We also decided that a bike isn't enough and we have started DTC Racing. We are currently building a sleeper Nova named Chinky Nova
on a shoestring budget. The car will sport a 355 with a small shot of giggle gas, rear end nine-inch. It will be street-legal and safe to run whatever numbers it produces. We won't be a threat to the
big hitters in the Street Eliminator field, but we are doing this just for fun.
And now: The Unfinished Business Tour. 31st January: Dan and Eurodragster.com sponsor Nic Williams of the UK's Williams Brothers Racing are in Florida to take up where they left
off in 2018. Colin Theobald writes on behalf of the team:
Dan and Nic always dreamt of racing in the USA amongst the huge field of Stockers which always enter Divisional and National events, and 2018 was the year in which the dream was finally realised.
The Going Home Tour 2018 started with Nic's 69 ZL1 Camaro being shipped over to New York late May, then the team flew out mid-June and once the hire truck was collected the boys picked up
their second-hand trailer and were then finally reunited with the Camaro. A visit to engine maestro Brian Tilburg followed, then on to Numidia Raceway for a Lucas Oils Divisional event. After three
rounds of qualifiying Nic had run a best of 9.95, which netted number forty one spot out of ninety. Nic won his first round match up as the other car broke out massively, Nic dialing in a 10.04 and running a
10.07. Round 2 and our opponent redlit, but in round 3 it was our turn to go red (by just 0.0012) so game over. What a great start to our USA tour but time to go back to the UK.
August and back to America for our second visit, this time the big one: yes, the US Nationals at Indianapolis. Again the boys arrived in New York, this time accompanied by
Crew Chief Lorne Denny and you know the drill now. Pick up hire truck, pick up trailer and Camaro from Brian but before any racing took place we had a private test at Atco Raceway with the
PC Richards team. This was perfectly timed as we had just installed our new Racepak and needed to start getting the set-up spot on. Our second race on US soil was a Lucas Oils Divisional at
Beech Bend Raceway, or Bowling Green as so many of us know it, where Nic ended up qualifying with a stout 9.88 in the number fifty three spot out of one hundred and twenty eight entries!
Unfortunately a 0.05 red in the early rounds of eliminations didn't help but the car was reacting superbly to the set-up changes, perhaps too well.
Straight onto Indy for the US Nationals just a few days later and this was it, the absolute dream. Just to qualify would be an achievement, and with more than one hundred and sevety five
teams jostling for one hundred and twenty eight spots the competition was intense. After two rounds Nic had a best of 9.95 which placed him #145. No improvement in Q3 as as 10.07 appeared
on the boards, so it was the last chance saloon for Q4. A monster wheelstand, with the car recording a sixty-foot time of 1.39 with the back wheels, but would this be the run? A new PB of
9.811 was the result, a massive improvement but unbelievably we ended up #129, or first reserve. It didn't take long to make the show, however,as a qualified racer informed us he was broken
and was out so we were in.
Unfortunately we didn't progress into round 2, but the Indy story didn't end there. We were surprised, delighted and honoured to be awarded Edelbrock Performer of the Race which
meant we were presented with a special Wally in a pre-race ceremony. Without a doubt our biggest highlight of our USA tour. Interviews with National Dragster, WFO radio and a feature
video clip on the NHRA web site were just some of the other highlights of our US Nationals event. Not only that, the car was performing superbly.
For our last race in America Dan and Nic took the Camaro to the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove, Pennsylvania in late September. We knew that the car had the performance, it was just a case of
unlocking the potential and here is where it all came good. An incredible 9.70 in testing, a 9.72 in qualifiying, and the end result of Williams Bros Racing winning our class eliminations.
An incredible end to a fantastic tour during which the car improved at every event attended. From what we understand, Nic's 9.70 was the sixth quickest pass in AA/SA in the world in 2018 and
the boys know there is more to come.
Which leads us into our Unfinished Business Tour 2019.
As you read this, Dan and Nic are in Florida preparing for this weekend's Winter Warm-Up at Orlando Speedworld for a Lucas Oils Divisional event. Luckily the boys avoided most of the
snow and freezing temperatures in the northern states, although it was still subzero when they collected the car from Pennsylvania. 1200 miles later they found much better conditions. After
this weekend it's straight back to the UK leaving the Camaro in Florida for our next event, the Baby Gators at Gainesville in March. Once the Gators are completed the Camaro will be
shipped back to the UK, but that's not the end of the US adventure. Details still being finalised so we will announce our plans in due course, but it's going to be very good indeed.
We would like to thank all of the sponsors and supporters who helped the team on the Going Home Tour 2018: Flightcase Warehouse, Racepak, Santa Pod Raceway, SPRC, G23 Engineering,
Snap-On Tools, BSI Transport, Doug Tait Design, Tilburg Race Engines, OCS Paint, Sayers Motor Factors, Anglo American Oil Company, Xpression Events, Knight Engine Services, A1 Transmissions,
and Expertees.
Still for sale I and II. 31st January: Zane Llewellyn tells us that Steve Clutterbuck's unfinished Nostalgia dragster is still for sale.
The Dragmaster replica has a mild steel chassis which really looks the part. It comes with a motor ready for building and a heap of parts.
UK Comp Eliminator racer Rob Smallworth says that rumours of the sale of his seven-second '55 Chevy are untrue.
"The Old 55 is still available as turn-key or rolling", says Rob. "The new project is moving on well, and whilst Easter may be a tall order I'm looking
forward to hitting the strip at some point this season.If you are interested in the'55 then please call or E-Mail... it would be good to talk."
You can find both cars under Cars For Sale on our Jeff
Bull Race Engines -sponsored Swap Meet ; adverts 017281 and
017232 respectively.
Swift snippets. 31st January: Eurodragster.com sponsor Lucas Oil Products has signed up as a
technical partner for the UK's Hawk Racing Fuel FC team. Mark and
Jackie Hawkins' Gladiator will have Jason Phelps at the controls for the 2019 Funny Car series and other events.
