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Cooky, Chiarella return at National Finals.
29th September: Alan Cook and George Chiarella are returning to action at the National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway next weekend (7th-8th October).

Various rumours were circulating about Cooky's intentions after he sold his '63 Vette Pro Mod to Håkan Nilsson, but very few of those stories involved a vehicle with two wheels. Now the truth is out: Cooky has bought Paul Willis' 7.5-second Pro Stock Bike, and he will be putting in observed runs at next weekend's race. George Chiarella is also making a welcome return, to Super Comp in his beautiful '37 Ford Coupe, which has been repaired after a Top End crash at this race last year.

Next weekend's race is the final round in the UK National, ACU Drag Bike, and Santa Pod Racers Club Championships. Advance tickets are £8 for Saturday, £8 for Sunday, or £14 for the weekend; advance booking closes on Wednesday 4th October. Gate prices are £10 for Saturday, £10 for Sunday, or £18 for the weekend.

For more details including the latest entry list (courtesy of Paula Marshall at SPRC), visit Santa Pod Raceway's web site at www.santapod.com, or for ticket bookings call Santa Pod on 08700 782828.

ACU points posted.
29th September: The latest (post-Super Series 5) ACU UK Drag Bike Championship points are now available on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com.

Web site updates.
29th September: Eurodragster staffer Sharkman has updated his personal web site Sharkman's Top End Tales with a report, photographs and video clips from Super Series 5. Check it out at www.btinternet.com/~sharkman.

Busy weekend at Santa Pod.
28th September: Santa Pod Raceway is open on both days this weekend.

On Saturday (30th September), SPR is hosting the Great Jaguar World Shoot-out 2000. This is an event exclusively for Jaguars or Jaguar-powered cars. There many different classes of RWYB for Jaguar racers, and track manager Kjell Petterson tells us that spectators are very welcome. Admission to the track is £8 per person, an additional signing-on fee of £15 is payable by Jaguar owners wishing to run their cars on the track (a valid DVLC driving licence must be presented). More details from Jaguar World magazine, or from Santa Pod on 08700 782828.

On Sunday (1st October) Santa Pod is holding a Run What You Brung, which is open to everyone. Entry to the track is £8; a further £10 and the production of a valid DVLC driving licence (Competition licences are not valid for RWYBs) will get you as many passes down the track as you can fit in. Gates are open at 9:00 am and the strip is usually open by 10:00 am. For more details see the Run What You Brung page on Santa Pod Raceway's web site at www.santapod.com, or call Santa Pod on 08700 782828.

Super Series Dinner Dance: book your room.
28th September: Tina Gibbs of Super Series co-ordinators Obsession Motorsports tells us that the hotel at which this year's Super Series Dinner Dance is to be held is fast filling up, and so she recommends that anyone wishing to stay at the hotel calls very soon to make a reservation.

The Super Series Dinner Dance is to be held on Saturday 4th November at the Hanover Hinckley; to reserve your hotel room the phone number is 02476 831345 until Sunday (1st October), and then 02476 607010 from Monday.

For more details on the Dinner Dance itself, call Obsession Motorsports on 01483 236262.

Web site updates.
28th September: Swedish Top Fuel Dragster racer Pelle Lindelöw has updated his web site with a detailed report from the FIA European Finals. The report is available in both Swedish and English. Check out Pelle's web site at www.pgracing.nu.

Bob and Anne Valder have launched Bob and Anne's UK Drag Racing website, which features Anni's photographs from Santa Pod Raceway. The excellent spectator-side photographs cover several classes both on-track and in the pits, and there is also a great page of nostalgia photographs from the 1970s. The site is well worth a look at www.feel-the-noise.com (great URL, guys).

Grumpy parked.
27th September: Paul Marston has announced that he is to park his Grumpy's Dodge Super Gasser at the end of this season.

"I am lost for words in making this announcement", said Paul. "Grumpy and I have had some real moments. I have learnt my racecraft in this car under the guidance of double UK Super Gas Champion Paul Watson as teacher, and with the financial and technical support of John Ellis at C & S Racing Engines. I owe them a lot. Without their help and belief in my abilities I would not be where I am today. We as a team have shown that you can still be competitive in a non-electronics race car in Super Gas - the toughest and most competitive class in drag racing today. Grumpy's Dodge is a traditional full-size high-and-mighty doorslammer with no throttle stop, no air shifter - a driver's race car. People said that winning a National event couldn't be done - well, we don't listen, we do and we did. By winning the National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway last year with no easy rounds, plus the success enjoyed at the Brighton Speed Trials both this year and last, we have more than proved our point."

At this time there are no plans to field Grumpy's Dodge in 2001, but Paul says that this may change. "We have such a rich pool of driving talent at C & S Racing that it is quite possible that Grumpy could appear in 2001. Ray White, John Ellis and even Paul Watson have yet to finalise their plans for next year, and there is new talent in the camp, so all I can say is watch this space."

Paul has confirmed that the Dodge will stay where it is, and in one piece. "None of our new projects and exciting opportunities involve any parts from the Dodge", he says. "I can also confirm that at present there are no plans whatsoever to sell Grumpy. So it is more of a sabatical than a complete retirement - the Dodge will be back."

There are various rumours about Paul's next project, but he won't be drawn. "I can't say too much yet", he says, "just watch this space. I'll be back!"

Web site updates.
27th September: Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Ian Hook has added his final race report for the 2000 season to his FB Racing web site at www.fbracing.co.uk. The site has also been updated with his fellow competitors' Personal Bests. Plans for the web site during the closed season include an overview of the year 2000, details of changes to current competitors' cars, and news and pictures of new vehicles for 2001.

The Swedish Pro Street News Magazine has been updated with a page of photographs from Landskrona. The direct URL to the Photo Gallery is www.swedishprostreetnews.com/foto.htm, and the Magazine itself can be found at www.swedishprostreetnews.com.

Trakbyte's UK Drag Race History at members.aol.com/trakbyte has had the latest of its regular updates with a great new entry on the Anecdotes page, an addition to the historic vehicle file, new photographs, and much more.

