If we had been gamblers, a few carefully placed pounds at the beginning of the season would have brought us a small fortune!
As we rolled into Santa Pod Raceway at Easter, we could never have imagined that during the entire 2017 season Phil would
only lose one round of competition and that Gary Hester would wrap up 2017 having only been beaten by one racer all season!
Back-to-back final rounds between Phil and Gary at the Festival of Power and Big Bang, which resulted in wins for Phil, were
quickly followed up with another final between the two at Race, Rock and Ride where Gary took the honours. The SPRC Summernationals
came and went without the semis being run, but things seemed to be heading in the same direction with Phil sitting in one pair
and Gary in the other when unfortunately the event was called due to an on-track incident. On our visit to Shakespeare County
Raceway over August Bank Holiday the pair faced off once again but this time earlier on race day. Phil went through to lift the
winner's trophy at the end of the day having collected the maximum points on offer from qualifying!
Which brings us to the weekend's UK National Finals at Santa Pod. The points couldn't have been much tighter; Phil went in
with the advantage but Gary would benefit from the all-rounds bonus, so there was everything to play for. The number one
qualifier spot was obviously priority for both, and it was Phil who took it with a 9.04 on his 9.02 dial in. Phew!
Race day dawned, the pairings were revealed, and once again it was opposite sides of the ladder for the two main protagonists.
Surely it couldn't happen again! For Phil, a solo due to Craig Boulton unfortunately suffering from issues with his nitro bike,
then a race against a wheelying Peter Harrison, and a bye in the semis took him on the path to the final. Elsewhere, Gary
had to plough his way through the opposition dispatching Joe Elliott, Chris Mott and Derek Flynn to take his place in the final.
In the final Gary had the advantage off the line, but at the stripe it was Phil with the win margin of 0.04 seconds.
What an amazing season 2017 has been, Team Satan's Lady has taken the UK National ET Bike Championship in its first year, we
think the much-prized 2017 Santa Pod Racers Club ET Bike Championship, and runner-up in the APIRA Championship to boot!
We'd like to say a massive Thank You to all of our fellow racers in a fantastic class which produces some of the closest races
from the widest variety of bikes, road bikes to Fuel bikes. The camaraderie and sportsmanship have been second to none. We've
seen fields of sixteen and more at some events this year, and with a few new names already pencilled in for 2018 ET Bike is
just going to grow... and we can't wait!
Swift snippets. 28th September: Thanks to Maikel Gloudmans of our streaming service provider
Doyousee.me for letting us know about another of his fantastic on-board 360°
videos featuring Top Fuel Bike racer Rene ven den Berg, this time from his stunning 6.095-second qualifying pass at the UK National Finals.
Being a full-circle video gives you the perfect excuse to watch it several times in a row. You can check it out by clicking on the
image at right, be sure to enlarge it to full-screen. If you would like Doyousee.me to provide this service for you then you can
contact them via their web site at www.doyousee.me
York Raceway closes out 2017. 28th September: Chris Murty writes that the 2017 Pennine Drag Racing Club Championships will draw to
a close at York Raceway this weekend, at what will hopefully
not be York's last event:
On Saturday (30th) all our Championships come to an end and the winners will be crowned. All of our Championships are anyone's to
win or lose, there will be close dramatic racing from all. There will be RWYB sessions all day as well as Roger Goring in
the Firestorm Jet Funny car.
On Sunday (1st), our last day of the year, we have one of our very popular Big Bracket races in which all of our racers come together
to go head-to-head one last time. There will be virtually non-stop RWYB and our last very popular Ultimate RWYB sessions, and
Roger Goring will again be on-track again with his Jet Funny Car.
We will also be hosting a round of Straightliners' Drag Bike Championship this weekend.
With an uncertain future this could be the last ever event although we are working hard and with many people and organisations
to make sure the future is secured. The Murty family, who brought drag racing to the north forty years ago, would like you to
join them us a ceremonial Last Run down York Raceway's quarter mile. Chris and Michael Murty will pull in to stage in their cars,
and on the green will lead a procession down the track and along the return road back to the pits. We hope many of you will join
us on this emotional end to 2017 and to our last forty years, but with our combined efforts we can secure another ten or more years
of drag racing at York Raceway.
The best possible field trip. 28th September: Martin Ayton, Motor Vehicle tutor at Carshalton College in South London, has been in touch
with a big Thank You to Santa Pod Raceway and to Samantha Briggs and Georgia Foley of the Institute of the Motor Industry for an enjoyable day at the
UK National Finals:
My fellow Motor Vehicle tutor Jim Darville took the students to Santa Pod by minibus and signing in with the IMI in the VIP suite made them feel very important.
They were also able to experience the action and sound from the VIP balcony.
Most of the students had never seen or heard the noise of some of the top classes racing at this meeting. They were able to see Andy Robinson in his Pro Modified complete
the quarter mile in 5.94 seconds at 236 mph and it was very loud for some of them!
We hope to be able to take more students in the future so that they can also experience drag racing and get involved with the sport.
Thanks to Ian King for letting us know that the final 2017 ACU UK Drag Bike Championships standings are available on
the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com. Ian asked us to
thank our own Simon, one of the UK Championship Co-ordinators with Yvonne Tramm, for his help this season.
As well as the fantastic amount raised by the Charity Football Match, about which more anon, there were presentations for two
other recent fund-raising efforts at the weekend's UK National Finals. Firstly the appeal for funds for Santa Pod Raceway's
Medical Centre in memory of safety crew member Ben 'Panda' Butler raised £3140 which was presented to Mark and Bill
by Ben's partner Natalie and Ben's parents. The money will be put towards a relatives' room, named for Ben, in the Medical Centre.
Regular readers will recall that the Sportsman ET racers held a Coffee and Cake morning in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Fund
at Bug Jam back in July. With the addition of prize money from the rained-out eliminations the racers raised £1000 which was
presented to Macmillan representatives. Well done everyone.
Mike Kason, who was at Pistons and Props at Sywell with his 1970 Abarth WEC car, says that he was appreciating the good job which the Shakespeare County Raceway
crew were making of the drag racing show when Jerry Cookson suffered his heart attack and saw the response. "All those present at the Show would like to thank
the brilliant ambulance crew who were with Jerry within a minute of his misfortune", says Mike. "They were brilliant and I think it is fair to say that without their very quick
intervention Jerry might not be with us now. Thanks to the emergency crew, and Jerry we all wish you a fast and complete recovery."
Thanks to Andy Marrs and SPRC's timing crew for forwarding the official Timing Data from the UK National Finals, which
you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link
on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks also to Marrs for forwarding an updated table of UK and European Bests now including the ACU Top Fuel Bike and Comp Bike
records set at the UK National Finals. You can check it out by clicking here
or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Editor's note: Apologies for the delay in posting news since the National Finals; after six intense weekends in a row your News
Editor's body was ever-more-unsubtly suggesting that he take a break or drop. Thanks for their concern to those who noticed and got in
touch, and thanks for their patience to those whose news items we are currently coding for the next update.
Web site updates. 27th September: Paul Bryan has updated his Flick album with 233 pictures of Saturday's action at the UK National
Finals. You can check it out at
www.flickr.com/photos/paulbryan_photopedia.
Paul Lister has updated his Drag Car Anon web site with pictures of the Sunday's action at the FIA / FIM European Finals. You
can take a look at www.dragcaranon.co.uk.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored
reports, results, pit notes and galleries by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any
Eurodragster.com page. Please thank Tog in thanking Simon for hard work on pit notes yesterday and real-time Championship
updates today, and Julian, Kirstie and Diana Macrae for hard work supplying galleries on Friday, yesterday and today.
Get Well Soon Jerry! 24th September: Chris Schreier has asked everyone to wish Shakespeare County Raceway's Promotions
Manager and all-round good guy Jerry Cookson a speedy recovery after suffering a heart attack yesterday at Pistons and Props at Sywell Aerodrome.
"Jerry is on the road to recovery, but was going to be kept in Kettering General overnight", says Chris. "He is in high spirits considering the procedure and ordeal
he has just been through, and has already mentioned the next race meeting at Shakey next weekend! Speedy recovery and see you back soon."
We'll second that; Get Well Soon Jerry and we look forward to seeing you fit and well very soon.
However, despite the impressive new facility and accommodating track staff the hot and steamy weather conditions affected the ability of the track surface
to cope with the 1500 HP monsters in the class, and as a new venue the teams struggled to find a base setting to exploit their full potential.
In the first pair Ian King was up against against Mitch Brown piloting the Denis Bradley Top Fuel Motorcycle. King was first away with a 0.146 reaction time
Mitch responded with a 0.223 to put him behind the curve out of the gate. At the finish line King had extended his advantage over Brown with a 4.15 to 4.50
for Brown to take the win.
On the other side of the ladder US Champion Larry McBride had earned a bye-run and it was fortunate as he lit the tyre on the launch and had to get out
of the throttle right away.
King had lane choice for the semi finals against McBride and a great drag race ensued with King losing traction immediately at the hit, and then chasing
down McBride who also suffered loss of traction further down track. McBride's momentum at the later traction loss prevailed and he just pipped King
at the stripe with a thrilling and oh-so-close 4.48 to King's 4.50.
The team move on to this weekend's next round at Rockingham Dragway, again in North Carolina with hope again for better weather conditions and
a track on which they can exploit their full potential.
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 2017
USA National Championship:
APE - The world's most innovative manufacturer of aftermarket parts for drag bikes Barnsdale Leisure – The UK's Premier Knaus Caravan dealer Bell Helmets (UK) - The most iconic name in helmets, since 1954 Cometic Gaskets - The premier manufacturer of racing gaskets 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 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 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
Time to take a Gamble. 22nd September:Shakespeare
County Raceway's popular Bracket Gamblers series steps up a gear with the 3rd Annual Super Gamblers scheduled for next weekend's Autumn Madness
Public Track Weekend (30th September-1st October). Jerry Cookson writes:
Open to all doorslammers whether race car or daily driver this once a year race has attracted many star names from the drag racing world as well as the Warwickshire
track's regular bracketeers who race for fun!
Last year the Super Gamblers attracted the biggest entry to date, a healthy field of thirty four entries featuring some well known heavy hitters from the UK National
Championship series. Lee Huxley from Team Dark Horse went rounds and eventually picked up last year's title and cash prize after taking out Dave Baldwin's Forty
Below Austin A40. Among the usual muscle cars entries included a Tiger Cat kit car, K series Rover Metro, pick up trucks and an assortment of Jap cars.
Entry is £30, in addition to the usual admission and track fee, which automatically goes into the winners and runners up prize pot. Qualifying begins on
Saturday followed by one or maybe two -hot qualifiers on Sunday for those who just want to race on Sunday. This will largely depend on the size of the entry.
Entry Forms are available from the Downloads page of the Shakespeare County Raceway web site at
www.shakespearecountyraceway.co.uk or can be completed
on the day with your entry fee. Payment can also be made via Bacs from the details on the form or on the day.
In addition to the winners and runners up, supporters Rob Co. Tooling has pledged their support with prizes but there are plenty of sponsorship opportunities
available for product support.
It's promising to be a super weekend of racing in other classes too which also includes two days of RWYB, Outlaw Street, Classic Mini Rumble, the final round
for the Supercharged Outlaws, a Wild Bunch Special and those mad crazy UK Drag Karts. Details can be found on the SCR web site or Facebook page. See
you there!
Swift snippets. 22nd September: This seems to be the date upon which everyone who is anyone has a birthday.
Ladies first and a big Happy Birthday to Crown Princess Emma Wray of Race Control, SPRC timekeeper
Sharron Norris, SPRC marshal Becky Bashford and former Junior Dragster racer and still far too tall
Belle Wheeler. Have a lovely day girls. Spencer, Jedd, Ray, Andrea and Vince asked us to say a big Happy Birthday
to UK Pro Modified racer, race car builder and Eurodragster.com sponsor Chris Isaacs, and a big Happy Birthday
also to UK Outlaw Anglia racer, hedonist and sybarite Colin Millar. Have a great day, guys.
Thanks to Robin Jackson for letting us know that a report of the Pro Modified action at the FIA / FIM European Finals is now available on the official
MSA British Drag Racing Championship web site at www.msadragracing.co.uk.
The arrangements for the SPRC Dinner Dance are as follows, with thanks to Yvonne Tramm:
A free drinks reception, hosted by Staverton Park, will take place between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm outside the
County Suite serving bottled beers, glasses of wine and soft drinks for non-alcoholic drinkers and children
only.
Proceedings will start prompt at 6:00 pm with trophy presentations to the 2017 SPRC Champions and runners-up.
For this reason it is important that everyone is in their seats in the function room at 6:00 pm sharp as the
presentation will not be held up for latecomers. If you miss your presentation then we will not be going back!
Dinner will be served at 7:00 pm.
After dinner, the 2017 UK National Champions and runners-up will be presented with their trophies, followed
by the 2017 MSA British Drag Racing Championship, and finally the 2017 SPRC Perpetual Award winners.
Tickets to the Dinner Dance are £35 per adult and £20 for under-12s, which includes a three-course
meal plus tea / coffee and mints. An additional £1 per ticket should be added if paying by credit card
(please note that we cannot take payment on American Express). If you wish to pay direct to the SPRC bank
account then the details can be found on any event entry form or contact Yvonne Tramm (see below) and she
will forward details.
