Peter Walker.
31st January: We are very sorry to have to report the death of UK ACU Bike scrutineer Peter Walker. Peter had been unwell since before Christmas but passed away in hospital yesterday.

Peter was Bike scrutineer for a number of years, was well-respected by racers and race officials alike and was particularly popular with the Bike racers. An indication of Peter's dedication was his regular very-early-morning appearances for bike scrutineering at Santa Pod Raceway. He always had a smile and a "Good morning!" for the Eurodragster staff and was happy to answer any questions we had.

A tribute page will be placed on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site in the next day or two, at which point we will also post a special E-Mail address for the tributes.

To Peter's family and many friends we offer our very deepest sympathy.

Pre-Main Event private test.
31st January: Santa Pod Raceway plan to run a private test day on the weekend before the FIA Main Event. The test day, which has become a regular fixture, is this year planned for Saturday 25th May provided that there is enough interest from teams. A regular Run What You Brung takes place the next day, Sunday 26th May.

Teams planning to attend this test day are asked to contact Santa Pod Raceway as soon as possible either by E-Mail at test@santapod.fsnet.co.uk, or by Fax for the attention of Kjell Petterson at 01234 782818 (from outside the UK +44 1234 782818). Only pre-bookings will be accepted, and teams are asked to contact Santa Pod by 2nd April.

Gregory launches new team.
31st January: UK Supertwin Top Gas racer Barrie Gregory has announced the formation of a new team to compete in this year's NAST Championship. The new team is named Serpent Racing, and will comprise Crew Chief Paul Bartliff, and Barrie as rider.

The bike itself will feature an all-new chrome moly frame by Classic and Customs of Chesterfield and a new paint scheme; the bike's new name of Purple Haze gives us a clue as to what colour will feature! Power will come from the same RD430 motor which Barrie campaigned last year, but all the internals have been refreshed ready for the new season.

"We have already confirmed one sponsor for the coming season in the form of R and R Body Repairs, and are close to closing deals with several others", says Barrie. "I'd also like to say a big thanks to Shaggy for all his help with the polishing."

We understand that Barrie plans initial testing either at a Run What You Brung towards the end of March or at the Test and Tune weekend at Shakespeare County Raceway in late April. The team also hope to make a début appearance at the Classic Bike Show in Stafford, also during April.

Container space available.
31st January: Malcolm Francis of Air Sea Logistics, associate sponsor of the American Car Imports Racing Top Methanol Dragster team, is offering space in a UK-bound container on Monday week.

"We are loading American Car Imports Racing's newly-acquired Top Methanol dragster into a forty-foot container in Los Angeles on the morning of February 11th", says Malcolm. "There is some space to fill in the container, so if anyone would like to take advantage then please contact me either by E-Mail at malcolm@airsealogistics.com or by phone on 01753 687411 by tomorrow (Friday 1st February). There will be a charge, but the rate will be greatly discounted."

Air Sea Logistics operate weekly airfreight and ocean freight consolidations from all parts of the USA and other countries. "We already have a number of leading chassis builders, engine builders, parts suppliers and well-known racers amongst our portfolio of clients and would like to extend our freight forwarding services to any other companies and racers involved in importing or exporting", says Malcolm. You can find out more on the Air Sea Logistics web site at www.airsealogistics.com, or on the above telephone number.

Marston reconvenes.
30th January: Paul Marston Racing are re-convening at Santa Pod Raceway's next Run What You Brung after rain washed out a planned passenger ride at the last event.

Regular readers will remember from 24th January that TV reporter Steve Berry was to be taken for a ride-along in the PT Bruiser as part of a feature on Granada TV programme Mad About Motors. A lot of film went into the can last Sunday, but there is some unfinished business.

"We all watched the weather deteriorate slowly at Santa Pod last weekend", says Paul. "The effort put in by all the Santa Pod crew in attempting to get the track in a usable condition were second to none, these guys work so hard!"

From a preparation point of view, Sunday was not a total loss for the team. "I would especially like to thank all of my crew at Paul Marston Racing who achieved so much within such a tight schedule", says Paul. "They had everything checked, prepared, reassembled, packed and ready for last weekend, incredible. In particular the job our Logistics Manager Dave Kalisz did in getting everything where it needed to be was flawless, well done my friend. We didn't have one problem; from our side everything was perfect, except the weather. The freshened engine arrived in time from Jari Konola Pro Stock Motors in Sweden and was great; the new transmission from ATI was fine; installation of both of these, and complete reassembly of the Chrysler PT Bruiser, was faultless. I love my crew!

"Although the weather was bad we did manage to run the motor up, check the systems, launch control, gearbox etc., which you could say was as good as doing a shakedown pass. This useful data means that next time we can just run the Bruiser on a full pass, straight off the trailer."

Paul is also grateful to the TV crew. "We would like to thank Steve Berry from Top Gear, producer Caroline, production assistant Amber, and cameraman Paul, who put in so much effort in organising and attending last weekend on behalf of Granada TV."

Santa Pod Raceway's next RWYB is this Sunday (3rd February). Entry is £9; a further £13 and the production of a valid DVLC licence buys you as many runs down the track as you can fit in. Racers please note that competition licences are not valid for RWYBs, however all safety rules appropriate to the class of vehicle should of course be followed.

Gates open at 8:00 am, and the strip will be open from about 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more details including additional safety rules (for example when crash helmets are mandatory in cars) check out the Run What Ya Brung page of Santa Pod Raceway's web site at www.santapod.com.

Racers: If you are planning to test at this weekend's RWYB then be sure to let us know at news@eurodragster.com and we will post it here.

SPRC seek marshals, scrutineer.
30th January: Following on from the news item on 22nd January, Santa Pod Racers Club are still seeking new marshals for the 2002 season. As well as marshals, Race Director Darren Prentice is seeking someone to help with bike scrutineering.

"A bike expert would fit the bill", says Darren. "We will however give training where it is needed."

If you are interested either in marshalling or in being involved with bike scrutineering at Santa Pod, then you can get more details from Darren Prentice at darren@sprcrd.fsnet.co.uk.

Another Golden Vette.
29th January: Swiss Competition Eliminator racer Bruno Bader has announced the acquisition of a replacement race car for the Corvette which was destroyed in a top end crash at Santa Pod Raceway last September.

"We have bought a Pro Mod Corvette from the USA", says Crew Chief Fränzi Bader. "To begin with we will put our Small Block in the car and run in C/A in Comp Eliminator."

"My biggest desire is for my first comeback race to be at Santa Pod", says Bruno Bader. "The accident notwithstanding, I feel very safe there. I love the track and I love the folks in England!"

The Golden Vette team have also announced a new sponsorship deal with Friesch. For more details, and to see several new pictures of the team's new car, check out their official web site at www.goldenvette.ch.

Something Funny about Rampage.
29th January: The UK's Rampage Pro ET team have gone for a radical restyling of their competition altered for 2002 with the acquisition of a Monza Funny Car body.

"During 2001, our driver David Ward tracked down and acquired a Monza Funny shell which had last been seen in the early 1990s as Pro ET 319 driven by Eric Humphreys", says Crew Chief Ian Gibbs. "The Monza, an early Funny Car, had a wheelbase of 115 inches as is the Rampage chassis. The initial reaction was 'In theory this should be a easy conversion - a piece of cake'. So that's how it began; modifications such as welding of bodywork supports, seat position, roll cage, instrument panel, internal tin work including extension of the bulkhead firewall, replacement perspex windows and preparation of the fibre glass body have taken up the last three months. This work was carried out in-house by David, his company OAST, and team members. Simultaneously outside specialists overhauled the steering box, polished the aluminium body skirts, and extended our trailer by one metre.

"Still to be carried out are the Monza's Chromaflare paint finish by Car Body of Banbury, graphics, methanol carburettor and tuning by Peter Knight, and front brake installation. All being well, David and team are looking forward to the first race of 2002 at Santa Pod."

Ian also filled us in on the mystery of Dave's first-round failure to start at the UK National Finals last October. "We had a dead battery on the start line", he says. "This was found to be down to a broken battery charger, nothing more."

Schöfer on fact-finding trip.
29th January: German Top Methanol Dragster racer Peter Schöfer and his team are off to Pomona "to learn about the Big Block world", says crew member Gittli Koller. Peter and the team spent 2001 extending the chassis of their dragster, and now have the time to concentrate on their new engine which arrived at Christmas.

Gittli also tells us that Peter Schöfer Racing have a new sponsor in the shape of German company Top Speed. "They sell a vodka drink in a bottle which looks like a piston", she says. The team also have a new crew member, Clem Sayers who hails from England.

The PSR web site at www.p-s-r.com has been updated with the latest news from the team, and is now in the car's new silver colour. "The web site is only in German at the moment, but that will change when we get back from the USA", says Gittli. "Clem will help a lot with that!"

Mosten Race Day set for August.
29th January: Thanks to Hans-Jrgen Hitz for sending us some information about an event in Denmark in August.

"The Mosten Race Day is a drag racing show to be held on 30th-31st August", says Hans-Jrgen. "This year we have Anders Karling's and Per Bengtsson's Super Twin Top Fuel Bikes, Kim Reymond's Top Fuel Dragster, and 120 Harley Davidson bikes. In the afternoon we have a tent with live bands."

You can get more information about the Mosten Race Day by E-Mail at hersom@randers.dk.

Super Series Dinner Dance.
28th January: Bookings are still being taken for the Super Series Pre-season Gala Evening and Awards Ceremony, which takes place at the Clarendon Suites, Edgbaston, Birmingham on Saturday 2nd March. There is a choice of three-course menus or vegetarian option. The meal commences at 7:00 pm, followed by the awards ceremony, raffle, and then a disco until 12:30 am. The APIRA AGM takes place at the same venue on Sunday 3rd March.

Tickets are £22.50 per person. Booking forms are available from Obsession Motorsports at superseries@eurodragster.com on phone 01483 236262, and should be returned by 19th February.

Special rates are available at two hotels within walking distance of the Clarendon Suites. They are the Quality Hotel on 0121 454 6621 and the Comfort Inn on 0121 454 8071. Quote "Two-day function at Clarendon Suites" to get the special rates.

Jade after new records.
27th January: The UK's Jade Racing World Record-holding two-stroke Drag Bike team are set to dominate and continue breaking World records throughout the 2002 race season, writes Ozzy Ewing.

In an announcement at The Brentwood Racing Car Show last weekend Jerry Collier the current world record holder, and the UK's #1 Top Gas rider, unveiled the new face of Jade Racing for the 2002 season. Racing alongside Rick Davis, the UK's #2 Top Gas Rider, will be Sefton Whitlock, who was previously involved in Jade Racing as an engineer.

"It's a great honour to ride the world's quickest Jade Racing RD 400 Drag Bike. I can experience my engineering first hand and hopefully improve on it to run even quicker" commented Sefton during pre-season testing at Shakespeare County Raceway.