Got his Hans on a Junior Dragster.
26th September: Congratulations to Hans Kirimaa who won the turnkey Junior Dragster in the draw organised by Peter Hewitt and the UK Junior Drag Racers. The full list of prizewinners was:

1. (Turnkey JD): Hans Kirimaa
2. (£250 cash): Holly Mitchell
3. (£100 cash): Robert Howard

Our spies tell us that Hans is a little senior to be driving in Junior Dragster himself; we look forward to hearing his plans for the car.

Web site updates.
26th September: Newly-crowned FIA Pro Stock Champion Niclas Andersson has updated his web site with a Swedish-language report and photographs (click on Bilder on the News page) from the European Finals. Check it out at w1.650.telia.com/~u65002642.

The European Drag Racing Database at www.eurodrag.com has been updated with the final standings in the FIA European Championships, and a report and some stunning photographs from the McDonald's Finals at Wittstock in Germany.

Rainout concludes Super Series.
25th September: The final round of the Super Series Championships, and the penultimate round of the UK National Drag Racing Championship, was rained out yesterday. Saturday dawned with a 4.2-scale earth tremor and the earth-shaking continued with some great performances in qualifying, notably a pass of 8.141/176.47 by Tony Clark in Super Street Bike which was followed by a classic and typically sportsmanlike all-hands-to-the-pump thrash after engine damage on the next qualifying pass. Also in Super Street Bike there was an attempt on the altitude record as James Curnick's SSB went vertical and actually left the track, depositing James in a heap. James escaped with heavy bruising, the bike is somewhat less healthy.

On four wheels, Tim Adam and Nick Davies shone with perfect 9.900 runs in Super Gas qualifying, and Tim doubled up by also qualifying first in Super Comp. Bob Hancox also raised a huge cheer with a superb pass of 9.379 in his Outlaw Anglia.

No racing at all took place yesterday as rain started long before eliminations were scheduled to commence, and got heavier as the day went on. A riders' and drivers' meeting was held in the early afternoon at which the owner of Shakespeare County Raceway, Anthony Hodges, and Super Series co-ordinators Obsession Motorsports offered racers the chance to come back at the end of October to run the eliminations and finish the Super Series. The offer was put to a vote but neither side had the required two-thirds majority, so the 2000 Super Series is now completed. We will bring you the final points standings as soon as we receive them.

You can get to Eurodragster's live reports and pictures from Super Series 5 by clicking here, or via the Race Coverage link on the left-hand column of any Eurodragster page.

Billadeau wins Perfect Light money.
25th September: Another highlight of Saturday's qualifying at Super Series 5 was Super Street racer Dave Billadeau's 0.500 reaction time, which won him Eurodragster's £70 Perfect Light award. Ironically, Dave broke a few yards off the line on that pass as a universal joint let go. He effected repairs using parts borrowed from his brother and would have been back in competition had eliminations taken place.

Many congratulations to Dave, and thanks to the official timekeepers at both Shakespeare County Raceway and Santa Pod Raceway for keeping a special eye on Reaction Times for us. In accordance with the rules of the Eurodragster Perfect Light award we are now putting up another £50, which will be awarded to the first racer to record a perfect Reaction Time at the National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway on 7th-8th October. This will be the last race this season at which the Perfect Light money will be available; we hope to repeat the scheme next season.

UK Championship points posted.
25th September: The usual thanks to UK National Championship Points Co-ordinators Yvonne Tramm and Simon Groves for continuing to forward us the points standings in the UK National Championships. We have just received the post-European Finals standings, which are available on our Points Standings page.

SS4, Finals timing data.
25th September: Timing data is now available from Super Series 4 and the FIA European Finals.

The timing data from Super Series 4, courtesy of Ozzy Ewing of APIRA, can be found on the Results page of the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries; the timing data from the FIA European Finals, courtesy of Andy Marrs of TSI Timers, is available by clicking here, or via the Timing data link on the left-hand column of any Eurodragster page.

Hogarth in the workshop.
21st September: UK Super Comp racers Jon and Sharon Hogarth have announced that they will not be attending Super Series 5 this weekend. Jon and Sharon write:

"Super Comp racers entered for Super Series 5 can breathe easy in their chase for the points this weekend as unfortunately Jon has just been discharged from hospital having been hooked up to a lean out valve (chest drain) for a whole week after having suffered a collapsed lung shortly after the Euro Finals.

"Even when Jon was being hooked up to further specialist equipment to try and fire up his damaged lung he refused to admit that he would not be fit enough to race his recently-debuted Split Window Vette at SS5. At one point Jon had more pipework and connectors going in and out of him than he has Speedflow products on his 532ci Jeff Bull Race Engine.

"Totally gutted, Jon has finally given in to advice of both the Doctors and his Crew and has today advised that he'll do the decent thing and give the others Super Comp racers an easy weekend!

"Jon, Sharon and the Crew wish all their colleagues in Super Comp well this weekend and indeed all the very best of wishes for a great weekend to all at SS5.

"Jon will be back behind the wheel of the race car just as soon as he has had the OK and will be stepping things up in pursuit of his first seven second pass."

Everyone at Eurodragster wishes you a speedy recovery, Jon; we hope to see Sharon and yourself back at the track very soon.

SS4 not to be run at SS5.
21st September: After the curtailment of eliminations at Super Series 4 in August, it had been suggested that the outstanding races might be run in qualifying at Super Series 5 this weekend, counting only towards the Super Series Championship. We have now heard from Super Series and joint National Points Co-ordinator Simon Groves that the outstanding races are not to be run this weekend.

Consequently the Super Series Championship standings at the point of curtailment have been calculated by Simon and are now available on the Results page of the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries.

King offers affordable sponsorship.
21st September: Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King is seeking sponsorship for a trip to compete in the AMA/Prostar World Finals at Gainesville in mid-November. Rather than approaching one concern for a large sum, Ian has come up with the idea of seeking a number of smaller sums (it worked for Thrust SSC - Ed) affordable by fans and companies alike, and promises a great incentive for collectors. Ian writes:

"I am asking any company or individual to support me by making donation of £100 towards the cost. In return, I pledge to make a big splash on their support in the media and on the Net, carry logos and/or names on the bike for the meeting, and in the New Year, all of those who have contributed will receive an exclusive team member item in the form of an official King Racing embroidered jacket worth £55."