Gladiator will be running on Lucas 70wt Racing Oil and will use a variety of other products from the Lucas Oil additives, greases and car care ranges. These will include Assembly Lube, Brake
Cleaner, plus high impact greases and items such as Slick Mist polish. "Lucas 70wt Racing Oil is a fit and forget engine protection system. With a £70,000 engine, that's a substantial cost
saving over the entire season", says Jason.
Thanks to Bianca Booij for sending us the regular newsletter from The Netherlands' Pro Dutch Racing Pro Modified team. Not to worry if you can't read Dutch as Michel Tooren and
team's 2019 racing schedule is easily understood. You can check it out (PDF file) by clicking here.
Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street
Machine magazine, plus bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers. Click on the images above for the
PDF downloads.
Bob and the Yellow Metal team will be helping us run the bike for part of the season as there will be a lot for our team to
take in before we can go it alone. The only similarity between our bike and Bob's is the number of wheels!
The plan is to race the bike in Funny Bike class at all of the ACU rounds, and if at all possible we will run it in Top Fuel bike at the
two European events at Santa Pod as well.
I can't thank Bob and the Yellow Metal team enough for the opportunity to race the bike, and I'm sure many people will
be glad to see it on the track again (My hand's up - Ed) . I've always enjoyed seeing and hearing it run and spent a great
deal of time admiring it in the pits!
That's not the only thing that's going to be different this year. What is to become of my own Championship-winning Funny Bike?
Well, that will be getting a new rider too, and I didn't have to ask him twice. Just one phone call toComp Bike racer Dave Batcheler
and he agreed to do the honors. So Dave and the Plumb Crazy team will be running it alongside me in Funny Bike. Dave is
fully aware that confiscation may occur should he beat me on my ownbike...
We picked up the Nova on Friday from shipmycar.co.uk (top service!) and I'm absolutely blown away by the build quality.
It's an absolute credit to Jason who built it over in Rhode Island.
The motor is a 408ci LQ4, thirty thou over, with a K1 Technologies forged rotating assembly, Wiseco coated pistons, 11:1 CR, AFR heads, FAST LSXR intake with a 102 mm throttle body,
Aeromotive fuel system, FAST XFI 2.0, hydraulic roller with Morel lifters. Behind it there's a Stage 2 4L60 manual trans backed up by a built 9" with Strange 35 spline internals with a
Heidts four-link set up. Up front there's a Heidts IFS set up, with a chromoly cage/subframe tying it all together.
The plan this year is to have bit of fun at some RWYBs, Dragstalgia etc, while getting a couple of little bits and pieces sorted for competition, before hopefully entering Topspeed Automotive
Street Eliminator for a couple of meetings later in the year. The goal for the end of the year is to have some ten-second timing slips before perhaps turning the gas on and seeing what it can
do...
History was made on the Saturday of the 2018 NitrOlympX at Hockenheim when Rikard Gustafsson and Filippos Papafilippou ran the first side-by-side
five-second Top Fuel Bike runs outside the USA. Rikard was the quickest and fastest with a 5.918/248 mph to Fil's 5.980/226. Due to problems with
the parachute and the very high speed Rikard had to bail out of the bike when he got close to the wall in the shutdown area. The bike hit the wall
and both Rikard and the bike rolled over many times before stopping. Rikard suffered a broken arm, broken ribs and lung and liver damage and was
flown to hospital in Mannheim.
Rikard had a positive mindset even in hospital and plans on how to get back in business were immediately circulating between his ears.
Back home in Sweden and whilst he got caught up his own company RG Engineering Black was stripped down. The frame has been straightened
and repaired thanks to Michael Rawn Welding and CA Chassiworks and painted by Rikard's son Philip. Parts are being cleaned or replaced.
In fact the whole long block was good to go, but pullies, belt covers, the injector hat and other parts were damaged.
There are no plans to change the set-up. "I have a lot to try out and learn about the tuning, we are taking small steps and there's
still a lot left in the bike" says Rikard and Ralph agrees. There are minor changes in the fuel and pneumatic systems to make the hoses as short as
possible and to involve as few couplings as possible, to reduce weight and to make the systems easier to work with. "I've reduced almost two
kilogrammes on the pneumatic system", says Rikard.
When I visited the team this month Ralph and Björne were mounting the clutch and gearbox back in their proper place after cleaning and regrinding.
New carbon fibre body parts are on their way from Kenneth Holmberg at Swecomposite. I guess I'm not the only one to wonder whether Rikard will use the
same make of parachute.
The team have been going through a tough year with the loss of their team-mate Niklas Karlsson last Christmas, and Tony Zetterstrom injured in a
motorcycle accident on vacation in Hungary about a month before Rikard's crash. I travelled to the NitrOlympX and stayed with Team RG that weekend
and I must say that it was a spooky feeling going home without Rikard and with a broken bike. But today Tony is all good, Rikard is all good, Black
is on its way back and the team are in very good spirits. A long comeback tour is planned!
FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships
24th-27th May: FIA/FIM Main Event, Santa Pod Raceway, England
16th-18th August: NitrOlympX, Hockenheim, Germany
5th-8th September: FIA/FIM European Finals Raceway, Santa Pod, England
EDRS Pro Nordic
6th-9th June: Tierp Arena, Sweden (NDRS MC)
5th-7th July: Kauhava, Finland (FHRA)
1st-4th August: Gardermoen Raceway, Norway (NDRG)
22nd-25th August: Tierp Arena, Sweden (NDRS MC)
Other events
29th August-1st September: Mosten Raceday, Denmark
21st-24th November: Man Cup Finals, Valdosta, USA
All dates are preliminary and can change.