Not content with being the UK's #2 Top Gas rider, Rick Davis has set his sights on claiming Jerry Collier's current world record. "I ran a new personal best of 9.78 during 2001 and I know that Jerry's world record is now firmly within my grasp" commented Rick Davis. Jerry was also quick to comment "I know that Rick and his Jade Racing RD 400 are more than capable of taking my world record and that would make me ecstatic."

Being a World record holder certainly keeps Jerry on his toes ensuring that the Jade Racing RD 400's are the quickest in the world. The 2002 season will see Jerry move away from Top Gas racing and concentrate on setting another world record, racing a Kawasaki H2 Pro Stock Drag Bike. This record,currently held by Brian Pretzel from the USA, stands at 7.97 seconds. The new bike Jerry will race to claim this record is a Kawasaki H2 recently acquired from Martin Bishop. With a hybrid two-stroke engine developing 227bhp, Jerry will need to run 1.6 seconds quicker than he has previously gone - a challenge that Jerry cannot wait to accept. "I've not finished developing the RD 400's, but I have always wanted to race a Pro Stock bike and to set another world record would make my season" commented Jerry.

The 2002 season will also see Steve French becoming directly involved with the racing side of Jade Racing, electing to crew for Jerry and the H2 instead of competing in Funny Bike. Steve has been involved with Jade Racing for quite some time providing all the RD 400 race bike electronics; with a personal best of 7.37 seconds and a 180mph+ run under his belt, Jerry couldn't have wished for a quicker crew mate.

Jade Racing are presently promoting themselves at the Alexandra Palace Road Racing Show on the ActiV8 stand and the Shakespeare County Raceway stand at the British Mini Fair 2002. Jade Racing are also busy working hard to secure new sponsorship deals for the 2002 race season. "We would like to say thank you to all of our sponsors, especially Card Vend Technical Services for helping Jade Racing to win 8 National Association of Supertwins Top Gas championships, and 2 MCN National Championships" commented Jerry Collier.

You can stay in touch with all of the news from Jade Racing on their official web site at www.jaderacing.co.uk.

SCR on tour again.
27th January: Following on from a very successful weekend at The Brentwood Racing Car Show, Shakespeare County's Jeremy Cookson and Ozzy Ewing are at the Mini Fair 2002 today promoting UK Drag Racing and Shakespeare County Raceway. The Brentwood Racing Car Show proved to be an excellent way to meet the public and talk to them about what's happening within the UK Drag Racing scene, writes Ozzy. With approximately eight thousand visitors during the show weekend, the setting proved an ideal opportunity to hand out the latest Shakespeare County Raceway flyers, detailing our list of events for the 2002 race season.

Although the bulk of the show was dedicated to Oval Racing, National Hot Rods, Sprint Cars and Grass Track Racing the Drag Racing contingent was well represented by Jade Racing and Matrix Racing. Matrix Racing had their Junior Dragster on display and were kept busy throughout the weekend providing information on Standard and Modified Junior Dragster kits and rolling chassis kits to perspective racers. Jade Racing were also their to promote the new face of Jade Racing for 2002, which includes Sefton Whitlock riding the World's Quickest RD 400 and Jerry Collier stepping aside from Top Gas racing to concentrate on setting a new world record for a Kawasaki H2.

The show was a success for all involved and provided a good start to the Shakespeare County Raceway 2002 promotional tour. Jeremy Cookson and Ozzy Ewing would like to thank the Brentwood Show organisers and look forward to returning next year.

LVMS info sought.
27th January: Race fan Rob Cook has been in touch seeking information to help him plan a racing trip to the USA.

"I am planning on attending the NHRA race at Las Vegas in April", says Rob. "I normally book Top Eliminator Club tickets for National events but from the pictures of the track and seating plan it looks like a long way from the track. I was wondering whether any Eurodragster readers have been in the TEC at Las Vegas, and whether they would recommed it?"

If you are familiar with the Top Eliminator Club at LVMS, you can contact Rob by E-Mail at rp.cook@csl.gov.uk.

Web site updates.
27th January: UK Custom Car Street Eliminator team FB Racing are moving. Don't worry, the Fat Boys aren't leaving Cheltenham, so there's no worry that supermarket shelves in your area might suddenly become bare! It's just the website which is moving. Recently, space and software limitations have caused FB webmaster Trev real problems when trying to add updates and changes. Many of you will also have noticed that the Guest Book has not functioned for some time. The boys have invested in a new host with lots more space and freedom, allowing them to bring you more Street 'n' Strip news, photos and features. There will be a short changeover period starting tomorrow (Monday) whilst items are transferred from one server to another. During this time you may have trouble logging on or receiving a complete service but this should not last more than two or three days. Once settled into their new home Ian and Trev will bring you some news and photos of what's been happening at "Fat Camp" in a new series of Diary of a Street Racer, the Guest Book will be resurrected, the car and racer profiles updated, and some new features, which had previously been held back because of the existing limitations, will be added. The address remains the same, www.fbracing.co.uk, and the Fat Boys look forward to showing you around their new home.

Maltese fan Michael Buhagiar has added two new features to his web site at www.geocities.com/dragraceway. The first page features foreign racers in action on Malta, and Michael is very grateful to Fireforce Jet FC for his help on this page. The second page features photographs of Maltese race vehicles. "All Maltese racers are welcome to send pictures of their vehicles for inclusion on the page", says Michael.

Big boost for Splinter.
26th January: UK Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Steve 'Splinter' Nash is the first to capitalise on the class' newly-relaxed rules on the use of turbochargers.

"Technology and tunability are the main reasons for the switch - and of course all that available torque and horsepower!" says Splinter. >From the 2002 season, a fundamental rule change allows CCSE competitors to use turbos for the first time, and although a number of racers are considering it, we understand that Splinter is the first to invest in the hardware which includes a state-of-the-art engine management system as well as twin turbos and a vast intercooler. "With ETs falling, speeds increasing, and all these new competitors and new hardware expected I decided it was time to give the 598ci Ford a bit of a boost!", says Splinter.

Engine-building responsibilities have once again fallen to Essex-based Eurodragster and CCSE sponsors I.C.E. Automotive Racing Engines, who are working together with US-based turbo specialists Duttweiler Performance. "Who else has the knowledge and dedication to build and develop such a new combination?", says Splinter.

With the début of the new powerplant not expected until mid-season the Wildcat Racing team are looking at 2002 as a development season, in advance of a full assault on the CCSE Championship in 2003 and 2004.

Feature on LA Racing.
26th January: Eurodragster's latest Team Feature is on Lindsay Deuchar and his LA Racing Top Methanol Dragster team. Lindsay gives us the lowdown on his entirely self-funded operation, and amongst other things tells us how a small-block can be used to torch a house.

You can view the LA Racing feature by clicking here, or by clicking on the Team Features link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Web site updates.
26th January: Eurodragster staffer Tog's personal web site Tog's Drag Racing Page is again playing host to a set of ace US photographer Bob Frye's pictures from Pomona Raceway. This time around there are some fifty great photographs from the 2001 NHRA Finals, including pictures of 'Big Daddy' Don Garlits in action on the California strip. Check it out at www.togsdragracing.com.

Andréasson heads for USA.
25th January: European Top Methanol FC Champion Leif Andréasson and his team have joined the list of racers taking an off-season trip to the USA. The Kamasa Tools-backed team will be racing at NHRA National events at Las Vegas and Houston in April. Leif's last trip to the USA was in 2000 when he qualified mid-field at three races.

You can get more details on the Andréasson Motorsports web site at www.andreassonmotorsports.com.

More racers at RWYB.
25th January: We've heard from more racers who are intending to run at this Sunday's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway.

They are Bob Hancox, who will be testing the Team Runaway Outlaw Anglia, and Ian and David Warren of Manor Racing, who will be testing their 10.90 Bike.

Not yet a racer, but our old friend Dave Nelson of the Drag Torque web site will be taking his first turn down the strip in his Mini, which he hopes to run in Sportsman ET in the not-too-distant future.

Web site updates.
25th January: Thanks to Adam Gleadow of Time Machine Racing for letting us know that the SimDragRacing site at www.simdragracing.com has been updated with more NHRA 2 simulations. They are the Shockwave Fuel FC, the North Herts Engineering Fuel FC, and a Eurodragster.com Fuel FC. Adam tells us that the Showtime Fuel FC and the Bahco Tools Top Fuel Dragster are expected soon.

Jim Kelly of VP Racing Fuels has been in touch with news of an update to the company's web site. "For 2002 Unleaded Drag Race formulas for drag racing in Europe please visit www.vpracingfuels.com and click where indicated to download the new product guide for the newest fuels and synthetic oils for drag racing", he says.

Karling's new colours.
 24th January: FIM/UEM European Supertwin Top Fuel Bike Champion Anders 'Charley' Karling has repainted his European record-holding bike in the colours of sponsor Uddeholm.

Our good friend Stefan Boman, who took the superb promotional picture at right (click on picture for full-sized version), writes:

"What could be more appropriate then a sponsor who manufacture and refine metal, and call their line of products High Performance Steel? Charley has had Uddeholm as associate sponsor for years and most of the bike is made from their line of products including engine block, crank, rods, piston pins, heads, cylinders, engine brackets and frame.

"The bike will be on display at the motorcycle trade show at the Stockholm Fair on 24th-27th January, and during the following weekend at the Swedish World Championship Rally, Uddeholm is the event's major sponsor."

To stay in touch with all the latest news from Karling Racing, check out the official web site at www.karlingracing.com, and if you would like to contact Stefan about this photo or about his photography generally then you can E-Mail him at stefan@bomanfoto.se.

Automekanik then USA for Malmgren.
24th January: Also on display next week is Sweden's AC Delco Racing Pro Stock team. Michael Malmgren and crew will be appearing at Automekanik before getting the six-second Camaro ready to ship out to the USA for their Spring tour.

"This particular exhibition is a trade-only show, but is both popular and important in the whole Scandinavian market", says crew member Magnus Cato. "The AC Delco Racing Camaro and team members will join the AC Delco personnel in promoting the brand. We are looking forward to meeting fans and friends in 'our own backyard', as we've been away for the last two shows!"

Part of the team's preparations for the USA include the setting up of a laptop and digital camera, so that they can keep their web site at www.acdracing.net updated with their exploits. "If you are surfing the web during our campaign, please check in on a regular basis", says Magnus. "We will also be sending updates to Eurodragster". Thank you very much, Magnus!

Scare a Journalist II.
24th January: UK Super Comp racer Paul Marston has some special instructions for his crew as he prepares to take a TV presenter for a ride-along in the PT Bruiser. Paul and the Bruiser are to be the focus of filming at this weekend's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod, for the TV show Mad About Motors. Presenter Steve Berry is the passenger, and after some high jinks to scare a previous guest Paul has had a little word with the rest of the team!

"Steve Berry is a great guy and is a frequent visitor to Santa Pod", says Paul. "Steve first saw the Bruiser at the Cannonball last year. Let's say it made a lasting impression! If he is to be a passenger then I will be asking my crew to remember two things:

"1. We are on TV, and Steve Berry really is a nice guy, so please no repeat of what happened to that poor journalist Alistair Weaver, who was our last passenger.