Anyone wishing to support Ian in this way can contact him at sponsorship@kingracing.com.

More Turbo CDs available.
21st September: Racer, photographer and journalist Ian Turburville (aka Turbo) has given his web site a facelift, and to celebrate the relaunch has made two more CD-ROMs available from his extensive photo library. Turbo now has three Library CDs available. Each contains three hundred high-resolution pictures; discs one and two contain pictures from the UK, Europe and the USA, whilst disc three contains pictures from this year's FIM European Championships. We have seen the first of Turbo's CDs and we can testify to the quality and range of the pictures; as UK supermarkets can't resist reminding us, Christmas is on the horizon and at £10 each these CDs make an ideal early gift idea - but of course there is no reason to wait that long.

Turbo's redesigned web site at www.turboville.com features a large number of samples from his CDs and of course ordering information, plus details about his racing operation, new and used parts for sale, links and much more.

European bests update.
21st September: Following on from our news item on Tuesday, Andy Marrs of TSI Timers has asked us to thank everyone who has contacted him with amendments. He has now updated his list, which you can see by clicking here.

Andy has been filling us in on the idea behind his list. "It isn't necessarily a list of European records authenticated by any governing body", says Andy, "merely those that fill the criteria set out by those governing bodies, for example the one per cent rule. Also I only include bests set on European soil. I collated the list for my own use, and share the information with others through mutual interest. I certainly don't want my list considered official, although obviously many of the entries are or should be".

Anyone who would like to talk stats with Andy (or offer to buy him a new coat - Ed) is very welcome to contact him at tsitimers@orange.net.

Polish off a free sample.
21st September: UK Fuel Funny Car team Shockwave Racing have teamed up with one of their sponsors, Race Glaze, to offer a fans a free sample of the polishing product. All you have to do is to e-mail the team. You can find full details of the offer on the News page of the Shockwave web site at www.funnycar.uk.com.

Chris Hampson: inquest verdict.
20th September: Top Fuel Bike racer and ACU Championship co-ordinator Ian King has asked us to pass on the following message after the inquest into Chris Hampson's death:

"I have just returned from Bedford Magistrates Court where the inquest into Chris Hampson's tragic accident was conducted. After deliberation from accounts given by a witness and the scrutineer, a verdict of accidental death was recorded.

"Our thoughts are, as ever, with Jan, his sister Jane, Phil, and their respective families."

Split Second leads SS5 entry.
20th September: Jet Dragster racers Colin Fallows and Mark Newby will be headlining this weekend's final round of the Super Series at Shakespeare County Raceway. Colin and Mark traded the UK Land Speed Record at Elvington a short while ago and will be making another assault on the record in October, so this weekend's event gives them a great opportunity to test out the new engine, air intake and afterburner on the Split Second Jet Dragster. The press release which we have received says that the venerable Vampire Jet Dragster is now enjoying a comfortable and well-earned retirement (out to stud, is it? - Ed); whether this is before this weekend or after remains to be seen, hopefully after!

The entry list for this weekend's race is now available on the Race Info page of the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries. In the light of the UK fuel crisis one would have been forgiven for expecting a thin entry but there is a healthy list in most classes reflecting the close standings in a number of the UK National and Super Series Championships.

Qualifying starts at 10:00 on Saturday morning and racing at 11:00 on Sunday. Tickets are £12 per day or £20 for the weekend. For directions and other details check out the Super Series web site.

Super Series 5 racers' tickets.
19th September: We have been asked to inform all racers attending Super Series 5 at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend that their tickets will be on the gate at SCR. This is to ensure that racers get their tickets rather than risk having them delayed in the post because of the after-effects of the fuel crisis.

You can find some more details on the News page of the APIRA web site at www.eurodragster.com/apira.

We hope to be able to post the SS5 entry list on the Super Series web site tomorrow (Wednesday).

Heezen takes European Top Gas title.
19th September: Many thanks to our good friend Ian Turburville (aka Turbo) for passing on Piet Mom's report from the final round of the European Top Gas Series at Wittstock.

"Job Heezen is the champ in Top Gas, but it was a narrow escape. After just one round of qualifying on Saturday, it rained the rest of the day and Job was not in, because he couldn't keep the bike in his own lane. But they all got another shot on Sunday morning and Job was on top of the list, with an 8.3/260kmh (161.56Mph).

"With fifteen riders that meant a bye run in round one. Job didn't take it easy, but ran a new personal best ET: 8.06 and 263Kmh (163.42Mph), in a far from perfect run! So he finished the season with a new Top Gas speed record (recapured from Ricardo Gilberto) and the number one plate for next year.

"Swedish rider Janne Gustavsson came to Wittstock in second place, only 270 points behind, but dropped to third place eleminated by Gunter Retsch. Ricardo Gilberto damaged his gearbox, and repeared it in twenty minutes between qualifying and round one. With everybody else already lined up they were still wrenching! Angela (Wittenzellner, the Top Gas 'Mother' - Ed) ran back and forth between the paddock and the start line. But they made it into the quarter finals, passing Janne Gustavsson in the Championship. "Herman Jolink was hot on the lights again, and ran 9.606 and 9.607, but was eliminated by Gunther Sohn (fourth place) in round one. They went side by side for the first eighth-mile. Herman finished number ten this year. " Rain spoiled the rest of the event, and that wrapped up the European Series."

Thanks to Piet and Ian for the report. You can find out more about the European Top Gas Series on the official web site at www.topgas.com.

Smax's Bash crash.
19th September: Thanks to UK Fuel FC racer Smax Smith for sending us a photo sequence of his crash at the Bulldog Bash. You will remember that Smax's Mainline Menace 5 had just left the line on a demo pass when an oil line failed, dumping lubricant under the slicks and rendering Smax a passenger from then on. Smax was unhurt, and he tells us that the car is almost repaired.

Click here to see the photo sequence.

European Finals pictures.
19th September: Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing have pulled off quite a coup by publishing a large number of professional photographer Stefan Boman's pictures from the European Finals. As you would expect from one of the best Drag Racing photographers in Europe, or indeed anywhere, the pictures are spectacular. Check out the Svensk Dragracing site at www.dragracing.se.