The main meal for children will be chicken nuggets and chips followed by ice cream; please choose a starter
for your child and also specify on the booking form that it is for a child.
If you have any special dietary requirements then please inform Yvonne Tramm at
ytramm@africonnect.com and she will include
them on the menu selection list for the hotel. Please do not approach the hotel yourself regarding special
dietary requirements.
SPRC have negotiated a preferential rate for rooms in the hotel. These are priced at £79 for a single
room and £89 for a double or twin room, including breakfast on Sunday morning. To book your room,
please call the hotel on 01327 302002 quoting reference SANTA270118. 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 blocked-booked a number of
rooms which will be available until 31st December, when any rooms not taken up will be put into general
availability and the preferential rate will cease.
You can download the Dinner Dance booking form (PDF format) by
clicking here. Please note that booking forms should be sent
to Yvonne Tramm at the address specified on the form and not to the SPRC office.
If you have any queries about the Dinner Dance then please contact Yvonne Tramm, not the SPRC office, at
ytramm@africonnect.com.
Anglias close 2017 in style. 21st September: 2017 Outlaw Anglia Champion Colin Millar has been in touch with an update after the
Outlaws' final round of their twenty fifth anniversary season, which took place at the NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Shakespeare
County Raceway:
What a show we put on (Agreed, apart from you not pulling your chute for Callum and I on Sunday morning Colin - Ed), twenty five Outlaw Anglias at the
last event of our twenty fifth anniversary year. The weather report was not good for the weekend but as time drew near the forecast was improving. There was
some track time for testing on Friday then a late start on Saturday on a challenging track. On Sunday the tables were turned with some sun and a breeze giving us
a great track to race on.
The ladder was constructed from Championship points as we were unable to run a qualifier due to weather and circumstances outwith our control. We went into
a sixteen-car eliminator with those teams who didn't manage to qualify tagging on the back to get some track time and push their cars hard.
Some fantastic racing was had with thrills and spills along the way, all of which can shortly be seen in the Hot Rod Drags race report on the Outlaw Anglia web
site at www.outlawanglia.co.uk.
People say to us that drag racing is easy, just drive in a straight line, but both Phil Ginner Middleton and Pete Rollinson had other ideas which you can see from
the picture at right which for me sums up Outlaw Anglia drag racing. The amazing picture comes with thanks to Helen and Dave at Zeon TV who have been
collating footage throughout the Outlaw Anglia series and will have a fantastic DVD ready for you very soon. This is a one-off twenty fifth anniversary review
which will never be repeated and which will be highly sought after.
I hope that everyone who watched us this year as a racer, crew member, fan, supporter or race official were really entertained by what is a fantastic group
of people who love to race heads up but who all look after each other. Roll on next year!
Swift snippets. 21st September: Thanks to Bianca Booij for sending us an end-season review from Michel Tooren and
the Pro Dutch Pro Modified team. You can check out the Dutch-language PDF by
clicking here.
We would like to say a big Happy Birthday with hugs to Stock / Super Stock racer Carla Pittau and with a manly handshake
to Santa Pod Racers Club Chief Timekeeper and Honorary Eurodragster.com Staff Member Steve Horn. Have a great day both.
A busy season in the bag. 21st September: Pär Willén writes that Jimmy Ålund's season was a bit different from the norm:
This year Jimmy competed in two FIA drag racing classes. A full season in Pro Modified driving the Magnus Petersson-owned Old 51 Chevrolet, and three races in
Finland and Sweden in his own Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro.
The season started out in good fashion for the rookie and car combination. #1 qualifier in Jimmy's first FIA Pro Modified event, the FIA / FIM Main Event in the UK, together
with a five-second run in eliminations was an indication of things to come. Final eliminations were rained out and the Tierp Internationals in Sweden was up next with Jimmy
in the points lead.
Jimmy raced both cars at Tierp and made history by being #1 qualifier in both Pro Mod and Pro Stock after the first day. In eliminations for Pro Mod, the Old 51 picked
up two round wins and a 5.8-second time slip but mechanical issues led to an early exit with Jimmy in second place in the points. In Pro Stock Jimmy's was the fastest car on
the grounds but Jimmy got into tyre shake in round one and was out of that event.
At the third event of the season, the FHRA Nitro Nationals in Finland, Jimmy was again in two cars, showing solid performances in both classes. #2 qualifier in Pro Mod and #1
in Pro Stock, setting both ends of the Alastaro track record. Another early exit in Pro Mod, overpowering the track in the quarter finals meant an exit and Jimmy left Alastaro in
third place in the Championship. In Pro Stock, electrical issues in the semi-finals put an end to the weekend.
At race number four, the NitrOlympX at Hockenheim in Germany, the Old 51 team kept up their high performances in qualifying. #1 qualifier, a new Personal Best for
speed, and quickest in all qualifying rounds. Jimmy ran quick and consistent but was taken out in the semis by reigning Pro Mod Champion Micke Gullqvist. That run was the
quickest side-by-side Pro Mod pair in FIA history. The round wins made for enough points for Jimmy to regain second place in the standings.
Back to Sweden and Tierp Arena for Championship race number five. Jimmy was in both cars and this event also included the Swedish Pro Mod Championship. In Pro Mod qualifying
Jimmy qualified #2 and also won the Swedish Pro Mod Championship. In Pro Stock Jimmy was #1 qualifier and had the best ET and speed of the event. On race day in Pro Mod Jimmy
made three runs in the 5.8s and 5.9s but was stopped in the semis by Micke Gullqvist. Again, that pair recorded yet another best for the quickest side-by-side Pro Mod pair in FIA history.
In Pro Stock Jimmy pulled out all the stops and took the event win with best ETs and speed in all rounds.
This made for an exciting season-ending event at Santa Pod Raceway's FIA / FIM European Finals. Jimmy was in second place in the FIA Pro Mod Championship with Micke Gullqvist
too far ahead to catch, but The Netherlands' David Vegter was nipping at the heels of the Old 51 so second and third placings in the Championship were to be decided at this event.
Rain ensued all day Friday. One qualifying round came about late in the evening but the dewpoint caused troubles for the Old 51: with too much moisture in the air the injector
butterflies froze solid and the car was shut off.
The bad weather continued on Saturday with rain on and off all day. A lull in the weather allowed for one qualifying round, and Jimmy and the team made the best of it with yet another #1
qualifying run. Straight and solid, the only car in the fives that far, David in fourth place without any bonus points.
Raceday still had very touchy weather with rain delays but eliminations finally got under way. In E1 Jimmy launched the Old 51 with a solid Reaction Time, a straight run and
took the win with the best Elapsed Time of the round. Quarter finals, another first off the line and a win. Semi-finals against David Vegter, Jimmy first to the sixty-foot beams
but then things went awry with tyre shake sending the Old 51 all over the track and that was the last run of the 2017 season for the car. Well enough, Jimmy gathered
all the points needed to stay ahead of David Vegter and ended runner-up in the very competitive FIA Pro Modified class.
"What a great season for a rookie, I'm very pleased with where we ended up" says Jimmy. "Swedish Champions and second in the FIA Pro Mod Championship behind seven-time
FIA Pro Mod Champion Micke Gullqvist, 0.02 off the European best Elapsed Time, most number of #1 qualifiers this year and runs into the 5.8s. But be sure that Magnus Petersson
and the whole crew are hardened veterans of this sport and obviously keep raising the ante in all aspects of tuning the Old 51 race car. Thank you very much for letting me be
a part of the team". The Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro only raced at three events this year. "Yes, could have done better in all but we qualified #1 at two of the three races we attended
and cleared the table with the event win at Tierp which was very satisfying, proving that we can go all-in for a whole event with that car", says Jimmy.
The big question, 2018? "It's way too early to say" says Jimmy. "The teamwork this season has been fantastic as is evidenced by the results, we now have to let the impressions
and experiences of this year sink in for a while. So as not to cause any speculation, I'll go with "The future will show" for now".
Summit Racing Equipment, Viking Industrimålning and Exclusive Cars sponsor the Old 51 Pro Mod and the Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro this season in addition
to Sverigedemokraterna, KB Racing, Camaroskroten, Tradepac, POs Harley Davidson, All American AB, Vadstena Klosterhotel, Stigs Axle and Parts, Hydraulakuten, VP Racing
Fuesl and X Parts. Jimmy Ålund Racing is very grateful for the continuing support from such great companies.
The first race of the 2018 FIA Drag Racing Championships takes place at the FIA / FIM Main Event, held at the historic drag strip Santa Pod Raceway in the UK, on
25th-28th May. Qualifying starts on Saturday morning, 26th May.
European Top Gas Round 5 review. 21st September: For the twenty fourth year Mosten-MC held the Mosten Race Days at Allingaboro in Denmark, an eighth-mile sprint
as part of a motorcycle festival with live music. Eight thousand attended from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, and 180 bike and car racers contested
the single-lane sprint including the European Top Gas Series. Herman Jolink writes:
The track was as always very well-prepared by Holger Dueholm and the Mosten-MC Team. It was a very nice meeting with a good track and good organisation and we were
very lucky with the weather: no rain, nice and dry with some sunshine. There were eighteen Supertwin Top Gas racers and we had three qualifying runs, two on Friday and
one on Saturday morning.
Final qualifying:
Jorg Lymant D on 2622 V-Twin 5.027/231 kmh, first run was 6.356/208
Cord Albers D on 2622 V-Twin 5.038/235, Cord's Crew Chief was Gerd Caspari who did not race himself
Janne Malmberg S on 2600 two blower V-Twin 5.175/225, first run was 6.645/143. Between runs Janne put on new electrics and a rear sprocket. After Hockenheim he
put on new piston rings as the E85 was washing oil away between the piston rings and the cylinder liners due to the blower pressure
Frederik Schack DK on 2622 V-Twin 5.259/209, adjusting the fuel system with help from Kars van den Belt
Herman Jolink NL on Ducati 1198 RS (1266) 5.392/207, first run 5.455 second run 5.392 and third run 5.422. The traction was improved so higher launch revs were set for the first round
Anders Jensen DK on 2000 V-Twin with mechanical Turbo 5.680/195
Olaf Menzi CH on 2622 V-Twin 5.710/158, Olaf had a lot of power but couldn't get it all down to the track
Martin Bühler CH on 1600 V-Twin home made (ex-Otto Bauer) with mechanical Turbo 5.785/196 and a 5.8 run
--- DNQ ---
Jorg Braune D on 2000 V-Twin 6.000/180
Horst Petersen D on 1340 V-Rod Destroyer 6.100/181
Chris van Nimmen B on 2600 V-Twin 6.132/187
Dirk Waterschoot B on 2000 V-Twin 6.214/179, a lot of smoke from his engine
Sven-Ole Schleichert D on 1340 V-Rod Destroyer 6.318/174
Maik Krüger D 1340 V-Rod Destroyer 6.325/175
Janek Severa CR on 1040 Suzuki TL 6.386-177
John Heinrich Hansen D on 2400 V-Twin 6.85/162
Peter Niklas D on Turbo 1000 Honda 8.012/165
Sascha Brodbeck CH on 1340 V-Rod Destroyer 10.559/61, problems with the gearbox
Marc van den Boer was at Mosten but when he started the motor a rocker arm broke, Bernd Foit had problems with his engine, and Mats Larsson had problems adjusting his
fuel injection.
On Saturday afternoon the quickest eight Top Gas racers went into a Cannonball with the quickest eight riders in round one, the four quickest in round two, the the two
quickest in the final session.
Round 1: Lymant 4.934/232, Albers 4.972/231, Malmberg 5.168/216, Jolink 5.385/203 kmh; out at this point Menzi 6.096/154, Bühler 7.094/178, Schack had problems
with his gearbox, Jensen out on the start line.
Round 2: Albers 4.895/237, Lymant 5.164/218, Jolink 5.412/205, Malmberg had a broken rocker arm in the burnout.
Final result:
Cord Albers D 4.735/242
Jorg Lymant D 4.954/225, traction problems
Herman Jolink NL 5.412/205, a little tyre spin in second gear
European Super Twin Top Gas Championship after five rounds:
Lymant D 2180
Malmberg S 1760
Albers D 1570
Schack DK 1515
Jolink NL 1000
Braune D 950
Schleichert D 870
Bühler CH 790
Severa CR 740
Menzi CH 730
Caspari D 680
Jensen DK 660
Niklas D 550
Waterschoot B 520
Bernd Foit D 440
Krüger D 420
Bruun DK 300
Foit D 300
Thank you Hans Jorgen Hitz and the Mosten MC Team.
The FIM Europe Drag Racing Commission would like to thank everyine who participated in the Championships and Cup throughout
2017 season. It is appreciated. We would also like to congratulate the winners of the Championships and Cup, you all did a
good and sportsmanlike job for the organisers, promoters and spectators.
