn with friend and business partner Nobby Clark, supports the blood cancer charity Bloodwise with particular emphasis on encouraging blood and stem cell donations.
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure sponsored Supertwin Top Gas and ET Bike and fielded an Audi in Hutchinson and Dibley Sportsman ET, driven by Eurodragster.com sponsor Pete Walters, and a bike on which Les Harris took the Supertwin Top Gas victory. The honour of making the first passes down the track with the new vehicles went to Santa Pod Raceway's Chief Starter Ian Marshall and Starter Dave Warren at the Pro Peak Performance Test and Tune Day.
"The amount of support we've had has been fantastic", Derek told Eurodragster.com. "The number of people who have said they will give blood, and donated money, was incredible. We are so grateful to Santa Pod Racers Club and their marshals who all got on board, race teams are donating blood (Andy Flav below, well done mate - Ed). It was great that Les won the inaugural event on the bike, and Pete did well. Losing to Kirstie Tramm was fine by me as that was a win for Eurodragster.com! A big Thank You also to Trakbak Racing for their help."
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure will again be present at this weekend's Springspeed Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway. When you are in the pits look out for the Airstream with Bloodwise decals where Derek and Fiona will be on hand and happy to answer any questions about blood or stem cell donation.
If you would like to find out more about blood or stem cell donation, or if you would like to donate, then you can find the Bloodwise web site at www.bloodwise.org.uk.
Oh no... three of them!
3rd May: Colin Millar writes that sunny Scotland's Team Flyin Outlaw Anglia team have been kept busy over the winter building The Flyin' Saltire which is now ready to go:
The Flyin' Scottsman has been tweaked and the Flyin' Fyfer got a subtle new look. It feels like a long winter as we would normally have been at the Pod by now, but our daughter Megan got married last weekend so being her father and brothers we had little or no chance of finding an excuse to go to the Festival of Power. We did manage a few pictures before we left in the morning and I did manage to watch the fantastic live coverage throughout the vows!
Its been hectic to say the least. Young Barry Crookston, Scotty's younger brother, has been dead keen to get in on the action for some time and when the opportunity arose to grab Ricky Hooper's old Outlaw Anglia Pop from David Cummings, who stays just around the corner, he jumped at the chance. We we were going to run it as it was but being a bit anal it was a complete strip which, to be honest did the car proud. It's old, its heavy, but it's safe and it now has a shiny chassis tag thanks to Mark Norton, as well as an ability to pass scrutineering at an MSA event. So it's all good to go.
I actually kept a little book and by the time it was all done we had clocked up 2160 man hours getting it to where it needed to be, but everything was done in our garage by the three of us with great help from Brian Ritchie, proud of that. The car will début the weekend after at the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals and Barry is in good hands with Jedd Guy as his Crew Chief showing him the ropes. His mum Lynn Purvis will however be a nervous wreck with both her boys racing at the event.
The Flyin' Scottsman has had a few upgrades over the winter and the proof will be in the pudding, so fingers crossed for a great track at the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals where Scott hopes to unleash the upgrades and get a positive result. Attention to detail is huge and planning and implementing changes had to be done carefully to ensure that the car will go faster without compromising the reliability. For a car fresh out of being built with not one problem to run down to a 7.73 not even half way through the season is an achievement in itself. So good luck to Scott.
I will however have to watch my back as last year I raced Scott and he told his mum not to tell me that he was running gas and, being a mum, of course she never told me... to my dismay as he shot past me into the distance! The Flyin' Fyfer is back fighting fit with a lot of maintenance over the winter, new beadlocks on the back as I was starting to rip out rim screws with the increased power. It seemed an easy job but then I found out that the calipers, discs and brackets didn't fit and had to be replaced. I bit the bullet and did the upgrades, and I thought that I would change the front wheels at the same time. A lot of refreshing of new rose joint bearings is now behind us. We put a small amount of gas in the car last year and focused on getting every ounce out of the set up without changing anything, and the end result of a 7.37 at 184 mph was really pleasing. This year we will be trying harder and raising our game so again fingers crossed.
The big challenge now is hauling ass with three cars and rigs to the track, every time we go it's a 2400 mile round trip for the three of us, we must be mad lol.
We did manage a wee break on completion of The Flyin' Saltire as Bradley Head, Scotty and I slipped away for a long weekend at the March Meet. Just awesome as they say in California, if you want a proper race meeting this is for you, if you want Nostalgia then the CHRR is the one, both are strong in their own right. We certainly got some funny looks coming back with our luggage but they popped right back up on the carousel in Edinburgh, perfect, along with lots of other goodies in our suitcases.
Barry is gaining confidence and experience as we go forward, Scotty is hitting the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals but work commitments keep him away from Doorslammers. He will be coming back in Super Comp at the Main Event so watch this space. I am doing three in a row which after the long winter is fantastic but it's so hard on us getting back up the road for work on a Monday morning. However we will be a long time dead, well that's what I say to my Lynn as she cries at 3 o'clock in the morning when we rock up to our house and the alarm still goes off at 6:30!