Not quite in the same class, but Eurodragster staffer Tog has added Pro Stock and Pro Mod to his Finals pictures on his personal web site at www.togsdragracing.com.

European bests.
19th September: Andy Marrs of TSI Timers has updated his list of European bests, which you can view by clicking here. Andy would be pleased to hear from anyone with amendments; you can contact him via e-mail at tsitimers@orange.net.

FB Racing: thank you!
19th September: Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Ian Hook has asked us to pass on a personal message of thanks to his supporters, which we are very pleased to do. Ian writes:

"I'd just like to say a personal thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me through the 2000 season enabling a podium finish, my best yet in CCSE.

"To all my crew who have been brilliant (and merciless with the mickey taking!), to my sponsors A & E Fire Equipment, Potters Performance Parts, JWR Motorsport and Robis Curry House (appropriate don't you think), and to all the fans who've wished me well through the year. Thanks again and watch out for us in 2001!"

If any other racers out there would like to send their acknowledgements, we would be happy to post (clean) messages here on Eurodragster. You know the address: news@eurodragster.com - Ed).

Web site updates.
19th September: Dan Bennett has updated the Super Comp 323 Online web site with a report of the team's progress at the European Finals. Check it out at www.supercomp323.8k.com.

Pelle's disappointment.
18th September: Swedish Top Fuel Dragster racer Pelle Lindelöw is disappointed with his trip to last week's FIA European Finals. It was all coming together coming together for Pelle and his team this year after a nightmare season in 1999, but things went a little awry at Santa Pod culminating in an engine explosion in the semi-finals.

"We were counting on some real low ETs - but planning is one thing, reality is something else" says Pelle. "In our last run, against Peter Beck, we were stuck to the track for close to half distance before the motor let go. We will take it apart on Tuesday then we will know what gave up first! There are several theories but hopefully we will find out then. What is making it harder to accept is the fact that the incremental times we produced last weekend are the best we've ever run, and we should easily have ended end up with a new personal best, or even quicker."

Pelle is however philosophical. "Enough with complaints, racing is racing and there are no guarantees or shortcuts to success. Either it works or it doesn't - this time it didn't. In the coming months we will decide what we will do next season."

You can keep in touch with the news from Pelle and the team on the PG Racing web site at www.pgracing.nu.

Bernie on the Maltese scene.
18th September: We were very pleased to hear from much-missed UK Top Methanol racer Bernie Hepworth, who now spends a lot of his time in Malta. He wrote with some more information on the Drag Racing scene on the island.

"To fully apreciate just what goes on down there you need to visit", says Bernie (all it needs is a plane ticket through my door and I'll be there, mate - Ed). "There are five Top Alcohol cars, two Funny Cars and one Top Fuel car, plus all the other classes. The track is a little iffy, but it is after all an old airfield and the temperatures get to 45C with ninety per cent humidity - a tuner's nightmare! The track marshals do an excellent job with what they have.

"There are eight-second four-cylinder Ford Escorts, low six-second dragsters, altereds, Pro Mods, even twelve-second diesel trucks. The two teams that came to the UK have a lot of experience, and I'm sure they suprised most of the 'old hands' in the alky dragster class. You must remember this: the Elbros guys were the ones who appeared a few years ago with a tin eight-second Ford Escort and started the ball rolling with the Turbo Cosworth stuff.

"As for me I tune a small block dragster down there. We ran 6.04/220 last meeting and it was sunny all weekend - you kinda don't miss Bedfordshire's tricky climate!"

After the season we've had in Europe doesn't it just make you want to pack up and move the whole Tour down to Malta! Thanks very much for the insight, Bernie.

FIM, ACU records, points posted.
18th September: The latest FIM European records and the remaining post-Super Series 4 ACU UK Championship points standings are now available on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com.

Perfect Light prize fund now £70.
4th September: Nobody won the Eurodragster Perfect Light money at the European Finals, although Super Pro ET racer Jon Webster and Sportsman ET racer Phil Walker running in Custom Car Street Eliminator both came very close with 0.501s, so the prize fund has gone up to £70 for this weekend's Super Series 5 at Shakespeare County Raceway. The money will be awarded to the first racer to cut a perfect light (0.400 or 0.500) during either qualifying or eliminations.

Web site updates.
18th September: The Shockwave Fuel Funny Car web site at www.funnycar.uk.com has been updated with an account of the team's outing at the European Finals. Written by crew member Stuart Abram, the report is interesting and informative and gives fans another insight into the work involved in one of these operations.

Gary and Phil Cottingham's fan site at www.dragracing.atfreeweb.com has been updated with the promised report from the European Finals.

Eurodragster staffer Tog has added Top Methanol Dragster and Top Methanol Funny Car to his European Finals pictures at www.togsdragracing.com.

Shaun's Brighton trip a success, too.
17th September: UK Super Gas racer Shaun Saunders has written to us about his own trip to the Brighton Speed Trials. His trip was just as successful as that of Paul Marston, about which we wrote on 14th September.

"We all had an enjoyable day which ended with the beer swilling and Trophy bash at the Brighton and Hove Motor Club", says Shaun. "The Fastest Time of the Day or FTD was myself in the Datsun with a 10.29/140. The prize was a trophy and £200 petrol money. I also received trophies for FTD by a Brighton Club member, FTD by a pushrod V8-powered car, winner of the Brighton and Hove Handicap class and winner of class 8, Open Class.

"You have to run the event with a smile as it's just a bit of fun along the seafront. The surface is very slippery and bumpy - I doubt a Pro Mod car would run any faster!"

Congratulations to Shaun and Paul on their success at Brighton.

Web site updates.
17th September: We have a fair number of web site updates today, as racers and fans return from the European Finals.

First up are our sponsors Speedflow; Fay and Paul Fischer have updated the Speedflow Racing page of their extensive web site with a report from the European Finals, where Fay made the final round of Super Pro ET. It was a very busy weekend for the Fischers since they were not only racing but also playing host to two young girls from Belarus who made a lot of new friends in the pits. "Special thanks to Pat Talbot, Pat Johnson, Shelby Webster, Georgina Pateman and a really special thank-you to Jeanette Webster. What a bunch", says Paul Fischer. Check out the Speedflow Racing report at www.netcomuk.co.uk/~lfracing/news.htm.