Thanks to Palle for forwarding us the final standings in the 2017 FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships, which you can
check out on our OCS
Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or
by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Oblivion gets unbent. 20th September: Crewman Pete Moore says that Matt Fuller is already at work on repairing his historic
Oblivion Funny Car after its huge and unexpected wheelstand at the NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Shakespeare County Raceway
on Sunday:
Matt already has the car up on stands. The tube front axle needs some time in the hydraulic press, we need to replace the
Canton engine oil pan which took a it took a fair whack but the welds and seams didn't split - quality. We also need to
rectify some front body damage and I suppose we'd better start looking at some wheelie bars!
Matt popped a small wheelie at the Nostalgia Nationals, and he was buzzing after receiving an NSRA Dirty Dozen at the Hot
Rod Drags. After a couple of 10.0s at 134 mph he was after a nine to cap a brilliant weekend. Well the rest is history. As
said above the wheelie was totally unexpected, but it'll be sorted. See you next year!
Extra Perfect Award funds for Bloodwise. 20th September: We are pleased to announce that there will be two Eurodragster.com Perfect ET
Awards supporting Bloodwise on offer at this weekend's UK
National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway. Each Perfect ET Award will be £50, and for each Award won £50 will
also be donated to Bloodwise by Derek and Fiona Flynn of Eurodragster.com sponsor
Gold RV.
"The additional Award and donations to Bloodwise are in memory of my father John, who recently died after a long battle
with leukaemia", says Derek Flynn, "also in tribute to our dear Paula Marshall and to all of those who have bravely fought
this terrible disease."
Together with the £50 Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award, £150 will be on offer to racers for
perfect performance at this weekend's event.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Awards supporting Bloodwise of 2 x £50 will be paid in cash to the first
two racers this weekend to run an ET to the thousandth of a second on dial-in or index, and £50 will be donated
to Bloodwise when each Award is won. The Perfect ET Award is
available during qualifying or eliminations in Gearhead Garage UK Super Pro ET, Modurstang Pro ET, Sportsman ET, Super Comp,
Al's Gasser Super Gas Shootout 2017, Super Street, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only), VW Pro, VW Sportsman,
the Wild Bunch, Nostalgia Super Stock, 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, ET Bike and Junior Drag Bike.
If not won then both £50 Awards will be donated to Bloodwise in addition to the 2 x £50 donations. If one Award
is won then the remaining £50 will be donated to Bloodwise in addition to the 2 x £50 donations. You can donate
to Bloodwise yourself at www.bloodwise.org.uk or at the track
this weekend.
To be eligible to collect the Perfect ET Award, racers are required to carry Eurodragster.com / Bloodwise decals, one
on each side of the vehicle. If you pull one of the event's first two Perfect ETs but are not carrying decals then there will
be no discussion; we will not pay out and the next person to pull a Perfect ET will get the money assuming that they are
carrying decals. Decals are available in the Signing On office.
The Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by
Super Gas racer Jon Morton at the FIA / FIM European Finals. The Award will be paid in cash to the first racer this weekend to
record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds in competition. The Perfect Light Award is available to racers in all classes during
qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is
presented in association with Bad Habit Racing (Cath and Tig Napier, Pro ET).
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried.
Eurodragster.com decals are available in the Signing On office or from the Eurodragster.com staff.
Saturday 23rd September
07:00 Signing On office opens
07:00 Car scrutineering commences: Car scrutineering details
07:00 Bike scrutineering commences: Bike scrutineering details
09:30 Track opens for qualifying
Sunday 24th September
07:30 Signing On office opens
07:30 Scrutineering opens
09:30 Track opens for qualifying and eliminations
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com
page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other
reason deemed necessary by race officials.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event including Friday's
All Torque Test Day. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden.
Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside
Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish
to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary
who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes,
to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly
out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting
Perfect Award money.
2017 UK Championship outcomes. 19th September: This weekend's UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway is the final round of all
UK National Championship car and ACU Drag Bike classes, as well as MSA British Drag Racing Championship (Pro Modified)
and Volkswagen Drag Racing Club. Simon, who with Yvonne Tramm co-ordinates the UK National Championship points, has
provided the following analysis of Championship outcomes:
In MSA Pro Modified, Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy
Robinson leads Bobby Wallace by 95 points. With nine entries, a maximum of 103 points are available including all-rounds
bonus and Low ET. So Andy only needs to qualify to secure the Championship. Bobby is 25 points ahead of BA Racing (Andy Wright)
and needs to qualify better and go more than a round further than Andy to defend his second place.
Conrad Stanley leads Super Comp with a margin of 90 points over Collin Morrice, less than a round of racing.
Collin is ahead of Leah Kellett by 70 points and Leah is ahead of Stu Doignie by 30 points. So we are anticipating
quite a battle in Super Comp. With nine cars entered, 730 points are available.
Super Gas is led by Stuart Doignie with newcomer Andy Harrison 580 points behind. Andy would have to have a lot of
lucky breaks to beat Stuart to the title with 730 points available. Andy is the only class racer to have the 200 point bonus
for attending all rounds which makes his second position safer, but should still watch out for Jon Giles (250 points behind
including bonus) and Jon Morton (a further 80 points back) as either of these could catch Andy if they win the event and
qualify better.
Congratulations to Leigh Morris in Super Street who has a 760 point advantage over Team Paul Marston Racing (Paul
Marston in the car at the National Finals) and 480 points being available. So Leigh is Champion-elect and this is his sixth
National title. Paul Marston has only a 10-point lead over Dave Cherrett so these two will be having a tussle to get second place.
In Super Pro ET there are 960 points available. Twice category Champion Scott Hauser has a lead of
150 points over Brad Jackson. With an entry of twenty two, Brad could make the difference up in qualifying, or by going a
couple of rounds ahead of Scott. Joe Kellett in third place and John Przybyl in fourth both lack the 200 points all-round
bonus so a 220 point deficit for Joe is 420 in practice with John a further 170 points back. So it looks like Scott or Brad.
Team Dark Horse have a 700 point advantage in Pro ET over second-placed Mike Lacey with 980 points available.
So Brian and Lee Huxley are close to tying up a fifth National Championship. There are several drivers within 500 points of
second-placed Mike Lacey - Lee Guy is 120 points behind, SPR's own James Forster 90 points further back, Leigh Morris 10 points
further back. So as in previous years, Pro ET will be one of the most exciting Championship finales.
In Sportsman ET, too, there is a large gap at the very top and then the next few are very close. Leading the class is
2016 Champion Andy Dibley who is 590 points ahead of Felicity Gibbs. He needs to win three rounds, or qualify well and win
two rounds, to secure the title. Elaine Hancock, Holly Sanders, Alan Medley, Gill Medley, our Eurodragster.com colleague Kirstie
Tramm and Chris Creswell are less than two rounds behind Felicity.
Mark Todd has tied up his second Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator Championship in three years, besting Al Williamson
with a lead of 910 points plus 200 all-rounds bonus. With a maximum of 590 points available congratulations to Mark. Al Williamson
is relatively safe in second place as third- and fourth-placed Alex McIntosh and Joe Stevens aren't able to attend.
In Lucas Oil Junior Dragster Billy Everitt has a margin of 910 points over second-placed Jordan Payne. With 30 cars entered
for the National Finals a total of 1040 points will be up for grabs. Whilst Jordan has a mathematical chance to overcome Billy's
lead, it is quite unlikely that Billy would have enough problems for Jordan to win. Billy needs to win one round of racing to confirm
his Championship. Jordan is 250 points ahead of Thomas Cook-Abbott. Thomas must qualify six positions ahead of Jordan and go two rounds
further or win the event to become runner-up.
VW Pro is closer than many other classes. James Gould is 280 points ahead of Ed Keech who with 740 points available could
gain the lead. James needs get to the semi finals to secure the Championship and Ed needs to to qualify well, get to the final round
and James to go out in round one to take the title. Holly Sanders is in the lead in VW Sportsman by 450 points from Frances
and Tom Herbert. Andy Voce and Official Eurodragster.com Epithet Generator Polly Judge are a further 50 and 20 more points back respectively.
Twenty one cars are entered meaning that 950 points are available. So Holly needs to qualify well and get to the semi-final to secure
the title, and Frances and Tom need to get to the final round and qualify well to take the Championship.
In UK Nostalgia Superstock Tom Watkins is leading the class Championship going into this final race by 380 points from his
sister Amy Watkins who is a further 140 points behind. With nine entered, 730 points are up for grabs so Tom should qualify well
and go two rounds to get the title whereas Amy could take it with good qualifying and a semi final finish if Tom goes out early
and qualifies towards the bottom.
Outlaw Anglia was formally decided at the weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags and congratulations to Colin Millar in winning his first title.
Steve Woollatt, 2017 Inductee to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame, leads ACU Top Fuel Bike by 320 points. With four
bikes entered, 390 points are available including bonuses. So Steve just has to sign on to secure the title. Other contenders
Neil Midgley and Rene van den Berg have a 20 point gap between them, are both entered and either of them can get the runner-up trophy.
In ACU Funny Bike, Allan Davies has a lead of 400 points over 2016 Champion Phil Crossley. Whilst nine bikes are entered,
third-placed Eric Richard has said he will miss the event as his bike needs repair after he departed from it at the Euro Finals.
Consequently with 540 points available, qualifying fifth or better will be enough to secure Allan the Championship.
ACU Pro Stock Bike only has one entry, so Len Paget is provisional Champion with a lead of 330 points over runner-up
Ian Burns, so congratulations to Len.
In ACU Comp Bike, Eddie Smiley leads Mick Winyard by 315 points and 710 points are available with a bumper field of sixteen
bikes. Eddie needs to qualify in the top half of the table and get two round wins to secure the Championship. If Eddie goes out
first round then Mick would need to get to the semi final and qualify well to make up the deficit. Sean Mills is only 50 points
behind Mike and could reap the rewards if Eddie and Mick unexpectedly stumble.
Rick Stubbins could add to his 2017 FIM European title with the ACU Super Street Bike Championship as he is leading
Graham Balchin by 95 points, less than one round of racing. Qualifying should be exciting with sixteen bikes and a spread
of qualifying of 160 points top to bottom. Pete Field is only 110 points further back from Graham.
In 8.50 Bike, it is very close at the top with Jake Mechaell leading Ian Crichlow by only 30 points. Third-placed
Andy Haley is 800 points further behind, so it really is between Jake and Ian with ten bikes entered.
Multiple Champion Richard Sawatzki leads Lewis Burgess in 9.50 Bike by 210 points, 410 after all-race bonus is added.
620 points are available and Richard will have to win a round to secure the Championship.
ACU Junior Drag Bike has had reduced fields but the quality of racing has been as good as ever. Blade Dummer is
leading the Championship by 180 points from Liam Holgate. 350 points are available and Blade will need to win just one
round to secure the title. If Blade goes out in round one, Liam will need to win the event to take the title.
Finally, ET Bike has had large fields of varying types of bikes with close racing, surely a recipe for drag racing
success. Phil Pratt is the points leader with a margin over Gary Hester of 770 points, 570 after all-race bonus is applied.
Thirteen bikes have entered meaning, coincidentally, that 770 points are available. Phil needs to qualify better than Gary
and finish to two rounds ahead of him to win the title.
The post-FIA / FIM European Finals UK National and SPRC Championship standings are now available on our
OCS Paint-sponsored Points
Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint
Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. ACU UK Drag Bike Championship points are available on
the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com.
Eurodragster.com will be covering the UK National Finals, as well as Friday's All Torque Test Day, in association with
John Woolfe Racing, with Webster
Race Engineering / Nimbus Motorsport webcast on all
three days. You can check out our UK National Finals Event Index, which includes a link to the updated final official entry list, by
clicking here or by clicking
on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Wild Bunch Finals preview. 19th September: Race Co-ordinator Claire Meaddows writes that the UK's
Wild Bunch are really looking forward
this weekend's UK National Finals, at which there will be a field of seven cars competing:
This event will be the finale of the Wild Bunch Series. Bob Morgan and Andrew Murphy sharing the driving in the B-Sting altered
have already won the Wild Bunch Series for this season, their second-ever win. Jim Tanner in his Shindigger slingshot has already secured
second place, his first ever Top 4 finish in Wild Bunch. Darryl Howells in the Chemical Reaction slingshot in fifth place and Keith Crampton
in the Soul Town Shaker slingshot in sixth both have a good chance of moving in to the Top 4 with a round win.
The event is also the tenth and final round of the Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series, which takes place over four MSA events and six
RWYB events. Team B-Sting have already secured the Challenge win with a couple of events in hand! Jim Tanner is currently in second place.
There is only one point in it between third-placed Darryl Howells, fourth-placed Phil James and fifth-placed Terry Clifford in the Ratcatcher
Resurrection slingshot, with Keith Crampton not far behind. Any of these last four drivers can finish in the Top 4.
Also, the club's four-round Springbridge MSA Challenge Series concludes this weekend. The Club would like to thank sponsors
Springbridge Direct Limited for their continued and valued support of the Series.
The Challenge is currently led by Phil James with a one-round lead over Tom Hawkins in Time Traveller I (which was sold earlier in the year).
He in turn is one round ahead of dad Bob Hawkins in Time Traveller II, who is only two qualifying places ahead of Terry Clifford. Phil, Bob
or Terry can take the win in the Challenge at this event with a good result. The Series winner earns the Springbridge MSA Challenge Cup and
one free MSA event entry for 2018.