"2. Try to act normally so as not to frighten the straight people. Remember that the passenger is there to enjoy the ride, not for the crew to enjoy themselves with! Living off of other people's fear is simple bad manners - need I say more?"

The TV programme was originally to be filmed in Manchester, but filming moved to Santa Pod Raceway when the track stepped in with an offer to help out with facilities. "It was a very generous offer by Santa Pod", says Paul. "It will not affect the usual RWYB action, in fact people bringing their cars will positively benefit from the extra track preparation needed to hold the awesome Pro Stock power of the Chrysler PT Bruiser."

The team face a race against time to be ready, with Paul describing the Bruiser as being "in a million pieces" as recently as Monday but, he added, "We will win the race and we will be there no matter what. I can't wait, it's been nearly five months since I last drove the Bruiser, and shes looking better than ever!"

One Grumpy stars on NHRA.com...
24th January: Regular readers will recall that on January 15th we announced that the UK's American Car Imports (previously Nemesis) Top Methanol Dragster team are to race at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona with their newly-acquired TMD. The news has now got across the water as the ACI team are currently a front-page item on the Sportsman section of NHRA Online.

The NHRA.com article, which you can view by clicking here, features potted biographies of driver Dave 'Grumpy' Wilson and the American Car Imports team, and includes a look at the paintjob which the car will be carrying at Pomona. "We have a different paintjob for the European season which will be pretty wild", says Crew Chief Andy Bissett.

The team have also sent their apologies to fellow UK TMD team Turner Racing for overlooking their qualification at the Winternationals two years ago. "By the time the mistake was spotted, all the press releases had already been sent out and it was too late!", said the guilty party...

...as another Grumpy moves up.
24th January: Two Grumpys in two news items, as we have also heard from 2001 UK National 9.90 Bike Champion Paul 'Grumpy' Watson who is hard at work on his Championship-winning Suzuki Bandit ready for double duty in 2002.

"The Bandit is totally stripped at the moment", says Paul. "I'm making a slight change to the engine, and more gas should help me move up to Super Street Bike this year. Also the swinging arm has been sent off to NWS to bring me up to 68-inch wheelbase. I exceeded all my expectations in 9.90 last year, but due to financial reasons I have decided to do four rounds of Super Street Bike and just a few rounds of 9.90 Bike this year."

Fans will remember that Paul took a Top End spill at the 2001 UK National Finals, and a lot of the off-season work is remedial. "I have gone right through the bike to make sure that there was no more damage after the accident, and everything is fine", says Paul. "However I am still looking for a left hand fairing and side panel; if anyone knows of any, please let me know at pwatson440@hotmail.com."

Pocket Rockets' sponsor success.
24th January: Back in December, and again in our report from Autosport International, we featured the F1 in Schools project in which schoolchildren design, build and race carbon dioxide-powered model dragsters. The project teaches children about CAD/CAM, engineering and technology as part of a Government drive. We were very pleased to hear from Adam Charnley, who manages one of the school teams, that his news item of 6th December has borne fruit.

"We have secured our first sponsors thanks to the news report on your web site", says Adam. "One is ETMA, a motor sport engineering recruitment service, and the other is a big programming company called PTC, whose programmes are used to design cars. We are still seeking another seventy pounds, but we are well on our way and we have just finished designing our new car."

Thanks very much to ETMA and PTC for following up our news item. Any companies or individuals out there who would be interested in helping Adam and his team of students with the remaining £70 can E-Mail adamcharnley@yahoo.co.uk for more details; for more information on the F1 in Schools project, check out the official web site at www.f1inschools.com.

Lindelöw reflects.
23rd January: We were very pleased to hear from our good friend, Swedish Top Fuel Dragster racer Pelle Lindelöw, who has spent the long winter days in reflective mood.

Pelle's distinguished twenty eight-year career as a driver came to an end at last year's FIA European Finals, and although it was not a weekend to remember on-track he still came away with some very fond memories, and his many fans will be delighted to hear that he fully intends to stay within the sport in some capacity. Here's what Pelle had to say:

"The aftertaste of the European Finals was one of great disappointment. I was hoping that distance would cure it, but it still hurts to think of it. Sometimes I feel guilty of disappointing people who wanted to see us put on a good show, and unfortunately I have to admit that it was not. I can guarantee that we tried. The most spectacular thing I did was to pass through the remains of Micke Kågered's rear tyres, more or less convinced that I was going to be hit by various parts of his exploding motor. But that was not the kind of memory which we expected to bring home from the Pod.

"The most annoying thing is that I know that we have a capable car and that after struggling all these years a good combination is around the corner. I'm not blaming anyone but ourselves, of course, as we tuned the car from our own experience. What we could say, with all the facts to hand, is that maybe we were too careful and took too much time over everything. We have discussed it at home and we think that we could have done a lot better on the current set-up with two or three more races' testing and running.

"We produced our best-ever sixty-foot times at the European Finals and had absolutely no damage to the engine, so we were ready to compete. Looking at last summer's time slips we had the lead in the first part of almost every race, both in Reaction Time and sixty-foot time. So it was there - at the same time close but far away.

"At this moment we have not decided what we will do this summer. There are several alternatives, but all are open at the moment. One alternative is to sell the entire operation, another to sell only the complete race car less truck and trailer. Or we could join forces with someone and split up responsibilities. It's our intention that the car should be out running in the summer, and of course I will come back with more information when I know more. It is a very competitive car, and it deserves to be out there to beat the rest of the pack.

"A summary of our twenty-eight years of racing will take me a decade to finalise, so it will have to wait until there is more time available. But what I will carry with me forever are all the greetings we had during our last season, and especially at Santa Pod. I could never have imagined how many people had followed our career and who knew everything about our old cars, colour schemes, type of engines, which year we did what etc. I spent hours talking to people about the old times, old buddies and more. It's an absolutely fantastic feeling to know that you've got so many friends; it really makes me feel warm inside just thinking about it. Talking about Santa Pod, it is actually the race track where we've spent the most time overall, so maybe it's not so strange that it feels so familiar to be there.

"Also in a summary one needs to mention the losses that we experienced. Very close friends, good mechanics and racers who will be missed forever. It could never be denied that motorsport is dangerous, but keeping up with the regulations will keep the number of accidents down. We have all seen that it is a dangerous world we are living in: there is no guarantee whatever you do, so why not spend the time at the race track and have fun while you can.

"We have been lucky in that the only accident we had was a merely a matter of a bent chassis - I never liked that car anyway, too narrow! - and that could easily be replaced. Drag racing is a true team activity: I have always felt very confident in what our team has done to the car and I have never actually felt the need to double-check or question the decisions made by a team member. If I was the more nervous type I'd be a wreck by now, and apart from a few missing brain cells I'm no worse now than I was twenty eight years ago. Maybe a few pounds heavier and a little bit blonder, but except for that...

"I'd like to say Thank You to all the drag racing fans we've met over the years, and Thank You to all the promoters and organisations who has made this possible. We are not finished with the racing yet, so it's still to early to say farewell. We will continue to go to races, but for P & G Racing in its present form this is it.

"Never a dull moment is my motto. Following that creed I bought a bass guitar, looked again at some old Stones numbers we played when we where a little bit younger, and called a few friends and started to play (some kind of) music again. It's been about thirty years since the last time. Then there is an old dream I had about a Harley..."

RWYBs start Sunday.
23rd January: It's only January, but in one way the 2002 season starts this Sunday (27th January) with Santa Pod Raceway's first Run What You Brung of the year. The exciting news is that even this early in the year we have racers on the track testing. Paul Marston announced on 11th January that he will be testing the PT Bruiser this weekend, and we understand that one of this year's new entrants in Custom Car Street Eliminator may attend, together with at least one Super Street Biker. A TV crew from Granada will also be in attendance on Sunday filming an edition of Mad About Motors to be broadcast in March. The last two sentences are not unconnected, tune back tomorrow for more news about that!

Entry to Run What You Brungs at Santa Pod Raceway is £9; a further £13 and the production of a valid DVLC licence buys you as many runs down the track as you can fit in. Racers please note that competition licences are not valid for RWYBs, however all safety rules appropriate to the class of vehicle should of course be followed.

Gates open at 8:00 am, and the strip will be open from about 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more details including additional safety rules (for example when crash helmets are mandatory in cars) check out the Run What Ya Brung page of Santa Pod Raceway's web site at www.santapod.com.

Racers: If you are planning to test at this weekend's RWYB then be sure to let us know at news@eurodragster.com and we will post it here.

Santa Pod launch E-Mail list.
23rd January: Santa Pod Raceway have also launched a mailing list which will enable fans to get the latest SPR news, special offers and more via E-Mail. To subscribe, go to SPR's official web site at www.santapod.com and follow the instructions in the pop-up window.

Time Machine trailer found.
23rd January: Further to Saturday's news item, we were very pleased to hear from Junior Dragster driver Adam Gleadow that Time Machine Racing's missing trailer has been found. Thanks to those Eurodragster readers who kept their eyes peeled.

New UK Championship date.
22nd January: From Santa Pod Racers Club comes the great news of a confirmed addition to the 2002 UK National Championship calendar.

The Summernationals is to be held at Santa Pod Raceway on Saturday-Sunday 29th-30th June, and is to be organised entirely by Santa Pod Racers Club. It is a UK Championship round for all ET classes, all Super classes, Junior Dragster, 9.90 Bike, 10.90 Bike, and all ACU classes except Top Fuel Bike.

The Summernationals also features rounds of Super Modified, Custom Car Street Eliminator, VW Pro and VW Sportsman. "We are also talking to the Supertwin bike classes", says Ian Marshall of SPRC, "and a number of other on- and off-track attractions will be confirmed in due course."

The Club are hoping for an entry of over two hundred for this Sportsman-oriented race. "We need your help to make this race a huge success", says Ian. For more details contact SPRC on 01933 313625.

Gibbs on SCR dates.
22nd January: Terry Gibbs of Obsession Motorsports has been in touch to let us know about current plans for events at Shakespeare County Raceway in 2002. "I'd like to try to scotch the rumours", says Terry. "The track owner, promoter and APIRA are having a meeting on 3rd February to discuss the format of his year's events at Shakespeare County Raceway."

However, Terry tells us that the current state of affairs is as follows:

May 4th-6th: This is not a confirmed UK National Championship date. The only classes confirmed at this event so far are Super Modified and Custom Car Street Eliminator.

June 15th-16th: This is provisionally a UK National Championship date. However, no classes have been confirmed yet.

August 24th-26th: As with the May Bank Holiday, this is not a confirmed UK Championship date and the only classes confirmed at present are Super Modified and Custom Car Street Eliminator. However, Obsession Motorsports invite expressions of interest from Top Fuel Dragster teams who would be interested in competing for a prize fund at this event. Any TF teams interested can E-Mail Obsession Motorsports at superseries@eurodragster.com.