Rikard would like to thank the team's sponsors RG Engineering, Swecomposite, Mangla.se, Dalhems, Sunoco, Ugglarps, SS Bärgaren AB, Bridgestone,
MotoSpeed and Puma Engineering. Thank you also to Ralph, Björne, Tony, Philip and friends, and last but not least everyone that has donated
via the different crowdfunds to get Black back in its former shape.
You can follow the work to get back on track on the team's Facebook page.
The second concerns the use of parachutes and can be viewed by clicking here (PDF format).
2019 European Top Gas calendar. 26th January: Many thanks to Herman Jolink for forwarding us the calendar for the 2019
European Top Gas Series which was ratified at the class' annual meeting last
weekend:
11th-12th May: EDRS, Malmö Raceway, Sweden
14th-16th June: Norwegian Bike Festival, Gardermoen, Norway
25th-28th July: Drag Revival, Mantorp Park, Sweden
16th-18th August: NitrOlympX, Hockenheim, Germany
30th-31st August: Mosten Race Days, Allingaboro, Denmark
20th-22nd September: DHRA Dutch Finals, Drachten, The Netherlands
The best five results will count.
Swift snippets. 26th January: Further to Monday's news item, Stefan Boman tells us that
Pro Mod legend Freddy Fagerström has decided that the ultimate Thank You for the support and offers of help which he has
received is to go racing this year. "Freddy is not there yet as it will take a lot of money and work but it seems that he's giving it a try", says Stefan.
"Both fans and a sponsor have started a crowdfund and it has gone past
the point of no return, so even though Freddy doesn't like the idea of begging he cannot stop it from happening. Micke Gullqvist has taken the heads and supercharger
which were damaged on the workbench and will rebuild everything". The current plan for Stefan's poster (below left) is that it will be distributed to anyone who helps
in some way.
The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com (above right) came with the words "Just another gold street car, tens are appealing...". If you know more,
or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.
We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to photo-journalist, author and all-round good egg Keith Lee. Have a great day Keith.
Our good friend, photo-journalist Steve Moxley has had his 2018 NSRA Hot Rod Drags report posted on the Eat My Ink web site
at www.eatmyink.com. Moxey's
report covers the Gasser Circus, Outlaw Anglia, and the Supercharged Outlaws.
FCs run the quarter at Bug Jam. 25th January: Neale Saunders of Santa Pod Raceway tells us that there will be an exciting highlight to the returning European Funny Car Series
in 2019:
There will be something special for Bug Jam. At the pre-season Funny Car drivers' meeting there was a request by certain
drivers to run the third round of the series over the quarter mile instead of the usual 1000-foot distance.
Kevin Kent said "Personally it's something I'm really looking forward to, there will have to be a few adjustments with the car one being a larger fuel tank, we
are all running bigger fuel pumps than we did when we ran the quarter mile before so they're going to empty much quicker. Dave Bryant, tuner of Steve Ashdown's
Undertaker car, said "There will have to be several tuning changes; the car is currently set to peak at the 1000 foot mark so the tune-up will have to
be quite a bit different to peak at 1320 feet. We'll get round the fuel consumption issue by shortening our start line routine, this will give us enough fuel
to go the extra distance. Most of the old school drivers prefer the traditional distance of the full quarter so we're pleased to see it back for this special
occasion."
There is unfinished business between Funny Car and the quarter mile at Santa Pod. The four-second barrier for AA/FC remains intact, Top Fuel broke the four-second
barrier back in 1998 but for one reason or another the magical Four has proved elusive for the class, John Spuffard coming closest with a 5.05 in 2009. So there
will be a one-off chance for one of the four Funny Car racers to tick the box for this long-overdue landmark. Nobody doubts it can be done but will it all come
together for Bug Jam? The cars are all capable of running a four in the quarter mile but who will it be? Kent, Chapman, Phelps or Ashdown? As always, Bug Jam looks
like it will be a lot of fun.
Monday 25th March: UK
Bankside VIP
Santa Pod Raceway
Airfield Road
Podington
NN29 7XA
Inspections 10:00-16:00
Thanks also to Ian Marshall for originally forwarding us the details for the Santa Pod Raceway stop.
Santa Pod seek burnout demos. 23rd January: James Forster writes that Santa Pod Raceway are seeking a selection of vehicles to do some burnout demonstrations as a part of the
forthcoming Stunt Fest event on Saturday 16th February:
The strip isn't open but it's an ideal opportunity to quite literally blow out the cobwebs in front of a pretty sizeable audience who appreciate nothing more than smoke and noise.
We're also welcoming any racers who'd like to put their vehicles on static display for the day.
To find out more, or to get yourself booked in, please contact James on 01234 782828 or at
james@santapod.com.
Fagerström's involuntary flame job. 21st January: Swedish Pro Modified racer Freddy Fagerström, one of Europe's most popular racers in any class, suffered a devastating
workshop fire at the weekend. Photo-journalist Stefan Boman went to visit Freddy this afternoon and kindly let us know what he found when he got to the shop:
No-one was there when it happened. A lightweight battery which was charged three days ago looks to have exploded or at least was a big part of what happened.
The race car and the hot rod which Freddy uses as a tow vehicle are intact. The truck looked beaten-up anyway, now it looks more beaten-up! Everything else the transporter and trailer, the spares - is
badly damaged. Some heads on the bench are probably destroyed, the workbench melted. The motors are full of water. Everything is black, dirty, rusty, oily and smelly. I went inside the trailer and pulled
open a drawer and soot had found its way in there. Right now racing is out of the question.
Freddy had a man cave upstairs with pinball machines and a pool table and that was all totally destroyed. There is a big hole in the ceiling above the battery's location.
Freddy has a big group helping him, they need to empty the place out then decide what can be kept and what has to be thrown out. The plan is to bring in a tunnel cleaning machine to blast everything
with water to clean it but first what is left of the upper floor has to come out.
Freddy is very strongly of the opinion that he doesn't want charity and doesn't want to beg people to give him money, so he has no intention of starting his own crowd-funding
page. There may be a t-shirt or a poster or other merchandise for sale during the 2019 season to try to help him return tocompetition.
