To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by
clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the
title then simply send an E-Mail to apiraawards2016@eurodragster.com
giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc.) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote in
the body of the E-Mail.
For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.
Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement and comments on the subject on our
Facebook pages will be deleted.
The next shortlist, to be published next Monday (6th February) will be the APIRA Endeavour Award.
Jimmy says that the move to Pro Mod is not to be viewed as permanent. "This is something for 2017", he says. "A lot of different aspects came
in place pointing in this direction but my heart is still in naturally-aspirated engines and Pro Stock. I still have my own car and at some
events I plan to bring it and compete in both classes.
"To try Pro Mod is a challenge I am really looking forward to, and when it comes to my own Pro Stock car it will be nice not to have
the tension to chase very important qualifying points in every round and nice to be able to test more than we usually dare."
Jimmy will be doing some initial Pro Mod testing in Malmö prior to the FIA Main Event at Santa Pod in May.
Story and pictures courtesy Stefan Boman for Bilsport magazine
Bellio breathes easy... 28th January: Belgian Top Methanol Funny Car racer Danny Bellio had an eventful 2016 off the track but
are preparing for a return in 2017:
Danny's Racing Team didn't enter the first FIA round at Santa Pod because we didn't have an engine: the old one was destroyed on the
first test run at the Pro Peak Performance day before the Main Event in 2015. During 2015 and early 2016 we were extremely busy in
the workshop with our dyno operation but at the start of 2016 parts were ordered to complete our new engine. Several of the parts
were not available and we got them just one week before the Main Event. So we had to skip the Main Event and the first of the rounds
at Tierp and focus on getting everything together for round four at Hockenheim.
Meanwhile Danny made a successful attempt to quit smoking after forty years. In the period following the Main Event he started to suffer
breathing problems and went to the doctor several times without getting a diagnosis. But the nights are very long when you can't sleep.
The team got busy assembling the new engine when necessary parts were delivered in June and the new combination was tested on our new
engine dyno Dyno Unlimited making several nice strong runs. Everything
was promising and the team were very excited.
The car was ready the weekend before Hockenheim, but our driver wasn't in top condition. Danny was still suffering from breathing problems,
but the doctors still couldn't find the cause. A week before Hockenheim the doctor sent Danny to a lung specialist who prescribed a ten-day
special therapy.
On the Friday at Hockenheim we tried two qualifying passes but our driver wasn't confident in the car. On Saturday we didn't make any runs
because Danny didn't have the strength to drive the car and decided not to continue. On Sunday he was in better condition and wanted to run
the car, but in the first round of eliminations the car rolled the lights and it was game over.
On Monday Danny went back to the lung specialist, but there weren't any problems with his lungs.
We decided to make the trip to Sweden for round five at Tierp. When we arrived on Thursday afternoon it was raining heavily. When the rain
stopped we built everything up and did some small check-ups and changes to the car. On the Friday Danny was feeling well and we contested the
two qualifying rounds, but on the Saturday Danny could hardly breathe and didn't feel well at all. We made the hard decision to stop qualifying
and miss Sunday's eliminations. We drove back home on Sunday morning and at that point we had two drivers for our truck, Danny and Sandro.
Danny managed to drive the truck but something was seriously wrong and we didn't know what.
When we arrived in Belgium we went back to the doctor and she decided to run all of the tests over again to see if something had been missed
and finally they found what was wrong: Danny's thyroid was growing extremely fast and was obstructing his windpipe. The thyroid was six times
bigger than normal and was growing to the inside instead of growing outwards. In November Danny was scheduled for surgery, but removing the
big thyroid involved some risks as it was growing close to Danny's vocal chords. This was a concern as if the thyroid was growing around or
on the vocal chords then Danny could have lost his voice.
We are very happy to report that everything is OK with Danny at this time. The surgery was a success. When the race season starts Danny will
hopefully he will be strong enough to run the car again, and we are looking forward to making some awesome test runs. To get results with the
race car everything needs to be in top condition - car, team and especially the driver. We know the car can run into the 5.6s and maybe quicker.
For 2017, we don't know yet what the plan is. Top Methanol Dragsters and Top Methanol Funny Cars will race together and this has caused the team
to look at the options for our race operation. But first we need to do some serious testing on the car and become consistent again.
See you at the track!
...and offers 4000 hp dyno. 28th January: Danny Bellio also writes that his business
Dyno Unlimited in Houthalen-Helchteren, Belgium, is
proud to support racers in tuning any type of combination:
We can handle engines which are naturally aspirated, turbocharged, supercharged, gasoline or alcohol, carburettor, mechanical
injection or EFI, from a regular street engine up to a 4000 horsepower race engine.
The benefit of putting your engine combination on the dyno is that you get a base tune-up in a safe manner instead of risking
breaking parts on the track. Potential engine or tune-up problems can be spotted and mended before damage occurs.
We renting out the dyno unit with an operator, engine mounting, water cooling if needed, and logging sensors. The customer will
need to bring their own oil, spark plugs, tools, service parts if needed, and mechanic if servicing is needed in between test
pulls. The customer will also need to provide a test plan, what is expected from the dyno and how they wish to test their engine.
The dyno can be rented per hour with fee dependent on the type of engine being tested. Engines which need to be serviced between
pulls require mechanics to be present although we can also provide the service, parts, and tuning aids and tips at additional cost.
What we offer is a safe base tune-up in an environment where the engine is constantly being monitored in real time and any problems
can be spotted before damage is done.
Swift snippets. 28th January: We have received another spy picture from the same source as
Wednesday's spy picture, so presumably another piece of the puzzle. If you know more,
or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.
EDRS Pro Nordic MC Super Gas Bike Champion Janne Koskinen will be contesting EDRS Pro Pro Stock Bike in 2017 on a former Ellsa Karlsson Suzuki.
You can read more courtesy of our good buddy Remco Scheelings on the
Drag
Racing Europe Blog.
Santa Pod Raceway's Early Bird 20% discount on tickets for most events closes at midnight UK this Tuesday (31st).
You can order your tickets at www.eticketing.co.uk/santapodraceway.
Thursday 16th March: DHRA, Aambeeld 11, 1969 NC Heemskerk, The Netherlands (08:00-12:00) Friday 17th March: FHRA office, Helsinki-Malmi Airport, 00700 Helsinki, Finland (09:00-12:00) Saturday 18th March: Persåkers Speed Shop, Solbergavagen 28, Åkers Styckebruk, Sweden (12:00-17:00) Monday 20th March: Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Road, Podington, United Kingdom (10:00-16:00)
To the arena, and make it snappy. 27th January: Maikel Gloudemans of our streaming service provider DoYouSee.me
writes that Rene van den Berg and the Shark Attack Top Fuel Bike team will be putting on a display at this weekend's
Racing Expo in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. M@ik says that indoor burnouts are on the menu:
We have been invited by our main sponsor Eurol to make a nice big static display of our team and to stir up the crowds
with burnouts in a live action arena. If last year's burnouts are a valid indication we will almost literally raise the roof.
DoYouSee.Me will be there to try to capture the moment, as well as provide promotional videos about drag racing in our display.
Racing Expo has grown into a large fair covering a lot of forms of motorsports, both cars and bikes, including tuning and design and the live action arena will be filled with demos of several
disciplines. For more information check out www.racing-expo.nl.
Announcing PTTM Drag Racing. 27th January: Vegter Pro Mod Racing, one of the leading Dutch and European Pro Modified race teams is entering a new era
and stepping up a level with a strenghtened relationship with sponsor and partner PedalToTheMetal Musclecar Performance. The team will now
be known as PTTM Drag Racing. Remco Scheelings writes:
PedalToTheMetal Musclecar Performance partnered with Vegter Pro Mod Racing early last season. Fred Dorland was a drag racer and race car builder,
and with PedalToTheMetal Dragracing he had his own hobby-based team which raced very successfully with several cars in all kind of categories.
These activities, together with building V8 engines, were the foundation for the start of the very successful company PTTM Musclecar Performance.
"Due to all his business commitments, Fred didn't have the time to drive any more", says David Vegter. "He and partner Sido Zeilstra and son Max
Dorland wanted to stay involved in the sport, and the way we worked together last season turned out so well that we both wanted to intensify our
co-operation, especially as Fred and his partners are still passionate about drag racing. As a result, from now on the team name will be PTTM
Drag Racing. Fred Dorland will be Team Manager and will take over all kind of duties, but also the business part around the team, contact with
sponsors and partners, and arranging relationship marketing events. He will also support the team wherever it's needed.
"As a Crew Chief and driver I can focus on the technique, the race car and the driving job. Together with the crew, everybody in the team will
do the things at which they are good, and will be involved in everything. It was getting a bit too much for me last season. The sport asks for
a far more professional approach now and I'm sure that this will take the renewed team and our performance to the next level."
PedalToTheMetal Musclecar Performance are an all-round Speed Shop specialising in high-end classic American muscle cars. PTTM
buy and sell, repair, restore and paint, have numerous different parts, including driveline components, and have all the know-how of
American V8 performance engines. These engines are used all over Europe and beyond for street cars, racing and drag racing. In their
showroom in Sneek, Holland, PTTM always has at least forty unique cars as well as several restoration and renovation projects for customers.
David Vegter and the '67 Camaro will again compete in the full FIA European Pro Modified Championship tour of six races, the Championship
in which he finished in fifth position last year. As announced last week, David and his team will have Red Line Oil Scandinavia as their
lubricant partner for 2017. Longtime partners WVB Holland and HKR Techniek have extended their partnership with the team, and the PTTM
Drag Racing '67 Camaro will also be supported again by DutchBoxx Golfkarton and of course main sponsor PTTM Musclecar Performance.
The team is talking to current and new partners and expect to have more news pretty soon.
