Söderquist stocking up.
29th November: Top Fuel Dragster team owner Knut Söderquist is already well advanced with his plans for 2003 with four Top Fuel chassis and a season's worth of spares already in place or on the way from the USA. The Carbon By Design team, two of whose cars were raced this year by Micke Kågered, Susanne Callin and Robin Read, could be fielding as many as four cars in 2003.
©Eurodragster.com
Knut's 'Black' car which was raced by Susanne Callin and Robin Read in 2002, and in which Chris Andrews licenced, is already in the Carter Motorsport workshop. It is being prepared by Eddie Corr, Andy Carter and the team for 2003 when it will carry the colours of First National Telecom for Andy's title challenge. "I also have a new Hadman chassis which Chris Andrews is scheduled to drive, and the 2002 Montana Express is on its way from the USA", says Knut. "That car was raced at six events in 2002, and it is scheduled to arrive here on 16th December. I am also having the chassis which Robin Read raced in 1999 completely overhauled. Armour Fabrications in Irthlingborough are front-ending it and back-ending it and building new bodywork."

As well as the chassis, Knut has also stocked up on parts. "We have lots of bits!", he says. "We aim to have eight complete motors. We want to be as professional as it is possible to be in Europe. I've also got a new truck for all the spare parts. We're getting ready!"

Knut tells us that he is still waiting for confirmation of Micke Kågered and Susanne Callin's plans for 2003, but thinks that there should be some news for us on this front within the next few weeks. In the meantime he has confirmed that Andy Carter and Chris Andrews will have their respective Top Fuellers on show at Autosport International at the NEC, Birmingham, in January. Stay tuned for some more news on that too.

FIA, FIM/UEM races on Swedish TV.
29th November: We are very grateful to Caroline Day of Santa Pod Raceway for passing on the news that TV coverage of the 2002 FIA and FIM/UEM European Championships is to start broadcasting in Sweden next week.
©Eurodragster.com
"Viasat will be broadcasting the TV coverage weekly on Wednesdays, starting at approximately 19:30 next Wednesday, 4th December", says Caroline. "There will also be a repeat showing at approximately 16:00 on Saturdays. The FIA Championship rounds will be shown for the first ten weeks, and then the four FIM rounds will be shown in the following weeks. We are also trying to squeeze in another repeat for each show."

Shakespeare County dates added...
29th November: LA Performance Services have revealed details of two more events to be held at Shakespeare County Raceway in 2003, to add to the three events announced on 3rd November.

The Big Shootout, which takes place on 4th-5th October is a car-only event. It will be run along the same lines as the Doorslammer Shootout, which featured four large brackets, only on this occasion everyone is invited - doors or no. "The idea is for everyone to mix it", says promoter Lee Child. "You're looking at Super Pro Dragsters racing Street Eliminator cars, Supercharged Outlaws racing Super Mods, anything goes. We will be posting big prize money."
©Eurodragster.com
The Halloween Showdown on 18th-19th October is the season finale at SCR. Details are yet to be finalised but Press Officer Jerry Cookson (to whom thanks for additional reporting in this news item - Ed) tells us that there will be a certain Outlaw flavour about the event! Lee has promised more details in the near future.

Shakespeare County Raceway's 2003 calendar is now as follows:

April 12th-13th: Season Opening Test and Tune
May 3rd-5th: Excitement Nationals (UK National Championship)
May 17th-18th: Classic American Nationals
May 31st-1st June: UK Modified Nationals
June 14th-15th: Power Nationals (UK National Championship)
June 28th-29th: NSRA Nostalgia Nationals
July 12th-13th: British Mini Showdown
August 8th-10th: Bulldog Bash
August 23rd-25th: Allstar Nationals (UK National Championship)
September 6th-7th: NSRA Hot Rod Drags
September 20th-21st: European Doorslammer Nationals
October 4th-5th: Big Shootout (Cars only)
October 18th-19th: Halloween Showdown

...and if you can't be there.
29th November: On the subject of 2003 events at Shakespeare County Raceway, we are pleased to confirm that Lee Child has expressed himself perfectly content for Eurodragster to cover the LA Performance Services-organised events live from the Warwickshire track. "It doesn't mean that you shouldn't come along to the track if you can, though!", he laughs.
©Eurodragster.com
Our American Car Imports-sponsored coverage of events at Shakespeare County Raceway in 2003 will commence with the Season Opening Test and Tune on 12th-13th April.

Web site updates.
29th November: Alan Currans has updated his excellent Acceleration Archive historical photo site with a fifth page of Pro Comp pictures. "This update includes Jim and Steve Read's slingshot cars and the rear-engined Le Patron dragster of Jim Read", says Alan. "Norm Wheeldon and Tim Claxton's beautiful rear-engined rail is featured as are no fewer than three versions of the Krypton dragster which a bloke called Dave Wilson had something to do with. Ollie Burns' Komodo Dragon Funny Car is also included together with some of the usual Swedish suspects". Check it out at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.
©Eurodragster.com
Speedfreaks Ball video review.
27th November: With the winter weather closing in and the racing done for the year, it's always nice to look back on a nice dry weekend at the race track, and the new video from PowerPoint Communications allows us to do that by transporting us back to Santa Pod in May for the Speedfreaks Ball motorcycle event. Organiser Martin Hill and PowerPoint very kindly sent us a copy of the video for review.

The Speedfreaks Ball was more of a lifestyle event than a race meeting, but with Top Fuel bikes, Supertwin Top Fuel Bikes, Super Street Bikes, Pro Stock Bikes, NAST Supertwins, Jet Funny Cars and the late Sammy Miller with his Vanishing Point Rocket FC all in attendance to put in demo runs, there was plenty of action for race fans to enjoy, mixed in with the Run What You Brung action and a selection of stunt vehicles.

The video neatly captures the nature of the event, succeeding in featuring just about everything which took to the track including the stunt performers, but with a bias towards the race machinery. For the race fan there is action from Super Street Bike, Supertwins, 9.90 Bike, 10.90 Bike, and of course the competition bikes including Ian King, Steve Woollatt, Joey Bon, Ton Pels, Neil Midgley, Al Cook, and Sarah Jane Head.

Away from the track, the video includes some pit-side footage and a selection of interviews. These include Super Street Bike racer Graham Dance, Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King, Ton Pels from the Nitro Harley camp, Lucy Thorn who was riding one of Paul Rose's bikes, and Martin Hill, Tony Baker and Sammy Miller from the Jet FC and Rocket pits. One or two of the RWYBers are also interviewed, which reinforces the point made more than once in the tape that anyone can have a go, whilst Michel Kooy is very entertaining on the subject of his Jet Quad. Each interview contains a little information about the rider or driver's particular class and about their own vehicle, and is informative and interesting without lasting too long and disrupting the flow of the video.

The interview with the late Sammy Miller is very poignant as he talks about his plans for a 400 mph car and commits his Donald Duck impression to tape - as it turned out, for posterity. Sammy's first and last passes of the weekend are featured and make a fitting memorial.

The video ends with that rarity peculiar to non MSA-sanctioned events, a side-by-side flame and thunder show followed by a race between the Fireforce 1 and 2 Jet FCs. Just as it made a spectacular finale to the Speedfreaks Ball, so it is an apt finale to the video.

The footage is generally well-filmed and the production is very slick. Most is filmed on or close to the start line with a little top end footage added to the mix. This gives a nice mix of burnout and launch footage, including some of the race bikes spinning up the rear tyre or picking the front end up, but it also means that the times and speeds for any given run can't be seen on the scoreboards nor are they, for the most part, mentioned in the commentary.
©Eurodragster.com
One area in which video footage of drag racing often falls down is the soundtrack. In this case it is quite rare to be able to hear the sound of the bikes, even the thumping of Ton Pels' nitro-burning Harley is at times reduced to little more than background noise. This is however something which only hardcore race fans will pick up on - for a less demanding viewer the background music fits in nicely and isn't too intrusive. There is also one sequence during which the commentary is deliberately stopped and the music turned down so that the sound of the bikes can come to the fore.

Commentator Martin Bennett does not fall prey to that temptation to shout which seems de rigeur for announcers on drag racing videos all over the world; in fact with Martin's quiet, chatty style it is almost as if he is sitting there with the viewer. Hardcore fans may notice one or two factual inaccuracies in the commentary and be frustrated at the lack of times and speeds, but for the lay viewer Martin does a good job of describing what is going on and why.

As a record of the inaugural Speedfreaks Ball this video succeeds very well, with only a couple of minor quibbles which would really only be noticed by the hardcore fan who will want to buy it anyway! For those who were at Santa Pod it will bring back a lot of good memories, and for those who were not there it brings the event to the living room - either way, after one viewing of the tape viewers will be persuaded to book their tickets for the second running of the event in May 2003.

The Speedfreaks Ball video costs £14.95 plus £1.50 postage and packing. You can find out more about the Speedfreaks Ball video, and order a copy, on PowerPoint Communications' web site at www.goracefun.com. Our good buddy Turbo can also supply copies via his web site at www.turboville.com.

Fatty needs help.
27th November: Not a statement of fact, but a request from UK Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Ian Hook who has asked the help of Eurodragster readers. "I'm trying to find some decent photos of my new '34 on the street", says Ian. "I've got loads of pictures of the car at the track, but nothing of it on the road."
©Eurodragster.com
If you can help with pictures of the FB Racing Ford on the street, then please E-Mail Ian at fats-hook@supanet.com.

If street-legal drag racing is your bag then you could do a lot worse than check out the FB Racing web site at www.fbracing.co.uk. The site features Ian's eight-second '34 Ford as well as the latest gossip from the Custom Car Street Eliminator scene.

Web site updates.
27th November: The second issue of the Dragracer.de magazine is now on-line. The colourful and very professionally-produced German magazine comes in Adobe Acrobat format and contains race reports, news, an interview with 2002 FIA European Top Methanol Dragster Champion Peter Schöfer, features on race vehicles and more. Check it out at www.dragracer.de.

UK Custom Car Street Eliminator racer racer Andy Frost has updated his web site with the latest news from the Red Victor 2 workshop. Andy is keeping busy getting the car ready for an appearance at Autosport International in January, and you can find out what he has been up to at www.redvictor1racing.co.uk.
©Eurodragster.com
Our day out.
25th November: If you were tuned in to Eurodragster News in October you will remember that Henry Walther of Racepak Data Systems extended an invitation to European racers to visit the company's new headquarters in California. UK Super Pro ET racers and Eurodragster backers Pat and Stephen Talbot visited Racepak and liked what they found, as Stephen writes:

"During 2002 I investigated upgrading the Super Pro car with a decent data logger. I always got the impression talking to racers in the UK that Racepak stuff was really expensive and difficult to upgrade once you had the original system. However once I did my research I found that they had a system which was not only modular but that the company was a dream to deal with as they knew, in intimate detail, what drag racers needed to do the job. What I didn't expect, but definitely found, was that they treated me (a sportsman racer) with as much respect and attention as any Top Fuel team with a multi-million dollar budget. When the opportunity was offered to visit the facility, I wanted to see if their manufacturing was as good as their support had been on the phone and via E-Mail.

"Monday morning 9.30 am - we turn up outside their brand new facility just an hour drive down the coast from Los Angeles (smog-free!). It's 80 degrees and it's mid November. Pat and I were greeted by Henry Walther - who works on the technical support desk at Racepak - like long-lost friends. We were given a great American breakfast with good coffee and then shown around the complete facility.
©Eurodragster.com
"Being a sad IT guy myself I was more than just impressed with the immaculate surroundings; where everything is tracked by order and customer - you feel like they are genuinely part of your race team - they test every element of the system that you have ordered on a test bed so that you know that the stuff is going to work when you get it, unless it's been run over by a truck on the way over!