Richard Bell, aka Richard the Pie Boy, has put together an absolutely superb new web site designed to introduce and explain Drag Racing to newcomers. Drag Racing Explained at www.dragracing.4all.cc is packed with features including an A-Z of Drag Racing, a run-down of classes, a track locator, a special feature on Top Fuel Dragster, monthly quiz and much more. The site is well-designed and easy to navigate and is well worth a visit.

The UK1320 web site at www.uk1320.com has been updated with a full report and photographs from the European Finals. Both the report and pictures are of the usual high quality and are well worth a viewing.

The Drag Torque web site at www.dragtorque.co.uk has been updated with a large number of photographs and videos covering every class of racing. Webmaster Dave Nelson has put in a lot of work on this site and it shows.

Eurodragster staffer Sharkman has updated his personal web site Sharkman's Top End Tales with a long report, a huge batch of photographs, videos and wallpapers from the European Finals. Check it out at www.eurodragster.com/sharkman.

Fellow Eurodragster staffer Tog is putting in what time he can on his personal web site Tog's Drag Racing Page whilst also attending to the daily Eurodragster work, but he has just posted a large number of night racing pictures and all of his Top Fuel Dragster pictures from the European Finals on TDRP at www.togsdragracing.com. Top Methanol, Pro Stock and Pro Mod are next up on Tog's site.

Peter hails Euro SSB success.
15th September: Peter Calwer, originator of the informal European Super Street Bike Challenge, has hailed the success of the series after a tremendous season, culminating in a huge and competitive Super Street Bike field at the European Finals last weekend.

"It was hard to be part of a race team and series organiser at the same time, but it worked!" said Peter, who owns the SSB ridden by Rudi Thurmayr. "Next year we will have a computer to collect the points and manage the results."

Peter and his fellow racers are full of praise for Santa Pod and particularly its surface. "For the German racers the weekend was incredible, and most of them think that this was their best weekend ever. We had a lot of new personal bests - no wonder on that track - including Rudi who ran a new German record of 8.596; I think that anyone wanting to beat that will have to come to Santa Pod. Frank Hetscher, who has been racing for ten years, told me that you have to come to Santa Pod to learn what the words 'traction' and 'grip' really mean. I think someone should give a medal of honour to the track-crew."

One of the ideas behind the European SSB Series was to bring together SSB racers from different countries in a social as well as competitive atmosphere, and there is no doubt that this aim was met. "I would like to say a big Thank You to the British racers" said Peter. "They were very co-operative."

The Challenge is now over for the season, and UK racer Graham Dance became the inaugural winner. "Graham said to me that this was the biggest pot he ever won!", said Peter.

The European SSB Challenge web site, at www.dragsterracing.de/eurossb, has now been updated with results and the final points standings. Peter promises a race report and pictures in the very near future.

German Finals this weekend.
15th September: The final race of the German Drag Racing season, the McDonald's Finals at Wittstock, takes place this weekend. An entry list and other details are available on Wittstock's web site at www.dragracing.de/wittstock.

Web site updates.
15th September: Tommy Nilsson has updated his European Drag Racing Database at www.eurodrag.com with a summary, qualifying and elimination details from the European Finals. We can highly recommend a visit to the Database, as it has become the reference for European records and performances; it also includes an extensive historical results and Championship database.

Dutch TMFC racer Lex Joon has updated the News page of his web site with a brief review of his weekend at the European Finals. Check it out at www.eurodragster.com/lexjoonracing.

Another national hero in Malta.
14th September: Paul Galea of John Ellul's Top Methanol Dragster team, who won the TMD elimination at the European Finals, has written from Malta about his weekend.

"We'd like to thank everyone for this incredible weekend!", says Paul. "We don't believe what happened, it's simply great. We're going to miss Santa Pod and that perfect weather that the four hundred Maltese racing fans brought with them last weekend (can we book you guys for every race in Europe next season? - Ed). Now we believe that the European Finals is the best Drag Racing weekend of the year."

John and his crew got a rapturous reception on their return home, repeating the tumult which greeted Manty Bugeja's return after he won the Main Event in May. "We got a huge welcome at the airport from all the media. TV, newspaper and magazine reporters surrounded John Ellul asking him about every race which he won.

"The Banzai team would like to thank Tog and Sharkman for your web site and for the immediate news you've posted in all the events in which we've taken part (no problem, thanks - Ed). And the Banzai fans would like to thank the super team of last weekend's event, who were: John Ellul (Driver); Carmel Ellul (Crew Chief), Charles Camilleri aka ZOQDI (Super Fontana tuner), Joe Galea (Super crew man) and Kevin Ellul (Crewman)."

Thanks for writing, Paul. We look forward to seeing our Maltese racing frends (and their weather-toting fans) again next season.

Grumpy's Dodge wins again in Brighton.
14th September: UK Super Gas racer Paul Marston had one half of a successful weekend when he took his Grumpy's Dodge racer to the Brighton Speed Trials. Paul and his car were at Santa Pod on Friday; the plan being to qualify in Super Gas on Friday, run at Brighton on Saturday, and return to Santa Pod for eliminations on Sunday. Unfortunately the weather put paid to Paul's participation at Santa Pod, but his trip to Brighton was much more successful. Paul takes up the story.

"As planned, we attended Santa Pod on Thursday and were scrutineered, but we were unable to qualify on Friday due to the weather conditions. Myself and Crew Chief Dave Kalisz left for Brighton at eight o'clock on Friday evening, arriving in Brighton at eleven thirty. By this time, I had missed my Press Conference and decided that, however tempting the room reserved for me at the Brighton Hilton may have been, an early start was more important, so I spent another night in the camper on Madeira Drive!

"To set the scene: Madeira Drive is a three-quarter mile straight on the seafront at Brighton, overlooked by two promenades which make a great set of grandstands running the entire length of the course. With over two hundred and fifty cars and nearly one hundred bikes ranging from Blower Bentleys to Ferrari F50s there is something for everyone. The surface is ordinary road, offers very little grip, is very bumpy and not even swept.