"We are also working hard to improve the car, the engine and the team", says David. "We will do our very best to be fully-prepared at the
start of the season, although there is still a lot of work to be done. We want to emphasise that the renewed team and team name as an
organisation and foundation are totally independent from the main sponsor with the same name. Of course there are some connections, but
the sponsor interests of the company are completely separate from the drag racing activities. This makes it possible to work with other
sponsors in the future, but to use the team name it now has."
Here, read the manual. 27th January: A 390-page Official History of the Allard Chrysler Dragster and its restoration has been handed to
National Motor Museum Manager Doug Hill by Allard Chrysler Action Group
Chair Brian Taylor.
The document includes the dragster's full history; why Sydney Allard decided to build it in the first place and the story of its racing career.
It then details the nine-year restoration by the Allard Chrysler Action Group (warts and all) along with all part numbers and documentation
including the engine's original brass identification plate. All of this will be placed in the library for use by researchers.
The sponsorship of the project by Lucas Oil Products UK has also been marked
by decals affixed to the body panels - a special deviation from its period correct status. A recent addition to the restoration has been the
application of period correct Castrol and Wynn's logos in the engine bay on the firewall. These were original sponsors of Sydney Allard back
in the mid-1960s and photos exist of these decals in place at that time. However it has been Lucas Oil Products UK who have provided all
the lube requirements during the restoration so, after discussions between Brian and Doug, the National Motor Museum has agreed to honour
this support by applying Lucas Oil decals to the body panels. This is not of course period correct and would not have been allowed back in the
day, but it was felt that the company should be treated as a special case to reflect their support.
The 2005 Snell helmet is no longer legal for FIA classes in the UK. The Snell 2010 and 2015 are of course still legal.
2005 Snell helmets will remain legal for all MSA classes until 31st December 2018. This also includes the European Funny Car Series, as racers compete
under a National B Permit and not FIA, however all helmets used in the European Funny Car Series must have the original factory-fitted
Hans-type device posts installed.
The Snell 2005 helmet regulation will also cover any Pro Modified racer competing within the MSA British Pro Modified Championship, but will not cover
the FIA Main Event nor the FIA European Finals.
If you are unsure then please contact SPRC or the UK National Tech Committee.
SPR/DFDS ferry discount continues. 25th January: Many thanks to Caroline Holden for letting us know that the deal between Santa Pod Raceway and DFDS for reduced-rate
ferry crossings across the English Channel is to continue into 2017.
There is no rate increase, however in line with DFDS Group policy on all routes a charge has been introduced for each additional driver or passengers.
The concessionary rates still offer a considerable discount when compared to DFDS' standard freight tariff and, until further notice, each
driver and passenger will be able to take advantage of a free main course offer in the Freight Drivers Road Kings restaurant on board their vessels.
For more information about DFDS check out their web site at www.dfdsseaways.co.uk but
to benefit from the Santa Pod Raceway discount please be sure to use the form, not the web site, to make bookings.
Swift snippets. 25th January: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the
words "Still a puzzle, but getting closer". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.
No Prep Nationals entry open. 25th January: Paul Marston writes that entry is now officially open for the inaugural No Prep Doorslammer Nationals
at North Weald on Sunday 2nd July:
No Prep is the fastest growing drag race format in the States. It's kinda going back to its roots, race hard for a nice pile of cash! The format is sixteen cars, £125 entry,
the winner gets £1000 and the runner-up gets their entry fee (less track fee). This is eighth-mile no-time racing, the first past the finish line wins. You will get two
practice run sessions in the morning then eliminations start after lunch break. Callouts are allowed providing both drivers or teams like the match-up; minimum sidebet is £50.
Otherwise it's straight numbers out of the hat for the pairings. Christmas Tree start, run to conclusion, judge of the fact at the finish line with video camera.
Any doorslammer can run, there are no exceptions: street legal or not, slicks or not, 4WD, 2WD, as many power adders as you like or not. No prep but yes you can use Grip Juice,
Pimp Juice, Gorilla Snot, whatever if you want. It's simply the first car from point A to point B wins. Power is most probably not going to be king - clever will most probably steal
the day. Remember this has never been done in the UK before, this will be the first.
Entry forms are available from the organisers by E-Mailing pmracing@fsmail.net, via the Paul Marston Racing Facebook
page, or by simply calling me on 07831 650230. Ther eis limited availability, sixteen cars only can enter, so if you want to be part of it then please act now.
This event will be filmed, produced and placed on YouTube and will be featured on American Internet TV. Eurodragster.com plan an end-day report and gallery. Our sincere
thanks to all involved so far. Over the next couple of weeks we will announce our title sponsor and marketing partners / associate sponsors so stay tuned to Eurodragster.com.
Swift snippets. 24th January: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to race vehicle builder, Pro Mod racer-in-waiting
and Eurodragster.com sponsorJon Webster.
Have a great day Jon. On behalf of the whole Master of Disaster crew René Martin asked us to say a big Happy Birthday
to nostalgia slingshot racer Jürgen Schomann. Our pleasure, have a great day Jürgen.
"We are acting for a large automotive company who wish to show media from A-List magazines the power of Hemi engines both in their cars and in dragsters"
say Performance Comminications. "We are keen for a dragster to attend for a series of challenges in an Expert v Journalist competition, for example 0-60
mph, 0-100 mpg and quarter-mile challenge."
If you fancy some early mid-week testing on 27th, 28th February and 1st March, for two of these days, or for one day, then please contact
Darren Prentice at Santa Pod Raceway at darren@santapod.com.
Bartlett on SPR, Europe and more. 23rd January: Longtime Eurodragster.com readers will know that Eurodragster.com usually talk to Santa Pod Raceway
and Trakbak Racing owner and CEO Keith Bartlett at Autosport International each year. Our paths did cross at Autosport last week but Keith
had a busy schedule of business meetings so we spoke on the phone a few days later. This is what Keith had to say about Santa Pod Raceway,
Trakbak Racing, European and World Championships and more:
"2016 was yet another extremely successful year. This has been the trend for the past three or four years and I don't think that it's by luck.
The management and the staff at TBR (Trakbak Racing Ltd) and Santa Pod have worked hard to lift the brand and to keep improving the events
and show overall. It's no surprise that we have had more people and more positive feedback. I am delighted that we have achieved all we have
by the end of 2016. That was the five-year plan to 2016 and we are now entering into a new five-year plan, commencing in 2017.
"For both the Championships and Santa Pod Raceway social media has played a large part in our expansion. I would say that in motorsport
in the UK, we are one of the front runners in that we really do utilise social and new media. We are going out to and working within a market
few others seem to value in the same way as we do at Santa Pod. I am chasing down the teenage market, the kids who could in the near
future be our next generation of customers. There is no doubt that social media must play a large part in our expansion and development.
This year will see Santa Pod taking this to further levels of integration and activity. Over the past two years we have developed all or TV
broadcasts and production. This is now at a standard where our own YouTube Santa Pod TV live stream shows have a huge following in the
hundreds and hundreds of thousands for each show. This is only the beginning of our TV and internet broadcasting planning for the future.
"We are always trying hard to improve the overall facility at Santa Pod. We are conscious that last year the racers only saw the new exit gate
past the finish line, although we did build and install a new finish line gantry the year before. The new office complex completed early in 2016,
at the main gate, was a vital element to our future expansion plans. We currently employ around thirty five permanent staff and two hundred
seasonal staff. I am sure that will increase even more in the coming years. That's a different story to twenty years ago when I purchased Santa
Pod and had only around twelve full time staff. I am pleased with where we have got to today. We have a well-defined and variable calendar,
but we don't lose sight of the racers who are crucial to our success. It doesn't matter, Pro or Sportsman, we need to continue to develop the
sport, despite the curve balls thrown up by the economy, planning restraints and in some cases the rules of drag racing. Santa Pod will always
continue to put the racers first, wherever and whenever that is applicable and workable.
"As I have already said, the next five-year plan will commence this year. It's our most ambitious development plan since 1996, and we are now
entering a serious phase of Santa Pod's development, looking to give improved facilities to the racers and public alike. My aim is for this to be
a real lifting of the facility and how it is perceived. How the Santa Pod facility will look in the future I hope is going to be quite different to today,
but as long as I have the final say, I will make sure that Santa Pod never loses it soul and what it has represented and stood for over the past fifty
years. Part of the next five-year plan includes my long talked-about aspiration of a Santa Pod museum, which will soon be underway as we ago
for planning consent in 2017. All things being equal, the museum should commence construction sometime around the end of 2018 to mid-2019.
I have already acquired the first couple of vehicles!
"One downside within all this development was a planning consent given for a wind farm right next door to us. Following many objections from
many other residents, the final number of turbines was reduced from around nineteen to just three. One turbine is now up, the next two will be
up within a few weeks. There is nothing we can do about this situation as it's not on our land. It changes the iconic view from the start line but we
have to live with it. It is on the farmer's land and there is nothing we can do. Neither Santa Pod and or TBR have any financial benefit from these
wind turbines.
"I remain somewhat still quite disappointed with the FIA Championship overall. The commercial rights are still not allocated (despite over three
years of discussion, negotiation and tenders) and no one entity owns the rights and so long as that remains the case, the Championship will
continue to flounder and at the same time remain where it is. That said, Santa Pod Raceway and Hockenheim are working hard to develop and
market the overall FIA Championship, at least at their own rounds. I am of the firm opinion that the FIA Championship needs single ownership
and full control of its direction across all rounds to truly grow and develop the whole Championship, which in turn is the only way that the racers
and teams will see increased income and sponsorships. Santa Pod has grown and developed to where it is today as a result of having single
ownership and control of its direction and growth, supported by a very competent management team.