Categories are Most Promising Newcomer, Best Appearing Car, Best Appearing Bike, Most Profesional Appearing Team and the James Edgar Memorial
Trophy and you can vote for any or all of these categories.
Nominations are also being accepted for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy, which is awarded for contribution to drag racing.
There is no shortlist for the Alex Brachtvogel award and nominations are invited from Eurodragster.com readers for racers,
race officials, track and safety crews, club officials, media, or anyone else who has contributed to the sport.
To check out the shortlists and place your votes, or to submit a nomination for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy, visit
the official SPRC Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here
or by clicking on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
The coverage is of the FIA/FIM Main Event and European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway and will be on Frontrunner TV, Sky channel 431 and Freesat channel 250,
at 17:00 this Saturday (19th).
As with The Doorslammers, these are highlights programmes. The fuller event DVDs are of course available from Zeon TV at
www.quartermilehigh.com.
The VWDRC has been around for over thirty years now and we have always fielded bracket racing classes. Back in the 1990s we used to dabble in a little heads-up fun featuring the
Quick Eight, but after that it was back to the handicapped racing.
There have always been members of the VW community asking for heads-up racing open to all VWs, and we accept that Bracket is not for everyone. Last year the return of the
Doorslammers event ignited the fire for many more. With the recent closures of UK drag racing venues a lot of racers have time on their hands but the will to race, so what else
could we do but offer them the opportunity.
We will be trialling a new Heads-Up class at three events at Santa Pod Raceway during 2019:
GTI Spring Festival, 14th April
Das Auto Show, 2nd June
GTI Festival, 6th October
NAS Events and Santa Pod have very kindly allowed us to run these simulations at the lifestyle events aimed at our clientele and we cannot wait to put on a show for them.
Now, being the VWDRC we not only accept VWs but the whole Volkswagen Audi Group family which gives us a very wide variety of vehicles available to come to race.
If you have an eleven-second or quicker Doorslammer from the VAG range, running a VAG-based engine, then you are welcome in this class.
Creating rules for a class which features FWD, RWD and 4WD, fast daily drivers to all-out tube chassis cars will be a nightmare. But for now it is pretty relaxed and almost anything goes.
Since we are always told "I don't care if I'm fast enough, I just want to race heads-up" we are going to test that.
As always thank you to Eurodragster.com who also plan to be in attendance for each round to provide coverage and webcast (Thanks, hopefully see you there - Ed) .
For more information on entry criteria, fees and regulations head to the Q&A; at www.vwdrc.com/headsup.php.
VWDRC Heads Up, we're calling you out!
Autosport International report. 14th January: After a day on the sick bed we have now posted our Friday report from Autosport International.
You can check out our report, which is presented in association with John Woolfe Racing, by
clicking here.
The interim gallery is still in place and can be checked out by
clicking here
or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
For several of the 2018 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 final, 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. 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 ar@eurodragster.com.
Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please contact SPRC direct
rather than E-Mailing Eurodragster.com or commenting on social media. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content
of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.
Autosport International gallery. 13th January: Our Autosport International report has been delayed due to illness but will be posted later
today. In the meantime we have posted a gallery which is presented in association with
John Woolfe Racing, and which you can check out by
clicking here.
The coverage will be on Frontrunner TV, Sky channel 431 and Freesat channel 250.
The Redzone.bet Doorslammers is to be shown at 17:00 tomorrow (Saturday) and the FIA/FIM Main Event next Saturday, 19th, with the FIA/FIM European
Finals immediately afterwards. Repeats will be shown during the following week; keep an eye on your Electronic Programme Guide for schedules.
Helen tells us that these are highlight programmes, with commentaries by Bryn Lucas and Darryl Bradford. The fuller event DVDs are of course
available from Zeon TV at www.quartermilehigh.com.
Jedborn to drive StigO TMD. 11th January: Sweden's Stig Olsson Racing have acquired a Top Methanol Dragster from Stefan Gunnarsson and will campaign
it at selected events this season with successful Comp Eliminator racer Daniel Jedborn in the driving seat. The car will continue to run as
an A/Fueller.
"The schedule for the first year is FIA Championship races in Sweden and Finland", says Stig. "An agreement has been reached to collaborate with Jonny Lagg's
team to share information. The legendary Krister Johansson will assist with the tune-up."
Stig adds that he will continue to race his Comp dragster in the USA.
Swift snippets. 11th January: Perfect Light Award sponsor Cath Napier asked us to say a big Happy Birthday and Happy 28th Wedding Anniversary
for today (Friday) to Modurstang Pro ET racer, occasional Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racer and Perfect Light Award sponsor Tig Napier.
Have a great day Tig. Happy Birthday, also for today, to Mikey Durbridge; have a great day Mikey.
Autosport attractions. 11th November: Eurodragster.com will be attending Autosport
International today and we will bring you our report in association with John Woolfe Racing
tomorrow, but if you are going to Autosport International yourself
tomorrow or Sunday then you will be able to find the joint Santa Pod Raceway/Lucas Oil Products
stand in Hall 2, stand 2680.
Eurodragster.com sponsor Lucas Oil Products UK will have representatives on hand to explain the company's extensive range of automotive lubricants,
treatments, additives and ancillary products, with a selection of products on sale. Representing Lucas Oil will be the Ford Capri-bodied Nostalgia
Funny Car of veteran racer Bob Glassup.
Centrepiece of the stand will be the Santa Pod-branded FireForce 3, the world's fastest Jet Funny Car. Owner-driver
Martin Hill and his crew will be on hand to explain the intricacies of the Pratt and Whitney J60 jet engine. And as an appropriate
coincidence, Martin will be celebrating thirty years of the FireForce brand with the original FireForce Jet Funny Car
first débuting in 1989.