Many Congratulations to Phil James who has won the APIRA Series after finishing runner-up for the last two seasons and to Terry Clifford who is
runner-up. Congratulations again to Terry Clifford who has won the Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series, and to runner-up Keith Crampton,
third-placed Phil James and fourth-placed Team B-Sting. Well done all!
The competition this coming weekend should promise some more close racing in the Bunch. Can current Wild Bunch #1 Keith Crampton move
back on up into the Top 4 in his Soul Town Shaker slingshot and earn another event win and more trophies? Will super-consistent Bob
Morgan consolidate the team's massive lead and notch up another win for the B-Sting team? Can Terry Clifford run close to dial-in
and show more good form and move in to the Top 4 in a couple more Series in his Ratcatcher Resurrection slingshot? Will Phil James
hold on to the lead and take the title in the Springbridge MSA Challenge for the third year in a row in the Rampage Funny Car? Can
Darryl Howells get the car repaired and put in some more great mid eight-second passes in his Chemical Reaction slingshot and go
further up the rankings in the Wild Bunch and Spirit of Nostalgia Series? Will Mick Gleadow quickly get a handle on his new Jurassic Parts
II slingshot and run some PBs and get amongst the winners? Can quickest-ever Wild Buncher Bob Hawkins set more WB records in his
flaming six-second Time Traveller II slingshot and show his usual consistent form and emerge the winner of the Springbridge MSA
Challenge for the first time?! We can't wait for Sunday, Sunday, Sunday to find out! Best of luck to all the teams!
Huge thanks to all the marshals, officials and track and safety crews at Santa Pod Raceway for all their hard work over the
coming weekend and indeed all year long. Big thanks to the Eurodragster.com team for the always-excellent event coverage
(Thanks, you're welcome - Ed for the team).
Results and news from previous Wild Bunch events can be found on the Club's web site at
www.the-wild-bunch.co.uk.
Miss Billie's successful new ride. 19th September: Following a brief hiatus John and Nicole Parker (aka Billy and Li'll Miss Billie) took their new-to-them
Chevy Nova to the APIRA Open Sport Nationals and cleaned house in Pro ET. John writes:
After a few seasons of trying to compete in Pro ET with Nicole's stick, Small Block blown Fox Mustang we decided with mixed feelings to let
go the old Cidertown Hustler and get one of those Big Block and 'Glide cars which kept beating us. Des Taylor's Motown Gold car fitted
the bill and following a day trip to Huddersfield with the ramp truck in May of last year we dropped it in to Zanntec for Zane to confirm that it had all the
makings of a car with which we could double duty in Pro ET and Super Street.
There's some history with ex-Des Taylor cars as my first dedicated race car was the ex-Des, and ex-many more by the time we got it, Pinto running
at Avon Park back in 1990.
We tested at the Pod and Shakey and then spent the winter changing the Nova from Des' old car to Nicole's new one.
A refresh turned into a restoration: thanks to Roger Carbin for untold hours of toil getting the body sorted and to Charlie and
Ade at Charlie's Classic and Custom Body and Paint for a quality finish. It's a fact that this car has enjoyed six paint schemes
during its life yet at no time previously did anybody remove the trim on the passenger front fender and paint under it!
The engine is a BBC 454 with some Jeff Bull heritage which I am told used to run in a Ford Prefect Super Gas car back in the 1990s.
Nicole's expanding business dictates that we'll have to pick and choose our meetings, and an all-out assault on the Championship isn't
part of the plan, but now we have a Nostalgia car we hope to take in some lifestyle events as well next season. See you at the track.
Sportsmanship decides the title. 19th September: Thanks to Dale Leeks for sending us an update from the UK's Warpspeed Racing drag bike
team:
What a year for the team. Team Manager Stuart Crane finished off the year number two in the European Top Fuel Bike Championship, narrowly missing out on
first place in a very interesting final round. At the beginning of the meeting Stuart was trailing Rikard Gustafsson in the points and the number one spot looked
to be out of reach but due to bad weather, a one-shot qualifier and mechanical failure (chain breakage) on Rikard's Top Fuel Bike Rikard failed to qualify for eliminations.
Now all Stuart needed to do was win the event to take the Championship from Rikard.
In E1 Stuart faced Fast Fil, and Stuart's team mate Dale Leeks would be taking on Top Fuel veteran Steve Woollatt. First up was Leeks and Woolatt; Leeks knew he
would have to cut a light on Woollatt to even stand a chance of advancing a round, but there was no out-reacting Steve as he pulled a red light handing the win to Dale.
Dale was to advance to his first European Topfuel Bike final. The next pair was Fil and Stuart. Stu stormed away from the start line with a stonking front half, Fast Fil
had a poor launch and was off the gas and Stuart was heading for the win when the cam shaft decided to exit the bike, punching a hole in the cam cover at 1000
feet. Stuart was off the gas but a huge fire built around him in the shutdown area forcing him to stand up on the bodywork at 170 mph to get away from the heat.
Stuart did well to stay on and bring the bike to a stop in the shutdown area. Stuart's team mate Dale watched Stu come round the corner at the top end on fire but
Santa Pod's safety crew were quickly on hand to extinguish it.
At this time Stuart was unaware that he had run a huge PB of 6.81 losing drive at 1000 feet, making Stuart the quickest British nitrous rider in history - something
for which he had aimed for a long while and off which he had never taken his eye.
So it was lined up to be an all-Warpspeed Racing final. The giants had fallen to the nitrous bikes of Warpspeed Racing and at this point we imagine that Rikard
was on the edge of his seat. Regrouping in the pits, Stuart had the option of loading a new motor and some skeleton wiring and team mate Dale could declare
broke and not show for the final. Then Stuart would take the light for the win and take the number one plate in FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike. Many suggested it,
but for us at Warpspeed that is not racing, and that was not the way we wanted to win a Championship. So under team orders Dale went to the start line to take
the win light and end Rikard's anticipation to confirm his Championship win.
From everyone at Warpspeed Racing we would like to congratulate Rikard and Team on their Championship win and we look forward to racing with you again next year.
And congratulations Dale, after only qualifying to run with the big dogs on his last run at the NitrOlympX with a 6.992 (making Dale the third quickest Nitrous rider in
Britain), last man standing and took the win in the Top Fuel Bike final.
Mark Smith has finally got over long-standing setbacks and is back in the seven-second zone on the Pro Stock Bike. We will be looking to push this bike harder next
season and with a new number one engine in the planning we hope to put this bike where it should be.
Stuart's bike is already stripped completely to inspect the damage and rebuild over the off season. Now the real work starts to improve the bikes over the winter
and I'm sure that more PBs will be smashed by the team next year.
As always we would like to thank our long-standing sponsors MPM Oil, Upperton Racing, TW Metals, Draper Tools and Acorn Plating for their long support, and
also a big thanks to all the team who make racing possible - without them we would not be able to do it as these bikes don't get themselves ready whilst Dale
is in his pool.
The European Finals win. 19th September: Paul Marston Racing attended the FIA /FIM European Finals in force with a strong driver lineup, which included
Martin Curbishley in Super Comp, with Fix Auto Penzance as primary sponsor in the Miller four-link
dragster, Mick Howling in Super Pro ET, the American branch of PMR ex-pat Tony Morris who flew in from Florida to compete in Super Gas in the PMR 100%
Whoopass Monza, and Paul himself in Super Street. Paul writes:
As we all know the event was greatly affected by the weather and we would collectively like to express our appreciation for all the very hard work put in
by all the SPRC and Santa Pod crew and management over the event. Tough decisions were having to be made on a daily basis and selfless acts of hard
work certainly did not go unnoticed. The mantle of being the best organisation in Europe was certainly lived up to at the FIA European Finals where
everything which was humanly possible was done to try to get the event finished.
All of the PMR drivers qualified strongly and due to some comprehensive and detailed preparation there were very few issues with the race cars. This
event is always a real test both for the equipment and for the PMR crew. On Sportsman Thursday, twenty qualifying passes were split between two race
cars and the PMR crew really had their work cut out for them. As did the drivers: with only Sportsman classes qualifying, you are nearly always on the
move and the drivers have to buddy up to maximise their chances of qualifying well. Sharing information and data is key to ensure that the pooled
resources net the best results.
I was once again into eliminations on Thursday with this exciting new format which is currently being trialled in Super Street. There are just two qualifiers
then into eliminations, for Super Street with the three rounds of eliminations the whole race is completed on Thursday. I was runner-up to Leigh Morris
in a real squeaker of a final in which I took the stripe by 0.004 only to break out by 0.0016. Without interference from the weather there would have been
a second qualifying session commencing Friday and a second elimination, so effectively two races at one event.
Unfortunately, same as at the FIA / FIM Main Event where I beat Dave Cherrett in Super Street 1, this class again had the only Sportsman elimination
to be was completed because of the weather.
It was great to see our good friend, Florida-based ex-pat Tony Morris, who as ever kept himself busy helping out other teams with software issues, carburettor
advice and tuning. Tony converted another one of our BLP alcohol carbs over to the latest Mark Whitner of Lightning Carburettors spec, which crispens up
throttle response and helps warm-up times. These carbs are also very good with throttle stop racing as they help the motor accelerate a lot cleaner when
coming off of the throttle stop. On our 100% Whoopass Monza we gained four miles per hour terminal speed when running in Super Gas. For more details
please contact Tony or Mark via Facebook or stop by and talk to me in the PMR pits.
It was also nice to meet Martin Curbishley's sponsors from Fix Auto Penzance, who made a special trip up to see for themselves what Santa Pod Raceway
and drag racing has to offer. Despite the weather I think they were impressed with the crowds and enjoyed the event, so we hope to see more of them in
the coming season.
Special thanks go out to all the PMR crew from all the drivers: the Crewchief, Dave Gibbons, Sefton Whitlock, Lisa Farmer, and Lee and Aaron Springford.
Last but not least all the fans and friends who passed by over the weekend and of course Eurodragster.com for keeping us all so well-informed
(Thanks, you're welcome - Ed).
Hot pipes at the Reunion. 19th September: Chris Murty has been in touch with a report of the Hot Rod Reunion weekend at
York Raceway:
Saturday was set aside for RWYB and with plenty of track time available we had over ninety drivers signed on. We had over four hundred runs with many people getting
more than twenty runs. The highlight was when Darkside Developments smashed the track record for FWD with a 10.59 in a diesel-powered Seat Arosa. As the RWYB day
visitors left at the end of the day, the pits were swelling ready for our 6th Hot Rod Reunion and 40th Birthday celebrations.
The conditions were excellent, the pits were full, and with most opting to run in two Championships we had a lot to get in and a lot to report.
On both Sunday and Monday, we were treated to an epic race between Robin Read's nitro Daimler dragster and Roger Goring's Firestorm Jet Funny Car.
The jet gets up to its ear-splitting full volume which was remarkably drowned out by Robin doing one of his signature burnouts. Bangs on the re-heat from
Roger as the thrust-driven car crept to pre-stage. Robin now backed up pulling the pin from the chutes, both cars pre-staged, staged, green, and an explosion of
eight nitro cylinders and full re-heat going head-to-head down the track. The most thrilling part was how closely-matched these cars were despite them being so
radically different from each other. Robin took the best of three shootout; there are couple of videos on our Facebook feed, please check them out although
they will never do it justice.
In American Super Stock, Lee Chiles took the Round 7 win but had to retire on Monday. Current Championship leader Dave Billadeau took full advantage, taking the
Round 8 win. In Pro ET, the winning form continued for Lee Chiles taking the Round 7 win. Vic Parsons took the Round 8 win. In Sportsman ET, James Murray won
Round 7, and Andy Taylor won Round 8.
Super Cup had its most entries for a long time including a return to the track for Spencer Tidswell running consistently in the eights whilst some of the faster cars
faster struggled with breakages. But consistency is the key and Spencer took the double win. In Volkstock, beginners luck won Martin Oliver the Round 8 win, Andy
Taylor winning Round 9. In JDM-DRC, Championship leader Shaun Rounthwaite won Round 8, Peter Richardson winning Round 9. In PRO FWD, Lee Openshaw won
Round 8 and Peter Richardson Round 9.
Thank you to everyone who has done their own fundraising: Megan Wilson for the cake sale, Jeni and Saffi for the raffle and Ashley Dale for selling prints with the
proceeds going to the Save York Raceway pot. If you enjoyed this weekend and want to have more weekends like it for the next ten years then please, please
donate. We need to raise the money to redevelop the site and secure it as a drag racing venue for the next ten years at least.
You can donate on our crowdfunding page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/york-raceway,
direct to the Pennine Drag Racing Club at pdrc@btinternet.com, or for sponsorship opportunities
please E-Mail info@yorkraceway.org.uk.
Web site updates. 19th September: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr site with pictures from the mid-August Saturday Night Special at
Santa Pod Raceway which included a round of Outlaw Street. You can take a look at
www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.
Craig Wright and I started getting our head together whilst we were away racing in Hockenheim. Once we were back from a great
time away, we set up our annual Bloodwise Charity Page on Facebook to start to let everyone know the basics of the football
match at the National Finals.