Terry also says that the Shakespeare County Raceway rounds of both the British Fuel Funny Car Championship and the MSA British Top Methanol Championship are yet to be confirmed, and that ACU rounds are also yet to be confirmed.

"On a brighter note, there is a possibility of a Doorslammer-only event in October", says Terry. "This is currently being negotiated."

SPRC seek marshalls.
22nd January: Again on the subject of Santa Pod Racers Club, Race Director Darren Prentice has been in touch seeking new marshalls for the Northamptonshire track.

"We are looking for bright and enthusiastic people to work as part of our team of volunteer marshalls helping at events at Santa Pod Raceway", says Darren. "Pit work, i.e. calling out classes to race, and the sorting out of classes before they run are the two main areas we are looking for, but there are also vacancies in a few other places."

If you are interested then you can get more details from Darren Prentice at darren@sprcrd.fsnet.co.uk.

Swedish FIA drivers' meeting.
22nd January: Lars Petterson, Chairman of the Drag Racing Committee in Sweden, has been in touch to invite all Swedish FIA-class (Top Fuel, Top Methanol Dragster and FC, and Pro Stock) racers to a meeting at the Nova Park Hotel Ar in Knivsta (between Arlanda and Uppsala) from 11:00-14:00 on Sunday 10th February.

The meeting agenda is as follows:
  • Presentation about how FIA rules are decided and published
  • Routine for the FIA bulletin
  • Report about the FIA's classification of safety systems
  • SFI programme
  • Track safety
  • National Drag Racing news
  • Proposal for a Swedish National Championship in TM/FC 2002
"We need to know how many drivers and team members are interested" says Lars. "Please fax, E-Mail or post your intention to attend to any of the following by 2nd February:

Fax: 08-626 33 20

E-Mail: anita.astrand@sbf.se

Post: Svenska Bilsportfrbundet, Bilsportens hus, Bergkllavgen 31, 192 79 Sollentuna."

Web site updates.
22nd January: The Svensk Dragracing web site at www.dragracing.se has been updated with the provisional 2002 Nordic Drag Racing Series calendar. There are no NDRS rounds in Finland this season although FHRA will return to the schedule in 2003. This year sees a new opening event, the Islanders Speed weekend on the island of Frya off Norway's west coast. "It's an eighth-mile race at what must be the most beautiful track in Europe!", says our good buddy Christer Abrahamson.

Also featuring an updated race calendar is the European Drag Racing Database which currently has details of thirty five races in seven different countries. Tommy Nilsson's web site is one of the definitive web sites featuring European records, personal bests and race results for several seasons and is well worth checking out at www.eurodrag.com.

Zane Llewellyn has updated his Bootsoop Racing web site with a new page dedicated to his construction of Steve Clutterbuck's new Fuel Harley. Click on the Bear's Frame link at www.bootsoop.freeserve.co.uk.

Feel-the-noise.com have uploaded Anni Valder's photographs from Autosport International. These can be found in the Special Interest Meetings section. Webmaster Bob Valder would be grateful to hear of any broken photos or links.

Turner Racing to the Max.
21st January: 2001 FIA European and MSA British Top Methanol Champions Turner Racing have announced a new sponsorship deal with G Max Racing Fuels. "We are looking forward to our association with G Max in the coming season", says driver Rob Turner. "The whole team are really pumped up after our 2001 FIA European Championship win. It has just made us more hungry for the title this year."

G Max join Netcall Telecom, Silkolene Oil, and GRP Connecting Rods who have all renewed for the 2002 season. "We are currently in negotiation with other potential sponsors which we hope to announce soon.", says Carmel Turner.

The Bob Meyer-built dragster will have a new set-up for this season. A PSI supercharger and other relevant parts have been purchased, along with a new forged TFX block with all-new internals. "This combination is the same as the blown-methanol front runners in the USA", says Carmel. "The car's performance should see great improvements throughout 2002."

After reading last week's news item about Team Nemesis' plans to run at Pomona in a few weeks' time, Carmel reminded us that Turner Racing qualified 14th at the 2000 Winternationals at Pomona and that their dragster was the first car of the new millennium to run a five-second pass in competition.

You can stay in touch with the news from Turner Racing at their official web site at www.turnerracing.com.

NSCC goes National.
21st January: It has been announced that the UK's Northern Street Car Challenge is to become the National Street Car Challenge in 2002. The street and strip series for the Rod and Custom scene is now in its seventh year and has dates pencilled in at York Dragway, Shakespeare County Raceway and Santa Pod Raceway this season. "This opens the series up to more entrants", says James Murray.

For more information, including details of this weekend's Drivers Meeting, check out the NSCC web site at www.nscc.info or E-Mail contact@nscc.info.

PDRC Dinner Dance.
21st January: The latest date in the Dinner Dance season is the UK's Pennine Drag Racing Club, whose function takes place at the Novotel in Bradford at 7:00 pm on Saturday 23rd November. The Trophy Presentation and Bob White Noise Molden's disco follow the meal.

The evening also features the traditional auction and PDRC's Cath Napier tells us that there are already some very desirable items on the list. "There is a 1/24th scale Funny Car from the 1996 32nd annual Winston Select Finals at Pomona. It's one of the presents that they give out to people, this one was given to the editor of American Sports Car. It's in a display case, has a lift up body and is made of metal, not plastic. There is also a diorama of the Gainesville strip which was a gift given out to folk sitting at the top table at the anniversary dinner in 2001, and Top Eliminator Club baseball caps from the 1999 and 2000 Gatornationals - not those for sale to the public but those with 'members only' on the back". There are also some non-drag racing items including a Playstation 2.

Tickets for the meal are £20, and the PDRC have done a deal with the Novotel for concessionary room rates. Bookings for the Dinner Dance close on 15th February.

The Dinner Dance will be preceded by the PDRC's Annual General Meeting.

For more details including a booking form, check out the new York Dragway web site at yorkdragway.intrica.co.uk/index.pl, or call Cath Napier on 01325 350268.

Team TIL Autosport report.
21st January: If you are a regular reader then you will remember that the Team TIL Funny Bike team launched at Autosport International recently. Nigel Hoskinson of the team's primary sponsor Titanium International Ltd, who were displaying at the Show, sent us this interesting report of the team's weekend.

"The season started early for the team this year, Titanium International were exhibiting within the engineering section of the Autosport Show and the bike was the centerpiece of the stand. Autosport was to be the official launch of Team TIL - Titanium International Limited Motorcycle Drag Racing Team. Thanks to hard work by Martin Peck, Dave Holland and Brian Jolley the bike was ready on time to ship to the NEC. Even during set-up on Wednesday night the bike was attracting attention from contractors and fellow exhibitors. On the opening day of the Show on Thursday we saw a steady stream of visitors to the stand. Dave and crew chief Brian were on hand, as well as Nigel in his 'day job' as Market Development Engineer at TIL. It also gave Dave and Brian the chance to meet some of the other people from the company. Existing and potential customers of TIL came to the stand as well as people passing who were drawn by the bike. An early caller was Top Fuel rider Ian King.

"We were very pleased to see Tog and Sharkman of eurodragster.com who arrived on the stand just after Dave had clinched a sponsorship deal with Tylite, which was reported in the Eurodragster event coverage. One of the team's existing sponsors, Martin Thraves of Carrera Leathers, took the opportunity to discuss the design of the leathers which he will be supplying to Dave.

"We also secured two new sponsors during the day: Scorpion Exhausts, who are a long standing customer of TIL, and Earls Performance Products, another TIL customer who will be using the bike in the marketing of their motorcycle product range. The first day finally ended and it had been a fantastic success for TIL from the business standpoint and for the race team in terms of sponsors. Oh that every day was like this!

"Friday was very much a repeat of Thursday with around thirty serious visitors to the stand. The day ended with the bike being transferred to the Santa Pod Raceway stand with the help of Martin Bishop and his crew chief Pete. The 'crew' from SPR very kindly re-attached the wheelie bars and positioned the bike on the stand ready for the public days. Nigel and his daughter Claire were a little late reporting for SPR stand duty on Saturday, by which time it was very busy indeed. It was certainly a different experience to the trade days. The interest shown in both the bikes and cars was incredible. Lets hope the people come along to the races to see them in action. We should at this point thank Caroline and Kelly from SPR for arranging to have the bike on their stand, and for the regular supply of drinks, also a mention for Martin Bishop and his crew who had agreed to take the bike in their van after the show to get it nearer to its home in Brighton, as we were facing a few logistics problems. All in all it was a really enjoyable day if a little hectic at times.

"Sunday was just as crowded as Saturday from the moment the crowds were let in. At one time there was an SPR 'guard' on every exhibit: the Please Do Not Touch signs seemed to be invisible to anyone not from SPR. Anni Valder of feel-the-noise.com took a photo of 'Junior crew member' Claire and the bike, and had a close look round the engine and 'plumbing' with the video camera. Early afternoon saw a visit by two technicians from Earls Performance Products, having their first look at the bike to check out the various parts it will need. They returned later and asked "When can we have it at Silverstone to start work?". Logistics problems again! The bike was due to go to Kent with Martin then on to Daves, none of which are convenient for Silverstone.

"Heres where the friendship and support of the drag racing community shone through. We had only met John Spuffard and the Showtime crew on Saturday but they agreed to put the bike on their trailer with the car and take it back to their workshop at SPR, which is a lot closer to Silverstone than Kent or Brighton, and we will pick it up from there. So, a very big thank you to the Showtime team.

"The countdown now begins for the Easter Thunderball. As well as the first day of a new season, March 30th is also Claires birthday!"

Web site updates.
21st January: The Dutch Super Gas racers have put together a great web site to promote their open Championship, to which SG racers from all over Europe are invited. The site features news, details of a number of competing teams, links, race dates, and more. The Dutch Super Gas site can be found at www.supergas.tiscaliweb.nl.

Swedish NPSC Top Doorslammer team Stefan Racing have launched a web site at www.stefan.thn.nu. The Swedish-language site is very well designed and features everything you could want to know about the team and their '86 Mercury Cougar including a history, team run-down, race calendar, sponsors, links and more.

Andy Frost has updated his Red Victor web site with an illustrated progress report on his CCSE-bound Vauxhall Victor. Judging by the pictures the car is really beginning to come together now and things are looking hopeful on the sponsorship front. Check it out at www.redvictor1racing.co.uk.

Read takes Oz win.
19th January: UK ex-pat Steve Read took the win in Top Fuel Dragster at the ANDRA 2002 Nationals at Willowbank Raceway in Australia. Steve qualified #1 at 4.943/287.54 before running another 4.9 at 296 mph in the first round and taking out Jim Read in the final with a 5.01 at a slowing 268 mph.

Jay Upton fufilled some of his promise on his streamlined Top Fuel Bike with a 6.836/199.38 in qualifying, but succumbed to mechanical woes in eliminations.

You can find full results on ANDRA's web site at www.andra.com.au/results/index.htm.

Help find Time Machine trailer.
19th January: The UK's Time Machine team is asking for the help of Eurodragster's readers in tracking down their Junior Dragster's trailer, which was stolen on Wednesday night.