"We woke at seven, found our pit space and set up. The pits filled up very quickly just like last year and the same chaos as last year ensued with pitting and trailers. We were scrutineered and passed OK, so we went down for a practice run having also passed the noise test, but we were checked twice just to be sure. Our first run netted a 12.60 which bitterly disappointed my Crew Chief Dave Kalisz as the run was slower than expected and the burnout was small.

"With a few adjustments we ran our first timed run which netted 10.70/131 mph after a huge Pro Mod style burnout. Our second run was 10.68/131mph which qualified us for the quick six run-off for the quickest six cars from any class. Our last run, although slower at 10.90/130 (we tried the transbrake and it hazed the tyres to the eighth) was enough to take the win.

"I would like to express my sincere thanks to Dave Gibbons - Hired Shoe licensed to thrill, Dave Kalisz - Crew Chief, Andy Oliver (Allglass) - Tyres, Black Box North, our sponsors for inviting us, and T. J. at the Brighton and Hove Sprint Club for allowing us to take part. We will be back next year!"

Web site updates.
14th September: The web site of the Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster team at www.eurodragster.com/nemesisracing has been updated with a report from the FIA European Finals. As is customary with crew member Andy Bissett's accounts, the report is highly entertaining and gives fans a great view from the inside. You can find the report on the News page of the Nemesis site.

The Fantasy Drag Racing Competition at www.fantasy-sports-web.com has been updated following the European Finals at Santa Pod. Monique and Vincent Pels topped the scoring for this round, but Spencer Tramm is still out in front with his Quantum Leap team. He is closely followed by Andy Marrs of TSI Timers, who moves ahead of our Eurodragster staffer Sharkman. Ian Highfield, the site's webmaster, would like to thank Andy Marrs for providing the timing data for the European Finals, which assisted in the speedy production of the results.

AJ gutted as SPR jinx continues.
13th September: UK Top Fuel Dragster pilot Al Jackson declared himself "gutted" after discovering too late the cause of two thrown blower belts at the FIA European Finals, where he drove Knut Soderquist's Carbon By Design Top Fueller.

"When it threw the first belt, on Saturday, we thought that that belt had done seven or eight runs and so we put it down to age", said AJ. "But after we threw the second one, in the race against Pelle on Sunday, I realised that something else was wrong. I found that the intake manifold was misaligned, but by then it was too late."

AJ also had to contend with a broken reverser handle on one of his qualifying attempts. " It's magnesium and once it's bent, it goes like chocolate", he said. "You can't bend it back without breaking it. So I had to abort that run. So, effectively, we made one run at the weekend, and you don't learn much from one run."

The final irony for AJ was in his race against Pelle Lindelöw on Sunday when both cars threw their belts and the race turned into a momentum contest, which Pelle won. "If there had been a hole in the floor, I'd have put my feet through it and run to the finish line!", he said. "I even left both fuel pumps on to get the extra revs, but it wasn't enough. I think we're jinxed at Santa Pod. Just about everything has happened to me at Santa Pod, I've never done a full pass there!".

Final FIM points posted.
13th September: The final standings in the 2000 FIM/UEM European Drag Bike Championships are now available on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com.

Santa Pod RWYB cancelled.
13th September: Santa Pod Raceway tell us that the Run What You Brung which was due to take place this Sunday, 17th September, has been cancelled because of the current fuel supply problems in the UK. The next scheduled RWYB at Santa Pod is on Sunday 24th September.

Web site updates.
13th September: The official web site of the Showtime Racing Fuel Funny Car team has been updated with a report and pictures from the European Finals. As ever the report is entertaining and highly informative. Check it out at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.

Jim Seward has updated the web site of his Harry The Spider Fuel Altered operation with a report from the weekend's Hot Rod Drags, where Jim ran 7.1/178, and a couple of video clips. "The Hot Rod Drags was the last race of the season for us", says Jim, "I can't wait for next year when we will be running even faster!". The Harry The Spider web site can be found at www.geocities.com/hts_racing.

Where David and Emerson went.
12th September: Belgian Sportsman ET racer David Dony has written to explain his and fellow Belgian racer Emerson Baseille's non-appearances in eliminations at the FIA European Finals.

"We are deeply sorry that we couldn't make any runs in eliminations this weekend, but both cars broke", says David. "Emerson Baseille broke a differential shaft on his first qualifying attempt, and didn't make any runs at all. I also broke my differential on my third run. I was using Nitrous for the first time this weekend, and the sticky track gave the rear end no chance. We hope that the price of fuel goes down next year, so that we can come back".

Thanks for writing, David. We certainly hope to see both yourself and Emerson back again.

Sleath wins CCSE Championship.
12th September: Many thanks to Ian Hook for informing us so quickly that John Sleath has won the 2000 Custom Car Street Eliminator Championship. Ian writes:

"The results of the Custom Car Street Eliminator Finals, held over the weekend as part of the European Finals, have now been confirmed. John Sleath has upheld the honour of the North, retaining his lead and winning this year's Championship. Jeff Meads was runner-up and the Cheltenham Fat Boys moved up from fifth to take third place.

"FB racing would like to congratulate all competitors on their performances over the year. Almost everybody ran NPBs at some point in the season - so much so that this weekend, for the first time in CCSE history, the second round was composed entirely of nine-second cars. That's nine-second street cars running on treaded tyres!

"As with most series, thanks are due to many. To Ian Jackson for his hard work in promoting and organising the series; and to the sponsors Brantwood Auto Breakers, Custom Car, LA Racing, Obsession Motorsport, Nitrous Solutions, V8s R Us, Robinson Race Cars, Santa Pod Raceway, C & P, and ICE Automotive. We'd also like to say thanks to the many fans who expressed their interest and wished us well over the season and, finally, to Eurodragster for their coverage (thanks, Ian - Ed).

"The FB Racing website at www.fbracing.co.uk has now been updated with the final Custom Car Street Eliminator standings for this year. Ian Hook's personal race report will appear later in the week."

Thanks Ian, and congratulations to John Sleath on his Championship victory.

NAST points posted.
12th September: The latest (post-Super Series 4) points standings in the UK National Association of Supertwins Championships have now been posted and are available from our Points Standings page. Thanks to Sue Beneke for sending the points.