The reason behind this news item is to say a massive Thank You to everyone who has shown unbelievable levels of
generosity by donating prizes for the auction at the National Finals. "True generosity is an offering; given freely and
out of pure love. No strings attached. No expectations. Time and love are the most valuable possession you can share"
Craig and I would love to say personally to everyone who has donated for this fantastic event we are holding at Santa Pod
Raceway that we have been so honoured with the support we have had from everyone in the drag racing community. We really
have the best drag racing family in the world. We want to let you know from the deepest of heart we love you all and we
appreciate everything you have done.
Thank you Donna Giles for setting up the Just Giving charity donation page on the internet. You can donate
by clicking here.
Thank you Nic and Dan Williams at OCS Group are offering a day including set-up time on the Williams Bros
Racing Superflow Engine Dyno.
Thank you Bonnie Wallace who has very kindly offered to make a spectacular cake.
Thank you Lee Webb who unbelievably donated his treasured, signed piston, signed by none other than the legend
that is John Force and is from John's motor from Dallas last year!
Thank you Alix Williams for an inspiring, moving and emotional story which made Craig and I cry: "I would like
to donate to the auction please. This is something close to me and my family. My auntie died from leukaemia and my dad
gave bone marrow to her. So my family business BSI Transport Ltd would like to pay for a year's race entry for the following
events in 2018:
Festival of Power
FIA / FIA Main Event
SPRC Summernationals
FIA / FIM European Finals
UK National Finals
Thank you Barry Sheavills for donating a signed conrod from the motor that was in his car on that historic
pass when he was the first driver in Europe to 300 mph.
Thank you Nigel Hale who has put forward a passenger ride up the track in his legendary Chevy Truck at
this year's Flame and Thunder Show at Santa Pod Raceway.
Thank you Santa Pod Raceway for two VIP Hospitality Tickets to the Flame and Thunder Show. This mega prize is
valued just shy of £350!
Thank you Anais Shepherd and Yam Borghini for donating the unreal package of a ticket for the last meeting
of the year at Hal-Far Raceway on Malta. Fly with a very large group of UK racers and teams from Gatwick at 07:20 on
Thursday 16th November and return at 16:30 on Monday 20th. This is an all-inclusive break so that's flights and
accommodation sorted and the highest bidder will be with the gang, staying in St Julians, right next to the night life.
Thank you Pat Weidman who has offered to design, make and send out two hundred A6 hero / postcards of
their choice to the highest bidder; normal price €120.
Thank you to Europe's newest and youngest Top Fuel Dragster driver Maja Udtian who has obviously seen how
well our engine parts are doing, so is offering a signed piston and rod from the licencing passes at Tierp
Arena during which the engine let go.
There are many more prizes which have been donated for various teams and companies. The bidding for these will start
at half time during the football match. We would like to say thank you to following people who have donated:
David Downes, Paul Watson, Emma Doyley, Ethan Lisle, Simon Innes, Stefani Kate Fisher and Robert Day. We would
also like to say a big thank you to Santa Pod Raceway for supplying some alcohol for the match. I'm sure it will be
an entertaining night.
A Massive thank you goes to Craig Wright for all the status and updates for all the prizes on Facebook. I have tried
helping with sharing and updating myself but I have been busy organising the background parts of the events.
Thank you for everything everyone.
If you are going to be at the National Finals then we shall see you throughout the meeting and but if you can't make
it then please help us out and bump the figure up before the National Finals. You can donate at the
JustGiving page.
or donate £10 by texting SPRF50 to 70070.
In 2014 it was 4-2 to Highlander Utd; in 2015 6-1; in 2016 was 4-1. 2017... ? What a night it is going to be!
NSRA Hot Rod Drags galleries. 18th September: Eurodragster.com attended the weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Shakespeare County
Raceway and we were and are pleased to present two daily galleries courtesy of Grace, Diana Macrae and Tog in association
with John Woolfe Racing.
You can check out our NSRA Hot Rod Drags galleries by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
We would like to say a big Thank You to Maikel Gloudemans of our streaming service supplier
Doyousee.me and to Wayne Schreier of APIRA's Tech Crew for their help, advice
and suggestions after the PC which runs the Webster Race
Engineering / Nimbus Motorsport webcam refused to boot first thing
on Saturday morning. It was a lively couple of hours but it got sorted.
Please also join Tog in thanking Grace and Diana for their hard work on photography.
Having set a world best for a on a rocket-propelled bicycle of
0 to 333 kmh in 4.8 seconds, François Vissy
says that he has moved on to small rockets made from soda bottles filled with rainwater and compressed air reaching 261 kmh (162 mph) on a
homemade trike. Francois says that the trike has accelerated from 0 to 100 kmh (62 mph) in a mere 0.55 seconds and pulled a 0.852 sixty foot
time. See video below left for more.
UK Supercharged Outlaw racer Sam Freeman was one of those participating in the recent race on the refettled track on the Isle of Man and
you can check out a video above right. Sam's partner Lindsey tells us that it was a challenging but brilliant weekend.
Early snow. 16th September: Following a frustrating Bonneville Speed Week when the car which he drives suffered some small technical issues, Geoff Stilwell of
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame sponsor Beech Underwriting
has returned to the salt this week for the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association's World of Speed back at Bonneville:
Our crew this week is Brian Hope, Steve Hope (Ron's brother), Bob and Sharon Muravez, and Jim Mulvany who crews with Steve Hope on Ron's Bonneville car. Oh, and not forgetting
Junior who drives the truck and looks after us all. We had a great day on Thursday. 7551 arrived looking great. Brian had made a number of changes to the car in between the Speed
Week and this meeting, solving the small technical issues we had had in August. We got the body off and took the car down to go through tech inspection. That all done we got back
to the pits and I cleaned the car, then the body went back on.
Getting up time is 3:30 am; we have to be at the track by 6:30 to get the car out the trailer. We have the racers meeting at 8:00 am, then we can drive the course. The salt yesterday
was very sticky, a bit like snow sticking to your boots. But it is actually quite smooth and in better condition that in August. Racing would start at 9:00 am but
a storm came in overnight and there has been a a drop in temperature from 90°F yesterday to 50°F plus winds of thirty miles per hour putting everything on hold.
When we can start the plan is to put in a shakedown run as early as we can, the reason being that there have been so many changes to the car since last year that we need to
make sure that everything stays tight. Running a car at Bonneville puts unreal stresses on the car so safety is our prime concern. Once we have made the shakedown I need
to upgrade my licence to A and then, fingers crossed, chase the record.
FIA/FIM European Finals mop-up. 14th September: On behalf of the FIA stewards and race officials Phil Evans, who heads up the UK Tech Committee and is also a member of
the FIA Drag Racing Comission, has been in touch to express thanks and appreciation for the amazing efforts of Santa Pod's crews as they battled the elements this weekend.
"Because of the crews' dedication all of the FIA Championships were settled on the track and not in the paddock", says Phil. "I am so proud to be associated with the wonderful
assembly of people who comprise the Santa Pod team. They always do their best to present the best race meetings possible, whatever the British climate throws at them.
Well done everybody, you should all be very proud."
SPRC's International Race Director Carole Ismail of Eurodragster.com sponsors CEJ Training Services Ltd
and Phoenix Personnel Ltd, echoes Phil's sentiments. "I am so proud of the whole team on the track, off the track
and in Race Control", says Carole. "Thank you all so much for the hard work, for keeping the faith and for never giving up."
Thanks to Andy Marrs and SPRC's timing crew for forwarding the official Timing Data from the FIA / FIM European Finals, which
you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link
on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks also to Marrs for forwarding an updated table of UK and European Bests now including Franklyn Borg's new SPR track record for
Super Street Bike ET. As if that is not enough he has also updated his three Spreadsheetosaurs of historical qualifying and
elimination records in FIA and FIM Europe competition, and round wins in FIA competition. You can check it all out as:
The charity raffle of two paintings by Paul Whitehouse to benefit the
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Benevolent Fund
took place at Santa Pod Raceway on Saturday. Seen below are the paintings of Nobby Hills'
Houndog 7, driven by Owen Hayward, and Shockwave, driven by Gordon Smith, being handed to winning ticket holders Ken and Julie
Jeffs and Phil Dorrington respectively by Benevolent Fund Trustees Robin Jackson and Eurodragster.com's own
Simon Groves. A total of £360 was raised by the raffle and the Benevolent Fund Trustees thank all those who generously took part.
Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two FIA / FIM European Finals reports on the Autosport.nl web site.
There is a race report which you can check out by
clicking here
and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by
clicking
here. Don't worry if you can't read Dutch because, as ever, it is pretty clear what is being said and, as ever, Remco's
pictures are great.
Also under the heading of "Other things I saw" is the excellent picture below from Eurodragster.com reader Sarah Miles, taken at
the point when everyone on the facility was just about ready to shove the dove's olive branch where the sun doesn't shine.
Swift snippets. 14th September: Santa Pod Raceway have confirmed that Frøya's Maja Udtian will be making
passes in the Islanders Top Fuel Dragster at next weekend's UK National Finals.
Eurodragster.com Contributing Photographer Grace asked us to wish a rapid recovery to UK Pro ET
racer Ethan Lisle who has fractured a shin in a trampolining accident. Our pleasure Grace, very best wishes to you Ethan and
hope to see you back behind the wheel very soon.
First BDRHoF Benevolent Fund donation. 14th September: When Swedish Pro Mod star Roger Johansson crashed at over 200 mph at last year's FIA / FIM Main Event,
it was Huntingdon-based Magpas Air Ambulance which airlifted him to hospital from Santa
Pod Raceway. This past weekend at the European Finals, making his first competitive Santa Pod appearance since that traumatic day, Roger was delighted
to return the favour by presenting Magpas with a cheque for £1000 to mark the start of National Air Ambulance Week. The donation was made on
behalf of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Benevolent Fund.
The BDRHOF Benevolent Fund is a registered charity formed in 2016 with the object of helping distressed members of the racing community. This purpose
includes contributing to Air Ambulance services that cover the main drag racing venues in Britain. The coincidence of Roger Johansson's return to Santa Pod
and the start of National Air Ambulance Week provided the ideal opportunity to make the Fund's first donation to Magpas Air Ambulance.
Magpas Air Ambulance's Head of Communications, Antonia Brickell, said "We're thrilled to see Roger Johansson looking so well and to hear he has made
such a good recovery. We of course wish Roger well and every success in his future racing career.
"We'd also like to thank the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund for its generous donation. Magpas Air Ambulance is not a state-funded service and relies on generous
public donations to continue saving lives. Once again, thank you from everyone at Magpas Air Ambulance for helping us to continue delivering our vital service."
After Santa Pod's track crew and medical team had rescued Roger at the crash scene, they worked alongside the Magpas enhanced doctor and paramedic team
to stabilise his condition. Magpas Air Ambulance then transferred the injured racer safely to hospital, monitoring his condition all the way. Santa Pod's Commercial
Manager Caroline Holden was instrumental in arranging this weekend's presentation and said "We think the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund is an admirable initiative
and we're pleased that its inaugural donation should be made to Magpas during our biggest drag racing event of the year, the European Finals. We had planned
a grand public presentation to take place on the start line around midday on Friday, but the downpour defeated that. Instead, the presentation took place under
cover in Roger's pit area, and we're now eager to spread the news of it far and wide."
The presentation was filmed for regional television news.
The BDRHOF Benevolent Fund was launched with a generous donation from an American guest at last year's Hall of Fame Gala Dinner and is now keen to
encourage donations from the UK drag racing community which it is intended to support. A BT MyDonate internet fund-raising page is live at
mydonate.bt.com/charities/bdrhofbenevolentfund.
Millican, Lindberg, Lutz, Record for HoF Gala. 14th September: The special guest list continues to grow for the
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Dinner, to be held at the
Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on Saturday 18th November. The BDRHoF is proud to announce that a further two current NHRA
stars will be attending, joined by the two-time winner of Hot Rod Drag Week and owner of the quickest and fastest Street car on the
planet, and a British drag racing journalist who has held senior positions in the US racing world.
Clay Millican, from Drummonds, Tennessee, got his first race car at the age of sixteen. After working as a forklift driver
as well as competing in IHRA Modified Eliminator, his friend Peter Lehman moved Clay to the professional ranks by buying a
Top Fuel team in 1998. With Peter, Clay was dominant in IHRA competition and won six IHRA Championships.
Clay became a full time NHRA competitor from 2012 with crew chief David Grubnic. In 2017 he won his first NHRA title at
Bristol, and recently at Brainerd, Minnesota he ran the second and third quickest times in history at 3.655 and 3.658
seconds respectively. Clay has also hosted Speed Channel's Blow It Up and Drag Race High, and co-starred
in Pinks All Out.
Clay will be joined by Jeff Lutz who is the two-time winner of Hot Rod Drag Week, a test of five drag races in five days
at four different tracks with the race cars having to drive from track to track for more than one thousand miles on public
highways. Jeff previously ran two '57 Chevys titled Evil Twins and became a crowd favourite, then built a street-legal
Pro Mod Camaro known as MadMax which had run at NMCA Pro Street events. Following his win at the 2016 Hot Rod Drag Week,
Jeff ran bests of 5.85 / 250 with it and then built a third '57 Chevy to campaign at Drag Week in the USA this very week, and
in the TV show Street Outlaws.