"Over the next couple of years we will be dedicating some of our resources and time to really developing the European Funny Car Series. The
way the pound has gone to the dollar recently, post Brexit (and that is another story in its own right), most people will understand that buying
parts and equipment from the States is now more costly. This makes life even harder for the Nitro Top Fuel and Funny Car owners. However,
on the other side that means that we can do a lot more business in the USA, hopefully be able to get Americans organisations to spend their
money in England and at the same time make it a far more attractive proposal for US teams to come here. Our aim for the European Funny Car
Series is a minimum six-car entry at each round and it will likely involve US teams in the future. I remain upbeat that we are going to take this
series up to the next level.
"As some of you are aware TBR signed the commercial rights to an FIM World Drag Bike Championship. This commences in 2018 as a single
World Cup event for Pro Stock Bike. Hopefully with a twenty four Pro Stock Bike entry with teams from all around the world of drag bike
racing and all competing to make a sixteen-bike field. The winner will be crowned the FIM World Cup Champion. So in 2018 it is single World
Cup event with a single class, Pro Stock Bike, but it is our intention that when it develops into a full-blown Championship from 2019 onwards
you will see Top Fuel Bike and Supertwin coming in. For those two classes it may be a Championship, or a Cup, but we will bring them in. It
took a lot of negotiation over a three to four year period to secure the right deal for the commercial rights. It is a project that both TBR and the
FIM will work closely together on as any partners should. TBR is now in a position to take advantage of holding the commercial rights to this
first ever official FIM World Drag Bike Championship. With interest from top teams and high level tracks alike in the USA, Australia and the
Middle East, along with Europe the project has real potential.
"For the last three years Trakbak Racing has been working on developing the overall Santa Pod brand and it is today, I believe, so strong that
I think it's now accepted that Santa Pod is viewed by so many people in motorsport at least, as a worldwide brand and not just here in Europe.
In my role as CEO I intend to exploit that brand value across clothing, retail, experience stores and more external projects, all outside of just
motorsport. That is all part of the five-year plan. Over the past five years we have achieved all that we targeted to achieve, now we are looking
to try and repeat that over the next five years. We may not succeed in all our plans in this period, but I am confident we will succeed in many
of them, regardless of the curveballs and barriers thrown at us on a regular basis.
"I have never been more upbeat about the overall situation at Santa Pod and Trakbak Racing Ltd than I am today. The future looks really good
for Santa Pod."
APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 2. 23rd January: Avon Park International Racing Association and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give readers the chance of
input to the APIRA Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the joint APIRA / Supercharged Outlaws Trophy Presentation on Saturday 4th March.
The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners.
For six of the 2016 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. One shortlist will be posted on Monday
each week.
The second shortlist is the Shakespeare County Raceway Award for Outstanding Achievement. The Shakespeare County Raceway Award for Outstanding
Achievemen tis awarded to a racer who achieved outstanding performance at Shakespeare County Raceway during the season.
The APIRA selection panel's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by
clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the
title then simply send an E-Mail to apiraawards2016@eurodragster.com
giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc.) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote in
the body of the E-Mail.
For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.
Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement and comments on the subject on our
Facebook pages will be deleted.
The next shortlist, to be published next Monday (30th January) will be the APIRA / Shakespeare County Raceway Award Sportswoman of the Year
Trophy.
Web site updates. 23rd January: Our good friend Alan Currans has updated his excellent Acceleration Archive with the first
instalment in the promised Blog by Keith Lee describing his work on a biography of UK legend Dennis Priddle. As ever you can check out
the latest updates via the What's New link at
www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.
In the latest instalment of his exclusive Racer Blog presented in association with
Gearhead Garage Paul Marston works on the appearance of his twin turbo Cortina
whilst also pruning yet more weight from it. You can take a look by clicking
here or by clicking on the Gearhead Garage Blogs link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Lee pens Priddle biography. 21st January: Drag racing photojournalist Keith Lee has been in touch to let us know that he has commenced working on a long overdue book
that will tell the inside story of Dennis Priddle, one of the true legends of the sport.
"Dennis Priddle was a firm favourite with race fans over some two decades, as the sport made rapid and exciting progress during those formative years in the UK", comments Keith. "Dennis
was also one of the pioneers who helped spread the word into mainland Europe. Race fans always knew that if a Priddle car was entered, he would put on a great show. I had the good fortune
to be around during this exciting times, as a spectator, photojournalist and commentator during the period that he campaigned a variety of top line cars. They always looked good - and performed
even better! Having enjoyed listening to his fascinating racing anecdotes over recent years, I am very pleased to say that I have persuaded my good friend Dennis that it really is time to recapture
those memorable days in print for a wider audience to enjoy."
A fearsome driver on track, Dennis was also highly regarded as a race car constructor, and engine builder. Bland he most definitely is not, and hopefully his character will come through in the book,
which will look back at the many achievements - and also the traumas - along with the entertaining stories surrounding this master of the sport.
One of the first inductees of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2006, a delighted Dennis was also inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2016. Capping off a memorable year,
he was re-presented with the IDRHoF award at our own Hall of Fame Gala last November. The standing ovation he received was a measure of just how highly regarded he is.
Alan Currans has kindly agreed to post some of the interesting snippets uncovered along the way towards completing the book, in a blog on his excellent web site
The Acceleration Archive.
It will be an interesting journey, with very welcome help from Annie, reliving and pulling together this story of a true drag racing hero, and also of those who helped make the Dennis Priddle
story.
Dial-In Day 2017. 21st January: The hugely successful Dial-In Day returns to Santa Pod Raceway for 2017 on Saturday 4th March, leaving plenty of time
for attendees to prepare for the first round of the National Drag Racing Championships during Easter's Festival of Power weekend:
There's nothing quite like the feeling of hunting or being hunted on the drag strip and we're inviting you to come along and give it a go. The concept of bracket racing, the
entry level of drag racing, is simple. The slower car gets the green light first and a head start according to the difference in predicted finish times, meaning that unless both
racers predict the same time, you'll always get a cat-and-mouse scenario which is simple to have a go at, and near-impossible to master. Graduates from previous Dial-In
Days have gone on to achieve great things in the National Championships in classes such as Sportsman ET, the VW Drag Racing Club and beyond. There have been multiple
event wins, number one qualifiers, Perfect ETs and Reaction Times and even a couple of Championships won by those who started it all with a trip to the Dial-In Day.
If you're thinking about getting involved with drag racing, or simply want a little insight into what it's like to take part, the Dial-In Day will not disappoint. It's a no-obligation
training day which consists of classroom-based sessions to teach you everything you need to know about bracket racing before track-based mini-events allow you to experience
full qualifying and eliminations for yourself. You absolutely do not need a race vehicle to take part; in fact we restrict the day to vehicles completing the quarter mile in 12.00
seconds or slower to reinforce the accessibility of the sport. Only the normal RWYB rules apply so, in most standard road cars, that means you need to bring nothing more than
yourself, your car and your driving licence. The RWYB prices apply too with admission at just £10 and sign-on fee the regular £25 for the day.
New for 2017, thanks to the introduction of the ET Bike class to the National Championships, we shall welcome bikes to the Dial-In Day too, making this year's event the most accessible yet.
Dial-In Day takes place at Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough (NN29 7XA), from 08:00 on Saturday 4th March. To find out more, or to book, check out
www.rwyb.co.uk/dialin.php.
NFAA's 2017 agenda. 21st January: Lawrie Gatehouse writes that the UK's Nostalgia Fuel Altered Association hopes
to present a bigger collection of cars than last year and to enhance the sometimes-unpredictable short-wheelbase
mutants:
Many of you will know that Havoc is presently in the USA, fulfilling a dream for Nick, Rob and Scott, by taking
on the US Fuel Altereds on their home tracks. We wish them well – try not to break anything guys.
2017 will be a huge year for the Gleadows' Motor Psycho. It will mark fifty years of the family campaigning cars on
the track, starting with a Ford Flathead V8 powered Pop, initially called The Mangler, before being re-named as
Motor Pyscho. This year another itch will be scratched as they will campaign with a new mill in the form of a blown
417 Donovan Hemi, fuelled by Nitromethane, ex-The Mob. The chassis has been uprated to suit and a two-speed Lenco
via an L&T clutch will put the increased power to the slicks. This has been a lifetime ambition of the team and we wish them
Godspeed, but only one lane at a time, if you would be so good...
Dave Grabham and family will field Freddy's Revenge in the hunt for new PBs, sporting a new look to the front end of
the chassis, whilst keeping the paint scheme in its customary design and colours.
We hope to persuade Paul Watson with the ex-Clayton Round Rebel T to join the melée. So, much to look forward
to, see you at the track.
Swift snippets. 21st January: Not altogether unexpectedly double NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Champion Jonnie Lindberg
has announced that he will concentrate on driving Jim Head's Fuel Funny Car in NHRA competition this year, but that brother
Johan Lindberg will drive the Top Alcohol FC in NHRA Lucas Oil competition. You can read all about it on the Lindberg
Brothers' web site at www.lindbergbros.com.
We would like to wish a big Happy Birthday to SPRC Starter David Warren. Have a great day David.
Serck get it right at SCR. 21st January: Following on from Lucas Oil Products'
recent announcement that they are to be the new left lane sponsors at Shakespeare County Raceway in 2017 Graham Smith, Motorsport Manager
for Serck Motorsport also confirmed at Autosport International their continued
support of the Warwickshire drag strip's right hand lane this year.
The name Serck is synonymous in cooling solutions and radiators for over one hundred years. Serck have been providing for the
racing industry since the early sixties including to historic Formula One marques such as Lotus, BRM, Brabham and many more. Recently the company have
been involved with Red Bull Technologies, McLaren Racing, Mercedes AMG Petronas, Prodrive. Morgan and many respected British and European
drag racing teams.
"As a growing business we continue to expand our range and make the highest quality ranges we now have widely available to our customers direct
off the shelf availability is our long term goal", said Graham. "Someone recently said we are now Summit of the UK which was nice to hear and this is our goal."