I'm really looking forward to seeing all Outlaw Anglia family and all our racing family far and wide, it's a huge part of our life and we just love every minute of it. If you see the Scottish flag flying at the Pod pop over for a cuppa, the door is always open and we've always got lots of square sausage. This year because Mat 'The Bender' Cooper is returning to Outlaw Anglia racing we have had to stock up on brown sauce and breadcrumbs: the brown sauce is for all the handles on his new shiny truck and the breadcrumbs are to be thrown onto his new shiny lorry roof just after midnight to ensure he is up bright and early for racing. I'm not going to go into details about the new stickers for his shint new lorry which will come out later!
We wish everyone racing at this weekend's Springspeed Nationals the very very best of luck, fast and safe my friends, see you all real soon.
Springspeed Nationals racer update.
2nd May: Many thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding us details of the arrangements for this weekend's Springspeed Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Friday 3rd May
08:00 Gates open for the duration of the event
11:00 Signing On office opens
11:00 Car scrutineering commences, no specific order
16:00 Bike scrutineering commences, no specific order
18:00 Signing On office closes
20:00 Bike scrutineering ends
Saturday 4th May
07:30 Signing On office opens
07:00 Car scrutineering commences: sign-on/scrutineering details
07:00 Bike scrutineering commences: sign-on/scrutineering details
09:30 Track opens for qualifying
Sunday 5th May
07:30 Signing On office opens
07:30 Car scrutineering opens
07:30 Bike scrutineering opens
09:30 Track opens for qualifying and eliminations
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other reason deemed necessary by race officials. Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racers please note the addition of a fourth qualifying session on Saturday, which is scheduled for 18:15.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event, which in this context includes Friday. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes, to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards.
Kunmadaras Super Street Bike report.
2nd May: Thanks also to Ian Marshall for forwarding us a report of the first round of the FIM Europe Super Street Bike Championship which took place at the Autós Motoros Fesztivál at Kunmadaras in Hungary:
Following two days of strong qualifying, with the number one qualifying position swapping between three riders looking for the first six-second pass, Mogens Lund ended up on top of the qualifying list with a so-close 7.008 at 336 kmh (208.78 mph). Steve Venables was not far behind with a 7.021 and closing out the top three was Rudi Zorzi with a 7.124.
The story then became about the weather. After the first round of eliminations, and the first pair of bikes in round two, we had lots of rain, but the track crew didn't give up. The track was dried and prepared and the remainder of round two was completed.
It then rained again and it looked as if that was it, but thanks to the huge efforts of the track crew the semi finals took place and we had the first six-second pass in Hungary: Steve Venables defeated Steve Mead with a huge 6.98 at 333 kmh.
That left Alex Hope and Steve Venables for the final. Time was ticking away and finally the last run of the day took place at 19:30. Steve left first but smoked the tyre at the hit, he able to recover but Alex was already way ahead and was not to be denied, winning the final with a 7.376 to Steve.s 7.579.
FIM Championship points:
Doorslammers day 1 now heads-up Q1.
2nd May: With the popular Doorslammers a matter of weeks away, 17th-19th May, and entries arriving thick and fast, James Forster of Santa Pod Raceway has a very important announcement about the structure of the event:
We are pleased to announce that the Friday has been upgraded from a Run What You Brung day to a fully-fledged qualifying day for heads-up classes. The format will be as per the Saturday, i.e. RWYB-based qualifying which means that there are no sessions: whenever you want to make a pass, get yourself into the lanes and put your run in. The beauty of this is that you can make as few or as many runs as you like, and with a bump spot shaping up in some of the classes, you may see some entries doing whatever it takes to make the cut.
And the best part yet? There are no additional fees due!
Bracket racers needn't worry about missing out either because they are welcome to use the day for testing or practice too.
Please note that the drivers' meeting for the weekend will now take place at 18:30 on Friday.
There are still some notable names absent from the current entry list, so if you're one of them what are you waiting for? Get your entry in now! For entry forms, the current entry list, rules, tickets and more, please see www.santapod.co.uk/doorslammers.php.
Swift snippets.
1st May: It's race day at the first event of the 2019 FIM European Drag Bike Championships, the Super Street Bike round at the Autós Motoros Fesztivál at Kunmadaras in Hungary. You will be able to stay in touch with events at Kunmadaras at www.kunmadarasmotorsport.hu or on the Kunmadaras Motorsport Facebook Page.
The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com (below left) came with a note hinting that we may well see this motor in its rightful place at the SPRC Summernationals. If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Thanks to Bianca Booij for passing us an account of the Pro Dutch Racing Pro Modified team's weekend at the Festival of Power. You can check out the Dutch-language PDF by clicking here or by clicking on the picture above right.
Springspeed Nationals coverage.
1st May: Eurodragster.com will be at Santa Pod Raceway on Saturday and Sunday to bring you all the action from the Springspeed Nationals in association with John Woolfe Racing.
Our coverage will consist of real-time reports and results throughout each day, a gallery at the end of the day, and pit notes on Sunday. Eurodragster.com Photographer Julian is away covering a VW event this weekend so Contributing Photographer Callum Pudge has kindly agreed to step in.
You can check out our Springspeed Nationals Event Index, which also includes links to the official entry list, by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Earlier news