Jonnie Lindberg from Upplands Vasby, Sweden first came to prominence in 2008, then aged twenty one, as Crew Chief on brother Johan's Pro
Mod. Jonnie tuned Johan to a FIA Pro Modified Championship in 2010. But there was a racing itch which Jonnie needed to scratch and the
team bought a Top Methanol Funny Car for Jonnie in 2012. Jonnie drove to his first FIA Championship in 2013.
The team took the car to the USA in 2014 and astonished the racing world by becoming back-to-back NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion
in 2015 and 2016. He was also the first TAFC driver to run a 5.3s time and speed in excess of 270 mph. For 2017 Jonnie joined the Nitro
FC ranks with Jim Head Racing. He reached the final in his first race at Gainesville and continues to race in TAFC and tune cars when
his schedule permits.
Born in Nottingham, Melvyn Record became a drag racing journalist in the UK having seen his first Top Fuel Dragster pass at Santa Pod Raceway
at the age of eleven. In 1989 Melvyn moved to the US and was employed by the NHRA as a writer and photographer with their weekly newspaper National
Dragster. Later, he was promoted by the NHRA to Director of International Relations and Director of Field Marketing. In 2000 he became Vice
President of Marketing at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California and now holds the position of Vice President Marketing and Sales at Mazda Raceway,
Laguna Seca.
BDRHoF Chairman Stu Bradbury said "We are delighted that the Gala Dinner is attracting so many figures from the US scene who can share in
the excitement of the inductions and awards being given. It gives us a real international reach".
Tickets for the 2017 BDRHoF Gala Awards Dinner are £65 per person. More details are available by
clicking here.
For advance booking of tickets contact stuart@britishdragracinghof.co.uk
or telephone Stu Bradbury on 01933 279102.
Editor's note. 14th September: Apologies for the delay in posting news this week, a combination of one very shagged-out News Editor and
disruption to daily schedules caused by a well-known Merchant Banker (Not the first with whom we have had to deal in recent weeks - Ed).
As you can see we are starting to pull it together again. There is more to come; please keep the news coming to
news@eurodragster.com and we will post it here.
FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike: Rikard Gustafsson
FIM Europe Supertwin: Martijn de Haas
FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike: Fredrik Fredlund
FIM Europe Super Street Bike Cup: Rick Stubbins
Congratulations also to Pro Stock Bike racer Fredrik Fredlund who has taken over as the highest cumulative points
winner in the history of the FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships. A big tip of the hat to previous incumbent, Top Fuel
Bike racer Ian King, who held the postition for a number of years and to Andy Marrs who did the sums and let us know.
FIA/FIM European Finals rained out. 10th September: Today's eliminations at the FIA / FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway were
rained out in the afternoon. European Championship classes were down to finals but Sportsman classes had several
rounds yet to run, however persistent rain gave race officials no option but call the event.
Congratulations to the winners of those finals which could be run:
FIM Top Fuel Bike: Dale Leeks staged, Stu Crane no show
FIM Pro Stock Bike: Fredrik Fredlund staged, Robert Karlsson no show
Super Street 1: Leigh Morris 10.9070/119.19 def. Paul Marston 10.8984/143.01
Congratulations also to Super Gas racers Jon Morton and Andy Harrison who won the
Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and the Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supporting
Bloodwise respectively. Both Awards have been
reset to £50 for the UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway in a couple of weekends.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored
reports, pit notes and galleries by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any
Eurodragster.com page.
"Aaron will be licencing at the All Torque Test Day before the UK National Finals", Derek told Eurodragster.com. "Pete Walters
will be driving the car at the National Finals and then his own car should be ready for next season. Next year Aaron's car
will be part of a two-car Gold RV / RW Custom Paint team.
"I will still be involved with the car tutoring Aaron and tuning the motor until the team are ready to take over."
Matthew: Got the T-Shirt. 8th September: UK Junior Dragster team Matthew Dowdy Racing is pleased to announce that they are promoting
Rusty's Speed ShopLegends of Nitro T-shirts at the FIA / FIM European Finals.
Bruce of Rusty's Speed Shop said that the Legends of Nitro T-shirts had proved very popular since he had started to sell them at the start of the season.
In particular, the Blue Max and LA Hooker shirts had sold well. Rusty's Speed Shop also offer Hot Wheels and M2 Machines die casts, Revell and Monogram
kits, and a range of performance books and magazines from his trade stand located next to the start line grandstand (seats 31-50). The main business is actually
American vehicle parts and accessories; full details can be found on the company's web site at
www.rustyspeedshop.com.
Matthew would also like to thank Nic at OCS Paint for painting his crash helmet just in time for the recent Junior Fun Day at Santa Pod, and of course
Eurodragster.com (Thanks! You're welcome - Ed).
The two paintings are of Gordon Smith in the Shockwave Fuel Funny Car and Owen Hayward in Nobby Hills' 1970s Houndog 7
Funny Car.
Paul says "Gordon Smith in Shockwave measures 580 mm x 770 mm framed. It is double mounted and framed in a box-style
frame. The actual painting itself measures 550 mm x 370 mm. The painting of Houndog 7 measures 770 mm x 490 mm framed,
with the actual painting measuring 550 mm x 270 mm. Both paintings are in the medium of gouache on artboard."
Raffle tickets cost ££1 and will be on sale on the bank and in the spectator Grandstand during Saturday. £5 of tickets
will get you a free BDRHoF Benevolent Fund decal. Look for the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund collection buckets.
The draw will take place on Saturday evening, with the first ticket drawn having the choice of painting.
Erbachers aim to team up. 5th September: Swiss Top Fuel Dragster racer and Eurodragster.com sponsor
Urs Erbacher has been in touch with a review of the team's
season so far and their plans for the future:
The plan was that I would race the whole season if we won the Main Event. But after the first round loss at the Main Event we instead concentrated on
licencing my daughter Jndia in my Top Fuel Dragster, which she did at the SPRC Summernationals.
We skipped the first race in Sweden and the race in Finland because of budget, but we decided that Jndia should race at Hockenheim and if she made the final then
we would go to the second race in Sweden and the European Finals. With some extra help from our sponsors we made it and the truck has left for Santa Pod
today. Jndia will drive my car and we will try to win the race and to get her into the threes.
Next year we plan a two-car team so that we can race together. Jndia will race whole season and I will do it too if we can find sponsorship. But car
number one is the new generation of Top Fuel racing.
Let the fun begin! 5th September: Attentive readers will have noticed the name of ex-pat UK Super class
racer and fuel system expert Tony Morris on the entry list for this week's FIA / FIM European Finals at
Santa Pod Raceway. Tony will again be racing Paul Marston's Whoopass Monza in the Al's Gasser Super
Gas Shootout:
Back at the FIA / FIM Main Event we managed to run 9.904 in the first qualifying session, which was #1 qualifier until the last session on Sunday
morning. Everyone is excited to see where the chips fall after qualifying is over this weekend, and with twenty one cars entered including some of
the best racers from Europe and the UK we should see some very close racing indeed. I made it to E3 on my last trip in May and then the rain
stopped play. Hopefully that won't be the case this coming weekend and we'll get to see the event completed.
I have been busy in the USA helping Mark Whitener from Lightning Racing Carburetors building new carb plus conversion, also helping
Mike Laws to start setting up his shop for his new company Get'M Garage which is also carburetor-related. I will be going on full-time with Mike
after my return to the States with, carrying on part-time with Mark.
The last car I drove down a drag strip was the Monza so I am keen to get back behind the wheel.
Salakari's cold world best. 5th September: Pasi Uponen writes that until last weekend no-one would ever have expected any world records to
be broken in Finland:
The fact is that this time of the year it's only 57 F at Alastaro. Jaakko "Jaska" Salakari, the very experienced Supertwin motorcycle rider, didn't pay any attention to this and ran 6.010/213.08
at the FHRA Night Race Finals last Saturday. That is, he improved upon Tak Shigematsu's nitro Twin record of 2010 by 0.125 seconds.
Jaska's bike, including the engine, was entirely built and constructed in Finland by himself and the key members of his team. Right now Jaska wants to thank everybody involved
in this project for the good job they did. He also takes the opportunity to thank the Finnish Hot Rod Association and the entire track crew at Alastaro for ensuring that
conditions on the asphalt track were optimal to set this record.
It all began in 2003 and it wasn't until 2012 that Jaska ran the quickest time in Europe in his class, 6.273/222.26 at Tierp in Sweden. And now finally the hard work paid
off with the world's quickest ever time in V-Twins. Take a look at the speed; the data shows that he shut off before the finish line. According to this there is great potential
to run a five-second time. However, he was quite happy with his other runs during the weekend. He ran 6.2 twice and in the Night Show he finished the race in full darkness
with a 6.5 and he even recorded an eighth mile of 3.950/191.20 despite the fact that the air temperature had fallen to 50 F!
The bike's engine is 103 cu in (1690cc), sixty degree V-Twin with four valve DOHC heads, bore 4.5" and stroke 3.25". Fuel system is digital designed by Jaska and his
team, totally different from the traditional systems. The supercharger is Autorotor HPS 2.1 and maximum pressure is 50 psi. This bike is a high gear bike so there's no
gearbox at all. The clutch is Jaska's own design and manufactured by himself, too. It's a single-stage clutch and all the set-ups are made by adjusting the ignition and fuel
systems. Jaska made his world's quickest pass on 83% nithromethane, but he certainly has even more potential left because the engine was designed for 90%.
The maximum engine power has been calculated by a simulation programme also used by the Formula 1 teams and car manufacturers. The calculated engine power is
2,400 hp and the good news to all his challengers is that these engines are available to anyone so you can buy one if you like. Here at our European tracks there we are
going to see one or two of them very soon.
FIA/FIM European Finals Perfect Awards. 5th September: This weekend's FIA / FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway is the latest event in the
2017 Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards Scheme. £150 is on offer for perfect performance.
The Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by ET Bike racer
Fiona Moor at the Open Sport Nationals. The Award will be paid in cash to the first racer this weekend to record a Reaction
Time of 0.000 seconds in competition. The Perfect Light Award is available to racers in all classes during qualifying and eliminations,
but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. If not won this weekend then the Award will be increased to £75
for the UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway; if it is won then it will be reset to £50 for the UK National Finals. The Perfect
Light Award is presented in association with Bad Habit Racing (Cath and Tig Napier, Pro ET).
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried.
Eurodragster.com decals are available in the Signing On office or from the Eurodragster.com staff.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supporting Bloodwise has been increased to £100 after it went
unclaimed at the Open Sport Nationals. The Award will be paid in cash to the first racer this weekend
to run an ET to the thousandth of a second on dial-in or index. The Perfect ET Award is available during qualifying or
eliminations in Gearhead Garage UK Super Pro ET, Modurstang Pro ET, Super Comp, Al's Gasser Super Gas Shootout 2017,
Super Street and Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only), but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the event. If
not won this weekend then the Award will be increased to £125 for the UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway; if it is
won then it will be reset to £50 for the UK National Finals. The Perfect ET Award
is presented by Derek and Fiona Flynn of Eurodragster.com sponsor Gold RV
in support of Bloodwise; you can donate to Bloodwise at www.bloodwise.org.uk.
To be eligible to collect the Perfect ET Award, racers are required to carry Eurodragster.com / Bloodwise decals, one
on each side of the vehicle. If you pull an event's first Perfect ET but are not carrying decals then there will be no discussion;
we will not pay out and the next person to pull a Perfect ET will get the money assuming that they are carrying decals. Decals are
available in the Signing On office.
Stuart comments "Unfortunately I was unable to attend the meeting, but I was glued to the internet watching the excellent Eurodragster.com and Santa
Pod TV coverage for the whole of the event. I will be attending this weekend to support Martin along with several key members of staff from Fix Auto
Penzance. Good luck to Martin and the other members of Paul Marston Racing."
Fix Auto is a global collision repair franchise with repair centres in the UK, Canada, USA, France, Turkey, Australia and South Africa. For more
details or to find your nearest Fix Auto repair shop visit Fixauto.com.
Swift snippets. 4th September: Our best wishes to Dave Milam of the UK's She Devil Racing Top Methanol FC team
who is under medical orders to rest his eyes after suffering an injury to one. This has necessitated Steph Milam's withdrawal from
this week's FIA / FIM European Finals, which we were also sorry to learn.
Seasons of stats. 4th September: Just in time for this week's FIA / FIM European Finals, timing and points guru and Honorary
Eurodragster.com Staff Member Andy Marrs has been hard at work updating his three "Spreadsheetosaurs" of historical qualifying and
elimination records in FIA and FIM Europe competition, and round wins in FIA competition. You can stat yourself up as follows:
"As far as FIM European records go this is as good as I have been able to make it", says Marrs. "There are some holes in it since either the data doesn't exist or it was
never there in the first place; to be frank if Eurodragster.com didn't exist I wouldn't have got half of what is on that sheet (Thanks, you're welcome: more than half of
our stats wouldn't be there without you - Ed).
"I also have to give a nod to Petteri Haapaniemi, Lars Andersson, Oscar Lindgren and Palle Lind who have supplied me with information over the years.
"If anyone out there has any more information then I'd be very grateful, likewise if anyone spots any errors or omissions then please drop me a line."