Serck Motorsport's presence at the show was very rewarding, with the stand attracting new and existing customers to the tremendous product range now
offered by the Middlesex-based company. Even Wheeler Dealers front man Edd China stopped by the stand to marvel at the engineering work on
the awesome 7.1 second all-steel split-screen VW Camper Van race bus Mental Breakdown of owner / driver Wayne Allman of Intergalactic Customs fame,
featured as the stand's star exhibit.
"We are now officially appointed Ddstributors for Auto Meter, Meziere, NX, Fi Tech, Setrab Oil Coolers, Goodridge, VP Racing Fuels, Sunoco Race Fuels, Nitrous
Oxide Supplies, Stant Racing Caps, Torque Storm Pro Charges, and we still manufacture Cooling Systems for worldwide customers", added Graham. There's so
much more to come."
With several new product lines introduced for the start of the new year aimed mainly at the drag and hot rodding community, as well as general motor sporting
disciplines, the guys at Serck took the opportunity to launch the company's first extensive Power and Performance Parts Catalogue which amounts to nearly
three hundred pages covering seventeen well-known and world-respected companies: a far cry from Serck's earlier slime line editions launched at previous
Shows.
Graham was also proud to announce that Auto Meter Competition Instruments have officially appointed Serck Motorsport as their UK Distributor. "We have been
working very closely with Auto Meter to acquire this exclusive position and allow a full inventory of stock to be available directly from our shelves at Serck", commented
Graham. "Our stock holding of Auto Meter Competition Instruments is now the largest in Europe and our aim is to provide all of our customers with the highest quality
in performance parts with efficiency and competitive pricing providing the very best service and delivery direct to your door."
Another new product line acquired recently and making its show début was Fitech Fuel Injection of Riverside, California, producing Go EFI Systems for a
wide range of street and strip applications. FiTech are the most advanced, yet lowest cost, EFI Systems available featuring an outstanding throttle body and
competitive port systems along with a number of other supporting components, the line-up of EFI products are truly state of the art in the fast moving world
of electronic fuel injection.
"With all this fantastic product line-up for the motor sporting industry it's great to have Serck Motorsport as our lane sponsor for a third year", said Shakespeare
County Raceway's Jerry Cookson. "The guys at Serck have a real passion for motorsport with a true wealth of knowledge about the product and the services that
go with the product. This also branches out to the Tri Chevy Shootout which Graham also organises with us in June and in which he is eagerly looking forward to
competing with the ex-Roger Butterworth Snow White '57.
"After a fantastic Autosport Show our four divisions within Serck Motorsport are gearing up for our busiest year yet", concluded Graham.
Further information about Serck's product range can be found at www.serckmotorsport.co.uk,
on the company's Facebook page, or by calling 020 8813 7470. Copies of the new Serck
Motorsport catalogues are now ready for shipping; to get yours simply E-Mail your details to
ss.hayes.m@unipart.com.
Web site updates. 21st January: Another mention for our good friend Alan Currans' excellent Acceleration Archive which has
been updated with a thirty fifth gallery of readers' pictures. As ever you can check out the latest updates via the What's New
link at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.
To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by
clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the
title then simply send an E-Mail to apiraawards2016@eurodragster.com
giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc.) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote in
the body of the E-Mail.
For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.
Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement and comments on the subject on our
Facebook pages will be deleted.
The next shortlist, to be published next Monday (23rd January) will be the Shakespeare County Raceway Award for Outstanding Achievement.
APIRA Trophy Night bookings. 18th January: Further to the above Jerry Cookson has been in touch to let us know that 18th February is the closing date for
bookings for the Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway, the Supercharged Outlaws and the
National Association combined Championship Trophy Presentation Evening which takes place on Saturday 4th March in the Avon
Room of the Hilton Warwick, Stratford Road, Warwick CV34 6RE (located on Junction 15 of the M40). If you have not already
booked then it is recommended that you send your ticket form off as soon as possible.
If 2016 APIRA Champions or runners-up are unable to attend then please contact Jerry at
shakespearecountyraceway@gmail.com so that alternative
arrangements can be made for trophy presentation.
The meals are: chicken liver paté, braised beef and chocolate torte; vegetarian option of melon, four cheese ravioli and chocolate torte;
or children's meal of tomato soup, chicken nuggets, and chocolate torte.
APIRA have negotiated a preferential rate for rooms in the hotel at £86 for a double or £76 for a single.
All rates are inclusive of breakfast, car parking and VAT. To book your room, please call the reservations team on
08008 568000 or visit the web site at www.hilton.com/warwick
quoting reference code ASCRA. Cut-off point for bedrooms at the special rate is twenty eight days prior to arrival.
You can download your booking form (PDF format) from the Downloads page of the Shakespeare County Raceway
web site at www.shakespearecountyraceway.co.uk.
Payments can be made by BACS; account details can also be found on the booking form. If you have any queries then please
call 01789 720180, or E-Mail shakespearecountyraceway@gmail.com.
Further details about the APIRA Trophy Night can be found in our news item of
28th September 2016.
Vegter hits the Red Line. 18th January: Remco Scheelings writes that The Netherlands' Vegter Pro Mod Racing are proud to announce a partnership
with Red Line Oil Scandinavia for the 2017 FIA European Drag Racing Championship. The team, frontrunners in the European Championship for many years,
will use the high-quality Red Line Oil products in close co-operation with the Swedish distributor of the American lubricants brand.
"Especially in the world of drag racing, Red Line is known as the best oil money can buy, and we at Vegter Pro Mod Racing are extremely proud to represent
Red Line Synthetic Oil at, but also outside, European race tracks," said David Vegter, driver and driving force behind Vegter Pro Mod Racing. Red Line Synthetic
Oil products perform and protect better than any other on the market making Red Line oil the number one motor oil in drag racing, the motorsport in which engines make
thousands horsepower and have to face the most demanding challenges. In their early years, Red Line Synthetic Oil produced lubricants for the racing industry only, but
nowadays the American company manufactures more than one hundred quality products, including motor oils, gear oils, assembly lubes, fuel additives and cooling additives
for the automotive, motorcycle, marine and industrial markets.
"Red Line Oil products didn't need any further introduction to us", said David. "Last year we got in contact with the Red Line Synthetic Oil distributor in Sweden. These
meetings were so positive that we decided upon a partnership for the 2017 season and to use the Red Line products with immediate effect. We at Vegter Pro Mod Racing
are very proud to represent such a highly rated brand."
Vegter Pro Mod Racing are one of the leading Pro Modified teams in the FIA European Drag Racing Championship. One of their highlights was at Tierp Arena, last August, when
David broke the magic 6.00-second barrier for the first time with a stunning 5.958 second passs. David ended the FIA European Pro Modified Championship in fifth position. In
2017 Vegter Pro Mod Racing will again compete in the full FIA European Championship tour of six races in England, Sweden, Finland and Germany and will aim to do even better
than they did last season.
Teams that wants to order oil or other Red Line Oil products for the oncoming season can contact Red Line Oil Scandinavia at +46 (0)8-756 65 96 by phone or via
E-Mail at order@redlineoil.se. For more information about the Scandinavian Red Line Oil distributor please visit
www.redlineoil.se.
Items to be discussed include the 2017 UK National Championships (ratification of dates as well as Championship matters), event entry fees and
pitside electrical supply, and prize funds, as well as Any Other Business.
Racers are invited to submit items for the agenda but please note that an item will only be discussed if its proposer actually attends the meeting.
If you have any items for the agenda of the 2016 Riders' and Drivers' Meeting then please send them
either to Santa Pod Racers Club at ir.marshall@btconnect.com
or to Shakespeare County Raceway at shakespearecountyraceway@gmail.com
by close of office hours on Friday 17th February.
Immediately after the Riders' and Drivers' Meeting will be the Annual General Meeting for Santa Pod Racers Club, which will discuss the SPRC
accounts. Please note that this will not be a continuation of the Riders' and Drivers' meeting and that access to the AGM will require
current SPRC membership.
UK SFI Tour date. 17th January: Thanks also to Ian Marshall for confirming that the UK stop of this year's SFI European inspection tour
will take place at Santa Pod Raceway on Monday 20th March.
Inspections will take place between 10:00 and 16:00 on the ground floor of Spectator-side VIP.
If you have any queries about the UK SFI Tour date then please contact Ian by E-Mail at
ir.marshall@btconnect.com or call 01933 313625.
Baby pictures sought for quiz. 17th January: Our very own Kirstie is urgently seeking the help of racers with a quiz at the SPRC Dinner Dance
and Trophy Presentation on Saturday 11th February. The Dinner Dance quiz will be open to all attending for a donation to
Bloodwise but Kirstie needs source material.
Kirstie is looking for pictures of racers as a baby, plus a picture of their race car or bike. The object of the quiz will of course be
to match the two.
If you would like to help then please send a picture of yourself as a baby and a picture of your ride to Kirstie at
kejtramm@perse.co.uk by the end of this week. You can of course send pictures even
if you are not attending the SPRC Dinner Dance.
This is ultimately for a good cause folks so please get scanning and/or sending.
Havoc approaching The Colonies. 17th January: Having left Southampton Docks in the middle of December, the Havoc altered of Silverstone duo Nick Davies and Rob Loaring
is due to dock in the Southern US at any time. Nick Davies writes:
Assuming that Havoc clears US Customs without too many dramas, it will travel with the Rat Trap Bantam of Ron Hope, with which it has shared the container across
the ocean, to Rat Trap Racing HQ in Tennessee where it will be based for the duration of 2017.
The Team would like to thank all the well-wishers. In order to keep all interested parties abreast of progress and developments, we have launched a dedicated web site for the tour
which can be found at www.havocfuelaltered.co.uk. Please visit the site regularly in order to track progress,
as well as more frequent updates on the Havoc Facebook page. Eurodragster.com will,
of course, be first to hear of any significant developments.