As featured in yesterday's news update, Serck Motorsport are hosting Mark Todd's new street-legal
ride as well as a restored 1965 Mustang 350GT. Reigning ACU UK Funny Bike Champion Lorcan Parnell can be found sans bike working his day job
on the Speed Ministry stand in Hall 4 (4650) whilst Wayne Jackson will be working on the stand of Brad Jackson Racing sponsor HRX in Hall 2
(2364). Jim Kelly can be found promoting his book Fuelin' Around, reviewed here on Eurodragster.com
News on Monday, on stand 1646 in Hall 1. Jim tells us that his first sale of the Show, at the first Trade and Press Day yesterday, was
to someone who told him that they had read about the book on Eurodragster.com. Whoever you are: thank you, much appreciated.
If you are attending today's second Trade and Press Day then you will be able to find Scott Hauser's Super Pro ET Dragster and Robin Read's
blown-nitro Daimler-powered dragster in Autosport Engineering together with a Camel-liveried Nostalgia circuit car owned by former Super
Pro ET racer Dave Ward.
The first is a 1965 Mustang 350GT which has undergone a full ground-up restoration by Hot Rod Technologies, and which features a Serck Motorsport cooling
system and FiTech Fuel Injection also by Serck. The second is Mark Todd's reworked street-legal Aston Martin Vantage named 6 Appeal.
6 Appeal's body is genuine aluminium 1989 Aston Martin.
The 568ci (9.3 litre) motor has been built by EDA and features an all-aluminium water-cooled New Century block with six bolt mains, EPD fourteen
degree spread port heads with titanium valves and locks and PAC springs. The cam was custom-ground to our specs. There are .904 Morel lifters,
Smith Brother push rods, Jessel 1.75 rockers, GRP Rods and custom Diamond pistons.
The power adder is a 118 mm Precision Gen3 turbo, Chiseled Performance charge cooler, Mike's Transmissions Extreme Monster Glide, TH400
output shaft rated at 3000 hp. The 9.5" rear axle has 40 spline gun drilled shafts.
The ECU is FuelTech FT600, the injectors Atomiser 500lb/hr. Serck Motorsport provided twin bespoke radiators and oil cooler pack. Hoses are Racinglines
Supalite.
Estimated power is 2800+ hp.
Eurodragster.com will be attending Autosport International tomorrow (Friday) and we will be sure to go to take a look at both cars. If you are going to
Autosport yourself then you will be able to find Serck Motorsport at stand 2342 in Hall 2.
First Fireforce for sale. 10th January: Nick Haywood says that the original Fireforce Jet Funny Car is for sale. The car suffered a fire at the
Flame and Thunder Show at Santa Pod Raceway several years ago but Nick has worked to put it back together:
The chassis is sound, with some updates to the main driver safety cell. The engine has been rebuilt using a perfect compressor and turbine, an immaculate combustion liner was imported from AU.
I assembled the engine with good casings and new stator vanes. Fuel nozzles are flow checked, and new, bearings like new. Power take off gearbox is complete plus one in bits, three fuel control
pumps, one striped. Two perfect oil pumps and a good starter motor.
The fuel tanks and oil tank are new, the afterburner is as it was and good to go. The afterburner control/valve block is sound but a new pump will be needed. I have three igniter boxes tested, some
fuel fittings but no hose.
At the time had a BMW M1 body shell and if you take a look at the pictures on the car's Facebook page
you can see what I was going for. I think someone else needs to take this project on. The Nostalgia scene is growing in the UK and this is a huge part of that !
I would like £15,000 for all that I have but will consider offers, feel free to call me on 07710 813999 or 01242 234418.
Following meetings and lengthy consultation with the ACU to discuss a a request that the UK Junior Drag Bike regulations be aligned with the
current FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike rules, the ACU have taken the decision to leave the ACU engine capacity (CC) limits as they are.
The ACU felt that UK competitors were under no particular disadvantage at present, but they would look again at the regulations at the end of the 2019
season if the level of the playing field changes to the detriment of UK racers.
Therefore engine capacities in Junior Drag Bike will remain as per the ACU specification for UK licence holders in 2019.
As used in your daily ride... 9th January: Multiple FIM European Top Fuel Bike Champion Ian King writes that
the Gulf Oil Drag Racing Top Fuel Motorcycle was recently the subject of a technical article compiled by one of their team of blue
chip technical partners,JE Pistons.
You can take a look at the article on
Dragbike.com.
The world record-holding and multiple Championship-winning machine is also notable for the amazing fact that that it exclusively uses
off-the-shelf consumer oil such as that used in everyday road vehicles to lubricate the outstanding 1500+ hp engine, as described in the
article: "Oiling is also of primary concern in the engine, and it is no surprise that the team uses lubricants and greases from their primary
sponsor, Gulf Oil. What is surprising is that the oil is a standard road vehicle lubricant freely available from any Gulf gas station in Europe:
Gulf Max 20W50. King selected this oil after running extensive comparison tests."
Further information on Gulf Oil products can be found at www.gulfoilltd.com.
New VP fuels at Autosport. 9th January: Eurodragster.com sponsor VP
Racing Fuels will introduce four new fuels products at this week's
Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
"Last year we débuted our very popular R5 and RX102 fuels but our R&D department has come up with some very impressive
new fuel products for 2019, and we're proud to introduce them on 10th January at VP's stand #2787" said Peter Coleman, VP's
Business Development Consultant, Europe.
X85L is an 85% Ethanol 15% Hydrocarbon racing fuel with a lead additive package to increase octane and the lubricity of the
fuel. X14 is a non-oxygenated leaded general purpose racing fuel that is economically priced, and a good choice for any
number of racing applications, including 598-615 cubic inch naturally aspirated big bracket engines and NHRA Super Comp
and Super Gas racing. X14 has a MON of 112 for compression ratios up to 15:1.
VP Eco96 is an unleaded, oxygenated off-road racing fuel made specifically for Ecotec engines or other applications that
can run low octane fuel. With the fuel's unique chemical properties, VP Eco96 prevents vapour lock in the extreme heat of
desert racing better than pump gas and standard types of race fuel.