Eurodragster.com gallery catch-up. 4th September: The current frenetic Event Coverage schedule at Eurodragster.com has not allowed much time to
catch up with outstanding work but we are pleased to present some additional pictures from recent events.
First up is a gallery of Kirstie's pictures from the Junior Drag Racing Fun Day which took place at Santa Pod Raceway on
24th August, whilst the rest of the team were out of the country. You can take a look at Kirstie's Junior Fun Day shots,
which are presented in association with John Woolfe Racing, by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Elisabeth, our second photographer at last week's Dico Internationals, had to leave Tierp Arena before the event ended on Sunday and was
then left with the not-inconsiderable problem of transmitting five and a half gigabytes of pictures to us. After a lot of hard
work Elisabeth got the shots to us and so we have appended one hundred additional pictures to our Dico Internationals Sunday gallery,
again presented in association with John Woolfe Racing. You can take a look by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
As well as all the on-track action our two John Woolfe Racing-sponsored galleries
from the weekend's VW Action at Santa Pod Raceway include pictures from the pits and the Car Show areas, and you can check those out by
clicking here
or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please
join Tog in thanking Kirstie and Julian for their hard work at Santa Pod, Julian whilst suffering a bad cold.
Attentive viewers may have noticed the appearance of Facebook Share buttons on our VW Action galleries. At Kirstie's suggestion
FB shares will now be included at the top of all Event Coverage pages whether report, pit note or gallery, as well as on the landing page of our
Webster Race
Engineering / Nimbus Motorsport webcam. It was a bark to code up, but we
have already noticed the Share buttons being used so hopefully the effort will prove worthwhile. Retrofitting previous coverage is on
the task list but is probably one for the off-season.
Lucas sponsor Allard Awards. 4th September: Eurodragster.com sponsor Lucas Oil Products UK
have announced that they are to sponsor the three 2017 Sydney Allard Media Awards which will be presented at the
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner, this year being
held at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on 18th November.
The crystal trophy awards are for Best Written Journalism, Best Photo Journalism, and a new Award for Best Video Journalism. The judging panel,
consisting of experts from the Guild of Motoring Writers, Octane Magazine and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, have begun sifting through
the entries. Lucas Oil is a major supporter of the BDRHoF, also sponsoring the BDRHoF Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award and co-sponsoring the
pre-dinner drinks reception and the Junior drag racers' tables.
Lucas Oil UK Managing Director Les Downey said "The Sydney Allard Media Awards have become an important part of the BDRHoF Gala Awards Dinner
and we are pleased to sponsor them this year. Expanding the drag racing audience is crucial and the work of those in the media – including
social media these days – is vital. It is right that this work is recognised at such a prestigious event as the British Drag Racing Hall of
Fame Annual Gala."
The Hall of Fame trophies will be presented at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Dinner at the historic Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge
on Saturday 18th November. Reservations can be made for the Gala by E-Mail at
stuart@britishdragracinghof.co.uk or by telephone on 01933 279102.
This year the tickets are priced competitively at £65 and this includes a pre-dinner reception and table wine. The event always sells out well in
advance, so if you would like to join us for the occasion then we suggest you make your reservation sooner rather than later. On receiving your
reservation you will be given the procedure to book rooms at the negotiated room rate which includes breakfast and VAT as well as
parking.
Our coverage will consist of a photo gallery at the end of each day courtesy of
Kirstie and Julian, and the Webster Race
Engineering / Nimbus Motorsport webcam will
be on-line broadcasting live video and commentary / trackside audio so long as the track is open.
Thanks to Doyousee.me for the provision of streaming services.
You can check out our VW Action Event Index by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any
Euroragster.com page.
FIA/FIM European Finals racer update. 3rd September: Many thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding us details of the arrangements for next week's FIA / FIM
European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway.
Friday 8th September
07:30 Signing On office opens
07:30 Scrutineering commences
09:30 Track open for qualifying and eliminations
Saturday 9th September
08:00 Signing On office opens
08:00 Scrutineering commences
09:30 Track open for qualifying and eliminations
Sunday 10th September
09:30 Track open for eliminations
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com
page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other
reason deemed necessary by race officials.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 21:00 on any day of the event including Friday's
RWYB. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden.
Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside
Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish
to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary
who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes,
to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
The Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly out of bounds during racing
except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting Perfect Award money.
For the benefit of racers, sponsors, family, friends and fans please note that next week's webcast schedule is as follows:
FIA / FIM European Finals Day 2, Friday 8th 19:00-21:00: Trakbak Racing / Track Group Europe / Santa Pod Raceway
Web TV
FIA / FIM European Finals Day 3, Saturday 9th: Trakbak Racing / Track Group Europe / Santa Pod Raceway
Web TV
FIA / FIM European Finals Day 4, Sunday 10th: Trakbak Racing / Track Group Europe / Santa Pod Raceway
Web TV
Links to both webcasts are availably by clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com
page.
Lady first. 2nd September: Sue Morris writes that what started as "We've got nothing to do Bank Holiday weekend, so let's go watch the racing at Shakey"
turned into "Well, if we're going, we may as well take the bike" and then a totally awesome weekend as Phil Pratt took the ET Bike win at the Open Sport Nationals:
Qualifying for ET Bike was really tight in the sweltering heat, with Saturday's first session ending with Phil and Satan's Lady in second spot running 8.99 on his 8.98 dial-in.
He hung on to it through Q2 and Q3, but finished the day in fourth spot after a surprise end-of-day qualifier which we watched from the grandstand.
So it was game on for Sunday, and the fifth session put Phil right at the top with a 9.015 on his 9.01 dial-in and that's where he stayed for the rest of the day. It
was great to welcome Derek Flynn into ET Bike and to get to qualify alongside him, Derek getting away first on his 13.75 dial-in, leaving Phil to play catch-up
with his 8.98. The timing ticket, in Phil's favour, showed a margin at the top end of just 0.00534 (9.26 inches - Ed), now there's a slip to keep!
Monday's race day dawned hotter than ever but with a slight tail wind, so who knew what would happen? Having raced Gary Hester in three finals in three
events - score, to those not keeping up, being 2-1 to Phil - none of us could help laughing when the first round pairings were unveiled, leading to Joe Elliot's
Phil v Gary - £1 Pay Per View board appearing in the pits. With conditions very different to the previous two days, it could have gone either
way but it was Phil who earned himself the bye in E2. Knowing that the turnaround was going to be quick we toyed with the idea of just taking the beam,
but that's something we don't like to do so Phil stuck an 8.95 on the board and went for it, running 8.96. So we knew what The Lady could do under those
conditions.
Further rounds against Dave Grundy and that pocket rocket which is Louis Davies set us up for the final with number three qualifier Pete Austin. A great,
close race with the win light in Phil's lane (resulting in major team celebrations on the start line) meant there was just one more job to do, to collect the
winner's trophy!
We have to say a huge Thank You to longtime friend David Hiley and son Chris who, due to the lightning fast turnarounds needed for a thirty two-bike
ladder, took charge of pushing Satan's Lady back to the pits after a run, and back down to the start line for the next. A massive Thank You
must also go to fellow racer Paul Adams and his lovely wife who, despite already being out of competition, allowed us to decamp down to their pits
where their electric fan was put to very good use. We honestly couldn't have done it without you all... thank you so much!
We absolutely love the class, the racers, the banter, the laughs… and, of course, the real close racing – nothing is ever a given and no pair is an easy one!
Thanks to Tony Smith and Les Harris for all their hard work to get the class brought in. Sixteen ET Bikes at most rounds, with eighteen at Shakey over
the Bank Holiday, and it's only going to grow! Bring it on!
Grumpy's Fun Day. 2nd September: Successful car, bike and car racer, then retired, then returned, blown-alcohol altered racer
Paul Watson had a successful outing at the recent Junior Fun Day at Santa Pod Raceway:
The car was put together by Gary Springford at DRE with the help of my crew Joey Muffins and I. After the début of the car
at Dragstalgia, where we only just got the motor fired up, we took it back home and went through everything to make sure that all
was well. Absolutely no problems with the Jeff Bull Racing motor.
Santa Pod kindly let us test at Junior Fun day. As always with a new car I was very apprehensive. The plan was just to get used
to doing the burnouts and some launches. The first attempt burnout was OK although I was a bit taken by surprise how the revs
picked up, almost instantly coming off the gas then going back on. The thing about which I was most worried was the reverser as
I have heard many horror stories about using the Lencodrive but I think I've got my head round it now.
The launch was great, footbrake off idle, 1.17 sixty foot then off it, a great first effort and I was on full throttle - even
suprised myself.
We made three runs altogether, managing a gear change too. Although the track wasn't prepped, so it was a bit loose, at the end of
the day the best sixty foot was 1.13 after they put a bit of sticky stuff down for the first sixty feet.
I am over the moon with how the car has come out. Unfortunately I've not yet gone fast enough to enter the Europeans Finals so I
am off to do the Hot Rod Drags at Shakespeare County Raceway with the Supercharged Outlaws, then the UK National Finals. There are
too many people to thank individually but you all know who you are and I wouldn't have got here without the help of all of you.
Nitro bests jet fuel again. 2nd September: The UK's Robin Read has previous racing jets in his world record-holding blown-nitro
Daimler-powered dragster, and he had the chance to have another go at York Raceway last weekend:
A couple of days prior to leaving home I had a phone call from Steve Murty at York. "Would you like to run against Roger Goring in the Firestorm
Jet Funny Car over the eighth mile at the weekend?". Wow! Straight away I said "Yes", not knowing anything about the performance of Roger and Helen's
beautiful car, but with a victory and happy memories of last year's duel with Julian Webb's Split Second Jet Dragster there were no issues with
running against Roger: the detailed and superb engineering and build quality of his car, coupled with his skill and experience with Jet Funny Cars,
outweighed any reservations I might have had.
I was a bit short of crew as Crew Chief Mark had a prior commitment, but a call to longtime friend and school pal Greg and his wife Julie in Devon
proved positive and so we had myself, Ella, Bill and Bertie. We set out for York Raceway in lovely weather which was forecast to remain for the
weekend.
Mark and I had devised a conservative tune up for the weekend and these settings were in the car for the first run against Roger in Firestorm,
but sadly Firestorm failed to fire up and we made a solo run. We left the line OK but went into violent tyre shake as soon as I made the shift from
first to second. I pedalled which didn't help the shake but punished the motor: it went lean and sneezed, destroying the blower belt. We ran a 5.15
at a shut off 122 mph. We could have claimed the win but after some discussion it was decided to discount the first run and commence the best of
three with the next pass.
I had done some work in the clutch to try to alleviate the tyre shake and we were ready for the next run. This time Firestorm performed as
it should and we had a good run together. Roger got a 0.1 advantage at the Tree and went through in front of me running 4.37/190! Wow! That was
really quick. We ran 4.77/137.5 which was on a par with what we'd run last year. There was less tyre shake but it was still present. The actual race
on track was closer than the numbers suggested, however it was a convincing first win for Firestorm.
We were all looking forward to the next day. The spectator appreciation was really enthusiastic, they were as excited as us!
I knew that to stay in the hunt for the overall win I needed the next race so a plan was hatched. We put in the tune-up which ran 6.69 at Dragstalgia,
less a couple of degrees of ignition advance. I figured that I'd leave the clutch as was because the extra power would make it slip. The last thing was
that I had to get as good a hole shot at The tree as I could. A tall order against Roger!
Both cars fired up OK and did their pre-race routine. I left the line and went into instant tyre shake but stayed with the run because I couldn't see or
hear Roger but I was expecting him to come by any moment. The eighth marker seemed to take forever, the tyre shake the worst I've ever experienced,
but Roger didn't pass. Phew! We were still in contention.
I was elated until Ella, gathering the chute, drew my attention to the oil pouring from the rear cover on the axle. The shake had fractured the housing.
We made up a makeshift nappy held on with duct tape to stem the flow whilst we returned to the pit bay. We had done it; we ran 4.58/158 to Roger's
4.28/191, the win margin being 0.017. The rest of the crew worked on normal turnaround whilst I concentrated on how to save the fractured axle
housing. Roger came to congratulate me on the race win and saw the damage and immediately offered me a solution using compound and tools which
he supplied. What a lovely chap - it's at times like this which just reinforce how unique and wonderful our sport is.
We managed to get ready and I got into the clutch again, knowing that neither the car nor I would survive another pass like the previous one. We waited
until the last moment to refill the axle with oil and crossed our fingers and toes that all would be OK. I also knew that to win I had to repeat what I'd done
on the previous run, again a tall order!
Both cars fired up and again completed each respective pre run rituals. I saw Roger go into pre-stage and then light his first stage light and I did the same.
There was a delay which felt like hours but then Des the Chief Starter signalled me into stage and an almost instant green. We ran through but I didn't
see or hear Roger - I didn't know that he had shut down at the last moment due to some technical difficulties. We had won! The axle had survived but
our ET and speed had suffered at the expense of a overly slipping clutch - we ran a 4.88/141.
The spectator reaction over the weekend was awesome and we also had an enthusiastic response from officials and competitors alike. What a weekend!
We drove home tired with a wounded race car but happy hearts.