Web site updates.
12th September: Gary and Phil Cottingham's fan site at www.dragracing.atfreeweb.com has been updated with some photographs from the FIA European Finals, with a report to follow. Gary and Phil are to be congratulated on actually posting their pictures at the end of each day of the race, but since we were busy at the track with our own updates we did not see their mailshot until yesterday: apologies guys, you can be sure that we will post a link during the next race if you do the same thing.

European Champions crowned.
11th September: This year's FIA and FIM European Champions were presented at the post-race banquet after the European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway. Congratulations to our Champions:
  • FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Anita Mäkelä
  • FIA Top Methanol Dragster: Eero Kilpelainen
  • FIA Top Methanol Funny Car: Leif Andréasson
  • FIA Pro Stock: Niclas Andersson
  • FIM Competition Bike: Öivind Dahl
  • FIM Supertwin Top Fuel: Stefan Junerud
  • FIM Pro Stock Bike: Roger Petterson
Congratulations also to Graham Dance who won the informal European Super Street Bike Series.

FIA European Finals coverage.
11th September: Tommy Möller's dream start in Top Fuel, Championships won on red lights and holeshots, Håkan Nilsson's 6.33, Jarmo Roivas breaks the 250 mph barrier, BJ sets a record of 6.12, Anders Karling's 6.69, and personal bests aplenty. Just some of the headline-grabbers from an incredible race and you can relive it all in our race reports and pictures, which you can read by clicking here, or by clicking on the Race coverage link on any Eurodragster page.

Rapport på svenska hos Svensk Dragracing.

Personal note from Tog and Sharkman: We would like to thank all of the racers and fans who approached us over the weekend to compliment us on our work on Eurodragster.com. We couldn't do it without you, guys, so the compliments are rightfully yours. And our very special thanks to Lars Petterson, Gittli Koller and Leif Andréasson for their generosity.

Nilsson wins first National Championship.
7th September: Sweden's Håkan Nilsson was the winner of the first National Pro Mod Championship to be sanctioned by the Swedish Car Sport Federation, which was contested at the Semcon Drag Finals at Mantorp Park last weekend. The Championship was open to contestants from any country and was run along US shoot-out lines, with the top six Nordic Drag Racing Series racers pre-qualified and the other two places in the field up for grabs during qualifying.

Håkan Nilsson beat Norway's Jan Arve Nygård in the final, with Finland's Seppo Saapola in third place. "It was great to see that the Swedish Car Sport Federation-sanctioned National championship really turned out to be 'open'!", said Lars Pettersson, Drag Racing Committee Chairman. "So it is satisfying to see that three different countries will be represented at the prize ceremony in Stockholm later in the Autumn. Pro Mod has quickly became one of the most crowd-pleasing classes in the sport!"

UK National, ACU SSB points posted.
7th September: The latest (post-Super Series 4) points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships are now available on our Points Standings page.

The latest standings in ACU UK Super Street Bike Championship are now available on the King Racing web site.

CCSE goes international.
7th September: It has been confirmed that, for the first time, there will be competitors from outside the UK taking part in the Custom Car Street Eliminator championship. David Dony (Buick Skylark) and Basseille Emerson (VW Type III Fastback) will be joining Europe's quickest street driven vehicles for the Custom Car Street Eliminator final round at the European Finals this weekend. They are hoping for times in the 11s. There's still a lot to play for with John Sleath and Jeff Meads battling for the title and a real scrap for 3rd through to 6th places. For up to date points standings and background information on the cars and competitors check out www.fbracing.co.uk.

Final Finals entry list.
7th September: The final version of the entry list for the FIA European Finals is now available on the Next Event page of Santa Pod Raceway's web site at www.santapod.com. The most notable changes are the cancellation of Competition Eliminator after Anders Jonsson's withdrawal, and Leena Nyström's withdwrawal from Pro Stock, leaving the Pro Stock field at eight.

Web site updates.
7th September: New NPSC Super Mod Champions and reigning Swedish Competition Champions Team North Race have updated their web site at www.northrace.com. Congratulations to driver Kenneth Feldthusen and the team on their latest Championship with their wild blown-alcohol altered.

Trakbyte's UK Drag Racing History at members.aol.com/trakbyte has had the latest of its regular updates, including a tribute to the late Dave Grady penned by Darren West. Webmaster Chris Dossett would also like to hear from any fan who happens to know the exact date upon which Dennis Priddle ran 5.87 in 1985. If you have not checked out Trakbyte's site recently, or at all, then we can highly recommend it as it is an absolute gold mine for any fan interested in drag racing history.

Eurodragster interviews Darren Prentice.
6th September: As part of the build-up to the FIA European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway this weekend, we have interviewed Race Director Darren Prentice, who will of course be officiating at the race. Darren has given us some deep professional and personal insights in a very informative interview. Click here to read the interview, or you can get to it from the Interviews link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.

European Finals Press Day.
6th September: Also as part of our build-up to the Finals, we attended the Press Call at Marble Arch in London earlier today. Click here to read our report, or you can get to it from the Race coverage link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Gus' Stude coming along.
5th September: Andy Robinson may not be one of the twelve Pro Mod racers entered at the European Finals this weekend, but fans will be pleased to see this picture which Andy and his son Luke have kindly sent us, showing Andy's new Studebaker Pro Mod under construction at Robinson Race Cars. You can see a full-sized version of this picture here, and also a front view and a rear view. The car will have the same engine and running gear as Andy's 6.6-second Rover Pro Mod which was destroyed in a high-speed crash at Shakespeare County Raceway last year.

We understand that Andy will be at Santa Pod Raceway this weekend lending a hand on Gordon Appleton's team. You can stay in touch with the construction of Andy's new car on Luke's web site at lrracing.8k.com.

Rapport på svenska: no worries.
5th September: Yesterday we bemoaned the fact that our good buddies Erik and Christer would not be at the European Finals, which we feared would mean no Swedish-language reports this weekend on top of the lack of their hugely-enjoyable company. We have just heard the excellent news that another of our good friends from Svensk Dragracing, Christina Lidström, will be at the Finals and that she plans to produce reports which will be posted on the Svensk Dragracing web site.

Web site updates.
5th September: On the subject of Svensk Dragracing, their web site has now been updated with some photographs from the weekend's Semcon Drag Finals at Mantorp Park. The Svensk Dragracing site can be found at www.dragracing.se.