"They have a system called V-Net (which I am running on the dragster by the way) which can be configured with as few as one sensor and run up to over forty! The great thing is that because the system is modular, if you need to add an extra function/sensor later you plug in the new hardware and everything just works - no complicated wiring or configuration is needed. Their latest products suit circuit racers (first warning - Ed) as well as out-and-out drag racers with everything from simple water and oil temperature, exhaust gas temperature to full dash board in a single unit. They even have special water proof units for jet-skis, boats and snowmobiles. The options are amazing.

"In addition the software is as good as I've seen. With their Pro II system they can even link in a digital video to the data so you can see frame by frame the pass and the data at the same time - more than cool!

"We think that drag racing is about people and the people at Racepak go out of their way to be helpful, professional and make sure you get the right equipment for your exact requirement. What more can you ask?

"If any racers in the UK are serious about data recording then I cannot think of a better product or company to deal with. Please feel free to talk to me at stephen@talbotracing.com if you want to get more info on the V-Net product, or if you can work in LA time ring Henry at Racepak on +1 949 709 5555 - he's always willing to help. I'm converted and I'm not even selling it!"

You can find Racepak's web site at www.racepak.com.

Web site updates.
25th November: UK Wild Bunch racer Tony Smith has added a forum to his web site at www.cunningplan.btinternet.co.uk. "The main reason of this forum will be to let you all know when the new Guess Who photo has been posted and to keep all the racers and fans in touch over the winter months", says Tony. "I hope this forum will be family-friendly, and to protect the young ones it has been set not to allow any postings containing swear words". Tony's web site has also been updated with the latest Guess Who picture together with the latest news from the team and additions to his Meet The Ancestors page.
©Eurodragster.com
2003 Super Mod rules agreed.
23rd November: Last Monday night's UK Tech Committee meeting ratified the 2003 rule revisions agreed in July between the UK Super Modified racers. Nick Davies very kindly wrote to let us know the confirmed new Super Modified rules for next year:

Minimum Weight
Big Block: 2300lbs (50lb reduction)
Small Block (wedge head): 2250lbs (unchanged)
Rover Wildcat Heads: 2150lbs (unchanged)
Rover Standard Heads: 1850lbs (unchanged)
©Eurodragster.com
Big Block Engines, Raised Port/Hemi Heads: 4.5lb/cubic inch (unchanged), net intake valve lift limited to .700" measured at zero lash*

Big Block Engines, Production Heads: 4.15lb/ci (0.15lb/ci increase)

Big Block Nitrous Engines: Net intake valve limited to .600" at zero lash*

Small Block Engines, Wedge Head: 5.0lb/ci (unchanged)

All Rover Heads: 5.0lb/ci (unchanged)

All Engines using Nitrous Oxide: Add 1.15lbs/ci (0.4lb/ci increase)

Cars using clutch: Add 100lbs (unchanged)

* An absolute maximum .025" tolerance is permitted on restricted intake lift to account for valve lash and deflection

It is proposed to hold the weight breaks in the Supplementary Regulations to the MSA White Book so that should any new combination prove unexpectedly advantageous, capability is retained to make suitable adjustments in less than an eighteen month time horizon. It is extremely unlikely that any weight break revisions will ever be made other than between seasons.

European Championships promotion.
23rd November: A new company has been set up to manage the promotion and development of the FIA and FIM/UEM European Championships. The company, named Power Racing Promotions, had its first board meeting in Malmo on Thursday. The meeting was attended by promoters, representatives of the FIA and FIM, representatives of the racers, and other officials and discussed various subjects including TV coverage, safety, fees, sponsorship and development of the Championships at new tracks and in new countries. It was also agreed that FIM/UEM Comp Bike would in future be known as Top Fuel Bike although its make-up of Top Fuel, Funny and Comp Bikes would remain unchanged.

UK Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King attended the meeting in Malmo and has posted a very detailed report on the Pit Lane Gossip page of his web site at www.kingracing.com.
©Eurodragster.com
2002 Bilsport Awards.
23rd November: Micke Kågered (Drag Racer of the Year) and Susanne Callin (Young drag racer of the Year) were amongst the award winners at last night's Bilsport magazine awards ceremony at Karlskrona. The Swedish motor magazine, which is a big backer of drag racing in Scandinavia, also nominated Svensk Dragracing for the Motorsport Club of the Year award, a very well-deserved accolade for our Swedish friends.
©Eurodragster.com
You can find a full report and a photograph from the Bilsport Awards on the Svensk Dragracing web site at www.dragracing.se. The Svensk Dragracing site has also been updated with an entertaining interview with 2002 NDRS Super Street Champion Stefan Fallkvist.

Web site updates.
23rd November: Alan Currans has been busy again adding another page to his Acceleration Archive web site, which features historical photographs of drag racing in the UK. The latest update is a fifth page of Funny Cars, containing shots of the Page Brothers' Panic, Nobby Hills' Houndog 11 'Vette, one of John Spuffard's early drives, the Hitman from Tony Boden, Bill Sherratt's Cannonball, Andy Craddock's ex-Gene Snow Frontline car and Ron Picardo's Jaguar XJS. From abroad there are Tom Hoover's Showtime Corvette and the cars of Steine Engar, Harlan Thompson and Rune Fjeld. Check it out at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.

Steve Hiatt has launched a fan site at www.dragsterland.com. The site features a large number of Steve's photographs from Santa Pod and Shakespeare County Raceways and is well worth a look in.

Eurodragster staffer Sharkman has launched the 2002 School of Excellence on his personal web site at www.topendtales.com. The School of Excellence is an annual feature on Sharkman's site showcasing the very best in inadvertent drag racing photography from around the planet. Don't miss Sharkman's stunning self-portrait and AC Delco Pro Stock team member Magnus' astounding Super Stock action shot.

Editor's note: On the subject of the Eurodragster staff, those readers familiar with the recent trying circumstances of Tog's day job will be delighted to hear that an end is in sight. Tog would like to thank everyone for their concern and promises a proper update to his personal web site in time for Christmas.
©Eurodragster.com
Brutefarce, unedited.
21st November: Paul Watson's news about his new bike seems to have stirred up so interest amongst his fellow Super Street riders and Dave "Brutefarce" Bailey has been in touch with his thoughts on that and a look back at the Flame and Thunder meeting. Dave has specifically requested that we don't edit his original draft so here is Brutefarce, unedited;

"Post fireworks comments...

So much for the 7's or bust comment, it should have read 7's or drown. I did get out on the Sunday for one run. Very useful it was too; I learnt that 50bhp of nitrous off the line was slightly too much, the clutch setting was slightly too heavy and the crack in the crankcases was slightly too large... better to find out this year than first race of the season.
©Eurodragster.com
Anyway, I'm looking forward to next season (getting withdrawal symptoms already). Looks like lots of new riders are joining and new bikes are being built (and repaired - ride it Jamie!). Can't wait! And as for Grumpy's new bike... just another race bike for us crazies with slightly modified street bikes to beat ! LAST ONE INTO THE 7'S IS A PANSY !!!

So what are my plans for next year? Super Street bike of course (more nitrous I think). I'll also be after an old (cheap!) Pro Stock bike very soon (when the girlfriend's house sells !) which I'll play with in a Comp bike capacity to get the idea of this slick 'n wheelie bar thing. So if anyone's thinking of selling one, phone 01634 378515 (brutefarce@hotmail.com). My main aim though is to build a Martin Peck style, Puma based, nitrous assisted bike. Well we all have dreams...

And finally: Next year I need someone to tow me between the pits and the track. No complicated crew tasks, no getting oily, just towing. The deal will include entry to some (or all!) of next year's races - Any offers call the number above."

Web site updates.
21st November: Erwin Raets, the new webmaster of www.eurodrag.com has been busy with more changes and updates to take the already excellent site to an even higher level. Erwin tells us that he has managed to finish the drivers section, this means that anybody can now look up their personal driver's page and request a login and password if they have not already done so. Once you have logged on to the site it is possible to alter your personal information, create, delete and manage your vehicle data. "For example, you have to choose the vehicle you are currently running so that I know which vehicle to take when importing the first races next year" says Erwin.
©Eurodragster.com
Erwin adds "The only thing we ask is that drivers would look up their page, request a login and make sure the data is correct. Photographs of the drivers to include in their pages are welcome as well, it is always nice to have a face next to a name!" Not content with all that Erwin has updated next years calendar with all the events he is aware of as of now. If anybody knows of more events, wants to submit drivers photo's or even if anyone is having trouble working the Eurodrag site you can contact Erwin at erwin@eurodrag.com

Gary Cottingham tells us that the the Dragsterworld Fans Forum is temporarily closed. Increased work commitments and recent posts have meant that Gary and Phil need time to consider the future of the forum. "We plan to return with a new bigger, better, safer and more secure forum in about a months time" says Gary. "We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the past two years and hope that everyone comes back when the forum is re-opened."

Grumpy Pro Stock?
19th November: Paul "Grumpy" Watson has been in touch to tell us that he is "very pleased to announce that after much discussion and deliberation I have purchased Alan Cook's Pro Stock bike with a Roger Upperton Pro Mod spec engine. It has not yet been decided on what the engine size will be but it will be either 1500, 1570 or 1640cc."
©Eurodragster.com
We understand the team will be competing in the Super Street class in 2003 with a view to Pro Stock at a later date. "Cooky and I go back around 15 years when he first started racing I started helping and eventually crewed for him" says Paul. "As Cooky himself puts it, its pay back time. This payback will include a full back up from Cook Motorsport. Together we intend to give it our best shot. As people may be aware both Cooky and I came from Pro Mod cars, me on the C&S Calibra and Cooky with his awesome 63 Corvette which was running mid 6's at over 210mph and he has been spending most of this season crewing for Dave Beck and Roger Upperton on the MRE Pro Mod bike in the AMA Pro Star series so I think we will have a fairly good package for 2003!"

Paul is obviously already looking forward to next season as he reveals that "Compared to my bandit I will have more aspirated power, a datalogger, progressive N2O, the latest MC4 digital ignition, multi stage lockup clutch and a RRC chrome moly chassis." We suspect that he probably had a sly grin on his face though when he rounded off by saying "But Super Street teams need not fear, I'm sure it will take most of the season to get a handle on it. In saying that though with the combination of both Cooky and I ......."

Pleaseyrider.
19th November: Neil Diggens, rider of the Queezyrider Kawasaki Funny Bike has been in touch to give us his insight as to how the teams season went. "After quite a few meetings of going bang, we decided to try swapping some of the electrical items on the bike to see if this would kill it or cure it. It appeared that the Dyna 2 stage retard box had failed and this was causing intermittent sparks whenever it felt like it! With help from Tim Blakemore and Ray Debben I tried swapping the pick-ups and removing the 2 stage retard box at the Super Series Fall Nationals at Shakespeare County Raceway. For the 1st time this year the bike started to develop proper power all the way up the track!"
©Eurodragster.com
"From this point onwards all of my hard work and expense started to bare fruit, with new PB after new PB starting at the Euro Finals at Santa Pod, which was a 7.56, but a small rear wheel mis-alignment (less than 0.5 Degrees) meant that the bike was pulling to the right. Before the UK Finals we spent a day checking the wheel alignment, and dropping the wheelie bars to try and get the front end down at the top of the track. The UK Finals ended a crap year on a High, dropping my PB to 7.44 at nearly 184 mph. This was still with a chassis that is trying to climb over the wheelie bars at the top end. Rumors have it that there was at least 12 INCHES of daylight under the front end going through the traps!"

Neil adds that he would like to say a big thanks to all the other bike and car racers for a fabulous 2002 and he hopes all the racers will be there for 2003, particularly in Funny Bike where Neil hopes to see more of riders chasing the 6 second form of Neil Midgley. "Mr Branch Snr has all the bits to start my new chassis which we hope will enable us to keep on with the big guns." says Neil. To that end Neil is selling off last years chassis, nitrous bottles and other equipment, check out the Bike Parts for sale section of our Jeff Bull sponsored Swap Meet for full details.

More from PMR.
19th November: Hot on the heals of yesterdays news from the Classic and Sports Car Show, Paul has been back in touch with the promised update on the teams activities. "Things have continued at a frantic pace at Paul Marston Racing, with the painting of the PMR workshops passing fairly incident free (All the paint on the place not the people). Other more pressing and exciting issues can now be addressed. Firstly the launch of the Passenger thrill rides and Driving Experience/Training Programme has been launched and it has got off to a good start. A web site is currently being constructed to support the Passenger and Driving programme which will enable prospective clients to obtain more detail. For now, further information can be had from e-mailing us on office@pmracing.fsnet.co.uk or the previously published phone numbers, Office 020 8597 4575 and Mobile 07831 650230."
©Eurodragster.com
Looking ahead to next season Paul tells us that "We are still a little way off of announcing what class the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser will compete in during the 2003 season. Although we made two finals last season we need the same consistency in ET and maintenance levels the other Super class teams enjoy. We have lots of power and we feel we can afford to trade a little of this power off for some more consistency. We feel we can beat our competitors in all other aspects. If this option does not bear fruit or is not economic then we will investigate the replacement options, but again it will be Mopar (Chrysler) based. We are at present talking with Jari Konola and a number of Mopar Teams (Including Sheldon Gecker) in the States to see what options are open to us.

As for the options the team are looking at for next year, well Paul is certainly keeping his options open; "With the success of the inaugural European Super Gas Championship last year, we understand that competitors and potential sponsors are currently showing a lot of interest. Negotiations regarding ferry crossings are bearing fruit, two crew members and myself are in fact in Europe on connected matters next week.

"We had initially hoped that the rules for Super Modified would have changed to allow us to use the Pro Stock motor in its current spec, this sadly at the moment is not the case. So if we wish to compete in a healthy looking entry of new and already established teams which are expected to make a showing in Super Modified next season we will have to make changes.

"Super Comp itself grew very nicely during 2002, with good closely fought racing between the teams and a new champion, it shows every sign of coming back even stronger in 2003."

PMR's logistics manager Dave Kalisz takes up the story "To be honest we are spoilt for choice as to which class we run in, with so many exciting opportunities it will be a tough decision to make." Dave also went on to say "We would also like to set the record straight regarding our choice of weapon (Motor) powering the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser for the 2003 season. There already has been some unsubstantiated speculation on this subject, so this should set the record straight. Firstly we have an awful lot of racefans who would cheer for us regardless of whatever motor powered the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser. When we built the PT Bruiser Paul Marston went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the Bruiser was a thoroughbred, a Chrysler through and through, that I can tell you here and now will not change for the foreseeable future. Using the Pro Stock motor has been an education, it's the only Pro Stock motor currently used in the UK. A lot of people said it could not be done, well we have and it works really great. Either way and either class, you can rest assured that one way or another we will still be flying the Mopar flag in 2003 with the PT Bruiser."

Web site updates.
18th November: Zane Llewellyn tells us that he has updated his web site with pictures from the teams European tour, pictures from the rather damp Flame and Thunder meeting at Santa Pod and the latest from Steve Clutterbuck's Fuel Harley build-up. Plenty of good viewing there so head over to www.bootsoop.freeserve.co.uk/ to catch up on it all.
©Eurodragster.com
The section of the www.doorslammers.nl web site which is dedicated to the Pat's Toy Firebird has undergone a complete make over. The new version is available now.

News from the kennel mates.
18th November: UK Wild Bunch racer Mark Turton is still talking to us even though we let slip his old school nickname in our last update. Mark has been bringing us right up to date with news from the Dog Squad.

"Mr 'Mansize' is now in the final stages of his build prior to a complete strip down and full final check during the reassemble of In The Dog House Again", says Mark. "Scott has said he will have done this early next year. Even if the weather is bad, Scott has said he will fit wet weather tyres if it's raining and even skis if it is snowing: it must be done by February at the latest.

"Meanwhile Growler - Once Bitten Still Smitten is under review for next year, with possible changes being front beam to a-arm setup, rear axle change, and some possible changes to the body. The main thing is that I have now been sponsored a Crower alcohol injection system from John Parkinson of the Every Penny Racing Team. I am currently looking to build that for later in the year.
©Eurodragster.com
"John is not with the Dog Squad, but is a close friend to us all. He is currently very busy with his own rebuild (after crashing at the Super Series Fallnationals - Ed) and is currently on course for the new car to be out next year, this time sporting many new parts bringing the car to Top Methanol Dragster spec. All this and we haven't heard what Nick 'Bad Boy' Connor may be planning; however we have possible inside information that Nick may be bringing out a new car in the next couple of years.

"On a personal note I would like to say Thank You to everyone who has helped me through this year. I very much appreciate it and I am indebted to you all."

You can check out all the latest from the Dog Squad on the team's official web site at www.growlerracing.co.uk.

Racers: Keep your off-season reports and 2003 previews coming to us at news@eurodragster.com.

PT Bruiser fulfils engagements.
18th November: UK Super Comp racer Paul Marston and team spent the weekend at the Classic and Sports Car Show at Birmingham's NEC, accompanying the Chryslercard PT Bruiser which was on display in what is its last planned appearance in 2002. Paul wrote to tell us how it went and to thank those who helped out over the weekend.
©Eurodragster.com
"Paul Marston Racing would like to thank the Mopar Muscle Association, in particular Dean Inskip and the rest of the MMA boys from Rugby, for the generous hospitality shown over the last weekend", says Paul. "The MMA stand had the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser, Darren Selwyn's 1965 Dodge Coronet F/X Pandemonium and the 1965 Plymouth Satellite F/X Blew-By-You owned by MoJo. In particular the Saturday night out at Huntsman Carvery in Dunchurch was a real stand-out, you simply will not clear your plate - not if Head Chef and fellow American Car nut Adrian can help it. The man does not understand No, thats enough thanks! The NEC also saw the launch of the Passenger Ride Experience (see Saturday's news - Ed), which created quite a stir. We have in fact already taken three bookings for this as a result of the show. The MMA stand was busy throughout the whole weekend, I was kept busy talking to fans old and new. In fact the weekend went so fast that it was difficult to keep up. The show is a long one - 9.00 to 6.30 Saturday and 9.00 to 5.30 Sunday - but the hours flew by. Before you knew it, we were packing up to go home. Well that's all from us at Paul Marston Racing this season, stay tuned to Eurodragster for news of what we will be getting up to in the meantime."

Paul apologises for the omission of his E-Mail address from the news item about the Passenger Ride Experience and Driver Installation and Tuition days announced in Saturday's news. You can E-Mail Paul for more details at office@pmracing.fsnet.co.uk.

Web site updates.
18th November: Dutch Top Methanol Funny Car racer Lex Joon's web site has been updated with news of the team's recent trip to the USA, together with brief details of the TMFC's appearance at a show next week. Check it out at www.lexjoonracing.nl.

The discussion forum on the UK Pro ET racers' web site has been changed by webmaster Bob. If you have registered since its recent announcement then you will have to return and set yourself up again. You can find the new Pro ET forum at www.pro-et.co.uk/forum.

It's all change down at the Feel The Noise web site. "During the late summer, the traffic levels became too high to continue with some of the Service Providers being used at the time. To avoid being closed down without warning it was decided to sign up for a more professional account with another ISP", says webmaster Bob (it's all webmaster Bobs today - Ed). "The migration from six ISPs to just two has turned out to be a massive task and I would like to apologise for the occasional broken page or link which may have resulted. To give some indication of the task in hand, the part now being moved (half of the site) has over 12,000 files and 30,000 links. Webmasters linking back to Anni's photos are reminded to ensure that all links go only to the new home page which remains at www.feel-the-noise.com. More importantly, working all available free time on the migration, and managing to take a late summer holiday, has meant that there has been a build up of emails and photo requests lately. Whilst I will get around to everyone eventually, if anyone is desperate for a reply sooner, they should feel free to drop me a gentle E-Mail reminder. Racers should continue to send in their best ET reports for inclusion in their albums and these will be processed when the move is complete. As a result of the move pages should, on average, be loading faster and the guest book should now work for more than just a day or two a month! Work on photographs from the National Finals has now started and over a hundred new photos will be posted shortly. Far from the site being static over the winter months, I have a pile of videos to edit and I intend to expand the mpeg section with the best action from the 2002 season. A few more interesting features for the site are under wraps - watch this space for more news after the Christmas break. Finally, both Anni and I would like to thank everyone involved for their continued support. From very humble beginnings back in the 2000 season, the website has grown and matured purely because of the kind words and encouragement from every quarter."
©Eurodragster.com
Wild Bunch celebrate 2002.
17th November: UK nostalgia racers The Wild Bunch rounded off the 2002 season with a Dinner Dance and Trophy Presentation last week. Champions were honoured, and as is traditional, a number of merit awards were presented. Wild Bunch race co-ordinator and treasurer Claire Meaddows very kindly sent us a run-down of the year's winners.

Wild Bunch Series

1. Joe Stevens, WB4, Back in Black
2. Team Cunning Plan, WB96, The Cunning Plan
3. Chris Hartnell, WB2, Backdraft
4. Darryl Howells, WB67, Wheels Of Fortune

Real Steel Series

1. Tom Coe, WB33, Psycho
2. Team Cunning Plan, WB96, The Cunning Plan
3. Chris Hartnell, WB2, Backdraft
4. Team Dog's Bollocks, WB1, Ram Raider

"We are very grateful to Real Steel (01895 440505) for their support over the last couple of seasons", says Claire.

Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series

1. Joe Stevens, WB4, Back in Black
2. Team Cunning Plan, WB96, The Cunning Plan
3. Tom Coe, WB33, Psycho
4. Chris Hartnell, WB2, Backdraft

The Quickest ET and Fastest MPH trophies have been won for the second year in a row by Derek Annable in the Shell Racing Top Methanol Dragster. In the case of the ET trophy Derek ran exactly 7.732 seconds twice! He also ran with the Wild Bunch at Santa Pod and narrowly lost out in the bracket race, whilst running the second seven-second pass.

The Big Bang trophy: Mark Turton, WB 24, Growler. Well, what can we say about this one? Mark had an awful accident at the Super Series Springnationals, rolling the altered at the top end and practically demolishing it. He came back strong with the Growler Mark II altered, which takes its name from the incident (Once Bitten Still Smitten). Despite all this, Mark still appeared at seven events in 2002. Well done, Turbo Turtle (the secret is out - this is his nickname from school)!

Best Newcomer: Simon Williams, WB 74, Spirit. Simon is one of the youngest members of the Wild Bunch, and recently turned 21. He is keen to learn, eager to race, and sportsmanlike. He attended four events this year, and was also one of those participating in the historic dragster display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, representing nostalgia drag racing with his beautifully turned out Spirit slingshot. He has gradually improved the performance of his car, ran a Personal Best ET of 10.932 seconds this year, and promises to be a contender for next season.

Best Slingshot: Chris Hartnell, WB2, Backdraft
Best Altered: Dick Sharp and Bunt Willcox, WB86, Dorset Horn
Best Rear-engine Dragster: Ian Roddy, WB146, Yellow RED

These awards are chosen by scrutineer Glenn Stockton, who uses very thorough criteria. The winners are well-turned-out vehicles with a high standard of presentation, engineering, maintenance and performance.

Best Turned Out: Team B-Sting, WB 3. The team are always very smart in their yellow and black uniforms and won this award two years ago. Since then they have continuously kept up their presentable appearance as a team, always making an effort and showing a polished performance around the start line. They have even always had good matching mascots and kept up the theme of their car! The team of Paul Croston, Barry Bohannon and Andy Murphy have maintained a strong presence at the racetrack and have altogether raced at eight events this season, with all three drivers giving a good account of themselves in one way and another. The team finished in sixth place in the Wild Bunch Series this season, and won many Spot Prizes. Paul has raced at all 3 major drag strips in England this season, with the team spreading the B-Sting professionalism and smartness round the country. Sadly for us, Paul will be emigrating to sunnier climes, and the altered is for sale, but none of us will ever forget their strong colourful presence, sportsmanship and team spirit.

Best Achiever: Johnny Hall, WB 73, The Happening. This guy started off the season with a great new paint job and image for his slingshot. By the middle of May he had succeeded in running his first eight-second pass at the Spring Shootout, where he picked up a host of spot prizes including Best Slingshot and finished in fourth place. Since then Johnny has managed to get the car down to a low ET of 8.778, and made several passes topping the 150 mph mark. He has participated in five events this year and won Best ET and Fastest MPH spot prizes at several of them. He is also making his mark in the ranks of the Supercharged Outlaws, getting to grips with the set-up of his blown engine.

Perseverance Award: Dick Sharp and Bunt Willcox, WB 86, Dorset Horn The team had had a year out last season, building a new chassis and suspension and renewing the whole car, with a great feat of engineering. They came back out only to face multiple gearbox problems all during the season but bounced back time after time, still trying and still smiling! Perseverance typifies their attitude, and they kept at it until midseason when they achieved their Personal Best ET, a 9.571 - this includes the earlier version of the altered in the 1970s! The team also took time out from their busy rebuilding to appear at Goodwood Festival of Speed in the Historic Dragster Display in July. Since then there has been more gearbox damage, but this was fixed for the last event, making a total of eight events which they have still managed to participate in, despite all the problems. The team have finished seventh in the Wild Bunch Series. Special mention also goes to Carol and Dinah, Dick and Bunts lovely wives, for their enduring support and the early Christmas present!

C & C Sportsman: Mark Coulsell, WB 20, Limited Funz. Mark has been a great behind-the-scenes sportsman, both in his team and towards other racers. He maintains fair play and sportsmanlike conduct to fellow racers. He has helped many other racers this year and crewed for various other teams, towing and assisting in any way he could. He had to miss several events earlier in the year due to a painful knee operation, but still kept up his presence at the track helping others and demonstrating his keen attitude. He travelled to both York and Santa Pod without his car, in order to support the Bunch and crew for other racers. He is always eager to help everyone, has joined the Wild Bunch committee this year and takes this very seriously. He deserves his just recognition for all his efforts.

Daddy Cool (Sags) Personal Achievement: Mark Turton, WB 24, Growler, Once Bitten Still Smitten. There was one particularly outstanding achievement this year of a personal nature. Mark crashed his original Growler altered; he was thankfully barely hurt, but the car was more or less a write-off. Within eight weeks, Mark and many friends had rebuilt an altered, showing determination to race after such a major incident. Mark showed great personal strength in achieving his goal of getting back in a racecar and facing his demons. He also was determined to raise funds for FAST, who had helped him in the aftermath of the crash, and donated money from sales of parts to help the organisation and fellow racers. He has taken things methodically and thoughtfully, and with a calm logical approach to his racing. It took several events, conquering the memories of the accident, refining the mechanics of the altered and tuning the car, but he eventually got Growler, Once Bitten Still Smitten down into the low eleven-second bracket. He travelled to Santa Pod and raced again in new territory and made a good showing, running another mid eleven-second pass. The rebuilding and running of the altered has been a fantastic personal achievement for Mark.

DON GARLITS SPIRIT OF DRAG RACING SHIELD: Dick Sharp and Bunt Willcox, WB86, Team Dorset Horn. The Don Garlits 'Spirit of Drag Racing Shield' is an annual all-round award encompassing many aspects of the sport. It is the most prestigious award to be given by the Wild Bunch and a very high honour and accolade. The Shield is awarded to a racer/team who is judged to be committed, enthusiastic, sportsmanlike and a good ambassador for the Wild Bunch and the sport in general. They must have fielded a car that has been campaigned and maintained to the best of their ability and is in keeping with the spirit of the Wild Bunch class.

This years winners display all the qualities of the Don Garlits 'Spirit of Drag Racing' ideal. They have been around for many years and active members of the Wild Bunch for six years. Their car has always been well-maintained and presented and they constantly look to improve performance, trying different setups and parts, even when they arent 'the norm'. The previous season saw them re-building and renewing the whole car, and designing and engineering another new setup. Once back out with the race car, they faced many mechanical problems and numerous breakages, only to fix them time and time again, showing their true ability to persevere even in the face of difficulties, always smiling philosophically throughout, and sportingly cheering on the rest of the Bunch. They are committed to developing the full potential of the car, and after they repaired the breakages and got a handle on the engine and mechanical combination ran several Personal Best ETs this season. They have shown themselves to be good ambassadors for the sport, with their friendly, easy-going natures, and they always have time to help and advise others. They also have a great solid family team backing them up and all together are a very fine bunch of people and a great asset to the Wild Bunch!

Silver salvers were awarded to Shakespeare County Raceway's Fire and Accident Safety Team, to the Avon Park International Racing Association marshals and officials, and to Wild Bunch webmaster Eddie Yates. "The whole Wild Bunch are very grateful indeed to FAST and APIRA for their hard work and dedication throughout 2002", said Claire. Crystal vases were presented to Claire herself and to Joan and Gerald Cookson for dedication and support to the Wild Bunch.

There was a special presentation of a con rod and piston clock to Paul Croston of the B-Sting team, who is emigrating. He also presented special gifts to his crew, and entrusted the team's mascot 'Sulky' to the safe keeping of the Backdraft team. The Dog Squad paid special tribute with yellow T-shirts and cowboy hats!

You can stay in touch with all the news from the Wild Bunch on their web site at www.the-wild-bunch.co.uk.
©Eurodragster.com
A message from Sammy Miller's family.
16th November: We are indebted to the late Sammy Miller's close friend Antony Billinton for passing on this message from Sammy's family:
©Eurodragster.com
"From Slam'n Sammy's family. Our heartfelt Thank Yous to all his friends and fans wherever they will be. The sunshine of his smile radiated a heart that knew no boundaries. Love from his mother, wife and children: the proud S. A. Miller family. The legend continues."

We will soon be printing our tribute page to present to Sammy's family. If you would like to send a tribute for inclusion on the page then it is not too late to E-Mail webmaster@eurodragster.com.

Hitch a ride with Marston.
16th November: Every so often we receive E-Mails from fans asking how they can get a ride-along in a race car. The answer has always been that ride-alongs are very hard to come by. But now Paul Marston Racing have come up with a couple of great ideas, and with Christmas coming up you may not need to look much further to make the day of the race fan in your life.

"It is with great pleasure that Paul Marston Racing can announce the launch of our tutorial and thrill ride packages for 2003", says Paul Marston. "Our Hire and Drive programme which ran through the 2002 season has been successful. Running it through 2002 enabled us to see where pricing could be reduced. By cutting down on operating costs substantially we can pass on that saving and make driving a race car and being able to experience the ride of a lifetime available to a far greater audience.

"The Passenger Ride Experience is priced at £125 This is the ultimate thrill ride for anyone seeking that never-to-be-forgotten moment. Full instruction is given, anyone attending will need to be under 6 4 and maximum 18-19 stone. The usual medical disclamer will need to be signed. The rides will take place in either one of our specially prepared Super Gas doorslammers, and will be full passes down the dragstrip. The rides are scheduled to be run at Santa Pod Raceway, home of British drag racing, during the 2003 season. The purchaser receives a voucher which is valid for twelve months, and they can book themselves in for one of the passenger ride dates to be announced in January 2003. If there is a rain off or any reason they cannot not attend, they simply rebook a later date in the year - the voucher remains valid until the ride is taken. The ride comes with a photograph, certificate and video of the run.
©Eurodragster.com
"The next step is Driver Installation and Tuition, the opportunity to drive a 700+ horsepower monster. Again this is in a Super Gas spec doorslammer. This experience takes a whole day, comprising comprehensive instruction and driver installation in the race car. The object of the day is to bring the driver up to licence grade. This is the ultimate experience for the race fan and budding new driver alike. The day includes lunch and refreshments. Height and weight requirements are the same as the passenger ride above. The day can be specifically tailored to the driver's requirements depending on previous experience. Either way it will be a experience you will never forget. Priced from £395, again the voucher is valid for twelve months and is protected against rain-outs etc."

For bookings and further details, E-Mail the Paul Marston Racing office at office@pmracing.fsnet.co.uk, or call on 0208 597 4575 or mobile 07831 650230.

Join the super crew.
15th November: Dan Welberry tells us that Carter Motorsport are very pleased to announce that, following on from a successful meeting last weekend, the "Super Crew" that has been with Andy Carter this season will be returning again next year to look after the 1st National Telecom Top Fuel Dragster. They are, in alphabetical order:
  • Andy Bacos, Fuel and Clutch Technician
  • Alec Barker, Cylinder Head Technician
  • Sarah Carter, Safety Equipment
  • Eddie Corr, Crew Chief
  • Dan Legget, Clutch Technician
  • Sue Neil, Catering
  • Roger Neil, Short Motor
  • John Ogden, Assistant Crew Chief
  • Andy Parrot, Cylinder Head Technician
  • Dan Welberry, Marketing and PR
  • Paul Williams, Chassis
  • Paul Wright, Electrics
  • Your name here, Merchandise sales
Thats right, its not a typo, there is an opportunity for the right person to join Andy Carter's Super Crew next year. "We are looking for someone to take on the role of Merchandise Sales for us" says Dan. "You must be professional, a non smoker with a polite and outgoing personalty. You must be trustworthy, able to handle money and prepared to work long hours. Think you fit the requirements? Then please email me at danwelberry@hotmail.com"
©Eurodragster.com
Dan goes on to tell us that the teams plans for next season and for the Autosport show in particular are coming together very nicely. "The dragster panels are now back from Jon Hogarth's paint shop and the sign writer will begin adding the 1st National branding early next week in preparation for a photo shoot. This picture will then be used in our collectable series of hero cards, the first of which you can pick up at the show. All the crew are really looking forward to this, the first outing of the season and the unveiling of the new car."

Fans will be able to stay in touch with all the latest developments with the team over at the Carter Motorsport web site at www.andycarter.net.

Dinner Dance reminder.
15th November: Paula Marshall has asked us to pass on a reminder to every one about the Santa Pod Racers Club Dinner Dance. "I am already getting some forms back" says Paula, "but the more I can have returned sooner rather than later the easier it will be to coordinate everything. If people want to send post dated cheques or instructions to bill credit cards after the Christmas period that is no problem at all."
©Eurodragster.com
The event is to be held on Saturday 8th February 2003 at the Bedford Moat House Hotel. Prices have been held again at 25 for the meal and 30 per person for a room in the hotel. You can find more details on the booking form which is available on the Entry Forms page of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

Pro ET web site.
15th November: Thanks To Carla Pittau from Heaven & Hell Racing for letting us know that thanks to Bob Regis of the Escape from Reality team, who designed and organised the site, the Pro ET web is now up and running at www.pro-et.co.uk.
©Eurodragster.com
"Bob is organising single pages for each Pro ET team, which is wonderful news for the class" says Carla, "but he needs material to be able to do this, so, please would all Pro ET racers send info, photos (make sure permission to use is obtained where relevant), ideas etc. to racerspage@pro-et.co.uk. Bob will put together a page for each team who sends the info. Racers will also be able (if they wish) to update their own page - if not, just send the info to Bob and he will do it for you. You can't say fairer than that!"

Web site updates.
15th November: Our good friends over at Svensk Drag Racing have been busy with another exclusive for the site, a feature on four time Super Gas Champion Vesa Raiski. We understand from our spies out there that Svensk Dragracing have also been nominated for the Bilsport "Motorsports Club of the year" award. Congratulations on the nomination guys.

Water on the camp fire.
14th November: The n2oxide.com/Workshop Warrior race team have been with us to straighten out what they tell us is a spate of rumours surrounding their intentions next year. Ex-Street and Pro Euro racer Keith Ridley and Super Street racer Perry Antoniou tell us that they have been the object of much camp fire speculation and Perry gave us the scoop on what's really happening.

"After a couple of years of messing about and not much enthusiasm, Keith Ridley has bought the Hairy Canary Escort", says Perry. "He's currently stockpiling all the missing pieces of his new puzzle, and plans to be back on the track next season accompanied by Big Block power. So be warned, Mr. Ridley will be in the pits to insult and annoy everyone next season. As for the Scimitar (Keith's current ride - Ed); it will be maturing a little longer, ready for Keith's son Luke to learn the ropes in Sportsman ET in 2004 season, when he will be old enough."
©Eurodragster.com
Perry also brought us up to date with the latest developments in his own pit. "Also after a couple of years of messing about and not much enthusiasm, I've bought Tim Garlick's engine for my Mark 1 Escort. I have also been stockpiling all the missing pieces of my puzzle, and I also plan to be out next season. I plan to move up to Super Gas, but as yet am undecided as I am also planning on running my Ginetta in Sportsman ET if my building and budget schedule go to plan. I am already prepared for Keith's insults in the pits next season."

Statement from the FIA.
14th November: Many thanks to MSA British Drag Racing Championship co-ordinator Dave Alexander for passing on the following statement from the FIA, which was released through the MSA.

The following note has been received by the Motor Sports Association from the FIA, setting out the situation concerning the recognition of licences within the countries of the European Union, and is reproduced for information and awareness:

"The FIA World Motor Sport Council has recently amended its International Sporting Code to revert to a system that clearly differentiates between national and internationally licensed events. This decision was taken to prevent a proliferation of events being held across continental Europe that would not be subject to the FIA's safety regulations.

"All international motor sport events authorised by the FIA must be entered in the International Sporting Calendar and comply with the International Sporting Code including its annexes relating to safety procedures. National events authorised by the relevant national governing bodies are not required to do so, but need only comply with national regulations which vary from country to country.

"Since 1994, the FIA has permitted its European Union members to allow licence holders from all Member States to participate in national events without including these events on the International Sporting Calendar. This regime was subsequently extended to include Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland. Now other countries from East and Central Europe wish to extend the scheme.

"The unintended consequence of these decisions has been to undermine the FIA's safety regulations as embodied in the International Sporting Code. If we do not act now, more and more events will be held across the continent of Europe involving competitors from many countries, but without the requirement to maintain the FIA's safety rules. The World Motor Sport Council has become concerned about these risks and therefore voted to return to the pre-1994 system in which national licence holders are only permitted to compete in national events. This restriction does not apply, however, to competition licence holders who are professional drivers living within the EU, so as to ensure that we fully satisfy the requirements of internal market rules. However, professional drivers are better placed and more knowledgeable than amateur sportsmen when it comes to matters of personal safety.

"Ensuring that events open to competitors from outside a given country appear on the international calendar has two advantages. First, it ensures that minimum internationally agreed safety measures are applied; secondly, it makes it easier for competitors from neighbouring countries to find out about the event and enter it.

"The objections which have been raised are based, we believe, almost entirely on the fear that the new rules will be used to increase fees. This is not the case. We are actively seeking solutions which encourage international competition and put no obstacles, financial or otherwise, in the way of would-be competitors. As a provisional measure, however, we are permitting in 2003 a category for National Events with Authorised Foreign Participation. Each such event must be entered in the International Sporting Calendar and will be subject to a fee to the national organiser of EUR150. Competition licence holders, under this provision, will still be able to participate in national events in other EU Countries, provided they have been properly registered.

"For the longer term we have established a working party to examine these issues in detail and to develop proposals for further consideration by the World Motor Sport Council. One of the objectives of this working group is to find ways of safeguarding the interests of amateur competitors without adding to their costs.

"The FIA has a clear duty to uphold the standards of safety at events of an international character, and it is for this reason we have decided to apply the more traditional approach of requiring entry on the International Sporting Calendar. We anticipate that once competitors fully understand what we are doing and why, they will feel reassured and no longer be worried by these measures which are, of course, in their very best interests."

The first stocking fillers.
14th November: With Santa Claus kicking his slicks and checking his steering, we have been sent some early ideas for gifts for the race fan in your life.

First up is bike photo-journalist and Supertwin racer Ian Turburville, who can always be relied upon to come up with just the right thing for two-wheeled fans. " I have copies of the excellent handbook for motorcycle drag racers, When The Light Turns Green and, by the same author, The Fastest Motorcycles on Earth", says Turbo. "There are drag bike videos from the fabulous ADBA World Championships, the IHRA 2001 review, the MRE Sunshine Nationals 2002, and the new video of the Speedfreaks Ball (review coming soon - Ed) covers some great action from Top Fuel Bikes and Supertwins, Jet Cars, and the late Sammy Miller and is a must for any serious enthusiast's collection. Also available are the fabulous Sure Shot sprayers from Milwaukee, commonly seen starting most of the Top Fuel Bikes and cars world-wide. Incredibly well made, they are dependable and environmentally friendly as they are propelled with compressed air, not inert gasses, and are capable of spraying just about anything! I have two, one for general workshop duties and one for starting the bike! We also have thousands of motorsports posters and videos available direct from the biggest vendors through our site as well as great fine-art prints of drag racing heroes and a big range of CD ROMs each featuring three hundred high-quality pictures for you to play with.

"I've also got a great bundle for your speed-addict friends! It includes a Speedfreaks Ball video, a Southern California Timing Association baseball cap, and an SCTA polo shirt, all for just £39.99 including postage and packing". You can find full details of this and all of Turbo's other merchandise on his web site at www.turboville.com.
©Eurodragster.com
Next up is self-styled tempestuous Gibraltarian, VW Sportsman racer and yesterday's Eurodragster headliner Natasha Garcia who has been in touch to let us know of a great cottage industry. "I had a model of a famous race car made by a very nice man called Paul Fitzmaurice", says Natasha. "I was overwhelmed by the quality and detail of the end result, which was done entirely from photos on the net. Paul will take on any car and I thought it would be a fantastic 'present idea' for the racers out there". You can find out more at www.little-cars.com.

Web site updates.
14th November: Alan Currans has updated his web site The Acceleration Archive with another page of historic photographs of Top Fuel Dragsters. "The pictures include Dennis Priddle's two rear engined dragsters Mr Six and Mr Five, a few more pictures of Houndog 8, Andy Craddock's Frontline car with a very high rear wing, some action shots of Peter Crane's Stormbringer and a couple of shots of a car belonging to 'Big Daddy' somebody-or-other whom I think you may have heard of", says Alan. You can find Alan's gem of a site at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.
©Eurodragster.com
Beware tempestuous Gibraltarians!
13th November: UK VW Sportsman Racer Natasha Garcia has been well and truly bitten by the drag racing bug. After finishing runner-up in the Volkswagen Drag Racing Club Championship in her rookie year, Natasha is having a full-blown race car built by Jon Rathbone.

"My first race car, the Custard Tart, was a good way in which to learn the skills required to succeed as a drag racer, being a traditional road-legal VW Beetle with a small engine and forgiving characteristics", says Natasha. "EL NIO will be the antithesis of that car, based on a 1956 oval rear window Beetle. It is a tube-chassis car with aluminium flooring and panelling - indeed the only original Beetle section remaining is the highly lightened roof section and doors."

The new car is based on American drag Beetle styling, being heavily influenced by the 2000 PRA campaigned by Andy Costello in the US. The chassis is constructed by Jon Rathbone with CDS tubing built to MSA and VWDRC regulations. VSM have supplied a CNC strut front end as well as gas struts and spindles, with Jon Rathbone Racing-constructed rack and pinion steering. The rear suspension consists of ladder bars; SAW five-inch narrower axles, coil-over shocks and Jaymar disc brakes. An Auto Craft turbo motor, developing enough horsepower to produce ten-second quarter miles, powers the car. Ignition is dealt with by an MSD system including distributor, digital 7-programme ignition, and pro power HVC coil. The gearbox is a mendeola custom-built close ratio drag box. All hoses and lines used on the braking system are braided stainless, and the wheelie bars are built by Jon Rathbone Racing. El Nino has ERCO custom cut out wheels front and back, shod with M&H 3.5/22x15s on the front and and Mickey Thompson 8 1/2 x 26 x 15 slicks on the back. The front of the car is one-piece glass fibres flip front and the rear wings are made of carbon fibre. The wing and rear box are aluminium are custom-built by Jon Rathbone Racing.

"El Nino is a co-operative venture between Jon Rathbone Racing and myself", says Natasha. "As a newly-established company, Jon Rathbone Racing was looking for a race car to be built as a demonstration of the companys abilities. El Nino was chosen to be that flagship, and as such will contain the best in tube chassis design and construction. Everything about this car will embody power and quality and the shape will create a strong visual impact. The 2003 season will be used to develop the car and it is expected to attract serious attention within the race community and the VW community as a whole."
©Eurodragster.com
Natasha explained to us the provenance of the race car's name. "When I was naming this car I wanted to choose a name which reflected my Gibraltarian background. The name El Nino has two meanings, literal and applied. The literal translation of the word is Christs child but it is often used to refer to the son in a family. This project soon evolved from a simple purchase to a project to build a car from scratch. When speaking to my family about the car, I referred to it as my little boy and it seemed an appropriate description for such a time-consuming and emotional investment. The applied meaning of El Nino is the name given to the American oceanic phenomenon which causes tropical storms and high winds, and leaves large area of destruction in its wake. It appealed to me that my car would come onto the scene in 2003 and cause an equal amount of damage to the success of the other racers. The tempestuousness of the name should reflect both the impact of the car and temperament of the owner/driver!"

Natasha's competitors can consider themselves warned. We'll bring you more news on this exciting project as we receive it.

Time for a new Machine.
13th November: UK Junior Dragster racer Adam Gleadow has decided to retire from Junior racing after three years in the class. His Time Machine Junior Modified Dragster is up for sale, and can be found on Eurodragster's Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet.

This is not, however, the end of Adam's racing career as the Gleadow family have already made their plans for 2003. "The original plan was for Martin (Adam's elder brother and Crew Chief - Ed) to have a front-engined Super Comp dragster, and for Adam to follow when he reaches sixteen with a Super Comp 23T altered", says dad Bob. "These plans are now changed to an injected, supercharged alcohol-burning small block Chevy 23T altered. Plans are well advanced and a suitable car has been found. Martin will race the car in Comp Eliminator or Super Pro ET (depending upon the event), and Adam will drive later on in the year with the Supercharged Outlaws. We plan to start racing at the 2003 Easter Thunderball, and we also plan at least one trip abroad next season. More details will follow over the winter."
©Eurodragster.com
You can read more about the Junior Dragster on the Time Machine Racing web site at www.eurodragster.com/timemachineracing, or for more details contact Adam by E-Mail at adam.gleadow@ntlworld.com or on his mobile phone at 0774 8300762.

Chislett's US PB.
12th November: Congratulations to UK Funny Bike racer Mike Chislett who smashed his personal best with a pass of 7.23/184.99 in eliminations at the AMA/Prostar World Finals at Gainesville on Sunday. Congratulations also to Germany's Norbert Kutzera who made it to the final of Top Fuel Bike with some spectacular passes. The UK's Neil Midgley, Ken Cooper, Dave Holland and Dave Beck all put in sterling efforts to keep the flag flying with Neil and Ken qualifying in Funny Bike and Pro Mod Bike respectively, Dave Holland missing out by one hundredth, and Dave Beck fighting valiantly against problems.

Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King did a bang-up job throughout the weekend of keeping us all informed from Gainesville with highly entertaining reports and qualifying and elimination stats which you can find on the Pit Lane Gossip page of his web site at www.kingracing.com, and you can also find full qualifying and elimination details at www.dragbike.com.
©Eurodragster.com
FHRA Resque Photo Contest.
11th November: Lincoln Eriksson writes to remind us that there are only a few weeks left to submit entries in the Photo Contest which is being run by Feringe Raceway's fire and safety team. This year, pictures can be taken at any race track in the world rather than just in Scandinavia, and a maximum of two pictures can be submitted. The closing date is 30th November. Swedish photographer Stefan Boman - widely regarded as one of the best drag racing photographers anywhere, not just in Europe - won the 2001 contest with a great picture of Anders Karling, but entry is of course open to all, professional or not.

The FHRA Resque guys have come up with a novel way of voting for the best picture. Starting in January 2003, the FHRA Resque web site will show two photographs per week to be voted upon, with the winning picture going through to the next round of 'eliminations' until only one is left.
©Eurodragster.com
You can find full details including how to enter on the FHRA Resque web site: in Swedish at www.feringe.com/resque/tavling.htm and in English at www.feringe.com/resque/contest.htm.

Meanwhile the guys at the Dragsterworld.com web site are now into the voting phase of their 2002 Photo Contest. You can check out the entries and cast your vote at www.dragsterworld.com/features/photocomp.htm.

Web site updates.
11th November: UK Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Andy Frost has updated his web site with the latest news from the Red Victor Racing pit. Check it out at www.redvictor1racing.co.uk.

As well as the Photo Contest mentioned above, the Dragsterworld.com web site has been updated with a transcript of their recent web chat with Susanne Callin.
©Eurodragster.com
TV update.
11th November: Further to Friday's news item about drag racing on UK satellite and cable channel Granada Men and Motors, Andy of Never Again Racing wrote to tell us about more exposure for the sport on that channel. "Also on Men and Motors is a program called Motormaniacs", said Andy. "This is not solely devoted to drag racing but keeps giving us snippets. Barry Sheavills, John Hogarth and Super Modified, and Ron Picardo's Jet Truck have been featured this week. Both of this week's episodes have been repeated several times and according to the web site listings will be repeated several times in the future".

You can find listings and more details of Motormaniacs on the Granada Men and Motors web site at www.menandmotors.co.uk. In addition the APIRA web site at www.apira.org.uk is regularly updated with a list of drag racing coverage on UK TV.
©Eurodragster.com
Showtime Fuel FC crew sought.
10th November: The UK's Championship- and record-holding Showtime Fuel Funny Car team are looking for additional crew for their 2003 campaign.

"All of our guys are returning next year with the exception of Huub Ritzen, who will be greatly missed", says Crew Chief Bob Jarrett. "However, I have a need for some additions to the team. I cannot reveal details yet, but I am looking long-term and so require some dedicated people who are willing to come aboard with the right attitude and enthusiasm. Some mechanical skills are obviously required, but common sense and commitment are what makes a good crew person."

If you are interested in joining Bob Jarrett, John Spuffard and the Showtime gang then you can contact Bob by E-Mail at nitro1471@cox.net.
©Eurodragster.com
Watson's mixed 2002.
9th November: UK Super Street Bike racer Paul Watson tells is that he has has a mixed first year in the class. "I started off with an 8.87 at Easter, which was a surprise, then I struggled the rest of the year to a best of 8.74", says Paul. "However, considering the parameters I had - 1200cc, 530-pound bike - I guess it wasn't so bad, especially when I ran a couple of 1.38 sixty-foots (same as Brock).

"To answer some of the rumors, yes my Bandit is up for sale, and yes I am putting it back on the road. After all it only needs a can and swinging arm, so if anyone is interested let me know at pwatson440@hotmail.com. I will be competing in Super Street Bike next year with a new project. I intend it to be full-on for the job, details of which will follow."

Paul is hoping that Super Street Bike may get a look in at the FIA/FIM events at Santa Pod Raceway in 2003. "I can't believe that people don't want to see street-tyred bikes pushing for the sevens", he says. "Both racers and officials need to get together and sort this out. At the end of the day we all want the same things - racers want to race and go faster, promoters want to put on a show. To run sevens in Super Street is not cheap, and to miss out on the two biggest and best meetings of the year makes you wonder if it's worth investing in this class, yet this is one of the most exciting bike classes there is. Next year looks to be the biggest field ever so let's work together."
©Eurodragster.com
AMA/Prostar World Finals.
9th November: Also on two wheels, this weekend sees the legendary AMA/Prostar World Finals at Gainesville in Florida. A number of UK racers have made the trip including Neil Midgley who has already run a six on his Funny Bike in pre-race testing, Mike Chislett, Ken Cooper and Dave Holland.

You will be able to stay in touch with all of the weekend's events at Gainesville on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com, and on the Dragbike.com web site at www.dragbike.com.
©Eurodragster.com
New sponsors for Andréasson.
9th November: Swedish Top Methanol Funny Car Racer Leif Andréasson has announced new sponsors as he travels to the USA for the SEMA Show and the NHRA Finals at Pomona. "Swedish company Satsafe are providing a GPS anti-theft and map system for our coach", says crew member Anders Magnusson. "As if that wasn't good enough, Dometic are providing us with air conditioning, a refrigerator and a 230-volt generator powered by the coach's diesel engine."

Anders tells us that Leif is currently 76th in the NHRA's Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship, with 52 points. "Did you know that 120 drivers have run in the class in 2002, that points leader Frank Manzo and second placed Steve Gasparrelli have run thirteen races, and third-placed Jay Payne (who put Leif out of eliminations in Houston) has run twenty one races so far...why are there a bunch of Americans running faster than the Europeans?", he laughs.

The Andréasson Motorsports web site at www.andreassonmotorsports.com has got a slightly new look and is now also designed for users of Netscape 7.0+.
©Eurodragster.com
One last Bruiser appointment.
9th November: This weekend sees the last event which Paul Marston Racing will be attending in 2002 with the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser. the popular Bruiser is on display at the International Classic Car Show at the NEC in Birmingham both today and tomorrow. Paul Marston himself will be with the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser over both days to answer any questions and represent the team's sponsors. "I have never been to the International Classic Car Show before and I am very much looking forward to it", says Paul. "We were invited to attend by the Mopar Muscle Association; its an honour to be invited, as space is very tight at this show. Paul Marston Racing will be providing a display including video footage from the 2002 season, the Brighton Speed Trial trophies, the build-up photo album and more. If you are coming to the show be sure to look us up."

"This is also fans' last opportunity to see the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser in its current 2002 Super Comp guise. "We can't yet comment about which class we will compete in next year", says Paul. rest assured that we will definitely be back out in 2003 with at least one race car. As we did last year, we will carefully examine all available options. Super Comp best suited our needs in 2002, we have very much enjoyed racing in Super Comp in 2001 and 2002. The racing was tight, and you could not wish for a friendlier, more professional group of dedicated racing teams to race against. It has been a privilege racing them.

"Development-wise the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser had a successful year, a little more to go but good solid progress made in all departments. It is always more difficult to develop a new bodystyle over opting for a tried and trusted shape. That said, the team know that they are a lot better than the results we have so far garnered in Super Comp suggest. We know that to become more competitive in Super Comp some changes need to be made. We are well aware of what they are and will leave our options open until all possibilities have been fully explored, stay tuned.

"There are other areas where decisions need to be made. The Hire and Drive Programme is a year old and has had its own measure of success. We need to look at where that will go in 2003. There have been some very exciting developments on that front, details of which will be released shortly. There have also been other developments on the sponsorship front. These are currently being negotiated, again we will keep you updated once finalised. Other very exciting matters connected with our beloved sport have also arisen, as soon as we have any news you will be the first to know.

"At this moment the amount of imminent activity at Paul Marston Racing has meant that the annual spring clean, sort out and paint of the workshops has been bought forward to this week from January 2003 to this weekend, with the ChryslerCard PT Bruiser and transporter away this is an ideal opportunity. As last year ended up in a huge paint fight Logistics Manager Dave Kalisz insisted that the main protagonists from last year are banned from taking part, so Dave will not be there and Paul is at the NEC anyway! The workshops always look so good after the annual paint; it really helps enthusiasm for speeding things up workwise immensely. This year there has been a comprehensive reorganisation and clearout to help create more space at the PMR workshop facilities. We do not want to outgrow our current premises too soon. It will happen, but not yet!"
©Eurodragster.com
Help with NAST web site.
9th November: Nikki Pilkington has been in touch asking for the help of Eurodragster readers with a thorny problem. "Can anyone with the passwords and login for the National Association of Supertwins web site at www.supertwins.com please get in touch with me?", she says. "I'm being overwhelmed with requests to update and add things to the we bsite, which hasn't been updated all year, despite having nothing to do with it. I'm happy to do the work, and would love to see the site updated, but I'm not sure who's in charge of it. If if they could get in touch with me so I can do the work that would be great"

Nikki can be contacted at nikki.pilkington@group-impact.com (please copy mails to lemonkitten@ntlworld.com, or on her mobile phone at 07733 007641.
©Eurodragster.com
All Heaven and no Hell.
8th November: Team Heaven & Hell Racing are very proud of their UK National Championship victory in Pro ET. All of their hard work, all of their trials and tribulations during the season paid off, and they are definitely in heaven today. Carla Pittau takes up the story of their season.

"The class was even tougher in 2002, with 5 rounds of eliminations at every meeting and every racer a challenge. With 33 entries at Shakespeare County it looked like it might even be 6 rounds of eliminations but some people broke and only 28 cars made it to eliminations, a shame as we were looking forward to 6 rounds!

"The main battle was between Heaven & Hell and Tokyo Toy, the well respected 2001 champions - but our ineffable best mates (the Z Case team) started breathing down our necks too, ending their season with a no. 3. The close competition added to the fun of the evening campsite barbecues, as the number 1, 2 and 3 in the points exchanged tips, booze, burgers, jokes, and designed race vehicles of all types, including a Pro Mod Wheelie Bin and a Top Fuel Cow. (Its all true, I've seen the designs - Photo Ed)

"So 2002 was an excellent season and we are very happy with the class, the crew and the car we built and maintained: the Heaven & Hell camaro this year was really mainly Heaven! The car now weighs 2970 lbs, has run a best ET of 10.48 and best top speed of 131 mph, using a normally aspirated 383ci small block built by ourselves (with parts and advice from John Gianoli of Reggie Jackson Performance and dynoed by Kenny Coleman of EDA, who also provided help and advice). Power to the rear is transmitted via a TH350 with B&M manual pack, heavy duty sprag and - at the moment - no transbrake. This is also built, modified and maintained entirely by us.
©Eurodragster.com
"Back axle is a Chevy 10 bolt containing a spool with 4.56 gears, which has proved so far very durable - proving that yes, everything you read in Hot Rod is true (!!). And yes, you guessed right, the axle is also built, modified and maintained by ourselves. No ladder bars or 4 link for Heaven & Hell: the car uses mono leaf springs and Caltracs to leave the line, with a best 60ft of 1.48 so far. Leaving the line is an area that we want to improve, to get nearer to the dream of a Super Stock launch. To this end, during the winter we will pick John Webster's brains to specify and build the best front spring ratio for the job.

"The car was quite consistent throughout the season and kept going rounds - Rick is fairly good on the lights (albeit with a couple of very painful exceptions) while I managed fair reactions at Shakespeare but was definitely off at the Pod's National Finals. The Camaro saved the day, listening very carefully to the weather station and then doing what she was told.....

"A lot should be said for the class, on how it has grown and improved and become extremely competitive, with more and more racers being drawn to it from other classes. For more information on Pro ET, please see www.pro-et.co.uk a site currently under construction, but which I'm sure will soon become THE Pro-ET News on the net."

Men and Motors TV schedule.
8th November: Thanks to Kelly from Santa Pod for passing on to us the schedule for the broadcasting of the FIA and UEM series on the Granada Men and Motors channel. The program's are the same ones that have been going out on Sky TV over the last few months so if you missed out on any now is the perfect chance to catch up. Unfortunately the first couple of airings have already passed, but you can still catch the repeat of the first programme if you can make it home for 5pm tonight. The full schedule is:
©Eurodragster.com
FIA Drag Racing Championship (Top Fuel, Top Methanol and Pro Stock)

Episode 1: 04 Nov 17:00, repeated 08 Nov 17:00
Episode 2: 04 Nov 22:00, repeated 05 Nov 17:00, 08 Nov 22:00 & 09 Nov 17:00
Episode 3: 05 Nov 22:00, repeated 06 Nov 17:00, 09 Nov 22:00 & 10 Nov 17:00
Episode 4: 06 Nov 22:00, repeated 07 Nov 17:00 & 10 Nov 22:00
Episode 5: 07 Nov 22:00, repeated 11 Nov 17:00 & 15 Nov 17:00
Episode 6: 11 Nov 22:00, repeated 12 Nov 17:00, 15 Nov 22:00 & 16 Nov 17:00
Episode 7: 12 Nov 22:00, repeated 13 Nov 17:00, 16 Nov 22:00 & 17 Nov 17:00
Episode 8: 13 Nov 22:00, repeated 14 Nov 17:00 & 17 Nov 22:00
Episode 9: 14 Nov 22:00, repeated 18 Nov 17:00 & 22 Nov 17:00
Episode 10: 18 Nov 22:00, repeated 19 Nov 17:00, 22 Nov 22:00 & 23 Nov 17:00
Episode 11: 19 Nov 22:00, repeated 20 Nov 17:00, 23 Nov 22:00 & 24 Nov 17:00
Episode 12: 20 Nov 22:00, repeated 21 Nov 17:00 & 24 Nov 22:00
Episode 13: 21 Nov 22:00, repeated 25 Nov 17:00

UEM Drag Bike Championship (Supertwins Top Fuel and Pro Stock)

Episode 1: 25 Nov 22:00, repeated 26 Nov 17:00 & 29 Nov 17:00
Episode 2: 26 Nov 22:00, repeated 27 Nov 17:00, 29 Nov 22:00 & 30 Nov 17:00
Episode 3: 27 Nov 22:00, repeated 28 Nov 17:00, 30 Nov 22:00 & 01 Dec 17:00
Episode 4: 28 Nov 22:00, repeated 01 Dec 22:00


Brighouse hits the net.
8th November: Many thanks to CCSE Racer John Sleath for passing on the message to us that Brighouse Speed and Automotive have moved to new premises, both in a physical and an electronic sense! As well as expanding to bigger premises Dave Billadeau and the boys have gone online so for your muscle car needs take a look at www.brighouse-speed.co.uk
©Eurodragster.com
Cards with a difference.
8th November: With the festive season starting to loom large on the horizon help is at hand for racers or race fans that want their cards to have something other than snowmen on them, thanks to Bryony Wadkin-Snaith. In between crewing on the Fang for her dad she produces her own range of greetings cards.
©Eurodragster.com
"I have been running my own greeting card business for a couple of years (www.cosmiccards.co.uk) and my latest creations will appeal to anyone who loves drag racing." says Bryony. "All cards are made to order, all I need is a photo of the vehicle, personalised greetings can be added free of charge. Priced at 2.50 plus 1.20 p+p the cards (sample 105mmX115mm) use a combination of embossed line art and conventional painting on clear sheet, backed with hand made paper with glitter detail and mounted on stout card. Hand made envelope included. The drag cards are not available via my web site at the moment though there are samples of my many other ranges including, of course, Christmas cards. Naturally drag cards can have a festive theme!"

If you are interested in cards with a difference then you can contact Bryony direct at bryony@cosmiccards.co.uk

2002 VWDRC Champions.
7th November: The final standings in this year's Volkswagen Drag Racing Club Championships are now available by kind permission of the Club and with thanks to Spencer Tramm for passing them on. Congratulations to the 2002 Champions:

VW Pro: Paul Jackson
VW Sportsman: Stuart Hinds

You can view the full final Championship standings by clicking here, or by clicking on the Points Standings link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.
©Eurodragster.com
Vanishing Point joins tribute page.
7th November: We are indebted to Pete Roberts for sending us a contribution to our Sammy Miller tribute page in the form of a top end recording which he made of the first 300 mph pass outside the USA, which Sammy ran in the Vanishing Point Rocket FC at Santa Pod Raceway in July 1979. The recording is in .wav format, stereo, and comes in at 781 Kb. Play it loud and cheer for Sammy!

You can read our tribute page by clicking here, or by clicking on the Tributes to Sammy Miller link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page. We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed so far; if you would like to send your own tribute to Sammy then please E-Mail it to webmaster@eurodragster.com.
©Eurodragster.com
Wilding blows Hall away.
6th November: Last weekend's keenly-anticipated showdown for the Supercharged Outlaws Championship at Shakespeare County Raceway never took place because of the weather. The title was, however, decided between Johnny Hall, Roy Wilding and Ian Hanson, writes Johnny.

"We all agreed not to let the weather get in the way of a bit of needle", says Johnny. "I still wanted to win the Championship, and we had a discussion to see which way we could decide it. 'Penny up the wall' and 'Paper, scissors, stone' were suggested, but we all decided that an Awning Damage Assessment would decide the title, because on the Saturday night a gust of wind blew across the pits at Shakey - so strong that most of the awnings turned into kites without tethers. Here are the Supercharged Outlaw results for the Bonfire Bash:
©Eurodragster.com
"Third place was awarded to Ian Hanson, because he didn't actually have an awning up at the time. Second place was awarded to me, because my low-buck Eazi-Up copy awning got mashed into a million pieces and is no longer part of my pit equipment. First place goes to Roy Wilding because his awning took flight and stayed connected to his trailer, but flipped up on to the roof...and those of you who have seen the size of Roy's awning can imagine how far in the sky it was whilst still being part of the trailer. It took about twenty people to retrieve it, and because it caused the most commotion without hurting anyone, Roy was awarded the 2002 Supercharged Outlaw Championship 2002."

Pure Art on offer.
6th November: Bike and car racers fancying a new paint job over the winter could do worse than pop over to www.pureart.org.uk for inspiration and a great price, says Supertwin Gas rider Nick 'Shaggy' Daniels. When Shaggy needed an inspired paintjob on his helmet, to go with his new 2002 'Mystery Machine' paint job, Steve Mohacsy of Kettering-based airbrushers Pure Art was more than happy to oblige.

"Shaggy came to me with the idea of turning his helmet into Scooby Doo - at first I thought he was mad, but it soon turned out looking great!", says Steve.

>From cartoon characters through evil looking devils to scantily-clad women and beyond, Steve has been airbrushing helmets, petrol tanks, jackets, vans, cars and more for twenty years, and he is especially happy to be able to offer great-priced jobs to fellow drag racing enthusiasts. Pop over to www.pureart.org.uk to see the great work he has done; anyone interested in a quote can E-Mail Steve at smohacsy@pureart.freeserve.co.uk, or call on 01536 484739.
©Eurodragster.com
Web site updates.
6th November: Alan Currans has updated his Acceleration Archive with a new page of historic drag bike photographs including pictures of Brian Johnson's Imperial Wizards, US Champion Bo O'Brochta, Henk Vink, Jos Smit, a couple of triple engined bikes and three very strange machines indeed. There is also a new Selection Page, which shows the pages yet to be posted which will complete the 'Photo Album' section of the site. Check out Alan's excellent site at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.
©Eurodragster.com
FC heads for Greece.
5th November: D and A Racing of Greece are proud to announce the purchase from Belgian Dragracer Danny Bellio of the ex-Joon TMFC Dutch Spirit roller (Danny and son with Panagiotis Zarifopoulos, right), which has been competing in Competition in central Europe in the last few years. The Funny Car sports an ultra-strong Strange top loader rear axle and Dodge Daytona bodywork, and will be transformed to a BMW altered in the next few months in order to compete in the Greek Championship and selected European events.

The car is to be driven by D and A Racing owner Dimitris Androulakis, and crewed by his wife Aimy aided by the Paranoid Racing motorcycle team of Panagiotis Zarifopoulos (Zman) and his wife Yla.

A six-cylinder, 1000 BHP 3.5 litre motor is almost complete, and a four-litre V8 as well as a five-litre V12 are being prepared for the future. This is one in the series of efforts made by Greek racers to promote the sport in their country, and to create the necessary interest which will help to make a Greek track a reality. "With the season running in good weather conditions from February through to November, it is a shame that everyone is obliged to run on bad airfields with compromised security and traction", says Zman. "The hope is that the involvement of the Greek racers in such projects will point out the problems and speed up the evolution of the sport."

After we published the above news, we heard from Supertwin Top Fuel Bike racer and Top Methanol Dragster tuner Bernie Hepworth, who originally built and raced the Daytona. "My old cars end up in strange places. Three in Malta now one in Greece!", said Bernie.
©Eurodragster.com
Paging Super Series trophy winners.
5th November: Terry Gibbs of Obsession Motorsports has been in touch to ask 2002 Super Series Champions and Runners-Up to contact Obsession. "We would like to hear from you as a matter of urgency", says Terry. "We are trying to gauge interest in a Dinner Dance and trophy presentation and it would be very much appreciated if you could let us know if you would attend."
©Eurodragster.com
All Champions and runners-up are asked to get in touch with Terry or Tina Gibbs at Obsession Motorsports either by phone on 01483 236262 or by E-Mail at superseries@eurodragster.com.

Smith's winter Plan.
5th November: After the washout of the APIRA Bonfire Burn-Up at Shakespeare County Raceway, UK Wild Bunch racer Tony Smith finished in second place in the Wild Bunch Championship, second in the Real Steel and Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Championships and fifth in the Super Series with his Cunning Plan Minivan-bodied altered.
©Eurodragster.com
"This was our first damage free (body and engine-wise) year for a long time, with the car running quicker at most meetings", says Tony. "Over the winter we will be stripping and checking the engine and giving the body a well-deserved paint job, same colours but different design. I would like to thank my crew Dave and Vicki Williams and Linda for their help over the year, and also to thank my main sponsor Alan from Newgate (Newark) Ltd for all his help over the years.";

Tony has updated the News and Reviews and Achievements pages of his web site at www.cunningplan.btinternet.co.uk, and has also added a winter Guess Who competition which he has put together with the help of Anni and Bob Valder of the Feel The Noise web site.

Surrey Muscle Sunday.
5th November: Many thanks to Andy Bennett of Never Again Racing for alerting us to some exposure for the UK's Surrey Muscle club who are Muscle Car event stalwarts, regular RWYBers and burnout competition winners. A very good piece by Tim Robbins in the Sunday Times featured a number of the Club members, contained some fascinating information and, in a refreshing change from the norm, didn't portray the guys as lunatics just because they have powerful cars!

You can read the Sunday Times piece at www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,588-466125,00.html.
©Eurodragster.com
NDRG accolades.
4th November: Gardermoen Raceway have elected yvind von Essen and Sverre Dahl as their Norwegian Drag Racers of the Year for their European Championships in Pro Stock Bike and Competition Bike, and the bike twosome were presented at the Norsk Dragracing Gardermoen Banquet, writes Ove Rnning of Norsk Dragracing Gardermoen. "At our Banquet, Junior Dragster racer May Kristin Ree also won a trip for two to Santa Pod in September 2003.
©Eurodragster.com
"But the best ovations went to Christer Abrahamson who has been to Gardermoen Raceway for several years as a track announcer, he keeps coming back. Christer has become a really good friend of all the drag racers in Norway and it seems that he also likes it here. The public at Gardermoen enjoy this Swedish-speaking guy who mixes good humour and knowledge of drag racing, and for that we can being to the table that drag racing in Norway has the best speaker at any motorsport event. Thank you Christer, from all of your friends in Norway!"

You can find out everything you need to know about drag racing in Norway on the excellent Norsk Dragracing Gardermoen web site at www.norskdragracing.com.
©Eurodragster.com
Hill blasts woes away.
4th November: UK Jet Funny Car racer Martin Hill looks to have blown away the problems he has had with the engine of the Fireforce 2 Jet FC this season with a blistering return to the fives at yesterday's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway.
©Eurodragster.com
However Andy Marrs of Santa Pod's timing crew kindly got in touch to let us know that Martin appeared to have straightened things out at yesterday's RWYB, with a 5.947 checkout pass at a huge 272.06 mph. Andy said that the FC put on 71 mph in the second half after clocking 4.022/201.50 at the eighth, and then gave Martin something to think about in the shutdown area after the 'chute tore. Martin got it stopped just fine and will doubtless be happy with his end to the season.

Trakbyte's Sammy Miller page.
4th November: The latest web site to post a tribute to the late Sammy Miller is the Trakbyte's UK Drag Racing History site. As it happens, webmaster Chris Dossett was holding a vote for his next Hall of Fame page, and Sammy was way out in front. Chris has now put together a Hall of Fame entry for Sammy charting the history of his career from 1967 to the Speedfreaks Ball in May of this year. You can check it out via the Hall of Fame link at www.trakbytes.com.
©Eurodragster.com
Staflund Racing 2002 review.
4th November: Swedish Super Comp racer Jonas Staflund is due some good luck in 2003, he says. Jonas' Volvo Funny Car hit the guardrail at the Autumn Championship at Pite Dragway, but that was not the only thing to go wrong in 2002. In fact the trouble really started in 2001, as Jonas relates:

"We ended the 2001 season at Alastaro where we blew up our Powerglide, and as if that wasnt enough we also broke a piston in the bus engine when we were on our way home - but only eighty kilometres from home. You have to think positively when things go bad.

"During the winter we decided that a new body would be a good idea, so we started to get the old Opel Omega body ready to work as a model. Just as we were ready to go in to the plastic business I got a new job at a Volvo Car dealer in Skellefteå. So we droopped the Omega plan and started to remake it as a Volvo S-60 instead. The work took almost four months.

"Twenty four hours before the first race in Piteå we had no windows and no sponsor stickers so it was not until 8:30 in the morning that the new car was rolled out of the garage, and three hours later it passed the tech inspection at Pitea. At the first race we ran 8.77 and 8.88 before we transformed the converter into a maracca.

"With only one week between Piteå and the Deep Forest race at Sundsvall we had hard time getting a new converter in time so we decided to put the car together at the race track. In the hurry and with the lack of sleep in the preceding weeks we made the mistake of not checking the clearance between the new converter and the pump, so we had a lot of extra work to do cleaning and setting up a new pump. We missed Saturday qualifying but on Sunday morning we were ready - but then it started raining.

"We took a break and put the car on display at the car dealer for three weeks before we went to Midnight Sun Internationals at Piteå. We ran 8.65 with the same throttle settings which earlier ran 8.90, and whatever we did it only went faster. I had to run on instinct in eliminations and thats not easy when you are running against Cristina Hägglund. I made a great start but felt it was going to fast so I braked hard in the speed trap and went 8.93 against Cristina's 8.91, so she won by a margin of just a few centimetres.

"At Skellefteå I am not only a racer, I also organise the event so there is not much time left to fix the car. I sensed that it worked great at Piteå, so it should not have been a problem, but the tyres went out and we couldn't get traction a single time. We also found a crack in the engine mounting plate so my mechanics had to fix the car on Sunday afternoon whilst I was cleaning up the road after the event.
©Eurodragster.com
"On Thursday morning we started the journey to the Drag Festival at Mantorp Park. The first day's qualifying was rained out so we used the time to change tyres. Qualifying started on Friday with a slow 9.35 and then we found that we had broken a head gasket, so we missed the second session. We ran a 9.08 in the third session, in the fourth session the high speed pill stuck open so we only ran 9.33 again. In eliminations we were up against Zane Llewellyn, again I made a great start but again I felt the car was going too fast so I pulled the brake handle but not as much as last time. When we stopped Zane told me that if I hadn't broken out big time I should be the winner, but when the mechanics came it was thumbs down. We ran 8.83 against Zanes 8.88.

"The next race was the Autumn Championship at Piteå. We went there to see how fast the car could go and to test some different settings on the throttle stop. We ran 8.87 and then I crashed the car into the wall, hitting the 60 foot marker. The traction just went away as we passed the start line with the rear tyres. When you have the front wheels fifty centimetres in the air it's not easy to straighten things up. But at least I got some nice pictures (right) from Kaj Bjurman who had been standing next to the wall right where I was aiming. He thought I was going after him!

"Right now we are putting new paint on the car and we plan to go to Västerås to dyno the engine before Christmas. And because we had our ration of bad luck this year I think things can only get better next season!"

Jonas' very professional web site at www.staflundracing.com has the whole sequence of Kaj Bjurman's photographs of his wheelie, including one just crying out for the caption "And that's when I dropped the camera and ran...", together with news, car and team details, and a lot more.

Racers: Keep those season reviews coming to news@eurodragster.com and we'll publish them here.

Competition Plus vote closing.
4th November: Voting closes this Wednesday for the Competition Plus annual Dot.com awards. Eurodragster has been nominated as Internet Web Site of the Year for the second year running, and we are currently second in this category; a big Thank You to everyone who has voted for us so far.

There is still time to get your votes in; if you would like to vote for Eurodragster then visit the Competition Plus web site at www.competitionplus.com. The link to the Dot.com awards is in the middle of the Home Page and also on the right-hand side of any page on the site. Alternately you can go directly to the vote at www.competitionplus.com/10_30_2002/dotcom_awards.shtml. If every one of our three thousand daily readers were to cast a vote then we would walk it!
©Eurodragster.com
LA moves into Shakespeare County.
3rd November: Shakespeare County Raceway and Avon Park International Racing Association are pleased to announce today (Sunday 3rd November) that an agreement has been entered into with a new promotion for 2003 securing May 3rd/5th; June 15th/16th; and August 23rd/25th as major championship drag racing dates, writes Press Officer Jerry Cookson.

A series of championship dates promoted by LA Performance Services, known as the 'Ultimate Power Drag Racing Championship', will include rounds of the UK National Drag Racing Championship, a reformed APIRA club championship, and the previously confirmed ACU Drag Bike Championship. LA Performance Services will also be involved in the European Doorslammer Shootout and October's track championship finals.

Shakespeare County are also pleased to confirm a full calendar of lifestyle events in 2003 commencing with the Season Opening Test and Tune on April 12th/13th and ending in November for the annual Bonfire Burn-Up. The full calendar is as follows:

April 12th/13th Season Opening Test and Tune
May 3rd/5th Excitement Nationals (National Championship)
May 17th/18th Classic American Nationals
May 31st/June 1st Extreme National Car Weekend
June 14th/15th Power Nationals (National Championship)
June 28th/29th NSRA Nostalgia Nationals
July 12th/13th British Mini Showdown
August 8th/10th Bulldog Bash
August 23rd/25th Allstar Nationals (National Championship)
September 6th/7th NSRA Hot Rod Drags
September 20th/21st European Doorslammer Nationals
October 4th/5th Track Championship Finals
October 18th TBA
November 1st/2nd Bonfire Burn-Up

More news will be released in due course in time for January's Racing Car Shows at Birmingham's NEC and Brentwood, Essex.

Draglist.com Sammy Miller page.
3rd November: Eurodragster's tribute page to the late Sammy Miller continues to grow, with the latest contributions including some fascinating stories from the old days courtesy of Sammy's peers in the USA.

Our good friend Bill Pratt of the excellent Draglist.com web site has drawn together all of the Sammy Miller links which he can find into a tribute page which you can find at www.draglist.com/stories/SOD-Nov-2002/SOD-110202.htm. Bill's page includes links to obituaries, articles, pictures, video and artwork and is a very fitting tribute to our fallen hero.
©Eurodragster.com
Web site updates.
3rd November: Our good buddies at Svensk Dragracing have updated their web site with an interview with NDRS Super Gas Bike Champion Micke Berglund, news of Veidec's assumption of title sponsorship for the Drag Festival at Mantorp Park, a tribute to Sammy Miller, and what Erik Zettervall describes as "A little story" from the NDRS Banquet. Check it all out at www.dragracing.se.
©Eurodragster.com
UK events rained out.
2nd November: Today's Flame and Thunder Show at Santa Pod Raceway was rained out without a wheel turning, apart from those of the track dryers which did sterling service. The track was almost ready for eighth-mile qualifying when spots turned into persistent rain which quickly soaked the track and gave Race Director Darren Prentice no option but to call a halt to racing. The demonstrations went on and the season ended in spectacular fashion as the two Top Fuel Dragsters and the two Fuel Altereds were towed to the start line and fired up simultaneously in pouring rain, followed by a flame and smoke show by the Fireforce 2 Jet FC and the traditional firework display.

A minute's silence was held for the late Sammy Miller. It was immaculately observed by racers and officials congregated on the start line and fans on the bank and grandstand.

Today's action at the Bonfire Burn-Up at Shakespeare County Raceway was also rained out, although SCR Press Officer Jerry Cookson tells us that one of the hovercraft put in a twenty-second pass.

Both Santa Pod Raceway and Shakespeare County Raceway will be holding Run What You Brung events tomorrow (Sunday).
©Eurodragster.com
Sammy Miller tribute page.
2nd November: As the tributes to the late Sammy Miller continue to come in we have set up a separate page for them all. Those tributes which we have already published are now on that page together with those which we have received in the last day.

You can read the tributes to Sammy by clicking here, or by clicking on the Tributes to Sammy Miller link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page. The most recently-received tributes will be posted at the top of the page.

If you would like to send a tribute to Sammy then please E-Mail it to webmaster@eurodragster.com. A copy of the tribute page will be sent to Sammy's family in due course.
©Eurodragster.com
Web site updates.
2nd November: UK Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Andy Frost has updated the News and Tech pages of his web site with the latest information about his eight-second street car. "I will be updating the news page once a week through the winter with reports and pictures of the work I'll be doing on Red Victor 2", says Andy. "As usual there is a bit to do so there should be a fair few reports". Check it out at www.redvictor1racing.co.uk.
©Eurodragster.com
Sammy Miller's funeral.
1st November: Antony Billinton has been in touch with the arrangments for Sammy Miller's funeral. Tributes may be sent to:

Sammy Miller
c/o Vander May Funeral Home
567 Ratzer Road
Wayne
NJ 07470

Tel. (+1) 973 696 2900

A viewing is to be held at the Vander May Funeral Home on Sunday (3rd November).

Sammy's funeral takes place at 9:00 am on Monday (4th November) at the Our Lady Of The Valley Church at 614 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ. For further details please contact the Vander May Funeral Home on the above number.
©Eurodragster.com
Wells now OK, thank you.
1st November: UK Pro ET racer Steve Wells has been in touch to ask us to thank Eurodragster readers for their reponse to Tuesday's request for help in locating front tyres. "I am now sorted", says Steve. "The rubber tree idea was particularly useful, thanks Chris."
©Eurodragster.com
Flame and Thunder coverage.
1st November: Regular readers will be aware that the Flame and Thunder Show is Eurodragster's traditional annual day off from live event coverage. We will be posting a news item with results and highlights tomorrow night.

The guys from Dragsterworld plan to post an end-day report and photographs from the Flame and Thunder Show on their web site at www.dragsterworld.com.
©Eurodragster.com
Earlier news


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