VP UTV96 is specifically built for the UTV market and increases performance in both naturally aspirated engines as well as
turbocharged engines and is great for all makes of UTVs. By outperforming standard pump gas as it pertains to the fuel's
boiling point, UTV96 reduces the chance of harmful vapour locking in long, hot desert races and recreational outings.
For more information about VP and its products for racers, enthusiasts, and general consumers visit
vpracingfuels.com.
UK Championships points change. 8th January:Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall says that,
following confirmation from Motorsport UK (previously MSA), Santa Pod Racers Club can now award Championship points to all foreign drivers who compete in the
UK Championships:
In previous years we were able to accept entries through the NCAFP system but without the ability to award Championships points, per MSA regulations at the time.
This has now changed, and allows us to provide racers who have the correct licence and authorisation from their own ASN (governing body) to come and compete for
our UK Championships. We look forward to seeing many more drivers taking up the challenge here in the UK.
This brings UK car classes into line with UK bike classes which already permit foreign riders to earn UK Championship points.
If you have any queries then you can contact Ian at ir.marshall@btconnect.com or call
01933 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625).
2019 FIA Championship rules posted. 8th January: Many thanks to Frans Steilberg for letting us know that the complete set of regulations for
the 2019 FIA European Drag Racing Championships are now available on the FIA web site at
www.fia.com/regulation/category/101.
Changes to the rules are highlighted in yellow.
Discounted DFDS ferry rates continue. 8th January: Santa Pod Raceway are delighted to announce the continuation of its partnership with DFDS for the 2019 season.
This means that racers can continue to enjoy greatly discounted rates on ferry travel to and from Europe via the DFDS cross channel routes, Dover to Calais
and Dunkirk.
Bookings can be made by downloading the new 2019 booking form, click here. This form will also be available
on the SPRC web site.
Booking requests must be sent to theresa.herbert@dfds.comand copied to
dover.rates@dfds.com and the DFDS team will take care of the reservations.
Please note that bookings will not be accepted on the 2018 booking form.
Fuelin' Around is a very neat summation of the American Dream of hard work and the freedom to do it your own way being rewarded with success, not just in America but on our
side of the Pond and elsewhere. Even before working for VP Racing Fuels Jim's career had its moments, such as supplying Super Stock and Drag Illustrated magazine
with photographs, race reports and ultimately earning his own column. Luckily Your space cadet News Editor has known and liked Jim for some years so has long forgiven him for a
doubly-enviable photo session with one of Sammy Millers Vanishing Point Rocket Funny Cars at Cape Canaveral. From the book it is clear that Jim could have, in fact did for a
while, gone into the family Funeral Director business and he also had thoughts about law enforcement but if he had then one wonders which company might have won the deals to
supply various race series including European drag racing with spec fuel.
One could charitably be forgiven for expecting Fuelin' Around to be a Match Race Madness for our time but it isn't; in fact Your News Editor ultimately felt a
bit dumb for thinking it would be. Given that the main subject of the book is how VP Racing Fuels was built up from small beginnings there are a lot of serious stories about serious
people and situations from all branches of motorsport not just drag racing, thoughts and practical examples of what constitutes good management and appreciation of colleagues, and
an insight into Jim's personal life. There are of course a number of colourful characters and deliciously off-colour anecdotes which would not be out of place in the legendary drag
racing book, and to be honest it's not at all surprising that those anecdotes involve grown men, race fuel, fire and, naturally, guns. Fuelin' Around also includes some tales
the like of which which are not in Match Race Madness such as management diktats about cleavage depth and a fetish magazine featuring a goat being held possibly responsible
for an in-flight defibrillation incident.
Serious or amusing, Jim's writing style is very easy to read, down-to-earth, frank and BS-free. Given the current despicable trend for being offended by the slightest thing, usually imaginary
or an excuse for pathetic attention-seeking, it is refreshing to read an author telling it how it is in the vernacular. You know that an anecdote is well-written if you can hear the author talking as you
read it, and this is the case throughout the book. So pleasurable is the book to read, in fact, and so unputdownable, that Your News Editor read the whole volume in two sittings, the second ending in the small hours.
Fuelin' Around is available right now on Amazon at £9.99.
If you are going to Autosport International this week then you will be able to meet Jim in person and pick up a
copy at stand 1646 in Hall 1. Tell him that Eurodragster.com sent you.
Gulf Oil team shine in USA. 6th January: Following their success in securing an outstanding eleventh FIM European Top Fuel Bike Championship
with new rider Filippos Papafilippou from Greece, the team rounded off their season with a successful return to the US with former
rider and continuing Team Principal Ian King in the seat for the MFC World Finals.
Longtime team supporters John and Dea Morgan Racing of Palm Desert California joined Gulf Oil with support from Joe Koenig of Trim
Tex, Jay Regan of MRE and Wayne and Donna Pingel of Pingel Enterprises to ensure that the team made the most of the opportunity to
race at the World Finals at South Georgia Motorsport Park in South Georgia, the final leg of the Manufacturers Cup season. The event
hosted more than eight hundred drag bikes from over the world, from Aruba, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the UK, Greece, India, Australia,
New Zealand, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Canada and many contestants, as well as fans, from the USA.
The team were eager to continue their successful season and set about tackling the tune for the all-concrete surface. However, it
proved to be a tough task for all racers running slick tyres as the seemingly excessive use of track compound to aid the performances
for the well-supported Pro Street class proved a huge challenge for those with wide and flat tyres. Issues pushing back after the burnout
and staging afflicted most of the slick and bar classes and caught out the Gulf Oil team more than most, as they were used to the more general
application used at the combined car and motorcycle events at which they compete in Europe.