Nordic Drag Racing Series completed.
4th September: Yesterday's eliminations were rained out at the Semcon Drag Finals at Mantorp Park in Sweden. However our good buddies at Svensk Dragracing have posted on their web site not just a report and qualifying standings from the weekend, but also the the preliminary standings in the 2000 Nordic Drag Racing Series. Nice work guys. Congratulations to the NDRS Champions.

You can see the weekend reports and stats, and the NDRS standings, on the Svensk Dragracing web site at www.dragracing.se.

We were very sorry to hear that Erik and Christer, our journalistic partners-in-crime at Svensk Dragracing, will not be able to make the FIA European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway this weekend. This means that our readers in Scandinavia will be subject to Tog's unique brand of English on the live updates. It's not too late for someone to buy Erik or Christer a plane ticket, guys - Ed.

Nordic Pro Street Cup Champions.
4th September: Thanks to Hasse, webmaster of the Swedish Pro Street News magazine, for writing with this year's NPSC Champions. Congratulations to:
  • Super Promod: Fast Freddy Fagerström (Chevy '66 C10 pick-up)
  • Super Mod: Kenneth Feldthusen (Altered)
  • Super Prostreet: Jimmy Ålund ('67 Nova)
  • Prostreet: Blues Racing, Kim and Uno ('63 Nova)
  • Street: Leif Ivarsson ('69 Camaro)
Freddy Fagerström is now bound for the UK where he will be competing in Super Pro ET at the FIA European Finals; his web site at come.to/fast-freddy has been updated with the latest news from his pit.

Möller: all systems go.
4th September: We understand that Tommy Möller gained his Top Fuel licence in testing at Santa Pod Raceway yesterday, which gives him the all-clear to race at the FIA European Finals. Tommy's qualification confirms this weekend's Top Fuel Dragster field at seven.

For a report and photographs from yesterday's test session at Santa Pod, click here, or our live updates can be accessed from the Race coverage link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Perfect Light prize fund now £60.
4th September: Nobody won the Eurodragster Perfect Light money at Super Series 4 last week, although some racers came very close indeed, so the prize fund has gone up to £60 for this weekend's FIA European Finals. The money will be awarded to the first racer to cut a perfect light (0.400 or 0.500) during either qualifying or eliminations. Good luck everyone!

Web site updates.
4th September: The web site of UK Fuel Funny Car team Showtime Racing has been updated with crew member Chris Dossett's highly entertaining report and great pictures from Super Series 4. Check it out at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.

Dutch Top Methanol FC racer Lex Joon has updated the News page of his web site with a preview of this weekend's FIA European Finals including an introduction to a new crew member. Lex's web site can be found at www.eurodragster.com/lexjoonracing.

UK Funny Bike team Predator Racing have moved URLs to www.predatorracing.co.uk and have updated their site with news and photographs of their new Funny Bike, which is expected to appear later this season.

Semcon Drag Finals coverage.
3rd September: Our good buddies at Svensk Dragracing are on-site at Mantorp Park and reporting from the Semcon Drag Finals. Stay in touch with the Mantorp action at www.dragracing.se.

Pre-FIA Finals RWYB coverage.
3rd September: We're in place at Santa Pod Raceway reporting from the last Run What You Brung before next week's FIA European Finals.

Click here to see the latest from Santa Pod.

More RWYB racers.
2nd September: Super Gas racer Nick Davies and Super Pro ET racer Tim Garlick have joined the list of racers who will be testing at tomorrow's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway. For more details of Run What You Brung events at Santa Pod, check out the RWYB page of Santa Pod's web site at www.santapod.com.

Eurodragster will be reporting from tomorrow's RWYB, stay tuned.

Web site updates.
2nd September: Swiss TMFC racer Dezsoe Krivan has updated his web site with a report of his weekend at the Nitro Olympics at Hockenheim, which unfortunately resulted in a holed block. Check out Dezsoe's web site at www.dragracing.ch.

UK TMD team Shell Racing have updated the News page of their web site at www.eurodragster.com/shellracing with a report from Super Series 4.

The FB Racing website at www.fbracing.co.uk has now been updated with a personal race report by Ian Hook on the Super Series 4 weekend, and the latest times and speeds are now reflected in the Competitor's Details of the Custom Car Street Eliminator section (including copious new Personal Bests - congratulations to all concerned).

The web site of UK Super Street racers Team Top Banana has also been updated with a race report from Super Series 4. The Top Banana web site can be found at www.topbanana.home-page.org.

Eurodragster staffer Sharkman has updated his personal web site Sharkman's Top End Tales with a very brief report and a number of photographs from Super Series 4. Sharkman's site is at www.btinternet.com/~sharkman.

The UK1320 web site has been updated with a report and some great photographs from Super Series 4. UK1320 can be found at www.uk1320.com.

TMDs at RWYB.
1st September: Further to yesterday's news item, we hear that Malta's John Ellul plans to test his Top Methanol Dragster at Sunday's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod, and we understand that fellow Maltese TMD racer Manty Bugeja may also be there. Stay tuned for further details.

Any racers testing at Sunday's RWYB who would like to let their fans know, please don't hesitate to tell us at news@eurodragster.com and we'll pass on the news here.

The weekend according to...
1st September: Three race teams have updated their web sites with reports from recent events.

First up is the Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster team at www.eurodragster.com/nemesisracing who have updated their News page with a report of their exploits at Super Series 4. The account, by crew member Andy Bissett, is the usual entertaining fare although you should also have a hanky ready for the more heartbreaking paragraphs.

Top Fuel Dragster racer Barry Sheavills' web site at www.topfuel.co.uk has been updated with a short account of his weekends at Hockenheim and Shakespeare County Raceway, and some thoughts going into the FIA European Finals. You can find the updates on the Press Release page.

UK Super Pro ET team Speedflow Racing have updated their web site with a short report from Super Series 4. Check it out at www.netcomuk.co.uk/~lfracing/news.htm.

Views on Super Series 4.
1st September: In addition to yesterday's statement from Super Series organiser Terry Gibbs about events at Super Series 4, we have also received a few comments from racers, fans and officials. You can read these by clicking here.


Earlier news


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