"Our trailer was stolen from the Woodford Green Trading Estate in East London", says Adam Gleadow. "It is a 24 foot box trailer painted white, red and yellow, but has probably been resprayed already. It has an American towball as well. Fortunately there was very little inside as it had been emptied over the winter. If anyone has seen anything please e-mail TimeMachine8@lifeinthefastlane.co.uk or phone 07748 300762."

Feature on Grasshead Racing.
19th January: Eurodragster's latest team feature is on Finnish Super Street team Grasshead Racing. Former NDRS and Finnish Super Street Champion Tero Rojola gives us the lowdown on the Grasshead operation including what he gets up to away from the track, how he got into drag racing, and what he has planned for the future.

You can view the Grasshead Racing feature by clicking here, or by clicking on the Team Features link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.

All change at DTE Racing.
19th January: Swedish Outlaw Doorslammer team DTE Racing have relaunched their web site at www.dteracing.com to accompany the acquisition of their new race car. The team, who were previously known for campaigning the quickest and fastest Volvo around, now have a '66 Chevelle which they intend to make the quickest and fastest turbo doorslammer in Europe.

The new DTE Racing web site is of very professional design and features news, details on the new car, photo gallery, sponsor run-down, links and much more.

Web site updates.
19th January: The official web site of the UK's Showtime Racing Fuel Funny Car has been updated with crew member and webmaster Chris Dossett's report from last weekend's Autosport International. Chris' illustrated report makes great reading and it certainly sounds as if the Showtime team have persuaded a lot of people to come to the races this year. Check it out at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.

The Photo section of the Swedish Pro Street News Magazine at www.spn-photo.com/spn_photo.htm has had a redesign. Pictures are now categorised by Championship series (NDRS, NPSC etc.).

Vacancy at Hauser Race Cars.
17th January: UK constructor Hauser Race Cars are urgently seeking a new welder/fabricator at their Higham Ferrers workshop.

"We have a full order book", says Jon Webster of HRC. "We have tons on, and tons more coming in. So we are looking for someone capable of working quickly but carefully and of thinking on their feet. We need a specialist in Tig welding for both steel and aluminium, who is used to fine-tolerance sheet-metal work, and who is familiar with tube-bending. It would also be an advantage, although not essential, to be familiar with race car construction and suspension.

"We work a forty-hour week on average, but it is important that jobs get out on time so you should be prepared to put in extra hours every so often, especially around races. It would probably help to be a motorsport enthusiast!"

If you are interested in the job then you can contact Hauser Race Cars by phone on 01933 312735 (ask for Jon Webster or Geof Hauser), or by E-Mail at mail@hauserracing.com.

Ultimate TV series invites racers.
17th January: The producers of the highly-successful Scrapheap Challenge and Junkyard Wars TV programmes are to start a new series and are very keen to have drag racers involved.

"The new series is called Ultimate Machine Combat, and is to be shown on the Discovery Channel all around the world", says producer Lara Acaster of RDF Media. "It's bigger and meaner than Scrapheap Challenge!"

In Ultimate Machine Combat, three teams - one from the UK, one from the USA, and one from another country - go head-to-head. "The teams are given a brief and £1000, and then get one month to build their vehicle", says Lara. "They can adapt or build their own vehicles. The rules are almost that there are no rules, apart from obvious things such as safety. The teams submit designs, and then engineering consultants come along to keep an eye on things during construction."

When built, the vehicles compete in races and other challenges, in a knockout contest to find the ultimate machine.

Lara and the production team feel that drag racers would be ideal candidates for the show. "It would be really cool to have some drag racers involved because they are such good mechanics, and are so competitive!", she says.

If you are interested in taking part then check out the Ultimate Machine Combat web site at www.ultimatemachinecombat.tv. The FAQ is a good place to start but should you have any further queries then E-Mail ultimatemachinecombat@rdfmedia.com. The deadline is 15th February.

Read set to defend Oz crown.
17th January: This weekend sees the running of the GIL 2002 Nationals at Willowbank Raceway, Brisbane, writes Dragster Australia contributor Ivan Sansom. Although Australian drag racing has taken a bit of a dip recently with Adelaide and Calder Park (the traditional home of the Nationals) pulling out from the ANDRA Championship, and the lack of racing in Sydney, the 2002 Nationals begins what promises to be a portentous year for the straight line sport down under. New tracks are due to come on line in Sydney, Melborne, Canberra and possibly Adelaide before the year is out.

On track, the Nationals sees the start of ex-pat Brit Steve Read's defence of his Top Fuel Crown on his new home town track "I have moved from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane for a better lifestyle so we are only five minutes away from the beach which is great for my two girls", he said. Looking forward to the race Steve commented "It was a pity the match race in December was rained out as both Jimmy (Read, the first in Australia over 300 mph) and I were looking forward to it. We are now ready for the Nationals next week. It is going to be very uncomfortable as it's over 40 degrees now and they project it to get hotter."

Unfortunately the heat in Queensland will probably act against earth-shattering times - worldwide attention will be very much focussed on the race for the first Doorslammer into the fives for which the hot favorite at the moment has to be Peter Kapiris and his "Inky Valve"-equipped Stude. However, Steve and the Santos Cranes team will be looking to run hard and fast in Top Fuel, particularly given that the Nationals represents the debut of longtime rival Jim Read's new car. Also watch for big things from Jay Upton in the Top Bike field as it looks as if Jay is close to running real quick real soon on the radical Puma streamliner.

To keep up with the latest via the web, check out the live updates already in progress from Willowbank at www.andra.com.au/results/index.htm, Willowbank Raceway's web site at www.willowbank-raceway.com.au, the ANDRA web site at www.andra.com.au, the Northern Thunder web site at www.northernthunder.com, and Cackling Pipes at members.optushome.com.au/cacklingpipes/mainpage.htm.

More Autosport pictures.
17th January: We are grateful to Nigel Cole of AC Delco and Jon Crawford for sending more photographs from last weekend's Autosport International. For ease of access we have placed them with our own Autosport event coverage, which you can reach by clicking here, or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Web site updates.
17th January: Dutch Top Methanol FC racer Lex Joon's web site has been updated with news of the LJR team's February appearance at Zandvoort, where they will be sorting out all of those people who think that circuit racing is something special. Check out the News page of the LJR web site at www.lexjoonracing.nl.

BJ's bike sold to USA.
16th January: Retiring Top Fuel Bike racer Brian Johnson has made absolutely sure of his retirement by selling his Top Fuel Bike to a racer in America.

Jimmy Brantley of Florida is now the proud owner of the quickest and fastest Top Fuel Bike in Europe, and one of the quickest and fastest on planet Earth. It is a significant step up for Jimmy whose current ride is a Suzuki Hayabusa street bike. Brian has already arranged trips to the USA to familiarise Jimmy and his team with the bike and to provide advice on both riding and tuning.

You will be able to stay in touch with the progress of Brian's old bike on his official web site at www.brianjohnson.co.uk.

Thanks from AC Delco Racing.
16th January: Magnus Cato of Swedish Pro Stock team AC Delco Racing has been in touch to pass on the team's appreciation of the reception which they received at last weekend's Autosport International.

"We at AC Delco Racing want to express our gratitude to all of the visitors to Autosport International", says Magnus. "It's hard to describe the feeling you get when people walk up to you and say things like 'We are your biggest fans', or 'We are looking forward to see you at the Pod again'. It is just fantastic and it certainly makes it a lot easier to work during the off-season. The hours we put into this operation are enormous but, again, we are real proud to be a part of the European drag racing scene. We are certain that it will grow during the coming years, and it's a thrill to be at the heart of what is to come.

"The support from fans coming to different venues is the icing on the cake, especially when we get the time to meet and talk to them. To top it all off, we met a drag racing family who will go to Las Vegas in March - if we are going there! Talk about supporters. We love you guys. Of course we are going!

"Finally, it was a treat to see Tog signing AC Delco hero cards (I still don't know whom they thought they were asking - Ed). A true gentleman."

Tack sa mycket, Magnus! We will of course keep you informed of the AC Delco team's progress on their US tour. In the meantime you can find out the latest on their official web site at www.acdracing.net.

SPR Contest winners, report.
16th January: Chris Ware of Trakbak Racing has been in touch with the names of the winners of the competition held at Santa Pod Raceway's display during Autosport International. Congratulations to:
  • Passenger ride: Mr B L Pollard of Coventry
  • VIP tickets to the FIA Main Event: Julie Davis of Leicester
Both winners will be hearing from Santa Pod very soon.

Santa Pod's web site at www.santapod.com has been updated with a report and photographs from Autosport International.

APIRA AGM.
16th January: Avon Park International Racers Association's Annual General Meeting for all club members and marshals has been called for 12:00 on Sunday March 3rd at the Clarendon Suite, Edgebaston, Birmingham. This follows on conveniently from the Super Series Presentation in the same location the night before (see Sunday's news). All are welcome although non-members cannot vote.

"This is your chance to vote on important issues which affect you, the club members", says APIRA Press Officer Jerry Cookson. If any APIRA member has any points for the agenda then they should contact APIRA Club and Race Secretary Wendy Talbot at:

121 High Road
Wortwell
Harleston
Norfolk
IP20 0EN

Telephone/Fax: 01379 740100

E-Mail: wendy@shakespearecountyraceway.fsnet.co.uk

Svensk peeking in windows.
16th January: There are lights from the small windows in the dark and cold January nights of Scandinavia. An owl hoots. The snow glitters in the light of the full moon. A little gnome is looking into a frosty window. "Whats that?" he thinks. "It looks like a good old '57 Chevy, but the proportions are different. It must be a new Pro Mod car."

Not the usual style of press release, but that's how our good buddy Christer Abrahamson of Svensk Dragracing announced the latest update to their web site at www.dragracing.se. The guys have been looking in a lot of windows and have brought back Garage Reports from all over Sweden. If you want to see what Messrs Gullquist, Nilsson, Karling and others have lined up for us this season then don't miss the Svensk Dragracing site.

The site has also been updated with news of the cancellation of this year's Västerås Bike Weekend.

Shark warning.
16th January: Following on from our news item on the 13th January detailing the temporary demise of Eurodragster staffer Sharkman's own website we are pleased to announce that his site is once again alive and well.

Sharkman takes up the story "Well its been a very long four days for me, but I am pleased to report that my site is now back on line and better than ever. The problem was caused by my ISP cutting my webspace allocation from unlimited to 50 meg only, which when the site is currently 135meg, tends to cause problems! This meant finding a new home for the site at very short notice and manually transferring all 135meg of data to the new server. A huge thanks to Stephen Talbot for once again helping me out. To tie in with moving to a new home the site now has a new address, www.topendtales.com."

Sharkman goes on to add "It might be hosted on better servers and have a professional looking design and domain name but that's where it stops, the standard of reports and photography will be as bad as ever!"

Web site updates.
16th January: The UK Junior Drag Racing web site at ukjdr.freeservers.com has been updated with new personal bests for a number of UK Junior teams. "If you don't have your best time listed, then please contact me via the site", says Adam Gleadow. The site has also been updated with a new page featuring Turner Racing and Lex Joon Racing downloads for the NHRA 2 computer game.

Nemesis' American Car Import.
15th January: The UK's Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster team have announced a major new deal with sponsor American Car Imports which will see them campaigning a new TMD in the 2002 FIA European and MSA British Championships under the banner of American Car Imports Racing.

The new dragster features the very latest in chassis, supercharger and data logging technology, matching its specification to the dragster of five time NHRA Champion Rick Santos. The team are to give the Bob Meyer-built car its first outing in February at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, where they aim to be the first British TMD team to qualify for an NHRA National event in over ten years. The car will then be shipped back to the UK.

"We have never had a better opportunity to win the RAC and FIA championships" says Team Nemesis Crew Chief Andy Bissett. "The whole team is totally motivated to win."

American Car Imports, whose web site can be found at www.americancarimports.com, have been in business for eleven years and are the UK market leader in supplying new and late-model American cars, trucks and vans. "With many of our customers regular visitors to Santa Pod and Shakespeare County Raceways, we are determined to enhance the natural association of the American vehicle scene and Drag Racing in the UK, by significantly increasing our involvement in the Top Methanol class", says Anthony Cohen, Director of American Car Imports. "We are very proud to be doing this in conjunction with the Nemesis team with whom we were a sponsor in 2001."

The Nemesis team will shortly be announcing a number of new sponsors, and later in the year will be launching a new web site. In the meantime you can find out more details about the new deal on their current web site at www.eurodragster.com/nemesisracing.

Web site updates.
15th January: Swedish Top Doorslammer and Pro Mod racer Freddy Fagerstrom's web site has been updated with a new team page and a provisional 2002 calendar (where's Santa Pod? - Ed). Check it out at come.to/fast-freddy.

Buster Couch.
14th January: We are very sorry to have to report the death on Saturday of NHRA's legendary starter Buster Couch. Buster had been involved in NHRA Drag Racing from the very early days, both as starter and as a Division Director. His imposing presence and no-nonsense attitude meant that he alone ruled the start line but he was just as well-known for being scrupulously fair to, and respected by, everyone. To European fans, Buster was one of the faces of US Drag Racing.

To Buster's sons Mike and Timothy, and to his many friends, we send our very deepest sympathy. The sport will not be the same without him.

Tony Dickson's funeral.
14th January: Thanks to Chris Dossett of Trakbyte's UK Drag Racing History for passing on details of Tony Dickson's funeral.

The funeral will be at 11:00 on Tuesday 22nd January, at Vinters Park Crematorium (also known as Bearsted Crematorium, and may be signposted as such) in Maidstone, Kent.

Please note no flowers, but donations to Tony's favourite choice of charity the British Heart Foundation. If you are intending to attend the funeral, the undertakers can accept your donations there and will pass on all monies received.

As the procession will be travelling from Tony's house down to Maidstone, and it is anticipated that quite a few cars will be attending to accompany him, the police will be present to ensure a smooth journey and will also be present at the crematorium. In view of this, it would be appreciated that if you are going in an ordinary vehicle you would make your own way to the crematorium to ease the journey for the procession.

Tony will be travelling in a Cadillac hearse, with two limousines in attendance plus some "interesting and appropriate" cars, and over a hundred mourners are expected to attend. It should be a fitting and moving send-off.

For more information, or for a contact address, visit the What's New page of the Trakbyte web site at members.aol.com/trakbyte.

Feature on King Racing.
14th January: The latest in Eurodragster's occasional series of Team Features is about FIM/UEM European and ACU UK Top Fuel Bike Champions King Racing. If you ever wanted to know what Ian King gets up to away from the track, the specs on the bike, or the team's plans for this season, or if you want to see Ian's motorised chopper, then check out the feature which you can find by clicking here, or by clicking on the Team Features link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.

If you would like to be the subject of a Team Feature on Eurodragster then don't hesitate to E-Mail us at features@eurodragster.com.

Smith seeks Capri help...
13th January: UK Super Gas racer Ritchi Smith is currently working on a new project and would be pleased to hear from anyone who can provide information on its history, or who can provide action photographs.

The car is a Classic Capri, light blue with white roof, built and driven in the Rover Challenge by Bill Gysin in the late 1980s-early 1990s. At the time the car ran a Rover V8 with manual gearbox. Ritchi bought the car without motor and will be putting in an SBC with either a TH350 or Powerglide.

If you think you have anything of interest, Ritchi will be pleased to hear from you and will willingly pay postage. You can contact Ritchi either by E-Mail at harlow@torrent.co.uk or by phone on 01279 304710.

...Lundholms seek Donovan help.
13th January: Also seeking readers' help are Janne Lundholm and his brother, who are in Skellefteå in Sweden. They have purchased a Donovan motor and would like advice on its set-up.

"We have bought a 417 Donovan from Denmark", says Janne. "Our plan is to run the Donovan engine with dual carbs in Super Comp. Our problem is that there aren't very many guys who have raced Donovans here in Sweden, and the few who have done it haven't run on gas with tunnel ram intake and double Dominators."

Janne has some specific questions. "How should we circulate the cooling water thru the engine - in the head, out the block, or...? Are there any gaskets like Fel-Pro we can use, or would solid copper do the trick? We are a little afraid that water seepage will be a problem. How do the big port heads function in a non-blown application? Will low "air speed" be a problem at low rpm?

"The engine is 507 ci, 4.28 bore, 1/2 stroke. We are going to run a PG transmission (transbrake) and the car is a Volvo PV-62 with tube chassis. Maybe we will add Nitrous if we have to. The car weight with driver is now 2350 pounds, but will be approximately 150 pounds less with PG and Hemi."

If you can help Janne and his brother then please contact them by E-Mail at janneebg@hotmail.com.

Autosport International a hit.
13th January: We received this mail from UK Super Street racer Perry Antoniou which we think will speak for everyone on the subject of the drag racing displays at Autosport International.

"I just got back from the NEC, and don't you agree, the Drag Racing fraternity put up what I consider to be their best displays ever. I visited all of the major stands at the show during the past two days and must admit, biased as it may sound, that our lot was the friendliest and the most informative. Autosport certainly showed that Drag Racers can entertain us as much at motor shows as they do when they are racing.

"Just think you should say a very HUGE well done to everybody! I even saw Keith Bartlett shunting boxes and stuff about on the Santa Pod stand!

"And that was me shouting 'Eeeeuuurodragster' behind you on the travolator going towards the station (mystery solved - Ed)!"

You can see the our reports and pictures from Autosport International by clicking here, or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Super Series Dinner Dance.
13th January: Obsession Motorsports have confirmed that the Super Series Presentation and Pre-Season Gala Night, honouring the 2001 Champions, will be staged at the Clarendon Suite, Edgebaston, Birmingham on Saturday March 2nd. The evening commences at 7.00 pm and goes on to 12.30 am. There will be a choice of two sit-down menus.

APIRA Press Officer Jerry Cookson tells us that although the Clarendon Suite only caters for functions, there are plenty of top class hotels and motels situated within easy walking distance, for example the Quality and Comfort Inns are two minutes' walk away and both have ample parking.

If any company involved in drag racing, racer, or individual would like to offer draw prizes then they are asked to contact Obsession Motorsports direct on 01483 236262.

All registered racers will receive full details in the next few days, but for immediate information you can call Obsession Motorsports on the above number.

Final call for SPRC function.
13th January: Also on the subject of Dinner Dances, Paula Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club is putting out one final call for the return of booking forms for the SPRC Dinner Dance which takes place in Bedford on Saturday 9th February. You can find a booking form on the Entry Forms page of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc, or for more details call SPRC on 01933 313625.

The Santa Pod Racers Club web site has also been updated with the latest Vehicle Registration form plus SPRC membership forms for adult and junior members. You can also find these on the Entry Forms page of the SPRC site.

Photo Contest now in English, too.
13th January: Lincoln Eriksson, webmaster of the FHRA Resque web site, has written with some more details about the Photo Contest currently in progress.

"I've added an English version of the competition, both for voters and photographers, if they would like to take part in the competition. We are accepting any photographs taken in Sweden, Norway, Finland or Denmark. It doesn't matter whether the pictures are NDRS, NPSC or Top Fuel Tour, as long as they are from a drag racing event.

"International viewers can take part at www.feringe.com/resque."

Web site updates.
13th January: Ian King has added a For Sale/Wanted section to the King Racing discussion forum, which you can reach via the Pit Lane Gossip page at www.kingracing.com.

Eurodragster staffer Sharkman apologises to anyone who has visited his personal web site Sharkman's Top End Tales only to be greeted by a directory listing. This has been caused by his ISP. Sharkman is already on the case of another ISP and we will bring you details here as soon as we have them.

Wrights, Bradford to go Top Fuel.
12th January: Live and exclusive from Autosport International comes news of another British Top Fuel Dragster team, which should be making its debut at the Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway.

The Wildside Inc. Top Fuel Team is a collaboration between Fuel tuner John Wright and his wife Lesley, and former Top Methanol Dragster racer Darryl Bradford. John and Darryl previously worked together on the Canto Racing Top Methanol Dragster. "John and I were looking at the remains of a shattered Lenco at Shakespeare County Raceway and decided that if we ever see another one of those things it'll be far too soon", said Darryl Bradford. "There was only one answer! Everyone gets into drag racing for one reason - to run a blown fuel car."

The team's ex-Jen Nybo chassis is currently at Hauser Race Cars where the roll cage is being lowered and various other modifications are being made to bring it up to 2002 spec. The plan is for Darryl to upgrade his licence at the Easter Thunderball, and at the same time for the new team to become familiar with one another before the pressure is on at the FIA Main Event.

"We're really excited about this!", said Lesley Wright. "Top Fuel is where John should be. He is an engineer, that's his role and he'll be able to focus on that. Darryl has impressed us as a driver, and he is very good with fans and sponsors alike."

You can find out more on today's Autosport International report (see below).

Autosport International coverage II.
12th January: We have now posted our second report and photographs from Autosport International in Birmingham. We checked out Santa Pod Raceway's display, and we also managed to find a lot of people to talk to and chase some significant stories including the possible return of Hockenheim to the 2002 FIA calendar.

Click here to see today's report and pictures.

More Dickson tributes.
11th January: We have received more tributes to the late Tony Dickson. The first is from Carla Pittau of Heaven and Hell Racing, who says:

"I was devastated by the news of Tony Dicksons death. All I could think of was the futility of everything, all his projects, his unfinished circuit racer Camaro, his Suburban, his GTO and the other cars asleep under dust sheets awaiting time and attention, his Aladdins cave of spares for any old American car you could think ofwhat is all that now?

"Empty shells where dreams once lived, with the personality and the smile that brought them to life slowly fading away, becoming inanimate bits of metal again.

"And yet Tony will live in my memory as he was, always helpful, shifting heavy parts out of the way to help me load a transmission in the Blazer, load an axle in the Catalina, telling me he liked seeing a girl drive a BIG car...

"Tony was a real gentleman, he was a charming man and an excellent person. He kept his whole inventory in his head as well as his sales and purchase ledgers as he was computer-allergic...always had a smile and a joke for everyone (although I'm sure I was his favourite girl...or so his charm would let any girl believe..)

"You could bench race and talk about cars and engines for hours at Marshall Dickson Performance in Gasoline Alley, his customers there also to buy parts but above all to socialise and talk American cars. He delved into obscure catalogues and old part interchange lists for ages for any customer, and everyone knew he was going to give his undivided attention to each person until the problem was solved or declared insoluble. So you knew you had to wait, but it was always a pleasure to wait there. You could sit on the little sofas and relax and chat with like minded mad people.

"Goodbye Tony, this is what I want to remember of you."

Super Gas racer Shaun Saunders writes:

"I have to say how sad and shocked I feel about the loss of Tony Dickson, he was truly one of the greatest members of the drag racing and American auto scene in the UK. I have spent over 20 years enjoying his tea and conversation at his after-hours parts stores. His helpful and always friendly personality will be sadly missed."

Bruiser tests at first RWYB.
11th January: Paul Marston's PT Bruiser is set to appear at Santa Pod Raceway's first Run What You Brung of 2002, on Sunday 27th January. Paul Marston and the team will be testing the overhauled ex-Konola Pro Stock engine.

"In early December the Chrysler Pro Stock Motor which served us so well during the 2001 season in the PT Bruiser was crated up and sent back to Jari Konola Pro Stock Racing in Sweden for its winter overhaul", says Paul Marston. "Jari found time in his busy schedule for the overhaul after returning from his winter break working as Crew Chief for Dave Nickens (Head of the Chrysler Pro Stock Programme), when he had the honour of running David's son Bo's Dodge Avenger.

"There is no-one better than Jari. The comprehensive workshop facilities at Konola's mean that all the machining and assembling can usually be done in-house and the parts are off the shelf. Also, we knew that the freight costs were reasonable; sending it back to Sweden for the overhaul is very economic. This is a major reason for choosing Jari Konola Pro Stock Racing to be our Mopar supplier. as opposed to an American based company. The motors are good, the service excellent. Although Jari did comment that it took his staff nearly as long to get the motor out of the crate we built as it did to rebuild it - I think the crate was a little over engineered!

"The motor is returned to Paul Marston Racing fresh off of the dyno with all the second phase development work completed, ready to drop in and go. With the second phase we have calmed the motor down a little to assist with long term reliability. We speculated this might take a bite out of the horsepower igures so awaited the results of the dyno pulls with much interest. The difference proved to be minimal, and is a testament to the motors design, that it is flexible enough to produce such awesome power in a much softer tune up. Jari Konola Pro Stock motors really deliver the goods. Everyone at Paul Marston Racing was very happy with Jari's motor in 2001 and we look forward to enjoying the same reliability in 2002. Our thanks must go to Jari, Sussie Bjorkman and the rest of the Konola Pro Stock Team for all their hard work and dedication.

"Unfortunately there was not enough time to visit Jari and Sussie in Stockholm, which was a great shame. It's currently snowsuit weather according to Jari, half a metre of snow and minus fourteen degrees.

"Commitments for the Chrysler PT Bruiser start early in 2002, which means that we will be attending the very first RWYB at Santa Pod on January 27th. We hope to do some preliminary testing and systems checks before that if possible. Statistically speaking, the weather has been good in January, quite warm in fact; it's been like this for past few years now, much better than November and December. Santa Pod are aware of this and are opening up the gates to the hallowed surface early this year. We at Paul Marston Racing intend to take full advantage of this."

Paul reminds us that Jari Konola's Dodge Avenger is still for sale; for more details check out Jari's web site at www.exder.se/konolaracing.

Shell Racing join SPR display...
11th January: Thanks to Martyn Hannis of UK Top Methanol and Junior Dragster team Shell Racing for getting in touch to let us know that the Shell Racing TMD will be featuring on Santa Pod Raceway's display at Autosport International this weekend.

"The car will be on display on Saturday and Sunday", says Martyn. "We had to work flat out as we have just finished fitting the new Whipple charger ready for this season - its looking good!".

Also to be found on SPR's display will be the Showtime Fuel FC, Martin Bishop's Pro Stock Bike and possibly Dave Holland's Funny Bike.

...All in one hall at Autosport.
11th January: If you are going to Autosport International then you will be able to find all of the drag racing exhibits in the same large hall.

The AC Delco display with Michael Malmgren's Pro Stock, the race simulator and video wall are right by the entrance to Hall 6; the Custom Car Magazine display featuring a number of CCSE contestants including Jon Webster's beautiful new Mustang is also in Hall 6 next to one of the bars; the F1 in Schools model drag strip is nearby the CCSE display; and Motorsport News Live and Santa Pod Raceway's display are at the far end of Hall 6 although for some reason that part of the hall is officially referred to as Hall 20!

You can see the first of our reports and pictures from Autosport International, from yesterday's Press and Trade day, by clicking here, or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page. We will be posting another report tomorrow (Saturday).

Joon on TV tonight.
11th January: Dutch Top Methanol FC racer Lex Joon is to feature on Dutch Television tonight (Friday). We 're all very jealous over here in the UK since from Lex's description there is to be some amazing footage in the broadcast.

For full details including broadcast time check out the News page of the Lex Joon Racing web site at www.lexjoonracing.nl.

Web site updates.
11th January: The Swedish Pro Street News Magazine at www.spn-photo.com has been updated with an English translation of the Nordic Pro Street Cup. Webmaster Hasse tells us that rules for the Hitech and bike classes will also be available soon.

Autosport International coverage I.
10th January: We have now posted our first report and photographs from Autosport International in Birmingham. We found a fair amount of drag racing machinery, including the public debut of Jon Webster's new CCSE Mustang, and spoke to a number of racers.

Click here to see today's report and pictures.

We will post another report and more pictures on Saturday.

Tribute to Tony Dickson.
9th January: We received the following tribute to the late Tony Dickson from Dave, Carol and Larry Pollen.

"All of us in drag racing have lost a good friend. Tony Dickson was to us, the Pollen Count mob, an especially close friend and colleague, and will be missed for all the right reasons. I'll even miss the bad tea. I can only hope that Tony now has all the Yank classics to play with he wants, and is happy racing in our dreams. Good luck Tony in your new venture, we already miss you."

MN's Top Fuel focus...
9th January: Jonathan Mudd of Motorsport News has very kindly sent us some details about MN's display at this weekend's Autosport International, which as previously reported will see drag racing represented by FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion Andy Carter together with one of Knut Soderquist's Top Fuellers.

"Motorsport News has two stands at the show, one which will be in the main Autosport section, and the other which will be situated in the separate Motorsport News Live area on Saturday and Sunday", says Jonathan.

"The focus of the MN Live stand will be the spectacular Top Fuel Dragster that Andy Carter is going to be bringing along. Andy has done fantastically well this season to win the FIA European Championship and we are delighted to be able to give him a high-profile platform on which he can show off the magnificent car. Andy will be on the stand to talk about his car and sign autographs.

"We will also have Peugeot's Super 1600 British Rally Championship contender on the same stand, with reigning Formula Rally Champion Justin Dale on hand to sign autographs as well.

"Readers of MN will be able to visit both stands for the duration of the show to take out a subscription to the paper and there will be special prizes for everyone that does so."

UK readers will be aware that Motorsport News give drag racing regular coverage so if you are going to Autosport International then be sure tell the MN staff how much it is appreciated.

...Sheavills also to be found.
9th January: UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Barry Sheavills will also be visiting Autosport International this weekend. Bill Williams, who handles Barry's PR, tells us that you will be able to find Barry and some of his team at the Wheelwright stand (Wheelwright being one of Barry's sponsors via the AEZ Wheels brand).

Autosport coverage plans.
9th January: Eurodragster will of course be covering Autosport International, starting with tomorrow's Press Day when we plan to post a report and pictures live from the Show. We also plan to report live from the Show again on Saturday when the rest of the drag racing contingent is on display.

We will publish the link to our coverage when it has been posted tomorrow; it should appear early in the afternoon.

FHRA Resque Photo Contest.
9th January: We are indebted to our good friend Christer Abrahamson of Svensk Dragracing, and our buddy Hasse of the Swedish Pro Street News Magazine, for informing us about a photo contest being held by Feringe raceway's safety crew. The organisers are accepting pictures from Nordic Drag Racing Series events and there are already some pretty impressive entries. A T-Shirt is up for grabs for the winner, which will be decided by a vote.

Christer explains a little more in English on the Svensk Dragracing web site at www.dragracing.se, or you can find out more (in Swedish) on FHRA Resque's contest page at www.feringe.com/resque/contest/contest.htm.

Scandinavian TV dates.
9th January: The Svensk Dragracing web site has also been updated with the broadcast times of TV coverage of FIA drag racing on Scandinavian channel Viasat Sport. The first is this evening (Wednesday) so don't delay your visit!

Mechanics: don't panic.
9th January: Back in November we reported that UK Fuel FC racer Smax Smith and his Mainline Menace FC were involved in filming for a BBC Television programme entitled Panic Mechanics, which we understand is similar to Scrapheap Challenge.

Many thanks to Smax for passing on the news that this episode is to be broadcast on 28th February, a little later than originally reported. We will of course bring you channel and timing details closer to the time.

Bennett photo sought.
9th January: A gentleman identifying himself as Chris has been in touch asking for the help of Eurodragster readers to find a photograph. Chris is seeking an action shot, suitable for enlargement, of the Bennett Brothers' blown-alcohol Topolino altered in action. He is specifically seeking a three-quarter front or head-on shot. If you have such a photograph then please get in touch with Chris by E-Mail at carnoisseursouth@aol.com.

Tony Dickson.
8th January: From Chris Dossett of Trakbyte's UK Drag Racing History site comes the sad news of the death of Tony Dickson. Tony raced in Top Street and Pro Stock in the UK in the 1970s and guaranteed his place in UK drag racing history by importing and racing the first US Pro Stocker seen in the UK, the Money Hungry Camaro, which is still in action today.

A brief tribute from Maurice Takoor of the BHRA Pioneers Club can be found on the What's New page of the Trakbyte site at members.aol.com/trakbyte with a fuller piece promised soon.

Please join us in sending Tony's family and friends our deepest sympathies.

AC Delco Autosport spectacular.
8th January: AC Delco, sponsors of Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren, have confirmed a spectacular display at this weekend's Autosport International at the NEC in Birmingham.

"Our preparations are nearly complete", says Nigel Cole of AC Delco. "We have a bigger stand than last year, number 6060, and it is in a much more prominent place. We will have Michael's car on display, plus the all new Santa Pod/AC Delco drag race simulators. Anyone can give their reactions a try in the cars - regular winners will get the chance to race against Michael, with daily winners receiving Santa Pod tickets and the overall Show winners receiving VIP tickets for the FIA Main Event at Santa Pod.