The Team would also like to thank our supporting partners without whom much of this would prove an awful lot more challenging, if not impossible:
Beech Underwriting Agencies - perhaps the greatest supporter of British drag racing's history and heritage
The Nostalgia Fuel Altered Association and Lawrie Gatehouse - the UK's best altered racing over the past fifteen years Motor State Distributing - The US' leading distributor of racing and high performance auto parts
Rat Trap Racing - see their exploits at www.rattrapracing.com US Automotive - your #1 source for American Automotive Equipment in the UK Lucas Oil Products - made in America, sold to the world! Thacker and Friends - Communication and Marketing professionals
It was inevitable really. My work commitments have for once enabled me to have a weekend off for an event in which I could actually take part. Luckily for me the weekend in question is the
SPRC Summernationals, and as Darryl Bradford commentates on that event I have a fantastic opportunity to take part in a race event.
Nothing like getting ready early so the race suit has been acquired, the helmet is up to date, and a visit to the Autosport Show completed the race gear with the purchase of boots, gloves
and neck brace.
Bruce will be going up to his second home at Williams Bros Racing in the next month or so. Dan and Nic will install an SFI-certified flex plate and we also need to change the harmonic
balancer. The boys will go over the car checking everything as they normally do. Dan rebuilt the engine before last season and upgraded a few components. Since then we have also installed
CalTracs, changed the torque converter to a higher stall, and replaced the shock absorbers resulting in a new best for the car of 11.42 seconds, taking 0.4 seconds off the previous year's numbers.
Webster Race Engineering installed the roll cage last year and this needs to be tagged but that's it, everything else is race ready. My SPRC membership has arrived and I have sent off for my MSA
licence, then it is down to my observed runs to allow me to compete.
I am genuinely excited about racing, especially in Pro ET. If possible I will double-class and race in UK Nostalgia Superstock but I think that threeclasses would be too much for one event so
Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator will have to wait but I'll definitely race with them one day. It would be rude not to, especially as I'd like to go out on the Cruise as a competitor, but
commentary comes first as I love that more than anything so you are not losing me from the tower.
I really couldn't do this without the help and support on the Williams Bros Racing team, they are my second family now. If all goes to plan we could be fielding four cars that weekend so it
will be a very busy event. Lucas Oils are continuing with their support for which we are forever grateful; we will be proudly carrying their logos at this event and at Dragstalgia where Dan
Williams will once again be racing Bruce in my place. Thanks once again to Eurodragster.com (Thanks, you're welcome, hope Bruce has a radio - Ed) and yep, I'll
be checking the race results like mad to see if I can cut a light and guess my dial-in close enough.
I'll still be driving the car to the events, swapping the rear wheels over once there to slicks then put the treads back on for the journey home. One of my favourite pastimes at the track is
taking people for passenger rides in Bruce, this will continue as there are quite a few people who still have to take to the passenger seat after my promises last year. You know
who you are...
Autosport International report. 15th January: In association with John Woolfe Racing we have
posted our report of Friday's second Trade and Press Day at Autosport International at the NEC. Drag Racing was well-represented with
Santa Pod Raceway's large display and as well as the usual visits to Eurodragster.com sponsors we managed to chat with a number of
visiting racers.
You can check out our Autosport International report by
clicking here,
by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Feature: 40th Man Cup World Finals. 15th January: The latest in our occasional series of Features presented in association with
Lucas Oil Products is Steve and Julie Moxley's report of November's Man Cup World
Finals at South Georgia Motorsports Park. The report covers Top Fuel Bike, Top Fuel Twin, Pro Fuel, Pro Street and Shootout.
You can check out the Man Cup World Finals report and pictures by clicking
here or by clicking on the Features, Interviews, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Editor's note: A big Thank You to Steve and Julie for supplying this Feature just before Christmas and apologies for the delay in
posting which was due to a combination of the Festive Season and personal issues.
On the usual form this puts the SFI Tour in Finland on Friday 17th March, Sweden on Saturday 18th March, and the UK on Monday 20th March
but we will of course post the full official itinerary as soon as it is confirmed.
No Mercy: the rebirth. 13th January: UK Super Comp racer Richie Webb has been in touch with welcome news of
the rebirth of Keith Seume's No Mercy chop-topped Beetle, which ran in VWDRC and Super Gas:
After Keith sold the car it was raced around Europe and finally ended up back in England in a poor state. The car was bought by
an enthusiast in Scotland who wanted to race it again. Unfortunately the tube chassis showed too many signs of abuse and was
deemed scrap. So Jim Smith of Cotsweld Race Cars was commissioned to build a new up-to-date chromoly chassis, tagged to 6.00
seconds, with strut front suspension and retaining the existing four-link. Jim also mounted the old body / flip front and fabricated
a lot of other parts for it.
The car then came to me for all the mechanical work, intake and turbo set-up, plumbing dry sump and fuel system etc. The body went
to Paintbox for a similar paint scheme to when it was first raced in UK.
The car is now nearing completion. I am currently finishing the engine and working on the new FT600 Fuel tech EFI set=up, The plan
is to have it back to Jim at Cotsweld for final alignment and set-up in the next few weeks and to start testing in April. Initially we plan
on running it in Super Gas, then as we progress maybe Super Comp. With essentially the same mechanical set-up and power plant as
my Cabriolet it should be another entertaining car to watch!
Swift snippets. 13th January: Good luck and stay safe to the UK's Andy Frost who is up and running at Bahrain
International Circuit with his street-legal Red Victor 3 and gunning for a new world record for a street-legal car,
which will involve a 5.8-second pass. Frosty has after a small number of runs already recorded a PB in the 6.3s and made
that look easy so congratulations to him for that. You can stay in touch with Frosty's progress in the BDRC Arabian Pro Series event via live webcast on
the BIC's YouTube channel, on Andy's
Facebook page, and via the Blog on
Dragzine.com.
Diana Macrae asked us to say a big Happy Birthday to Podington Pea and Redneck Racing Crew Chief Andrew Shakeshaft.
"What on earth could go wrong on a 40th birthday on Friday 13th?", asks DD. What indeed. Have a great day Andrew.
Twenty-year-old Brad Jackson is a final year IMI apprentice Light Vehicle Motor Technician from York. He is stealing the drag race headlines, with two
major events in twenty one days at the end of last year: a Super Pro ET victory at the APIRA Open Sports Nationals at Shakespeare County Raceway followed
by a stunning win at the FIA / FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway mean that Brad is the one to watch in 2017.
Brad's hero is Andy Carter, four-time winner of the FIA European Top Fuel European Championship - three as part of the Lucas Oil team.
After unveiling the new look car at the Santa Pod Raceway stand in Hall 7 Andy said "It was an honour to be asked to unveil the Brad Jackson
dragster. The new Lucas Oil design looks fantastic and I'm sure we are going to see a lot more of Brad on the winners' podium during 2017."
The 2017 livery is designed by Pete Walters Race Design and Wayne Jackson. It is a pastiche of last season's successful eye-catching layout
which caught the everyone's attention on so many occasions. The successful grey patchwork theme has evolved, utilising the colours of the
logo from Brad Jackson's main sponsor Lucas Oil to spectacular effect.
Brad is delighted to see the car unveiled by his sporting hero and is aiming to emulate Andy's rise to the top. His chase has begun with rebuilds of
the 940 bhp V8 Big Block Chevrolet 565 and gearbox which will maximise reliability next season. The car under the bodywork is the same as the
2016 specification. The additives and racing oils from Lucas Oil will continue to help to ensure a reliable run of performances this season.
SPR seek Chrysler hemis for PR. 12th January: Darren Prentice writes that Santa Pod Raceway
are seeking Chrysler hemi-powered cars to make runs for a PR company who are holding a Press Launch on 27th February to 1st March inclusive.
If you fancy some early mid-week testing on 27th, 28th and 1st, for two of these days, or for one day, then please contact Darren at
darren@santapod.com.
£1000 to win Super Gas. 12th January: UK Super Gas racer Jon Giles has been in touch with news of a sponsorship scheme for the class at five events
in 2017. A winner-takes-all £1000 is available in the Al's Gasser Super Gas Shootout 2017. Jon explains:
For a long time now Super Gas has really struggled to find the car numbers to make it more exciting for the racers, crews and spectators, so in
the closed season I tried to see if I could change this and make 2017 a bigger field and more appealing to everyone. I have managed to find some
sponsorship but with certain conditions which are as follow.
Prize money of £1000 to the winner only, not runner-up or top qualifier. Monies will be paid out even in the event of a rain-off.
In the event of a rain-off the £1000 prize money will be carried over to the next meeting.
This will be held at Santa Pod Raceway only and for five events: the Festival of Power, FIA / FIM Main Event, SPRC Summernationals, FIA / FIM
European Finals, and the UK National Finals.
There must be minimum twelve-car field on eliminations day, not just qualifying. Any less and no money will be paid out or carried over.
This is a trial, 2017 only at this stage.
It will be called and must be commentated as the Al's Gasser Super Gas Shootout 2017.
No decals are required on the cars.
Most of this has been agreed by Santa Pod Racers Club and Santa Pod Raceway. Comments welcome from all involved.
A Facebook page will be set up for all rules and conditions.
I hope that you all agree that with disposable income being challenged by economic conditions, and the uncertainty the future holds at this present
time, I needed to do something to support a class which was ironically founded in the first place to make drag racing financially accessible to
everyone. I see the way things are going, with the Pro classes being challenged the most why not turn the spotlight on a class which supports them
at each event and reduce the pressure they must be feeling. As you know it's not easy as we saw from the numbers at the UK National Finals, but
maybe when the spectators know that there is a small pot of gold to race for it may grab their interest. Who knows, but it's worth a try.
All set for Autosport International. 12th January: Bob Roberts of Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy
Robinson Race Cars writes that the Clayton-Robinson Studebaker Lark Classic Saloon Cars racer is to make its début on the Aurora
Bearings stand (8330) at Autosport International at Birmingham's NEC today
(Thursday).
"Imported from California a couple of years ago, the Studebaker (below left) has been a long-term project which got some emphasis when we
were invited to display the car on the Aurora stand", says Bob. "Fully built but not, yet tested it will hit the tracks later this year".
As reported here on Eurodragster.com on 5th JanuarySanta Pod Raceway have a Fuel Funny Car and
Brad Jackson's Super Pro ET ride in its new Lucas Oil Products livery on Stand 7460 where you will also be able to find representatives of
Eurodragster.com sponsors Lucas Oil Products and
VP Racing Fuels. As has become traditional at Autosport International, Eurodragster.com
sponsor Hauser Race Cars are displaying Scott Hauser's Super Pro ET dragster in
Autosport Engineering today and tomorrow; you can find the car on stand E730. Wayne Allman's Mental Breakdown blown-alcohol split-cab VW pick-up
stars on the Serck Services Motorsport stand (7350).
You can find out more about Autosport International on the Show's official web site at
www.autosportinternational.com. Simon and Tog will be attending the Show tomorrow
(Friday) and we will be posting a report in association with John Woolfe Racing. If you would like
to talk to us for the report then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com so
that we can arrange to meet.
A Super Star, as we all knew... 12th January: Stars of lesser motorsports have recently been rubbing shoulders with Finland's 2016 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster
Champion Anita Mäkelä. Anita writes:
In December I had the honor of visiting Vienna and attending FIA Prizegiving Gala. Tommi gave up his place to our daughter Hanna. We had a lovely evening
with the other FIA Champions. This weekend I was fêted by AKK, the Finnish Motorsport Federation. Besides the Championship trophy I was named as
their Super Star of the Year for 2016. This trophy is donated by Robert Lappalainen for a racer who perseveres and keeps faith in success in the future.
My web site at www.anitamakela.com has been updated with a link to a video by Drag Race
Life.
We have been shopping in Brownsburg and new stuff is on the way for the race car. We had old-style AJPE Stage 5 cylinder heads, but now we'll move up to
Stage 7. We will be taking the chassis to Mats Eriksson's shop to be updated and front-ended by LG. Hopefully these will bring improvments, so that we
can retain the European record and the number one on our car.
Swift snippets. 12th January: UK Pro ET racer Brian Huxley is seeking help locating one of the team's previous race cars, the '32 Ford Roadster which
as Top Banana they campaigned for several years with not a small amount of success. Brian writes "The car is now
on the road having been extensively worked on, registration XEG 772X (we think) - we helped with the registration. Last heard
of in the Surrey area (we think again). The guy sent us photos and a nice letter thanking us for our help but when we moved we
lost all of his details. Please help us find her and her new owner. If you know anything then please E-Mail
econoline1@btinternet.com."
A reminder that voting for the SPRC Perpetual Awards closes at 23:59 UK this Sunday, 15th January (00:59 European
Monday 16th). You can check out the shortlists, register your votes, and make your Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy
nominations by clicking here or by clicking on the
SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Spirit of 76. 12th January: Nigel Taylor writes that it has been a busy few months at Detroit Spinner Racing HQ. The team
had to wait for parts etc but after a few headaches they appear to be on target for a return with the Ford Prefect driven by Arthur Bonner,
who will reach the tender age of seventy six come July:
555 ci Dart power should liven up the Prefect no end. It is still running its rare Fairbanks Turbo 400 gearbox. The initial fire-up took
place last weekend, with everything kicking into life as it should and decent oil pressure. We are now looking forward to being out in
April to test and tune the forty plus-year-old race car with the original builder back behind the wheel. The team have a few back-up
drivers just in case: Justin Horne of Joust Performance, Col Law, Graham Smith, Colin Millar, Kelvin Helsdown, Andy Frost, Michael Hawkins,
Bob Hancox, Dave Fulton, Paul Dale and our top crewman Jeff Goddard being a few. So we should have it covered! Thanks to all my family, the
sponsors, the crew and Eurodragster.com for all their coverage and banter (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed).
Paul Dale and the Acute Angle team with the had a very successful year with the 105e in the Supercharged Outlaws. He was well-pleased
with his low ET of 9.3 seconds, especially when Peter Knight Race Engines stripped the motor down to find not one lobe left on the camshaft.
A new Dart Small Block, built at Peter Knight's, will be going in and with the rear end gearing also changed from 4:56 to 4:1 and a step up
on nitrous the little Anglia hopes to be wheeling into the eight second zone.
Paul would also like to send special thanks to his family, friends and the whole of the Supercharged Outlaws who have welcomed him in to the class.
Special thanks from both teams to Paul's dad Steve Dale, who got us hooked on the crazy sport and who swore that he wouldn't get involved again.
See you in the pits again soon Dad!
Lucas Oil sponsor SCR lane. 12th January: Eurodragster.com sponsor Lucas Oil
Products has been named as sponsor of the left lane at Shakespeare
County Raceway. The move formalises a working relationship with the Warwickshire drag strip which stretches back for over five years.
Shakespeare County Raceway Event Manager Jerry Cookson says that most of the teams already use Lucas Oil Products' oils, lubricants
and additives and that because so many of them are sponsored in some form or another by the American lubricants giant it will make
a lot of drivers and teams feel at home. "Lucas Oil has been a prominent supporter of this family-run drag strip for over five years",
said Jerry. "What this agreement does is formalise our working relationship. It identifies the Shakespeare County Raceway name with a
brand associated with motorsports worldwide."
A 2017 event calendar for the six-month season has just been published at
www.shakespearecountyraceway.co.uk. The track opens on the
weekend of 25th-26th March with a Season Opening Shakedown Public Track Day. New events for 2017 will aim to attract new faces to the
track and the sport.
Drivers of Japanese vehicles will be among those targeted by a Pro Street Drag Series Time Trial in June which will be held over five
rounds over the Raceway's Public Track RWYB Weekend.
The MSA Springspeed Nationals (29th April-1st May) and Open Sport Nationals (26th-28th August) are events which count towards the
season-long UK National Drag Racing Championships. These feature a spectacular line up of fast dragsters and doorslammers. The
always-popular hot rodding events start in June (23rd-25th) with the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals and end with the NSRA Hot Rod Drags in
September (15th-17th). Both events are supported by the National Street Rod Association, which is one of the oldest hot rodding clubs
in the UK.
With large numbers of cars expected to be bearing the Lucas Oil logo, a successful season is almost guaranteed. However, the additive
and lubricants manufacturer plans to use the venue to promote new products for racers and new products for fans of the sport to use
in their own cars and motorcycles. Lucas Oil is set to announce a new Racing Oil range in January 2017, new oils for family cars and
a new all-purpose additive for engines and fuel systems, called Complete Engine Treatment.
Lucas Oil Products managing director Les Downey said "Motorsport fans drive cars and motorcycles to get to and from the drag strip.
They all use oils and although not all of them know it, they need to use additives, too. We will be making that point strongly
throughout the season.
"The Lucas Oil brand is associated with motorsport and with motorsport winners. Our new product schedule for 2017 is underway, so
this agreement to sponsor the left lane at Shakespeare County Raceway comes at the right time, is in the right place, and is perfect
timing for us."
Jet stream forecast to hit SPR. 12th January: Easter in mid-April can often turn out warm and sunny, but Easter 2017 promises to be a scorcher when
Santa Pod Raceway unleashes its fire-breathing extravaganza, the Jet Car Shootout. The
largest contingent of jet-powered vehicles ever assembled in Britain will headline Santa Pod's season-opening Festival of Power on 14th-16th
April, blasting forth their unique brand of flame, smoke and thunder.
Technically, Jets are classified as exhibition vehicles rather than racing machines, but don't try telling the drivers. Local hero Martin Hill
presents no fewer than three entries from his FireForce stable, two Jet Funny Cars (FireForces 3 and 4) and his
five-second FireForce 5 Jet Dragster, taking on the Split Second Jet Dragster of Julian Webb. Lee Dennick pilots the Reign of
Fire mini-Jet Funny Car – small in stature, perhaps, but packing a punch far above its weight. Jetting in from Germany, Gerd Habermann brings
not only his familiar Dragon Hunter Funny Car but raises the insanity level to new heights with his outrageous Jet School Bus, the first
British outing for this flame-throwing yellow peril.
If the afterburner-popping Jets haven't already rattled the china on your mantelpiece, there'll be the nitro-burning Funny Cars of the European
Funny Car Series in action too, and Top Fuel Dragsters warming up for the season ahead. Family entertainment is a key feature of the event, but
the Festival of Power also embraces a serious motor race. 2017's National Championships for cars and motorcycles start here – leading the way,
the rumbustious Pro Mods battling out the first round of the MSA British Drag Racing Championship.
Away from the track, the Festival of Power offers a vibrant selection of entertainments fit for all the family. The Live Action Arena stages
stunt shows galore, together with those perennial children's favourites, the Monster Trucks. There is even another jet car on show, Hervé
Franquin's thrust-powered Peugeot 205 coming all the way from France to warm up the Santa Pod crowd. And for those fans who love their smoke
abundant and multi-coloured, watch out for a round of the European Burnout Championship, a spectacular sport invented in Australia and new to
these shores. There is plenty more family fun on offer, not least the Festival Of Power's annual Big Top show, the award-winning Pinder's Circus.
Early Bird tickets, available until 31st January, start from as little as £15.20 per day for adults – as ever, kids go free – under-sixteen,
three per paying adult. For full event information and to book tickets, please visit www.santapod.com
or telephone 01234 782828. Tickets may be booked on-line and printed at home.
In the early part of 2011 a decision was made to build a purpose built tube frame car, following six years of racing the MG SVR, which was a floor pan car weighing in at 3640
lbs. Specific choice of class at this point hadn't been made. It seemed logical to take the powertrain from the MG and put the best of what we had developed from customer
cars into a new chassis and shed 1000 lbs or so. But turbos had been introduced to Pro Mod and that had a definite appeal to me.
As the year moved on the pros and cons were considered, but the decision was made easy when a significant regulation change was made in Pro Mod: the maximum engine
capacity was reduced from 650 ci to 540 ci and from my perspective it was obvious that the new combination had to be given time to settle. So I started construction of the
Comet in October 2011 and we were racing at the 2012 FIA Main Event. We had four solid years in Street Eliminator resulting in third, second, second and second in the National
Championship and SPRC Championship, along with an APIRA Championship win in 2013.
In 2016 I sat back a bit to contemplate the racing future and we only competed at the FIA events. At the FIA / FIM Main Event we broke the motor but at the FIA / FIM European
Finals we lost to Mark Todd in the final. The Comet is a great car, really efficient in the front half, but the back half was limited by the aerodynamics and a 377 SBF.
As the SBF was further developed by ICE and Dave Rowe, the increased power went some way to bumping the gains in the back half, the aero obviously still resisted but we
made small mods with reduced grille openings, added trimmers and under trays, which managed the situation until late 2015. We made big gains at the European Finals and
the speed was up to 189 mph which resulted in the front wheels not being in contact with the track most of the way (getting closer to the point of no return).
I initially opted for the Comet body partly for Nostalgic reasons, and it has great aesthetics in my opinion, but also the image had to reflect a stock appearance. I know primarily
it's a race car but I wanted to tone down the race image, which I believe puts emphasis on the performance, while creating the illusion that it is also a credible street car (which it is).
So when it comes down to changing the body or modifying it just won't happen. The car is what it is and I hope for it to be preserved. Therefore a new car was needed.
Again the questions were presented: what class? What car?
Street Eliminator is unique class, very competitive, rarely a foregone conclusion. We have data which shows that with better aero and a bit more power we would have the potential
to find a bigger window of opportunity for better performance. However, the rules have now settled in Pro Mod with regard to turbos, with only minor tweaks to the regs here and there.
The capital outlay of both options are similar, so budget has little relevance on the choice. The build is in some ways more straightforward on a Pro Mod, but ultimately my choice was
made on wanting to compete at MSA and FIA Championship level in the quickest door cars in Europe.
The choice of car was easy, beautifully illustrated here by Darren West of Power Race Graphics.
The engine choice wasn't as easy, and I went with my head rather than my heart. The choice being AJPE Muscle-headed TFX hemi with twin turbos, build by ICE Automotive Racing Engines.
The Transmission is from the USA, built by M&M Transmissions.
Construction has just started and we hope to be out as soon as possible, subject to available time and budget. Most of the budget is in place due to the sale of the Comet, and if the
front-engine dragster is sold the the remaining budget requirements are fulfilled.
I am not saying goodbye to Street Eliminator. I still hope to be involved in various ways with customers and administration and possibly with a return to the competition in the future. After
all Street Eliminator is a metaphorical foundation on which Webster Race Engineering was built... oh, and I like it a lot!
Pro Mod was where I cut my teeth back in 1987, with Tim Cook and Rob Loaring, and I was heavily involved way into the 1990s, so in some ways it's a return to my roots albeit vastly different.
But this time in the driver's seat.
UK Nostalgia Superstock calendar. 9th January: Many thanks to Jim Chandler for letting us know that the 2017 UK Nostalgia Superstock calendar has been released:
UKNSA is a new but greatly-expanding race series which has only been in existence for five years. It was the idea of Pete Walton and I; we both broke our
cars at Dragstalgia and so decided that we were going to race each other every year and share the trophy for winner and runner-up. However word got out,
so Pete had to set up and start running a proper series.
The look and feel of the class was to relive the heydays of Stock and Superstock racing of the 1960s and 1970s. It is a bracket racing dial-in class, running
9.00 seconds to 14.99 seconds, so something for quick street cars to hard-hitting track cars. First it ran only at Dragstalgia, then as it became more and more
popular more dates were added to the calendar until in 2017 there are eight confirmed dates:
21st-24th April: Big Bang Camper and Bus Show, Santa Pod Raceway
29th April-1st May: APIRA Springspeed Nationals, Shakespeare County Raceway
27th-29th May: York Raceway
24th-26th June: SPR Summernationals, Santa Pod Raceway
14th-16th July: Dragstalgia, Santa Pod Raceway
28th-30th July: 24th Mopar EuroNationals, Santa Pod Raceway
26th-28th August: APIRA Open Sport Nationals, Shakespeare County Raceway TBC
23rd-24th September: UK National Finals, Santa Pod Raceway
Points will be allocated from the five best rounds, so even if you can't make all eight rounds you still have a good chance of winning.
To be eligible to race all you need is a pre-1980 American V8 car which can run between 9.00 seconds and 14.99 seconds. A basic outline
of the rules is: stock style suspension, max 10" rim, max 10½" slick, no back halved cars or power adders. The full list of rules,
regulations and safety requirements can be found on the UKNSA web site at uknsa.freeforums.net
or our Facebook page. To run at any permit / sanctioned
events you must have a valid MSA licence and be a member of Santa Pod Racers Club or Avon Park International Racing Association.
Non-UKNSA members can race but will not be eligible for points, prizes, sponsor discounts etc.
Happy racing!
Swift snippets. 9th January: Racers, officials, sponsors etc please note that Simon and Tog will be attending Autosport International this
Friday (13th) and we will be posting a report in association with John Woolfe Racing. If you would
like to talk to us for the report then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com so
that we can arrange to meet.
Further to the below, once the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote closes we will hold the vote for the 2016 season Perpetual Awards for the Avon Park International
Racing Association.
SPRC Perpetual Awards vote 5. 9th January: Santa Pod Racers Club and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give Eurodragster.com readers the chance of input to the
SPRC Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the SPRC Dinner Dance and Trophy Presentation on
Saturday 11th February.
For several of the 2016 season awards, a shortlist has been decided upon for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. Nominations are now also being accepted
for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the SPRC Committee decides upon their
winners.
This week's category, the last, is the James Edgar Memorial Trophy. The James Edgar Memorial Trophy is awarded for outstanding performance by a Crew
Chief, tuner, racer/tuner, or crew member. The SPRC Committee's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.
Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact SPRC
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement and comments on the subject on our
Facebook pages will be deleted.
Voting closes at 23:59 UK next Sunday, 15th January (00:59 European Monday 16th).
Our poor old Small Block grenaded at the UK National Finals due to an oil pick-up problem, so we kind of had a blank canvas to start with. As the whole team just seem to want to go quicker and
faster it was decided a Big Block Chevy was the obvious way to go!
We were lucky to find a very nice, and fast, ex-Sandro Bellio blown alcohol motor which we purchased from the very helpful Alex Mahl in Austria. This saved a small fortune over an all-new engine!
Much swapping of parts and fettling followed to shoehorn it into our chassis and to hopefully make it a little faster still. We are now very much looking forward to the Festival of Power at Santa Pod Raceway
at Easter to check out and baseline the car.
It's also looking like Time Traveller I will be making more appearances this season with Tom at the wheel, hoping for more sevens. So a very interesting year in the making for us! Good luck to
all the teams out there in 2017, go fast and stay safe.
The Funny Car will be exhibited in full competition mode. Show visitors can get up close to inspect the sleek, carbon-fibre body and the 8.2-litre, supercharged and
injected, nitro-burning V8 engine capable of generating 10,000 horsepower and propelling the car to 300 mph speeds in just four seconds. Sad to say, the weekend's
likeliest FAQ – "Are you going to start it up, then?" – will have to be answered "No", since the NEC values its roof, but staff and racers will be on hand to explain the
machine's intricacies and its spectacular, ground-shaking performance capabilities.
Visitors to Stand 7460 can also collect a copy of Santa Pod's 2017 Calendar. Santa Pod's staff will be happy to discuss a ten-month-long programme crammed with
more than fifty events for lovers of all manner of fast-paced, motorised machinery – enthusiasts, participants and spectators alike.
Sharing the stand with Santa Pod will be Lucas Oil UK, displaying an array of its Championship-winning
automotive products alongside the Lucas Oil-sponsored dragster of rising Sportsman star Brad Jackson. The twenty-year-old from Yorkshire is one of the formidable
band of young racers who have graduated from the Junior Dragster ranks, and now races in Super Pro ET. In September, Jackson delivered his finest performance to
date to defeat a thirty eight-strong field and win Super Pro ET at Santa Pod's FIA European Finals. His US-built car is powered by a methanol-burning big-block Chevrolet
V8 and can reach 175 mph in 7.6 seconds. The dragster's latest Lucas Oil livery, fresh for 2017, will be unveiled over the weekend. Lucas Oil representatives will be happy
to explain the company's extensive range of automotive lubricants, treatments, additives and ancillary products.
VP Racing Fuels, Santa Pod's official fuel supplier, will also be present on the stand. While technical
advice about VP products will be on offer for the technically-minded, VP's promo girl will join forces with Santa Pod's own promo girls to create a perfect storm of
photo opportunities for visitors with a broader range of interests.
Santa Pod Raceway, Lucas Oil UK and VP Racing Fuels will welcome show visitors to Stand 7460, Hall 7, throughout Autosport-International next Thursday-Sunday,
12th-15th January (Trade and Press Days Thursday-Friday, public days Saturday-Sunday).
Super Pro ET: The biggest dragster category with an average of fifteen cars racing and thirty six registered. The crown went to Franck
Besset with his Chevy Nova after a strong battle with Beranger Pudil and his Chevy Camaro. Each racer had a victory, Franck making the difference
with the most consistency. Fabien Dubois and his Chevy Nova was in third place with strong runs throughout the Championship. We must also note
the magnificent performance of Elodie Dubois and her dragster in fourth final place with a podium at Clastres as a bonus.
Street Run A, B and C: In Street Run A Laurent Arnould and his Chevy Chevelle had consistent Championship performance at every round with
a victory at Clastres in July to win the title. In Street Run B Claude Grodard and his Pontiac Trans Am won big points and took at victory
at Clastres in July, and won the Championship despite a no-show at Rivanazzano. In Street Run C Florian Salvatore with his Opel Astra had to
battle strongly all season to take the final victory as the top four racers were separated by only twenty points. Florian won a magnificent victory
over the Italian racers at Rivanazzano.
Junior Dragster: This year's king of Junior Dragster is Clement Dubois with two victories, a second place, and top qualifying spot in
the Vichy Finals. In second place was another strong driver, Lucas Dubourget who was German Junior Champion for the second year, was more than
one hundred points behind Clement. In third place was Quentin Steinegger and in fourth place Samantha Fermond.
The 2016 ATD will go into the books as a good Championship with 128 racers registered in six categories. This year the ATD shared the track
with the Dutch racers of the European Street Legal Association at the the two races at Clastres Raceway and this was a success for the first
year. The ASA Dragster and the FFSA, as well as the volunteers who work in the background, must be thanked warmly as they give up their free
time and sometimes their holidays, often arriving severals days before an event to prepare the track and organisation to ensure that all of the
racers and teams can race in the maximum safety and pleasure. These weekends are a real pleasure for racers, teams, mechanics and fans of
every category, all with the same passion: drag racing.
The next big event for the French circus is the annual TD meeting to prepare for the 2017 Championship which will have more racers, the best weather,
and, as always, lots of fun. A Happy New Year to race fans across Europe and around the world... enjoy your new season.
Swift snippets. 3rd January: A recent look through his collection of car books resulted in a pleasant surprise for Eurodragster.com
Photographer Julian...
...no less than an early sighting of UK Top Methanol Funny Car racer Steph Milam. Zero out of ten to the publishers, however, for the
not-remotely-predictable caption.
Today (Monday 2nd January) is the last day on which hotel rooms can be booked at the preferential rate of £85 for a single room and
£95 for double or twin rooms, including breakfast on Sunday morning. To book your room, please call the hotel on 01327 302002 quoting reference
SANT110216. Please do not try to book your room on-line as the electronic reservations system has been told that the entire hotel booked for that evening,
so your attempt at reservation will fail. The block booking of rooms will be released tomorrow (Tuesday 3rd) from which point the SPRC offer code will not
be accepted and you will be charged the full rate.
You can find full details about the SPRC Dinner Dance in our news
item of 14th September, and you can download the Dinner Dance booking form (PDF format) by clicking here.
Please note that booking forms should be sent to Yvonne Tramm at the address specified on the form and not to the SPRC office.
If you have any queries about the Dinner Dance then please contact Yvonne Tramm, not the SPRC office, at
ytramm@africonnect.com.
SPRC Perpetual Awards vote 4. 2nd January: Santa Pod Racers Club and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give Eurodragster.com readers the chance of input to the
SPRC Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the SPRC Dinner Dance and Trophy presentation on
Saturday 11th February.
For several of the 2016 season awards, a shortlist has been decided upon for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. Nominations are now also being accepted
for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the SPRC Committee decides upon their
winners.
This week's category is Most Professional-Appearing Team. The Most Professional-Appearing Team trophy recognises not just the presentation of a race
vehicle but the team's overall approach to racing. As well as a well-turned-out car or bike, the Committee have considered such aspects as the appearance
and attitude of team personnel, the organisation and appearance of their pit area and support equipment, and their readiness when their class is called.
The SPRC Committee's shortlist, in alphabetical order of team / vehicle (not racer) name, is as follows:
Shark Attack Drag Racing (Rene van den Berg, Top Fuel Bike; Ivana van den Berg, Supertwin Top Gas; Louis Davis, Junior Drag Bike) Vote for Shark Attack Drag Racing
For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.
Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact SPRC
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement and comments on the subject on our
Facebook pages will be deleted.
The final voting category, due next Monday (9th January), will be the James Edgar Memorial Trophy.
28th January: We have received another spy picture from the same source as
There is no rate increase, however in line with DFDS Group policy on all routes a charge has been introduced for each additional driver or passengers.
The concessionary rates still offer a considerable discount when compared to DFDS' standard freight tariff and, until further notice, each
driver and passenger will be able to take advantage of a free main course offer in the Freight Drivers Road Kings restaurant on board their vessels.
25th January: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the
words "Still a puzzle, but getting closer". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
24th January: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to race vehicle builder, Pro Mod racer-in-waiting
and 
There's nothing quite like the feeling of hunting or being hunted on the drag strip and we're inviting you to come along and give it a go. The concept of bracket racing, the
entry level of drag racing, is simple. The slower car gets the green light first and a head start according to the difference in predicted finish times, meaning that unless both
racers predict the same time, you'll always get a cat-and-mouse scenario which is simple to have a go at, and near-impossible to master. Graduates from previous Dial-In
Days have gone on to achieve great things in the National Championships in classes such as Sportsman ET, the VW Drag Racing Club and beyond. There have been multiple
event wins, number one qualifiers, Perfect ETs and Reaction Times and even a couple of Championships won by those who started it all with a trip to the Dial-In Day.
21st January: Following on from 
Graham was also proud to announce that Auto Meter Competition Instruments have officially appointed Serck Motorsport as their UK Distributor. "We have been
working very closely with Auto Meter to acquire this exclusive position and allow a full inventory of stock to be available directly from our shelves at Serck", commented
Graham. "Our stock holding of Auto Meter Competition Instruments is now the largest in Europe and our aim is to provide all of our customers with the highest quality
in performance parts with efficiency and competitive pricing providing the very best service and delivery direct to your door."
18th January: Remco Scheelings writes that The Netherlands' Vegter Pro Mod Racing are proud to announce a partnership
with Red Line Oil Scandinavia for the 2017 FIA European Drag Racing Championship. The team, frontrunners in the European Championship for many years,
will use the high-quality Red Line Oil products in close co-operation with the Swedish distributor of the American lubricants brand.
17th January: Having left Southampton Docks in the middle of December, the Havoc altered of Silverstone duo Nick Davies and Rob Loaring
is due to dock in the Southern US at any time. Nick Davies writes:
12th January: Nigel Taylor writes that it has been a busy few months at Detroit Spinner Racing HQ. The team
had to wait for parts etc but after a few headaches they appear to be on target for a return with the Ford Prefect driven by Arthur Bonner,
who will reach the tender age of seventy six come July:
Paul Dale and the Acute Angle team with the had a very successful year with the 105e in the Supercharged Outlaws. He was well-pleased
with his low ET of 9.3 seconds, especially when Peter Knight Race Engines stripped the motor down to find not one lobe left on the camshaft.
A new Dart Small Block, built at Peter Knight's, will be going in and with the rear end gearing also changed from 4:56 to 4:1 and a step up
on nitrous the little Anglia hopes to be wheeling into the eight second zone.
12th January: Eurodragster.com sponsor 
The MSA Springspeed Nationals (29th April-1st May) and Open Sport Nationals (26th-28th August) are events which count towards the
season-long UK National Drag Racing Championships. These feature a spectacular line up of fast dragsters and doorslammers. The
always-popular hot rodding events start in June (23rd-25th) with the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals and end with the NSRA Hot Rod Drags in
September (15th-17th). Both events are supported by the National Street Rod Association, which is one of the oldest hot rodding clubs
in the UK.
12th January: Easter in mid-April can often turn out warm and sunny, but Easter 2017 promises to be a scorcher when
Technically, Jets are classified as exhibition vehicles rather than racing machines, but don't try telling the drivers. Local hero Martin Hill
presents no fewer than three entries from his FireForce stable, two Jet Funny Cars (FireForces 3 and 4) and his
five-second FireForce 5 Jet Dragster, taking on the Split Second Jet Dragster of Julian Webb. Lee Dennick pilots the Reign of
Fire mini-Jet Funny Car – small in stature, perhaps, but packing a punch far above its weight. Jetting in from Germany, Gerd Habermann brings
not only his familiar Dragon Hunter Funny Car but raises the insanity level to new heights with his outrageous Jet School Bus, the first
British outing for this flame-throwing yellow peril.
Away from the track, the Festival of Power offers a vibrant selection of entertainments fit for all the family. The Live Action Arena stages
stunt shows galore, together with those perennial children's favourites, the Monster Trucks. There is even another jet car on show, Hervé
Franquin's thrust-powered Peugeot 205 coming all the way from France to warm up the Santa Pod crowd. And for those fans who love their smoke
abundant and multi-coloured, watch out for a round of the European Burnout Championship, a spectacular sport invented in Australia and new to
these shores. There is plenty more family fun on offer, not least the Festival Of Power's annual Big Top show, the award-winning Pinder's Circus.
The Funny Car will be exhibited in full competition mode. Show visitors can get up close to inspect the sleek, carbon-fibre body and the 8.2-litre, supercharged and
injected, nitro-burning V8 engine capable of generating 10,000 horsepower and propelling the car to 300 mph speeds in just four seconds. Sad to say, the weekend's
likeliest FAQ – "Are you going to start it up, then?" – will have to be answered "No", since the NEC values its roof, but staff and racers will be on hand to explain the
machine's intricacies and its spectacular, ground-shaking performance capabilities.
Sharing the stand with Santa Pod will be 
4th January: Sweden's Jonnie Lindberg, back-to-back and reigning NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion, has been
announced as the new driver of famed NHRA racer Jim Head's Toyota nitro Funny Car from 2017. Jonnie, who is now based in Brownsburg,
Indiana, will replace Jim's son Chad, who will be devoting more time to the family business.