I would like to thank Steve Murty and family, all at the PDRC for a safe and organised racing environment, the medics and fire crew, Graham and Karl in
the tower, Roger and Helen and the Firestorm crew for their involvement and assistance and my own team Ella Chapman, Bill Mears, Bertie
Hopkinson, Greg and Julie Veale, and Mark Evans.
Swift snippets. 2nd September: Phil Evans, who heads up the UK's Tech Committee, has been in touch to confirm that he has
got the MSA to clarify a rule change for next season which was taken to read that burnouts would not be allowed in drag racing
from 2018. Burnouts will continue to be allowed in drag racing. "The new rule was aimed at preventing the use of tyre-warming
blankets during Sprint and Hill Climb events", says Phil. "Even in these disciplines the spinning of tyres, to clean them before a
run, is allowed. Because the regulation had been placed under the general heading of Sprints, Hill Climbing and Drag Racing
it has caused some concern that burnouts would be banned in drag racing next year. This is not the case and I asked for a
clarification of this regulation to be published by the MSA."
UK Super Gas racer and Al's Gasser Super Gas Shootout organiser Jon Giles
says that, courtesy of Cadman Transport in Colchester, there will be a trophy and a cheque for £150 to the number one qualifier at
nect week's FIA / FIM European Finals. "The trophy will be presented after all qualifying rounds are completed on Saturday", saus Jon. "Can I also
invite all Super Gas teams to a meeting in my pit space at 8:00 pm this Thursday to discuss the way forward for Super Gas in 2018."
The UK's Richie Webb got in touch from Los Angeles where he is preparing his Beetle for Hot
Rod Drag Week. "I am making final adjustments to my turbo stock-suspension Beetle cabrio", says Richi. "The car is ready and I have adapted a roof rack
to allow us to carry the essentials as, unlike most cars competing, we will not use a trailer. We are just taking what we can in the car with us, and we are using
the same wheels and M&H tyres for road and tracks to simplify things. I will set off on Monday towing the 2000 miles just to get to the start of the event, and
then I will compete in the Small Block Power Adder class."
It didn't take Eurodragster.com and Perfect ET Award sponsor Derek Flynn of Gold RV long
to get the bug for two-wheeled drag racing as after an outing in ET Bike at Shakespeare County Raceway last week he has stepped up to Les Harris' nine-second
Supertwin Gas bike for the UK National Finals. "I wanted to go faster and have wheelie bars", Derek told Eurodragster.com. "We know how this goes..."
The UK's Chris Orthodoxou will be running his Viper Pro Mod in Comp Eliminator at next week's FIA European Finals to get more track time.
"We have fixed the broken transbrake and sorted out the exploding starter motor issue, which was why we did not reappear at the Mopar EuroNationals", says Chris. "The root
of both the solenoid and starter motor problems were that they're inferior Ch*vy pattern items, so obviously not up to the job of handling the awesomeness of a monster Chrysler
Hemi engine. I will be at Wednesday's Pro Peak Performance Day hopefully making observed runs."
Drag racing enthusiasts who would like to obtain a special souvenir of this year's Dragstalgia will find a five-page photo essay featured in the new October issue of Motor Sport
magazine (not to be confused with Motorsport News). Photographer Lyndon McNeil and Features Editor Simon Arron visited Santa Pod during Dragstalgia and
plainly enjoyed the occasion. Along with Lyndon's pictures, Simon also includes the event in his own column, on the theme of "Alternatives to Silverstone and the British Grand Prix".
The October issue of Motor Sport has just gone on sale and will be available from good newsagents at £4.99 soon if not now.
Top Gas Round 4 review. 2nd September: Herman Jolink writes that the fourth round of the
European Top Gas Series took place over the quarter mile at the NitrOlympX
at Hockenheim:
The track was very well preparid by the BDRC and Santa Pod. Some rain on Friday night but the rest of the weekend had nice sunshine and there was a very big crowd as
always at the NitrOlympx. There were a lot competitors in bike and car classes but there were some oildowns in the car classes so the Top Gas racers got two qualifiers,
one on Friday and one on Saturday. Qualifying was as follows:
Jorg Lymant D on 2662 V-Twin 7.693/275 kmh, first run was an 8.831/204 with some problems.
Cord Albers D on 2622 V-Twin 7.845/276 supported by his Hungarian Crew Chief Istvan.
Gerd Caspari D on 2240 V-Twin 8.724/254 kmh.
Peter Niklas D on 1000 SP Turbo Honda 8.741/236.
Martin Bühler CH on 1600 mechanical turbo V-Twin 8.831/247, new Personal Best.
Joel Della-Vecchia F on 2000 V-Twin 9.103/234.
Chris van Nimmen B on 2600 V-Twin 9.229/211 with a new Delkron four cam crankcase. Too much oil pressure so the van Nimmen team worked on the motor until late Friday.
Sascha Brodbeck CH on 1300 V-Rod Destroyer 9.454/224.
Jorg Braune D on 2000 V-Twin 9.627/221.
Dirk Watersloot B on 2000 V-Twin 9.703/215.
Janne Malmberg S on 2600 two blower V-Twin 10.009/142 with some problems.
Sven-Ole Schleichert D on 1300 V-Rod Destroyer 10.126/211.
Janek Severa CR on Suzukli 1000 TL 10.173/212.
Yan Gennisiieux F on Buell 1125 R 10.493/206.
Maik Kruger D 10.664/207.
Olaf Menzi CH on 2622 V-Twin 12.628/101.
Olivier Maurice F 12.851/124.
Frederik Schack DK on 2622 V-Twin 19.436/42, Fredrik had problems going straight, the bike was making hard right moves.
Marc v d Boer's engine was not ready.
Sunday E1: Lymant 7.858/272 def. Menzi 9.926/177; Brodbeck 9.391/221 def. Braune 9.682/207; Severa 10.413/210 bye, Niklas was broken; Schleichert 9.975/210 def. Bühler
left before the Tree ran; Kruger 10.292/209 def. Albers 17.213/136, Albers lifted the front wheel at the start then went for the centre line, closed the throttle as his steering
flattened; Waterschoot 9.813-210 kmh def van Nimmen 12.785/153; Caspari 8.361/256 def. Gennisieux 10.313/198; Malmberg 7.898/273 def. Dalla-Vecchia 9.180/233, a new
Personal Best for Malmberg after problems in qualifying, the team found the right set-up.
E2: Lymant 7.608/275 def. Brodbeck 9.378/221; Schleichert 9.988/214 def. Severa 10.216/215; Waterschhot 9.913/207 def. Kruger 10.240/215;
Malmberg 7.846/275 def. Caspari 8.367/255, again a new Personal Best for Malmberg.
Final: Jorg Lymant D 7.580/282 def. Dirk Waterschoot B 9.760/214. The Waterschoot tea, were very happy, qualified tenth and runner-up.
Championship points:
Lymant D 1630
Malmberg S 1260
Schack 1065
Schleichert D 870
Braune 750
Albers D 745
Severa CR 740
Caspari D 680
Waterschoot B 670
Jolink NL 600
Niklas D 550
Bühler CH 540
van Nimmen B 530
Foit
Menzi CH 430
Kruger 420
Jensen DK 310
Bruun DK 300
Foit Jr D 300
Top Gas are attending the Mosten Race Day sprint this weekend.
Gender wars loom at Santa Pod. 2nd September: A gender war is bubbling up at Santa Pod Raceway. Three women will take on six men in a battle of the world's fastest, most powerful
racing cars at next weekend's FIA European Finals. Piloting 300 mph, 10,000-horsepower Top Fuel Dragsters is not an exercise for the faint-hearted, but that will not deter the
men… and certainly not the women.
The supreme prize, the 2017 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Championship, is already spoken for – the race will determine which of two men will inherit the crown – but the glory
of winning the season's most prestigious race is open to all the contestants, and will carry particular resonance for the three female drivers.
For Anita Mäkelä, a strong showing will provide some redress for a dismal season. The veteran racer from Finland won the FIA Championship for the second time last
year and was expected to offer a stout defence of the title. Yet she has advanced to the second round of eliminations only once and languishes a distant sixth in the points. She
remains the quickest in the field, with career-best figures of 3.878 seconds - the official European record - and 313.30 mph over the 1,000-foot racing distance, and her 3.900-second
pass at Tierp, Sweden, in June is this season's quickest. In drag racing's decisive, split-second world, a return to all-conquering form will surprise no one.
Jndia Erbacher lies just one place behind Anita in the points, which is some achievement as she has only competed in two races. The Swiss twenty-year-old caused a near sensation
three weeks ago by reaching the final round on her competitive Top Fuel début at Hockenheim, Germany, and will be determined to improve on that finish at Santa Pod.
Though new to drag racing's Formula One-level class, the daughter of multi-Champion Urs Erbacher is no newcomer to the sport, having most recently raced an unsupercharged
A/Fuel Dragster in America and Europe.
Even newer to the class, though again not to the sport, is nineteen-year-old Maja Udtian, who makes her competitive Top Fuel début this weekend. As a young member of
Norway's renowned Islanders team collective, Udtian began racing as a child in Junior Dragster (they start at age eight) and has lately competed in the Super Comp class.
The Islanders are placing great faith in their driver's youthful but accomplished abilities. Maja has been licensing for the class during the year, with a best clocking of 4.110/276.85
to date. With no great expectations weighing on her shoulders, simply to qualify for Sunday's eliminations will be considered a success. Another Islanders graduate, Birgitte Bremnes,
will race in the Fuel Funny Car division.
2017 marks the fortieth anniversary of Shirley Muldowney's first NHRA Top Fuel Championship in America. Since then, women drivers have earned more top-level success
around the world in drag racing than in all other motorsports combined.
For the record, the two male racers left in contention for this year's FIA Championship are Malta's Duncan Micallef and Finland's Antti Horto and either will be a first-time
Champion. Duncan holds the edge with a fifty one-point lead, but a repeat of the outcome at Tierp's August race – victory for Antti, first-round defeat for Duncan – could
result in the crown heading by a hair's breadth to Finland for the second year in a row.
While international and inter-gender relations are harmonious off the track, fellow feeling vanishes as the engines fire up. Once the start line comes into view, it's every man
and woman for him or herself.
Web site updates. 2nd September: Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two Dico Internationals reports on the Autosport.nl web site.
There is a race report which you can check out by
clicking here
and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by
clicking here. Don't worry
if you can't read Dutch because, as ever, it is pretty clear what is being said and, as ever, the pictures are great.
Alan Currans has just updated his excellent Acceleration Archive web site to include the latest blog instalment by Keith Lee, featuring the first visit to Dragstalgia
by Dennis Priddle plus latest developments on Keith's book Mr. Six - The Story of a Drag Racing Legend, Dennis Priddle. You can check it out via the What's New
link at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.
Alan has also updated The Acceleration Archive with a gallery of shots from the Saturday of last weekend's Open Sport Nationals at Shakespeare
County Raceway. Again you can check it out via the What's New link at
www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.
In the latest instalment of his exclusive Racer Blog presented in association with
Gearhead Garage Paul Marston brings us up to date with the
construction of his twin-turbo Cortina. You can take a look by clicking
here or by clicking on the Gearhead Garage Blogs link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr site with more than six hundred pictures from July's Mopar EuroNationals at Santa Pod
Raceway. You can take a look at
www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.
Swift snippets. 1st September: Many thanks to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for posting the post-APIRA Open Sport Nationals
points standings in the 2017 UK National Drag Racing Championships. You can check out the UK points on our
OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page which you can reach by
clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on
the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Thanks also to timing guru Andy Marrs for passing us an updated table of European Bests including not only Micke Gullqvist's
Pro Modified ET record set at the Dico Internationals but also new side-by-side bests for Top Methanol ET, Top Methanol speed, Pro
Modified ET, Pro Modified speed, Pro Stock ET and Pro Stock speed all reset at the Dico Internationals. You can check out the
European Bests table by clicking here or by clicking on the European
and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
We have a backlog of news with which we shall catch up once we get to Santa Pod Raceway this afternoon (See below - Ed).
Stay tuned.
Accommodation offered near SPR. 1st September: If you are looking for accommodation ahead of next week's FIA / FIM European Finals at Santa
Pod Raceway then Country View House offers idyllic self-catering accommodation in Bozeat
village, which its owners tell us is the closest accommodation to the track:
Without the restrictions of a traditional hotel or B&B, you could benefit from complete independence in contemporary and tasteful surroundings just a ten-minute drive from all the action.
As the name suggests, the property benefits from countryside views with horses almost literally on the back doorstep. Not only will you be guaranteed a well-deserved, quiet night's
sleep away from the fast-fuelled action, you will also be spoilt with mod cons and home comforts including Sky TV on wall mounted plasmas, ceiling speakers and unlimited free Wi-Fi.
Country View House is frequently enjoyed by spectators, race teams and crew.
The Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by
Super Gas racer Jon Morton at the FIA / FIM European Finals. The Award will be paid in cash to the first racer this weekend to
record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds in competition. The Perfect Light Award is available to racers in all classes during
qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is
presented in association with Bad Habit Racing (Cath and Tig Napier, Pro ET).
18th September: Sam Lewis has been in touch with an update on this weekend's Racers v SPR / SPRC football
match at Santa Pod Raceway supporting 