Despite the challenge the team ended up qualifying in the top half of the elimination ladder, but with the most challenging route to the
final of Pingel Top Fuel. In the first round of eliminations Ian overcame Top Fuel veteran and US number two Sam Wills
with a fine 5.89/232, whilst Championship hopeful Dave Vantine was on the
wrong end of a frantic pedal-fest against Sverre Dahl of Norway as they both lost traction for the entire quarter mile. Chris Hand similarly
ended up with a loss against Mitch Brown who overcame Chris right at the finish. David Vantine's challenger for the US Championship title
Larry 'Spider-Man' McBride benefitted from a bye run which was fortunate for the Champion-elect as he also suffered traction problems.
In the semi-finals Ian ran yet another five-second pass to take out McBride with a
fine 5.95/225.33 as Larry struck the tyre on the launch and idled down the track. In the other round matchup Mitch Brown ran a 6.43/219
to prevail over the other visiting European team of Sverre Dahl.
However, the Gulf Oil team's consistent five-second performance was halted abruptly in the final round. After the team made a quick turn-round
to make the final run in warm conditions they then waited patiently for the Brown and Bradley team to finalise their preparations. Further
delay was encountered in the staging area before the track officials gave the belated signal to run but strangely without the usual track
sweeping and dragging and with dew starting to form on the track. Once again the team struggled to push back from the burnout and when Ian
'bunny hopped' into pre-stage, as he was unable to push the bike with his feet in the normal method, he was unaware that his rear tyre had
wound up as he tried to keep out of full stage: the tyre contact patch stuck to the track, but the wall wrinkling up like a spring. As Ian
looked down and released the brake to enact the idle up valve the bike inadvertently sprung forward into full stage and the Tree immediately
ran whilst King was still preparing. In any case the track conditions by then were marginal and he lost traction almost immediately whilst
Mitch Brown made a great full pass of 6.20 seconds to take the win.
After an almost fairy-tale ending a philosophical Ian said "What a great year! After Fil exceeded expectations to secure his first and our
team's eleventh FIM European Championship, to then make the final of the MFC World Finals after a year out of the race saddle was the icing
on the cake. It is testament to my great crew of Michael Beaumont, Marius van der Zijden, Martin Brookman, Nick Pepper, Debbie King and the
US support team of Andy 'H' Smith, John Morgan, Michael Woods, Randy Rannberg, John Edwards and Scott and Michelle Perri Roethemeier that
we were able to perform so consistently all year and on two continents. I would like to thank Fast Fil, Gulf Oil, John and Deanna Morgan,
Joe Koenig, Andrew 'H' Smith and Jay Regan and our fantastic technical partners who have made this year and this specific event so successful
for the team".
The Gulf Oil Dragracing team uses and endorses exclusively Gulf Oil greases and lubricants in their history making machine. The team is extremely
proud to be supported by many leaders in their chosen markets in their participation in the 2018 FIM European Championship:
APE - The world's most innovative manufacturer of aftermarket parts for drag bikes Barnsdale Leisure - The UK's Premier Knaus Caravan dealer Cometic Gaskets - The premier manufacturer of racing gaskets Dometic - mobile living made easy Gates - The world's most trusted name in drive belts, hoses and hydraulics Goodridge - The original and the best in fluid transfer systems Grand Prix Originals - The brand for drive and lifestyle, past and present Graphite Additive Manufacturing - A leader in 3D printed technologies and rapid prototyping Gulf Oil International - The world's most iconic brand in automotive fuels and lubricants H Craft Customs - Race car preparation, roll cages, fabrication and custom projects Hotrod Hangar- Home of the world renowned custom artist Knud Tiroch Hyperpro - The leading producer of progressive suspension products for motor bikes JE Pistons - The world's premier manufacturer of high performance forged pistons John and Dea Morgan Racing - The creators of the world's most advanced New Age Funny Bike Kibblewhite Precision Machining, Inc -The highest quality valve train components on the market Mickey Thompson Tyres - Simply the best drag race tyres in the world Moto-Trek - The fun of the open road, the luxury of home life MRE - Leaders in trackside support for drag race components and air shifting systems MTC Engineering - Manufacturer of clutches for the fastest motorcycles in the world NitroShutter - Europe's leading drag racing photo-journalists NCT Engineering - Manufacturer of the world's leading non contact torque sensors for motorsport NGK Spark Plugs UK - The world's number one spark plug manufacturer Pär Willen - Master webmeister and proprietor of HarleyDrags.com
Scott Perri Trucking - Logistics solutions par excellence Portable Shade - The best custom branded collapsible canopies available Pro Alloy Motorsport - UK's leader in fabrication of alloy racing tanks, intercoolers and radiators Rose and Company - The UK's largest importer and stockist of Thule RV products Trim-Tex - The premier manufacturer of vinyl drywall beads and accessories Tryka LED - The UK's cutting edge LED lighting manufacturer Van Es mobility - The leading manufacturer of telematic products for management of moving objects Vanson Leathers - The most iconic brand in motorsport leather goods Web Camshafts Inc - Simply the company for Top Fuel Bike camshafts Worldwide Bearings - The world's leading supplier of ceramic bearings for racing Zodiac - Europe's largest supplier of performance and aftermarket HD parts
Swift snippets. 6th January: The seasonal breather having ended, postings have resumed to our
Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored
Swap Meet. Amongst items now up for sale are an ex-Jonas Staflund Funny Car body, a Comp Eliminator dragster, and a number of Fire
Up and European Dragster magazines. You can go shopping by clicking here
or by clicking on the Jeff Bull Swap Meet link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Our good friend, photo-journalist Steve Moxley has had Redline Rumble ACU, Outlaw Anglia, Gasser Circus and Supercharged Outlaws reports
posted on the Eat My Ink web site at www.eatmyink.com.
Another good buddy, Remco Scheelings, is continuing his series of Features on the Drag Racing Europe Blog with his latest victim returning Top
Methanol FC racer Johnny Oksa. You can check out Remco's Feature by
clicking
here.