"Also on the stand will be the AC Delco girls, and a three-metre video wall showing TV coverage of the 2001 season in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock. We will also be giving away copies of a brand new poster depicting the Camaro and shots of Michael, the team and the girls."

As if that wasn't enough, Michael Malmgren is scheduled to be interviewed on the main stage on Friday (trade and press day) at 4:00 pm, and on Sunday (public day) at 3:45 pm. Sounds to us like you don't want to miss this, for ticket details and opening times check out the Autosport International web site at www.autosportinternational.co.uk, and for all the news from the AC Delco Racing pit visit their official web site at www.acdracing.net.

Teurlings leaves Habermann pit.
7th January: Pete Teurlings has announced his retirement as Crew Chief for Germany's Gerd Habermann Racing. Pete has worked with the family operation for twelve years.

"It is now time to retire", says Pete. "Twelve years which have brought fast times, B/Dragster record holder and many wins - many more it it wasn't for the red lights! There were good times and bad times. I have met a lot of good people in my time and will never forget them. I would like to say a special Thank You to Michael Malmgren and his crew for their outstanding help in the last couple of years. And to Bruno Bader, come back and give them all hell!"

Gadney seeks Oz advice.
7th January: UK Super Gas racer Dave Gadney is asking for the help of Eurodragster readers as he prepares to emigrate to Australia with his family and, he hopes, his race car.

"From speaking to Australian customs there seems to be a grey area when it comes to import tax on race cars", says Dave. "We know that other racers have emigrated to Australia and as they have shipped their cars there may be something they know which we don't. If anyone can give us advice about importing a race car to Australia then it would be appreciated."

Anyone who is able to advise Dave can contact him by E-Mail at promodcrew@aol.com.

Dave also has a message for his fellow racers. "I would like to thank all of the racers in Super Gas for all of their help in the last couple of seasons' racing, and wish them all the best for this season. We will be looking in on them from Down Under. Your web site has been our sole source of information to keep us up-to-date with the latest gossip and news."

You are too kind, Dave. We're sure that everyone will want to join us in wishing Dave and his family every success in the future.

Cancel that sex change.
7th January: One of the regular jobs for racers over the off-season is to find ways of saving weight, since it is rare for a race vehicle to be under the limit. Options include drilling out of components, and carbon fibre, fibreglass or other light-material part replacements.

"Every one hundred pounds equals one tenth off your ET, or so they say", says Paul Marston, driver of the PT Bruiser Super Comp. "We discussed a set of carbon-fibre doors for the Bruiser. It would amount to a weight saving of about twenty-five to thirty pounds - a reasonable amount, but at a cost of four to five thousand pounds or something just as crazy. The best example I heard was a guy who had a carbon fibre bodyshell made for his Lotus which saved seven kilogrammes and cost four thousand pounds alone, without the shell change costs. You have to ask yourself - why?"

Paul and his team came up with a cheaper option. "The driver is in the race car on the track, so his weight counts. Remember when the Scandanavians started using small women as drivers in the 1980s? Well, a sex change was expensive, so a diet was the next best thing."

Paul has lost three stones under his new régime. "I have been training three times a week for about six years now, mainly because of the racing", he says. "Being fit helps your mental sharpness and your reactions, along with the health advantages. It was just a case of changing my diet and continuing with the training to lose the weight. Losing it off me seemed logical - some teams have thought nothing about replacing their cast-iron heads for ally items to trim weight off the race car, which is very expensive. The same weight loss could be achieved by a diet which doesn't cost anything."

Turner Racing sim available.
7th January: Readers with a copy of the NHRA Drag Racing simulator can now download and race the FIA European Championship-holding Turner Racing Top Methanol Dragster, says Adam Gleadow of Time Machine Racing.

"After I posted a message on the nitrosim.com message board, Kip Kowalski of simdragracing.com, another message board, has made the Netcall Telecom dragster available for downloading", says Adam. "You can download the Turner Racing car at www.simdragracing.com/n2rail/Netcall.exe."

You can see a screenshot of the car at www.simdragracing.com/netcall.gif.

Web site updates.
7th January: The official web site of the UK's Showtime Fuel Funny Car team has been updated with news of the car's appearance at Autosport International this weekend. Webmaster Chris Dossett has also archived 2001's news. Check it out at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.

Editor's note: On the subject of Autosport International, thanks to Showtime driver John Spuffard, Fuel FC Championship co-ordinator Jim Broome, and Santa Pod Raceway for confirming that Santa Pod's display will only be present at the public days - Saturday and Sunday - this weekend, not on the preceding press and trade days (Thursday and Friday).

Andy Frost has updated his Red Victor 1 Racing web site with photographs of the Top Fuel Dragster which Peter Knight and Andy will be campaigning either later this year or in 2003 (see news item of 30th December), together with a full spec of the Fueller. Andy promises frequent updates to the site, which you can find at www.redvictor1racing.co.uk.

Anders Tingström.
5th January: We were very sorry to hear from Christer Abrahamson of Svensk Dragracing of the death of Anders Tingström, son of Micke Callin and brother of racer Jill Tingström, in an accident in Stockholm a little while ago. Please join Tog and Sharkman in sending our very deepest sympathies to Micke, Lilian, Jill, and Anders' other family and friends.

Team TIL launches at Autosport.
5th January: Autosport International next week sees the launch of the Team Titanium International Limited Drag Bike team. "We will again be sponsoring Funny Bike racer Dave Holland in 2002", says Nigel Hoskinson of Titanium International. "One other sponsor, Turbo Services International of Southampton, is already signed up and we hope to confirm others shortly."

Dave's Funny Bike will be on display at the Titanium International stand at E134 and E135. "We will be showing a selection of titanium raw materials as well as finished components manufactured by some of our customers in F1, WRC, MotoGP, Superbikes, Motocross and, of course, Drag Racing", says Nigel.

Drag Racing will be further represented in the Trade Partners UK pavilion where Titanium International will be displaying Dave Hollands former Super Street Bike, on which he won the 2001 Brighton Speed Trials.

Dave and Crew Chief Brian Jolley will be on the main stand on Thursday and Friday, and Nigel also invites Eurodragster's readers to drop by and say hello throughout the weekend. "Come and see what we do, or just come and have a chat - everyone is welcome", says Nigel.

Pro ET snippets.
5th January: We are indebted to Paul Somerville of Viking Rover for sending us the following snippets from various of the UK Pro ET teams. This is the first instalment, there will be more to follow.

"The past year has seen the Pro ET class put on some exceptional racing with the largest field of cars for any class. Over 45 cars competed in the National Championships with all three Championships going down to their final rounds before winners were decided. It is shaping up to be a bumper year in 2002, the entry will be over 25 cars per event .

"Amongst the returning racers will be Mark Ramplee in the Hendy Ford Sierra. Mark and team mate Curtis have taken a year off to update the Sierra with the view of possibly moving to Super Gas later in the season. The chassis has been back halved by Andy Robinson and a new larger Ford power plant purchased from Tim Adam. The car should be down into the 9.7-second bracket which is a large jump from their previous high elevens.

"Colin Aldred is another racer who has a new Andy Robinson chassis underway. The car will retain the same layout (short wheel base slingshot) but will have a full Chromoly chassis along with a Peter Knight small block. Colin ran the engine during the second half last year and has had major problems slowing it down to a 10.0 which was the legal time for his old chassis. With new chassis and a two-speed glide expect this car to run 9.2s. They also have the option of a progressive nitrous system should they wish to move class.

"Chris Johnson former National Champion and scourge of Pro ET has a new car under construction. Chris took last year off to have an operation on his hand (I think he got caught with it in his wife's purse). The project has backing from a car manufacturer and the car will sport their logo. At this point the body has been obtained and fibreglass parts are being made. The power plant will be a 540 ci Chevy, and he is desperately seeking some alloy heads. The good news for Pro ET racers is that he is also looking to move class. He cites as his reason the pitting arrangements and the opportunity to attract more sponsorship."

Thanks to Paul for this, and stay tuned for the next instalment.

Web site updates.
5th January: Our good buddies at Svensk Dragracing have updated their web site with some statistics about the Nordic Drag Racing Series, a great NDRS quiz, a link to Zane Llewellyn's 2001 tour review, and a sighting of an NDRS cap at Shakespeare County Raceway. Check it all out at www.dragracing.se.

The UK's Volkswagen Drag Racing Club site at www.vwdrc.com has been updated with the latest news from the VW scene. Kevo of Golf Trolley Racing fame tells us that the site will be updated very regularly.

Autosport Showtime.
4th January: The Showtime Fuel Funny Car will be on display on the Santa Pod Raceway stand at Autosport International next week, says Crew Chief Bob Jarrett.

The Santa Pod stand was originally to feature Mark Hawkins' North Herts Engineering FC, but the North Herts team have had to cancel. "We have been asked to take the place of the North Herts car, and we have gladly accepted the opportunity to support Santa Pod and the up and coming 2002 Fuel Funny Car Championship", says Bob. "John Spuffard will be there with the car, probably the Snap-on Tools Pontiac (the black and white body - Ed), and will look forward to seeing you there."

You can stay in touch with the Showtime team on their official web site at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.

Web site updates.
4th January: The Swedish Pro Street News Magazine at www.spn-photo.com has been updated with new Windows wallpaper files and new site information.

Carter seeks Autosport help.
3rd January: FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion Andy Carter has been in touch with an urgent call for help from Eurodragster's readers. As mentioned here previously, Andy is borrowing one of Knut Soderquist's Carbon By Design Top Fuel Dragsters to display on the Motorsport News stand at Autosport International next week, but he has hit a snag.

"Knut is in the USA and won't be back in time for Autosport", says Andy. "I've got the car but I haven't got a rig to transport it to Birmingham! I urgently need to talk to anyone who can get the Top Fueller to the NEC. The Fueller is in Wellingborough and will be available for collection this Sunday afternoon, and will need to be at the NEC for Friday lunchtime of next week. Of course, I will be willing to pay."

If you can help then please contact Andy as soon as possible on his mobile phone number, which is 07977 536024.

For more details on Autosport International, including times and ticket prices, check out the official Show web site at www.autosportinternational.co.uk. If you can't make it then don't fret as we will be reporting live from the Show.

It's Winter sales season!
2nd January: The UK's Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster team have some radical plans for the 2002 season, and their current inventory is for sale to help to finance the project. We've been promised the full SP on the team's plans as soon as they are ready to go public, so stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, if you've ever fancied running a Top Methanol Dragster then check out the For Sale page of the Nemesis Racing web site at www.eurodragster.com/nemesisracing since everything is available from a complete turn-key operation through a 5.7-second engine to individual parts.

If a TMD is a bit ambitious for you right now, then don't forget that you can also use our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet for the sale and purchase of both four- and two-wheeled race vehicles, parts, rigs and trailers, the exchange of advice, crew placings and more. A classified advertisement is free and could save you money and effort. Whether you're looking to buy or to sell, the address is the same: www.eurodragster.com/classifieds/default.asp.


Earlier news


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