We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to former FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion and forever European quarter mile ET record holder Andy
Carter. Have a great day Andy.
For several of the 2018 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 is as follows:
Bandit 1 (Harley Coulsell, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster) Vote for Bandit 1
Banshee Racing (Mick Taylor, Outlaw Anglia and Frankie and Freddie Taylor, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster) Vote for Banshee 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. 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 ar@eurodragster.com.
Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please contact SPRC direct
rather than E-Mailing Eurodragster.com or commenting on social media. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content
of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.
The final voting category, to be posted next weekend, will be the James Edgar Memorial Trophy.
2019 SPRC Dinner Dance reminder. 5th January: Yvonne Tramm has been in touch with a reminder that Friday 25th January is the deadline for bookings for
the Santa Pod Racers Club Dinner Dance and Trophy Evening which will take place on Saturday 2nd February
at the De Vere Staverton Park Hotel, Daventry Road, Staverton, Daventry, NN11 6JT
(map).
The event will present Champions and runners-up in the 2018 UK
National Drag Racing Championship, MSA British Drag Racing Championship, Santa Pod Racers Club Championship (for Pro Modified,
Comp Eliminator and the bike classes not covered in the UK National Championship) and SPRC Perpetual Award winners.
The arrangements are as follow:
Proceedings will start prompt at 6:00 pm; please be seated by 5.45 pm. There will be trophy presentations to the 2018 SPRC
Champions and runners-up followed by a charity game with proceeds going to Bloodwise. Any latecomers will be able to collect
their trophies after the first set of presentations.
Dinner will be served at 6.45 pm.
After dinner, the 2018 UK National Champions and runners-up will be presented with their trophies, followed by the 2018 MSA
British Drag Racing Championship, and finally the 2018 SPRC Perpetual Award winners.
Tickets for the Dinner Dance are £37.50 per adult and £20 for under-twelves, which includes a three course meal
plus tea/coffee and mints. The main meal for children will be chicken nuggets and chips followed by ice cream; please choose
a starter for your child and please also specify on the booking form that it is for a child.
If you are booking more than two seats then please list name and menu choices for each member of your party on the back of the
booking form. If you have any special dietary requirements then please inform Yvonne at
trammyd5@gmail.com and she will include them on the
menu selection list for the hotel. Please do not approach the hotel yourself regarding special dietary requests.
You can download the booking form (PDF) by clicking here.
If you wish to pay direct to the SPRC bank account please contact Yvonne Tramm for bank details at
trammyd5@gmail.com. Please note that SPRC are unable to
take payments using American Express cards. Booking forms should be sent to Yvonne Tramm at the address specified
on the form and not to the SPRC office.
SPRC have negotiated a preferential rate for rooms in the hotel. These are £79 for a single room and £89 for a
double or a twin room, including breakfast on Sunday morning. To book your room, please call the hotel on 01327 220676
quoting reference SANT020219. Please do not try to book your room on-line as the electronic reservations system has
been told that the entire hotel is booked for that evening, so your attempt at reservation will fail. Please note that
SPRC have block-booked a number of rooms which will be available until 31st December after which date any rooms not
taken up will be put into general availability and the preferential rate will cease.
If you have any queries about the Dinner Dance then please contact Yvonne Tramm, not the SPRC office, at
trammyd5@gmail.com.
Prefects and Anglias, oh my. 5th January: Nigel Taylor has been in touch with the latest news from the Detroit Spinner and Acute Angle pits:
Steve Summer of Poole in Dorset has been busy on the Detroit Spinner, redoing some of the chassis,wiring and interior on the Nostalgic Prefect. He has rebuilt a BBC 496 motor and a TH400
gearbox ready to power the Prefect hopefully into the tens - the 496 has run 8.48 previously.The Spinner should look much the same on the outside as previous, as a credit to Arthur Bonner, it's just
been altered to suit Steve's needs. Steve has done an excellent job and is excited to have his trusty crewman Nick Bathe back on board with him.
Steve has sold his arms and legs, his neighbours' pets and his grandma to fund his new passion, but is looking forward to running the Prefect in anger in 2019. If you would like to be involved in a bit
of drag racing history then send Steve a message via the Detroit Spinner Racing Facebook group to see how you can join the sponsorship fund .
Paul Dale and the Acute Angle 105E Anglia had an excellent season, ending up fourth in the Supercharged Outlaws in 2018. The engine and gearbox are out for a winter rebuild! Paul will
be experimenting with the nitrous system in 2019 and a new set of wheelie bars will be added. He is hoping to get theAnglia down into the mid-eights.
Paul would like to thank all the Supercharged Outlaw posse and all of his family for the support and scares they provide .
If you have a passion for 100Es then the new 100E Challenge is taking place at Santa Pod Raceway this
year. It will be contested over five rounds:
6th-7th April: The Fast Show
10th-12th May: NSRA Nostalgia Nationals
15th-16th June: The Retro Show
12th July: Dragstalgia (Friday)
13th-15th September: NSRA Hot Rod Drags
For more information on joining in with your 100E, or if you just want to follow the action, then get in touch with Scott Collin or Sean Pop Doyle via the
Modified Ford 100E Facebook page where you will also find
merchandise available for what is looking to be an exciting group of cars.
Items to be discussed include the calendars for the UK Championships, rule changes, event entry fees, pitside power fees and prize funds, as well as Any Other Business.
If members have items for the agenda then please send them in writing to Ian at ir.marshall@btconnect.com
by close on Friday 15th February. Please note that if you wish to have your agenda item discussed then you must attend the meeting. If you have any queries then you can
call Ian on 01933 313625.
The Riders' and Drivers' Meeting will be followed at 15:30 by the SPRC Annual General Meeting, which is open to SPR members only.
23rd January: James Forster writes that Santa Pod Raceway are seeking a selection of vehicles to do some burnout demonstrations as a part of the
forthcoming Stunt Fest event on Saturday 16th February:
