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30th November: The return of Santa Pod Raceway's Doorslammers has received a warm welcome among the racing community. The sizing up of the opposition has already begun. 
Speaking about the new event Trakbak CEO Keith Bartlett said "We're putting on an event that should appeal to every racer of a door car; the class structure we have settled on will provide a place to race for everyone, from Pro Mod to front wheel drive. There are six heads up classes, plus a huge bracket class. With £75,000 at stake I expect the competition to be extremely fierce." The prize money and the atmosphere are what set the Doorslammers apart in the past and it will be what sets it apart in the future. Not only will there be a huge £75k prize fund for the first time in European doorslammer history but the format will be new and exciting for racers and spectators alike. With the last Doorslammers event running in its true format in the early 1990s it's a longaawaited return for the event which is to be held on 19th-20th May next year. The event, scheduled for the weekend before the Main Event, will be eagerly-anticipated by racers across Europe. Saturday and Sunday mornings will host a sighting lap for the Big Bracket and the whole elimination will happen on the hour every hour with the field racing for £10,000 on each day. This will be a gamblers' race so there will be the traditional first round buy back available for those who want a second chance at the Big Bracket. Saturday will also be given over to an all-new format: open qualifying. Keith said "There will be no scheduled qualifying sessions; if you get bumped and need to get back in the field you can attack the track as many times as you want. I'm already looking forward to the final few hours of qualifying; it's going to get very interesting indeed. 
"We are planning something very special for eliminations in the heads-up classes; a randomised draw to decide pairings with no ladder of progression in place. Number one could face number two in the first round which is very exciting; the identity of the racer in the next lane depends entirely on the draw – right up to the final round. I like the idea of drawing pairings and lane choice at random - it will really shake things up." A major highlight of the weekend will be the prospect of seeing the finest Pro Mods in Europe released from the rule book that limits their performance. With blower, fuel and weight restrictions lifted in the Pro Doorslammer class, we can expect to see some stunning times from the premier doorslammer class as they fight it out over the £20,000 purse. Further event information including classes, rules and entry details are available on its web site at www.thedoorslammers.co.uk. Wild Bunch heroes honoured. 28th November: Wild Bunch Race Co-ordinator Claire Meaddows says that the nostalgia racers' 22nd Anniversary Prize Presentation last Saturday was a fantastic night: The evening was dedicated to two dear friends and Wild Bunch racers who are sadly no longer with us, Tom Larman of Team Ferret and Sag Southworth of Team Daddy Cool. Hugely missed and very much in our thoughts and hearts during the evening. All the various Series winners were presented with their awards, with the 2017 Wild Bunch Series win going to Team B-Sting with their B-Sting altered. Many Congratulations to them! The Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series winner this year was also Team B-Sting with the B-Sting. Bob Hawkins with his awesome Time Traveller II slingshot won the Springbridge MSA Challenge Series Cup held over the four MSA events in which the Wild Bunch compete. This was the first time Bob has won his own Series, as he sponsors it via his company Springbridge. Many thanks to them for their Series sponsorship and of one of the events this season. Terry Clifford was chuffed to win this year's Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series with the team's Ratcatcher Resurrection slingshot and Phil James with the Rampage Funny Car was thrilled to win the APIRA Series, with this trophy to be awarded at the APIRA Prizegiving in March. Congratulations to all, as well as those in the other top Series placings. A great performance by all! 
Various presentations were made during the evening, with the first thanking Committee member Steve Field who retired at the beginning of the year. There were also presentations to Secretary Lynne Coulsell, Race Co-ordinator, Treasurer and GM Claire Meaddows, website author Ed Yates and Pit Runner, Co-ordinator and Committee member Mark Coulsell for all their hard work. Presents were given to all the lovely ladies attending. Flowers were given to Claire, Lynne, Hayley Fyfe and Anna Cassisi, kindly donated by Mark Coulsell of Team Limited Funz. Special presentations made to Craig Larman for Personal Achievement with The Ferret altered and to Alan Grimes for his Career Crew Chief Achievement with the Daddy Cool Team, including tuning for that magic 150 mph pass! In addition the winners of all of the Wild Bunch Special Merit awards were announced: Big Bang Trophy - Lee Hartnell Metal Mistress Fastest time by a British-engined dragster (sponsored by Martin Holgate) - Sag Southworth Daddy Cool 9.135 Fastest speed - Bob Hawkins Time Traveller II 203.35 mph Quickest ET - Bob Hawkins Time Traveller II 6.630 seconds (seventh year in a row) Best Newcomer (Roy Wilding Trophy) - Philippa Turton Bitchcraft Best Radical / Dragster - Sag Southworth Daddy Cool Best Altered - Team B-Sting B-Sting Best Slingshot - Rob and Pete Brown Wrathchild Best Turned Out - Team Ratcatcher Ratcatcher Resurrection Best Achiever - Bob Morgan B-Sting Perseverance Award - Bob Hawkins Time Traveller II (third year in a row) Personal Achievement (Daddy Cool Sag) -Team Daddy Cool Daddy Cool (they first donated this twenty years ago) Derek and Brenda Annable trophy - The Tramm family (well-deserved) Crew of the Year - Dave Williams Time Traveller II Scottie Durrant Above and Beyond Award - Team Daddy Cool Daddy Cool C & C Sportsperson - Hayley Fyfe Wrathchild Crazy Chris Showmanship Award – Team Ratcatcher Ratcatcher Resurrection 
The greatest accolade of the evening was, as always, the Don Garlits Spirit of Drag Racing Shield, the most prestigious award in the Wild Bunch, which represents sportsmanship, achievement, perseverance, commitment, presentation and a host of other attributes. This was awarded to the whole of the Daddy Cool team as well as in honour and loving memory of Sag Southworth who achieved the fantastic goal of running his first ever 150 mph and winning an event, after persevering through breakages and a courageous battle with illness, all the time still sharing his good humour and friendship and support to others. The whole family team are enthusiastic and dedicated to drag racing and the Wild Bunch and each other. They all demonstrate the true spirit of this award and the family spirit of the Club. Big congratulations to the whole team, a very well-deserved, emotional and popular win! There was quite rightly a standing ovation in tribute to them all. Many thanks to Barry Bohannon and Paul Wright for ably MCing the presentation. Thanks also to Helen and David of Zeon TV for providing the fantastic season DVD which was showing in the background, capturing so many highlights and special moments of the season. We also held a raffle to raise funds for the Club, and a collection to go to the funds for the new track at York Raceway (best of luck to them). The night was rounded out with champagne for some, and dancing, as well as many hugs and cheers all round. Many congratulations to all our winners. We can't wait until 2018 to be back out at the drags for the 23rd year of the Wild Bunch! Full information will be found in due course on the Wild Bunch web site at www.the-wild-bunch.co.uk. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy, dry, safe and quick New Year to all racers and teams, marshals and officials, track and safety crews, photographers, media, promoters, managers and of course the Eurodragster.com staff (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed) who work so hard at Santa Pod, Shakespeare County and York Raceways for this sport of drag racing which we all love so much! Thanks everyone for everything you do! See you all at the drags next season! Pictures courtesy and copyright Limited Funz Racing Pro ET Bash now booking. 
28th November: Lee Huxley has been in touch with a reminder that tickets are now available for the annual Pro ET Bash
which takes place at The Pavilion in the Park, Cripplegate Park, Tybridge Street, Worcester, WR2 5BA on 20th January.
"A party not to be missed!", says Lee. "A time to catch up with the racing family before the new season. This party is open to all classes, marshals, fans and friends. "Tickets are just £10 per person for disco, buffet, games and much more. To buy tickets please contact me on 07967 157899 or via Facebook, or contact Karen Stevens or Mike Lacey, and we will give you the bank details for the Pro ET Sponsorship Scheme for payment. We put a lot of effort into keeping the scheme going and all we ask is your support. Thanks in advance! See you there. Fuel for thought. 28th November: UK, Scandinavian and European teams are having great success in the USA, and Lee Child of Eurodragster.com sponsor LA Racing Parts says that he believes that there are European products which can outperform American products: 
LA Racing Parts have been selling race fuels since 2010, but in the last twelve months sales of European race fuels have been on a very healthy increase.
We have had major successes in different types of motorsport and it is time to give teams the edge in drag racing. Now that we are entering the season of
the dyno and squeezing more performance, LA Racing Parts would like to recommend unleaded race fuels for drag racing from companies such as ELF
and Panta.
Italian company Panta, which has the contract with WRC and BSB, has the following fuels which would be ideal for drag racing: Panta CX spec is 101 mon and 109 ron with an oxygen content of 2.7% .This is a good fuel which has the octane but which doesn't require large increases in fuelling. Stepping up on the octane and the oxygen content, Panta XS like CX can work in different combinations. XS spec is a 103 mon, 115 ron with an oxygen content of 4.67%. For those looking for a unleaded race fuel with no oxygen content, ELF Perfo100 would be the one with a 96.5 mon 109 ron; like the CX it doesn't require large increases in fuelling. Saving the best to last, a fuel which other fuel companies have cloned but have not succeeded in duplicating the quality. ELF Perfo 105, 98 mon 111 ron with a huge oxygen content of 16.5%. This is a tuning fuel with great performance for many applications and will outperform other high oxygenated unleaded fuels. The fuels are in stock and ready for low-cost shipping anywhere, and additional stock has the bonus of being less than fourteen days from the manufacturers based in France and Italy. The fuel is available in 50 and 60 litre drums. We also have a new collection point in Wellingborough if you are racing in that area. If you wish to see the spec of these fuels please E-Mail me at lee@laracingparts.com or call 01803 391740. Jordan's Gala weekend. 26th November: UK Junior Dragster racer Jordan Payne says that he had an amazing few days at last weekend's British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Dinner: The weekend began for me on Thursday evening as after school Dad whisked me away to meet meet six-time IHRA Top Fuel Champion Clay Millican, Street Outlaws and Drag Week Star Jeff Lutz and Movie Producer and friend Ray Iddings for dinner. The evening was great, with the company even better! Throughout the evening Clay and Jeff gave me some driving tips regarding staging cars, before it was time to take them back to the hotel, and make my way back home for school on Friday. After a school day which felt like an eternity I made my way back down to London to meet the other guests who had now arrived. It was great to meet up with the legends who were attending the event for a drink and a chat. One especially, Bob Muravez aka Floyd Lippencotte Jr, driver of the Freight Train twin-engine slingshot dragster. Earlier in the year when Dad and I had flown out to visit sponsor Geoff Stilwell of Beech Underwriting Agencies Ltd at the Bonneville Salt Flats, we were introduced to Bob and his lovely wife Sharon. I'm sure that most of you are aware of the famous photograph of Bob's dog sitting in the seat of the Freight Train back in the 1960s; I re-enacted this photo with my dog and my Junior Dragster before the event, and presented Bob with our version. I'm happy to say that he was extremely overwhelmed and pleased with the gift! After mingling for a while it was becoming late so it was time to make our way to bed, so that we could attend the Bench Racing session which was being held the following lunch time. 
The line up for the Bench Race was amazing: Jim Oberhofer, Tom Hoover, Dennis Priddle, Ron Hope, Clay Millican, Jeff Lutz, Roy Phelps, Joe Schubeck, Roland Leong, Steve Gibbs, Ed McCulloch, Bob Muravez, Marvin Graham, Dale Emery and Connie Kalitta, with Bob McClurg as the presenter. The session overran by a good hour, as everybody was having so much fun! In the end the event turned into a Connie Kalitta roast, as all the other racers had a funny story to tell to have a dig at him. What was great was that Connie always had an answer and another story to embarrass the others even more. 
Before the Gala Dinner started, the top three Junior drivers and riders were called into a separate room to meet the American legends of the sport who had come over to visit. I had spoken to all of them earlier in the week, and it was a pleasure to talk to all of them once again. First in the line was Jeff Lutz and Clay Millican, who presented me with signed hero cards. They were followed by Roland Leong, Jim Oberhofer, Dale Emery and Sir Richard Noble. I was stopped by Sir Richard, and he asked whether I could sign one of my hero cards for him, this was incredibly cool! After Sir Richard there were even more people to meet! Ron Hope, Marvin Graham, Brian Hope, Bob Muravez and also Les Downey. I'd like to thank everybody that I was introduced to for being so kind and caring, and also thank them for their advice that I will definitely take on board. I'd also like to thank Geoff Stilwell of Beech Underwriting Agencies Ltd for organising the meet and greet. 
Around half an hour later, after spending some time talking to Marvin Graham, we were called through into the dining area for the evening meal and awards ceremony. It was a pleasure to be invited onto the stage again this year with the other Junior drivers, as we were the previous year. It's a great experience being applauded by your role models, the people you look up to, for what you have achieved. Thanks goes to Tony Thacker for presenting the awards ceremony, and for calling us to the stage in front of the entire audience. I'd like to congratulate all of the BDRHoF Inductees this year! All of them truly deserved the honours that they achieved. It was also lovely to meet the legends family and relations at the event, especially the friendly and supportive Cindy Gibbs! I'd like to thank the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame and all of the associated sponsors for organising yet another great event. I am already looking forward to next year's Gala Dinner. I recommend that you check out the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site at www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk and also urge you to support the BDRHoF's Benevolent Fund which aims to support people in need within the drag racing community. To read more about my racing please visit my web site or Facebook page. You can contact me at driver@jordanpayne.co.uk or jordanpayne2@gmail.com. I would like to thank my sponsors for their support of my racing: Beech Underwriting Agencies Ltd, VP Racing Fuels, Goodridge Hoses, Nimbus Motorsport, Cam Auto Developments, CTR Developments, Mantis Web, Windrush Roofing, Simon Cox Marketing Solutions and Julian Hunt Photography. Swift snippets. 26th November: Helen Todd of Zeon TV tells us that this year's UK season review DVDs are now available. The DVDs cover MSA Pro Modified, Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator, ACU Super Street Bike, Serck Motorsport Outlaw Anglia, Dragstalgia, the NSRA Hot Rod Drags, the Mopar EuroNationals and UK Nostalgia Super Stock / JT Construction UK Top Sportsman. Some footage is used from Eurodragster.com's Webster Race Engineering / Nimbus Motorsport webcasts and the covers front and rear include sizeable photographic contributions from Eurodragster.com. The DVDs are priced at £14.95 plus P+P and various deals are available. You can find out more, view trailers and order at www.quartermilehigh.com. 
UK former Pro Modified racer and Eurodragster.com Complaints Department Manager Ray White writes from Kuwait to let us know that the well-known clothing store has extended its reach still further. "Not a car in sight in the shop, but plenty of street racing here", he says. Season review of a non-racing season. 26th November: UK Bike racer Lizz Charman asks herself how she can write a season review when none of the team have been racing competitively. However... It's been as much of a busy season as ever. How does this happen? Jake got an unconditional offer to study Computer Networking at Sheffield University and is going to be concentrating on this, so he won't be racing for a while. No doubt at some stage he will be doing some RWYBs on Kev's old Bandit which is being rebuilt and redeveloped at present. He passed his driving test the week before he left so was able to drive himself up there. Very proud of this chap! Jake and the team also crewed for Pete le Gros and his beautiful Fuel Supertwin a few times, which was always a pleasure. 
Kev is still working on the construction of the Top Fuel Bike; as I'm sure you can all appreciate it comes at a price, and a lot of the components are bespoke. Kev is not prepared to compromise on the quality of the build he wants in order to get himself out quicker and in his words "It will be done when it is done, life and grown up stuff gets in the way sometimes!". Kev kept himself busy supporting Dave (Rocket) Peters with his Funny Bike for part of the season and getting it more consistently in the 7.3s. He also sponsored Rocket's nephew Will Pickering by loaning him Jake's old Junior Drag Bike to race for the season. The Junior bike went up for sale once the season had finished, and sold very quickly. Kev was also coerced into crewing and tuning for me, whom he was (mis) led to believe had retired from competition! I was offered Erik Feijt's street bike for a season, with a challenge to try to get it into the nines. This somehow incorporated a trip over to the Isle of Man and a race meeting at Jurby, which I won! We then went to the Bulldog Bash where I won Fastest Female by the skin of my teeth, and got not only one but two nines, which was a relief. 
Retirement going swimmingly, I was then offered a ride on Claire Rule's Nostalgia Pro Stock bike. This was an odd one. Seeing the word Nostalgia I automatically thought that it would be slow! The bloody thing tried to kill me on numerous occasions. They launch so ferociously, you have to be ready for it. It's nothing like a Funny Bike, but so much fun. I got the hang of it eventually and I want to do it again! I ran a PB for the bike of 9.1, which is not too shabby for a bike running on pump fuel, and I have been asked by Claire to ride it again in 2018. Huge thanks as always go to remarkable crew Julie Moxley and Sarah Chapman who not only turned up to Jurby to crew for me but also rocked up to the testing of the Pro Stock Bike too. Big thanks to Erik Feijt and Claire Rule for the opportunities! Kev would like to thank Dave Branch and Dave Woodard for their help with the Fuel Bike project. Meanwhile, at home, planning permission applied for and been granted for another house in the garden and, not to make life easy, it has been decided to build it around whatever else is thrown at us in 2018. Never a dull moment in this household! Want M&H? No need for Black Friday. 
26th November: Lee Child of Eurodragster.com sponsor LA Racing
Parts says that the company is just finalising a container load of M&H Racemaster tyres and that deals are available if you get in quickly:
The container will be closing on Thursday but we still have room for some more orders at money-saving prices. The full range of tyres is available from Nostalgia to current vehicles. Covering the Nostalgia side with motorcycle and car slick tyres, LA Racing Parts can supply the M&H 26.6 x 4 x 18 tyre for Nostalgia Drag Bikes and M&H's range of sizes will cater for Funny Cars, altereds, gassers and slingshots. Nothing looks finer than a pair of M&H's on a slingshot. But M&H are not only about Nostalgia: they have great successful tyres for almost all drag racing categories from Super Pro ET to Front Wheel Drive cars. With over twenty four sizes of Drag Radials anybody running Outlaw Street or a R35 Skyline daily driver, M&H will have a size. M&H Cheater DoT slicks and muscle car drag DoT are not for our roads but are great tyres for street-legal competition with a combined twenty two sizes from which to choose. Except for dragsters fronts, M&H Front Runners are available for Funny Cars and right through to late-model muscle cars. The order cut-off for this container is this Thursday, 30th November, and the container docks in the UK in January. For more information or to order please E-Mail me at lee@laracingparts.com or call 01803 391740. The concrete facts. 22nd November: Trakbak CEO Keith Bartlett is pleased to announce the undertaking of a major new project that will be a landmark in the continuing development and improvement of Santa Pod Raceway. 
KB says "The current surface, along with all the previous racing surfaces at SPR, were asphalt (tarmac) and we have been long-term holders
of many records set on asphalt but we have had numerous problems with the tarmac surface since it was laid in 2013. We have been very
aware that these problems would need addressing at some point. I have made the decision to replace the tarmac with a full quarter-mile,
wall-to-wall super-smooth concrete racing surface."
Partnering with concrete specialists Knights Construction, the consultation and design process has been under way for several months including fact-finding trips to top NHRA tracks in the US and liaison with NHRA representatives. "This is a very significant investment heading towards £1m for Santa Pod and I believe it shows our commitment to the sport of drag racing and to the actual racers. I am confident that we will start the 2018 season with an extremely fast track; possibly to become one of the best tracks in the world." 
Speaking as work on the track began, KB continued "We are starting from scratch and the work will entail ripping out the entirety of the existing
track including the 1943 WW2 runway that lies beneath the track and the foundations beneath that. Knights will then install an extensive drainage
system to ensure the track's integrity over the long term, then the process of rebuilding the foundations can start and I'm pleased to say that all of
the old WW2 runway will be recycled and included in the foundation."
Once Knights have removed the original track and the area is down to sub-formation they will begin to install more than 13,000 tons of construction materials including 10,000 square metres of concrete to achieve the new track design. Concrete for the project will be supplied from Tarmac's Northampton plant where a close eye will be kept on the production process. 
Knights Construction Group Managing Director Matt Jones said "The consistency and quality control of material is of tremendous importance on a project
like this. It's just one part of a long line of processes that Knights will be closely managing to ensure the success of this very exciting project."
Though Santa Pod hosts a variety of different types of event, it is the track itself that is the beating heart of the venue and the new surface will be welcomed by everyone involved in the sport. The prospect of presenting the European drag racing community with a new concrete track fills KB with a sense of anticipation. "I don't mind admitting that when Santa Pod records started falling to Sweden's Tierp Arena it was distinctly unsettling. I'm looking forward to hopefully getting those headline-making records back - along with giving the drivers and race teams a much more consistent and predictable surface. I really can't wait for the new season to start." The construction work will continue in stages throughout the winter period ready for the start of the 2018 season. Santa Pod's Festival of Power held over the Easter weekend will be the inaugural Championship event on the brand new track and promises to deliver the first of many top-line performances from a range of race classes including the ever-popular Jet Car Shootout. Keep up to date with all the progress via Santa Pod's Facebook page, or visit www.santapod.com for full details of the 2018 calendar and to book tickets. Feature: Hal-Far Finals. 
22nd November: Courtesy of a billet-doux from Eurodragster.com management Carl Kirk attended the weekend's
Finals at Malta's Hal-Far Raceway as media and sent us this report and a gallery of pictures:
Hal-Far Raceway is south of the island of Malta, and is not far from anywhere as the island is small. Visitors could stay anywhere on the Island and still get to the track. Hire a car; driving is easy as they drive on the left, same as the UK. When we arrived we found a small but very nice race facility. I'm guessing that Santa Pod are running low on jackets by the amount spotted there. Some classes were different to the UK and some cars were entered into more than one class so it was difficult to keep track. There were approximately 120 entries. Friday was a day of rain showers but we saw every car qualify at least once, with some PBs achieved. On Saturday sun cream and hats were required for a great day of qualifying. The grandstands were at least a third British racers and race fans with a well-known Scotsman amongst them. Top Dragster was a combination of twin-turbocharged Ford Cosworth or Toyota four-cylinder power plants. The DISS car ran a Personal Best of 6.491/202.50 making it the world's fastest four-cylinder Toyota. The Mibrum ran 7.031/193.88. There are a lot of Mk 1 Ford Escorts on Malta and Andy Harris' British team of two bright red Escorts were hard to beat. Consistently running mid-tens at over 120 mph. Another car which stands out in this class is a Blue Ravenol Opel. For rotary-powered doorslammers the target is six seconds and Nathan Bartolo did not disappoint running 6.895/197. The Dilja car driven by Gary Camilleri ran mid-sevens at 178 mph. The Terminator car of Justin Muscat had a number of issues over the weekend, unfortunately resulting in below-par performance. There were a few bikes in two classes but the General Lee ran a best of 6.767/201. 2017 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion Duncan Micallef put in a half pass on Saturday as they had a problem with the fuel pump. Sunday morning was different: the Maltese Lion was hunting a three-second pass at over 300mph, nice clean run all the candles lit resulting in a 4.16/289, the crowd were happy and they knew he would be back for another assault on the track. Shake and a quick pedal and the run was over, maybe next year. Those who are already spectating over here will confirm that this is a great place to visit. Personally I think we may have witnessed the future of drag racing power of the next generation. Sometime soon Malta will send a Sportsman team over to the Pod. They will be coming to win not just to put on a show, and I for one would not bet against them. Cheers Hal-Far Raceway, it was a blast. See you next year. In association with Lucas Oil Products we have posted a gallery of forty of Carl's shots from the Finals which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Interviews, Features, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. A banner day at SCR. 22nd November: A bit more British drag racing heritage recently came to light with the discovery of an original Revell GB Model Kits trackside advertising banner. Shakespeare County Raceway's Jerry Cookson takes up the story: While looking through one of the many outbuildings at Long Marston Airfield with fellow scavengers, track officials Chris Schreier and Dave Rowlands, we came across some advertising banners which, in my estimation, had been lying around untouched and still rolled up for some forty three years! The find also revealed some original advertising boards displayed at the 1979 Custom Car Show at Alexandra Palace, but these items were in a very poor state, part of the Blackbushe start line A-board and a multitude of Rallycross items including the original course marked tyres still bound together. You can imagine our faces when the banner was rolled out to reveal the American model kit manufacturer's logo and the wording Ravell make the world's greatest model dragster kits. 
So with the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Bench Race session coming up we took the banner along and asked Dennis Priddle if he would very kindly sign it for us as Revell, along with STP, were the primary sponsors of Dennis' famous slingshot dragster Mr Revell in the early 1970s. We also asked Ed The Ace McCulloch to sign as well following his longtime association with the Revell Corporation in the States. I reckon that this banner, alongside the Gauloises banner also found, hasn't seen the light of day since 1974 where it could clearly be seen track side at legendary NDRC venues Blackbushe, Silverstone, Fullbeck, Wroughton and of course Long Marston. Swift snippets. 22nd November: Santa Pod Raceway are holding a Black Friday sale in their on-line shop for everything from merchandise to Festival of Power tickets. The sale takes place this Friday (24th) and you will be able to pick up some great deals at www.santapodshop.com. Bench Race thanks. 22nd November: Geoff Stilwell of the weekend's Bench Race organiser and sponsor Beech Underwriting, has been in touch to thank everyone who attended not only the now-famous Bench Race session but also the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala. "I don't think people realise the number of hours that go into the planning and execution of such a big event", says Geoff. "I have to thank Stuart, Bev and Genna Bradbury, Simon Groves, Robin Jackson, Tony Thacker and Nigel Payne for all their hard work. Also it could not be done without the support of the other sponsors of the event and Tog at Eurodragster.com for all the coverage (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed). "I also have to thank our friends from the USA for their unending support in attending and bringing along very special items so that we could raise money for the BDRHoF Benevolent Fund(see below - Ed). In particular we have to thank Waterbed Fred Miller, Sharon and Bob Muravez (for the help on the auction sales), Don Prudhomme, Ron and Brian Hope, Dale Emery, Bob McClurg, Marvin Graham, Jim Oberhofer, Ray Iddings, Roland Leong, Jerry Inuye, Joe and Gigi Schubeck, Steve Gibbs and Family, Ace McCulloch, the fantastic Connie Kalitta and Kalitta Racing, Tom Hoover, Jeff Lutz and last but not least Clay Millican... I hope you all saw the live Facebook broadcast which Clay did on Sunday. If not get to Clay's Facebook page right now. "On Sunday Kathy Taylor of Santa Pod Racers Club very kindly organised for Clay, Jeff and Ray to visit Santa Pod. I know that they really enjoyed it. Thank you Kathy. "It is now back to the day job but, once again, thank you to everyone from those attending to those who made it happen." Neil Marks has also been in touch to let us know that he has posted a short video clip on YouTube featuring some of the racers' responses to the question about their first time at a drag strip. You can check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKV3j06i83g. Our own account of the Bench Race, published on Monday, has generated a lot of positive and grateful feedback for which many thanks. Legends honoured at BDRHoF Gala. 22nd November: The twelfth annual British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner, held on 18th November at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey, was another huge success. New inductees to the Hall of Fame from the sport in the UK were joined by a group of sixteen US drag racing legends, and former Land Speed Record holder Richard Noble OBE. The Gala is one of the leading motor sport presentation events in the world and the BDRHoF would like to acknowledge all who made it possible. The evening, compered by writer and former NHRA Motorsports Museum Director Tony Thacker, included the induction of eight new members of the BDRHoF, presentation of the Sydney Allard media awards, the Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award, and special surprise presentation for a drag racing legend who has combined a racing career over almost sixty years with running successful international airlines. The Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award was presented to Steve Gibbs, the former Board Member and Vice President - Competitions of the National Hot Rod Association. It was awarded for his own achievements in managing over four hundred NHRA National Events in a forty eight-year career with the sport's main sanctioning body, founding NHRA Historical Services in 1992 which gave birth to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, the Holley National Hot Rod Reunion at Bowling Green, Kentucky and the California Hot Rod Reunion held in Bakersfield, California. 
A BDRHoF trophy went to Connie Kalitta for operating one of the most successful Top Fuel and Funny Car teams in NHRA history over a period of six decades. The inscription on Connie's trophy was In recognition for his contribution to drag racing and the presentations were warmly applauded by the two hundred and fifty people present. 
The 2017 inductees to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame were: Top Fuel car owners and tuners Karsten and Per Andersen, European record holders, presented by NHRA Top Fuel Dragster racer and current record holder Clay Millican; Fuel Altered owner series organiser and former photo-journalist Lawrie Gatehouse, presented by Ron Hope; Funny Bike and Pro Stock Bike pioneer Pip Higham, presented by Marvin Graham; Multi time UK Top Fuel Bike Champion Steve Woollatt, presented by Bob Muravez); and Top Fuel tuner and Club organisers John and Lesley Wright, presented by Roland Leong. There was also a special induction for BDRHoF Chairman and former Santa Pod Raceway starter Stuart Bradbury, presented by current Santa Pod CEO Keith Bartlett. Trophies were sponsored by the Santa Pod Racers Club. 
The Sydney Allard Media Awards, for written, photographic and videographic journalism went respectively to Ian Wagstaff for his race track profile on Santa Pod Raceway published in the May 2017 edition of PRI Magazine; Mike Collins' photo of Top Fuel racer Timo Lehtimäki, taken in 2011 and published for the first time on Eurodragster.com in December 2016 and previously in Mike's own Blog Retro Ramblins; and Barney Campbell's video Welcome to Santa Pod Raceway, published on the Santa Pod Raceway YouTube channel in January 2017. The awards were presented in association with Octane Magazine and the Guild of Motoring Writers and the trophies sponsored by Lucas Oils UK. Gala day also included the third Beech Underwriting Bench Racing Session with the guest American and British racers and personalities telling uproarious stories about their racing exploits, with questions from the floor. The session was introduced by Bob McClurg, leading drag racing photojournalist for almost fifty years. Personalities present were Jim Oberhofer, Tom Hoover, Dennis Priddle, Ron Hope, Bob McClurg, Clay Millican, Jeff Lutz, Roy Phelps, Joe Schubeck, Roland Leong, Steve Gibbs, Ed McCulloch, Bob Muravez, Marvin Graham, Dale Emery and Connie Kalitta. Over $10,000 was raised from charity donations to the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund including an auction of an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2018 NHRA Gatornationals supplied by DialAFlight and Kalitta Racing, and sales of memorabilia. The event would not have been possible without practical help and support from sponsorship partner Beech Underwriting Agencies, major sponsors US Automotive and Santa Pod Racers Club, and event sponsors Lucas Oil Products UK, DialAFlight, the Institute of Professional Drivers, Atlantic Fluid Tech, Rat Trap Racing, Mac Tools, Kalitta Motorsports, Kalitta Air, Aptitude, the National Street Rod Association, and Prop Portfolio. Thanks also to the Pennine Drag Racing Club, Eurodragster.com and Avon Park International Racing Association for their support. 2018 APIRA, SCR, NAST Trophy Evening. 20th November: Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and the National Association of Supertwins are pleased to announce details of their combined Championship Trophy Presentation Evening honouring the 2017 APIRA Champions and runners-up, APIRA and SCR Perpetual Award winners, and NAST winners and runners-up and special awards. 
The Trophy Evening will take place on Saturday 3rd March 2018 in the Avon Room of the Hilton Warwick, Stratford Road, Warwick CV34 6RE, located on Junction 15 of the M40, commencing at 6:00 pm with pre-dinner drinks at the bar followed by a full sit-down dinner which will be served at 7:00 pm. The Championship presentation begins at 8:30 pm and will be MC'd by Track Announcer Shaun Wilson and Angie Woods. There will be the usual raffle during the course of the evening and a disco 'til late provided by Kenny's Bar resident DJ Jamie. Tickets are £25 per adult and £15 for under-twelves which includes a three-course sit-down meal finished with tea and coffee. A vegetarian option will be available on request but please tick the box on the booking form. The children's meal will be creamy tomato soup, chicken nuggets, chips and beans followed by chocolate torte with Irish cream sauce. If you wish to book a complete table for your team or group then please indicate this on the form; tables seat a maximum of ten. APIRA have negotiated a preferential rate for rooms in the hotel at £90 for a double or £80 for a single. All rates are inclusive of breakfast, car parking and VAT. To book your room please call the reservations team on 08008 568000 or visit the web site at www.hilton.com/warwick quoting reference code ASRAS. Cut off for bedroom bookings at the special rate is twenty eight days prior to arrival. You can download your booking form (PDF format) from the Downloads page of the Shakespeare County Raceway web site at www.shakespearecountyraceway.co.uk. Payments can be made by BACS; account details can also be found on the booking form. Please note that all booking forms should be returned to the address on the form by 17th February 2018. If you have any queries then please call 01789 720180, or E-Mail shakespearecountyraceway@gmail.com. 2016 Perpetual Award winners please note that all trophies should be returned to APIRA / SCR as soon as possible. To make arrangements for return of trophies please E-Mail Jerry Cookson at shakespearecountyraceway@gmail.com or call 01789 720180 during office hours. A gathering of geezers. 20th November: Fresh from a day at the Brooklands Museum (below left, picture courtesy and ©John Goodman) the US and UK guests of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala headed to the Oatlands Park Hotel for Saturday's Bench Race organised by Geoff Stilwell of Beech Underwriting. 
The Bench Race panel, from left to right in the picture above right, were top row Jim Oberhofer, Tom Hoover, Dennis Priddle, Ron Hope, moderator Bob McClurg, Clay Millican, Jeff Lutz, Roy Phelps and lower row Joe Schubeck, Roland Leong, Steve Gibbs, Ed McCulloch, Bob Muravez or Floyd Lippencotte Jr (We never can tell them apart - Ed), Marvin Graham, Dale Emery and Connie Kalitta. During introductions Bob McClurg set the tone by introducing Tom Hoover as "A legend - just ask him". Ed McCulloch, feeling somewhat encouraged, said about Connie Kalitta that "We all remember when he was a kid!". Jim Oberhofer on being asked to introduce himself quoted Connie's description of Kalitta Motorsports as "A drag racing team which owns an air cargo company". The Bench Race was a mix of questions from the floor and pre-prepared questions and good-natured insults from Bob McClurg. The session opened with a question from the floor to Jeff Lutz about what went through his mind whilst driving his race car from track to track during Hot Rod Drag Week, towing everything he needed. "You've paid three hundred dollars to put yourself through this - they should pay us!", said Jeff. "It's pure hell. You're in survival mode. Winning is easy, getting to the next track is hell. There's no fun to it!". Jeff later related a story about banging up the same race car three times in the space of two weeks, which will feature in an episode of Street Outlaws which has yet to be aired. 
Bob McClurg then asked the panel what was the most spectacular thing they had ever seen. Ed McCulloch led. "Jungle Jim and his notoriety", he said. "The bitchinest run I ever saw was in New Jersey. Jungle turned up late, barely got through tech, left with the front wheels two feet in the air and didn't put them down until the first light. And then he went off match racing!". Roland Leong related a story of one of Don Prudhomme's legendary crashes, this one in Seattle. "Somehow I was first to Prudhomme and he could barely breathe", said Roland. "I went to hospital with him. At Seattle there was only one way in and one way out, but there was a second gate for emergencies. The ambulance stopped by gate two, the gate was opened, Prudhomme was laying there moaning and groaning, the driver hit the gas and I fell on top of Prudhomme! At the hospital a nurse came in with a container for Prudhomme and asked me to hold it for him. I said "We're close but not that close"!". Steve Gibbs' most spectacular moment was at Irwindale. "We booked in eight wheelstanders including Connie Swingle in the Trash Truck. Swingle made his run and went on to the return road so we let Bob Riggle go. I should have known... Riggle was making his run and Swingle appeared wheelying up the return road and they passed at mid-track. It took my breath away!". Bob McClurg related a story about Connie Kalitta at Pomona in the days of push starts. "Connie's car wouldn't start and they kept pushing, they got to the end of the fire-up road and Connie turned left and the car hit the fence on the left turn, and then that's all the car was good for - turning left". Steve Gibbs told the rest of the story. "Another team hit the fence again so there was no fence. Then Fred Farndon took the gap and hit a portable toilet with someone in there, and he still didn't shut off! The guy came out of the toilet and he was wet all over." 
Connie Kalitta's first story was about Tommy Ivo's legendary crew member Tarzan. "Ivo had a bad case of poison ivy. He was in the truck naked under a sheet. They pulled up to a toll booth and there were two women in there. So Tarzan whipped the sheet off Ivo!" The next question from the floor was to Bob Muravez who was asked how he persuaded his wife to let him carry on racing considering some spectacular incidents. "Before I ran I suited up and kissed her goodbye, then when I was strapped in I would point at myself, make a heart, and point at her - I love you", he said. Continuing the theme of spectacular incidents Dale Emery was asked to tell the story of a crash in which he ended up strapped into his race car upside down in a ditch. "The steering wheel came off", he said. "I was struggling for breath. They got me out and the ambulance driver tried to take off my helmet... without undoing it. One of my crew hit him and he ended up halfway across the ditch. The driver asked me who hit him and I said "You don't want to know"." Roy Phelps was asked how he persuaded US racers to come to Santa Pod Raceway. "Well, in the last fifty years they invented the telephone!", he said. "In the early days we had Dick Lawrence and Bob George who would call, and back then you had to call the operator and book an overseas call. You had to fly by the seat of your pants but I saw it as a thing we needed to do. The spectators wanted a good show and I wanted to give them a good deal and something new each year. Paying for it wasn't easy." 
The panel were asked about their first visit to a race track. Jim Oberhofer said "Island Dragway on Long Island. I was five or six years old and I saw Jungle Jim and Don Garlits". Tom Hoover said "There was a straight road behind my school, we practiced before school but it wasn't street racing. My first race track was Twin City Raceway in Minneapolis". Dennis Priddle said that he started in sprinting at Duxford. "Tony Gane built a motorcycle with a 500 cc Rudge motor. But my first proper drag race was the Drag Fest". Ron Hope said "I was sixteen and Pomona used to run every weekend. I promised my parents I wouldn't race. I took my Chevy there and accidentally raced". Clay Millican vividly remembers visiting Lakeland Dragway: "My first memory was seeing Don Garlits and I thought "Dear Lord, let me be able to drive one of these things"!", he said. Jeff Lutz said that his first visit to a race track was National Trail Raceway in the late 1980s seeing some of the old-time big names. "It was like a drug and I've been hooked ever since", he said. "The Drag Fest at Blackbushe was my first drag race", said Roy Phelps. "My first race was at Akron Airport", said Connie Kalitta. When asked the year he said "Before Jesus, I think!". Dale Emery first attended Kingdom Drag Strip in 1955. "There were three Fuel cars there", he said. "I thought it would be the coolest thing to do to run one". Marvin Graham borrowed his dad's car "But I didn't tell him I was going to race!". Bob Muravez bought a Corvette which previously belonged to Betty Grable and took it racing, "But I quickly worked out that you don't race the same car you want to take your girlfriend in, it breaks!". Ed McCulloch's parents were farmers and had an orchard near a drag strip. "I took my dad's '55 Buick to do my work and drove it back home", he said. "I was working on the tractor and I saw them racing across the street. I went and made laps then went back to the tractor". Steve Gibbs did not do much racing himself but went and hung around outside the entrance of San Gabriel and watched race cars go in and out. "There were so many different types of race car, you didn't know what you would see - this was in late 1956", he said. Roland Leong said that he grew up with the wrong crowd. "I used to play in a band", he said. "The other guys were older than me. We'd go and race on side streets. As soon as I got my licence at fifteen I went to the drag strip with my mum's car. My sister and her boyfriend were at the races and told Mom and Dad. Back in those days the reputation of drag racers was like Hell's Angels. But I survived!". Joe Schubeck started racing at Dragway 42. "I built a new car around the 392 Chrysler", he said. "I won that day and they gave me a trophy. "Any money with this?" I asked and they said "No, just the trophy". My mom was a big fan and was so excited that I won a trophy. We were king of the hill every week, I would get home and mom would be waiting for my trophy with her cleaning rag in her hand. One day I came home without a trophy, Gordon Collett had beaten me but mom said "Maybe he won't be there next week". It got worse the next week because Kalitta was there too! On the Saturday night we took Kalitta out to a place with good broads and gave him a good night. The next morning I was still drunk and I needed oxygen to sober me up so I went to the ambulance and Kalitta was already there with his face in the oxygen mask!" 
Bob McClurgh then asked the panel how many times any of them had been on their heads. "We were doing well in IHRA", said Clay Millican. "The balance of the car had always been weird. We had done a deal with Warner Brothers and had The Dukes of Hazzard on the car. We were up against the Lucas Oil car and the front end moved, I pedalled, and it made another move. The car kept on rotating and everything was very silent. I got in the foetal position and it went over and slid backwards. I thought "Kloeber's going to be pissed off with me". I radio'd the crew "I'm OK", then I saw the wall beside me. I hit the button again and said "I'm OK". Then I saw fire. I stopped upside down and one of the safety crew tried to undo my belts. He said "Are you OK?" and I said "I'm OK as long as you don't undo the belts!". Ed McCulloch recalled his famous two-car crash with John Collins at Baton Rouge in 1984. "The track was marginal at best", he said. "We left the start line and then eighty feet out the car took a hard right turn. I T-boned Collins, went upside down, slid across the track, hit the wall and the fuel tank exploded. When we stopped Collins was upside down and I was right side up. We were both OK, got out and embraced, but it was the worst day of my life". Marvin Graham recalled a run in Michigan. "We were running Low ET every round but we ran left lane every time", he said. "This time I went right lane. I didn't know about the bump. The front wheels came up and at three hundred feet I was looking at the floorboards in the car. The front came down, a front wheel came off, I hit the throttle and it hit the rail - in those days there was a gap at the bottom of the rail and the front of the car went in the gap. I hit the throttle again and the clutch went "Boom!". One of my crew got to me and he was pissed. He said "Get out of the car and let your daughter know you are OK - she is going frantic on the start line!". Dale Emery's big Moment came at Indy in 1978. "I was carrying the front end, it came down and hit the rail and the car went in the air", he said. "I thought "This will hurt". The next day Ray Beadle asked me to work with him". Tom Hoover remarked how far safety has progressed. "Back then front motor fires were a problem", he said. 
Joe Schubeck related a story about racing Connie Kalitta at Dragway 42. "I watched Kalitta walking up the right lane and down the left lane", he said. "He had a rag and he was cleaning patches and removing stones. Then he came to me and said "I can't see out of one eye, can I take the right lane?". I said "OK" and of course the left lane was covered in oil and my tyres spun. Kalitta had Gordon Collett next round, I watched him walk the lanes again and then he went to Gordon and said "I can't see out of one eye, can I take the left lane?"." Roland Leong said that for a short while he and Connie Kalitta were dating the same girl. "My last wife!", interjected Connie. Roland went on "I went to one race and there were two big testicles on his trailer and underneath it said "These ain't pineapples"!". One of Connie Kalitta's Bounty Hunter dragsters famously had a panel on its rear listing all of the racers he was going after, with a line through the name when he had beaten the racer. Don Garlits looked for his own name on the list and asked Connie why he was not included. "I told him "Go get your own list"!", he said. Steve Gibbs told the story of a huge crash which Connie Kalitta suffered in the early days of rear-engined dragsters. "Connie had a wedge-shaped car", he said. "It was a spectacular accident, he got into the finish line sign. We had a guy sitting at the finish line, a black guy, and he was at the sign which Connie took out. Connie was being looked after, we dealt with Shirley, and then we thought "Where is the finish line guy?". We expected to find pieces of him everywhere. But we found him drinking a Coke in the finish line tower. We told him he couldn't sit there again and I think he thought we were discriminating against him." 
Dennis Priddle was asked about his first experience of night racing. "Tony Densham was in Commuter and I was in Tudor Rose", he said. "We looked and we both thought it didn't look too bad. Back in those days you sat very low in the car and all you could see was the back of the supercharger. It looked like a lit track but it was very dark. We got to the end and it was completely black. I got stopped and it was totally silent. I heard a voice calling "Dennis?" and I called back "Is that you Tony?". He replied "Yes, where are you?". We could only see when the push car came. I was right on the outside edge of my lane and Tony was right on the outside edge of his lane. I promised myself that next time I would go to the end of the track and see how dark it was." Bob Muravez agreed about the inadequacies of lighting in the early days. "Taft Drag Strip had a big searchlight looking down the track", he said. "As you took off your shadow got bigger and bigger and you were driving into a big black hole. You don't need lights, you need stupid young men." 
During the Bench Race original paintings by Paul Whitehouse were presented to Clay Millican, Marvin Graham, Jeff Lutz, Roland Leong, Dale Emery and Connie Kalitta. Tony Thacker conducted the auction to raise funds for the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Benevolent Fund including the sale of a crash helmet worn by the legendary Raymond Beadle on his first visit to Santa Pod Raceway. The winning bid for the helmet was from Santa Pod's CEO Keith Bartlett and the item is destined for the track's forthcoming museum. See Post en Dros for 10% off Racepak. 20th November: Dick Koster says that Eurodragster.com sponsor Post en Dros is offering a 10% discount on all Racepak products: It won't get any better than this. This is the moment to “Stop guessing and start einning” with the Racepak winter sale. From 15th November until 31st December you get 10% discount on all V-Net based Racepak products. V-Net based products are, for example, the V300, V300SD, V500, V500SD, Sportsman, UDX Dashes IQ3 Display Dash, IQ3 Drag logger Dash and the IQ3 Street (logger) Dash. The 10% discount includes these dataloggers and dashes and all of the sensors related to these products. Orders will be collected until 31st December and sent out in the first week of 2018. So get your V500SD for €2059, V300SD for €1345, Sportsman for €679 and IQ3 Drag Logger Dash for €1399. Check out all of the Racepak and other items in our web shop at www.post-en-dros.nl. For orders, questions and quotes please E-Mail dickkoster@post-en-dros.nl. Swift snippets. 16th November: Mark Windridge writes that the UK's Supercharged Outlaws are holding their AGM in February and that all interested parties are invited to attend. The AGM takes place at 13:00 on Saturday 3rd February at the Fosse Leicester Premier Inn. "If anyone wants to find out more about us they are more than welcome to come", says Mark. "Our main rules are V8, Roots-type blower, any vehicle type, quicker than 10.90." The latest spy picture to reach the offices of Eurodragster.com (below left) came with no words. If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at eurodragster.com@btinternet.com. 
The whole family write to wish "Wild Bunch racer, crew extraordinaire, totally top bloke, brilliant son, brother and uncle Mark Hartnell (above right) a very Happy 30th Birthday for today. Hope you have a great day, Mark! Best wishes and lots of love from Mum and Dad Chris and Claire, brother and family Lee, Sarah, Liam, TJ and Bella, and sister and fiancé Jade and Ben. Plus the whole of the Wild Bunch and all of your many friends send you their very best wishes!". To which we add our own best wishes; have a great day Mark. 2017 Czech Series standings. 16th November: Many thanks to Herman Jolink for forwarding us the standings in the 2017 Czech Drag Racing Series. 
Competition Dragster
FAO SPRC Perpetual trophy holders. 15th November: Before jetting off on honeymoon Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall has had time to get in touch with an important message for the current holders of the SPRC Perpetual Award trophies: Perpetual Award holders are asked to return their trophies before Christmas so that we can have them prepared for the SPRC Dinner Dance and Trophy Presentation in January. Please either arrange return by contacting SPRC at ir.marshall@btconnect.com or call 01933 313625 or, if more convenient, please drop in your trophy at the Santa Pod Raceway office. Nominations for the 2017 season are currently being considered by the SPRC Committee and the annual Perpetual Awards vote will commence shortly here on Eurodragster.com. More possible sightings... 15th November: Robin Jackson says that further sightings of a man resembling legendary Top Fuel / Funny Car owner / tuner Roland Leong have been reported from the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu (admiring the Allard-Chrysler dragster) and from some field with a load of stones in a cold wet place. 
It's believed that this mysterious phenomenon could be repeated in Central London today (Wednesday). Anyone approaching the man and saying, in time-honoured fashion, "You must be Roland Leong and I claim my prize" probably won't be given a prize but will undoubtedly be courteously received. Reports of such meetings will be welcomed by Eurodragster.com. It is rumoured that reinforcements in the form of other legendary drag racing figures will be jetting into Britain over the next few days. Overheard on the South Coast... 
13th November: "So I'm walking along the seafront, like, under the White Cliffs of Dover, and I see
this bloke standing there, I swear he's the absolute spitting image of Roland 'Hawaiian' Leong. Ain't that crazy, huh? I mean, Roland
Leong! What would he be doing in Dover? And at this time of year? But I swear to you, the bloke looked just like him!"
Crazy? Or could it be that it's nearly time for the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala? Robin Jackson also tells us that Jerry and Terri Inouye and Bob McClurg have also arrived and are safely ensconced in the Oatlands Park, venue of this Saturday's Bench Race and Gala Dinner. The visitors were introduced to downtown Weybridge and checked in at the tux shop, which turned out to have all the kit ready and so Roland and Jerry were fitted out. The florist two doors down was consulted for a corsage which is also all set. Stay tuned for further updates. Swift snippets. 
13th November: At right are the newly-wed Ian and Nikki Marshall
nearing the end of a long and joyful day on Saturday. After being married by registrar and
VW Sportsman racer Polly Judge the happy couple and guests were photographed by drag racing
photographer Matt Woods, regaled with reasonably embarrassing stories by best man and Santa
Pod employee Darren Prentice, and entertained by a band led by Junior Dragster dad Ian Hart.
Ian and Nikki are headed on honeymoon in Sri Lanka and all of our love and best wishes go
with them.Utility Cart auction update. 11th November: The current high bid for Utility Cart, donated by Kalitta Motorsports sponsor Mac Tools to benefit the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Benevolent Fund, stands at £400. Bidding closes tomorrow night (Sunday). 
Shipping to the UK has been kindly funded by USAutomotive. The winner may collect the Cart from USAutomotive's warehouse in Bedford, or alternatively it will be delivered to the winner provided they are based in the UK; carriage costs will be borne by the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund. Bidding is open until 23:59 UK tomorrow with settlement due by end of 14th November. If you would like to make a bid for the Utility Cart then please E-Mail our own Simon at sgroves1320@gmail.com. SPR and Lucas play the Classic. 11th November: Donna Finnegan of Santa Pod Raceway writes that Eurodragster.com sponsor Lucas Oil Products has joined forces for a joint stand at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham: 
Whilst Santa Pod has exhibited at the Classic Motor Show for many years, this is a long-awaited return for Lucas Oil who haven't exhibited since 2013. Located in Hall 2 Henry Hirise, the Two Seater Thrill Ride Dragster and the Lucas Oil drag racing simulator are attracting crowds. 
Yesterday was extremely busy for the 'quiet' day so we are all bracing ourselves for the main days today and tomorrow. We are armed with 5,000 goody bags complete with 2018 calendars and flyers to distribute to the masses. Many thanks and welcome back to Les Downey and his guys from Lucas Oil for supporting Santa Pod for this show. Swift snippets. 
11th November: All best wishes for a happy future to Nikki Skinner of Nitro FM and
SPRC Club Secretary and Chief Starter Ian Marshall who are to be married in Bedford today (Saturday).
Congratulations to Julie Nataas on the third-best Top Alcohol Dragster run of all time, and the best under the current rules, of 5.115/280.49 to take #1 spot at the NHRA Auto Club Finals at Pomona. Good luck and stay safe to Julie, Jonnie Lindberg, Fred Hanssen, Ulf Leanders and Rob Turner who are representing Europe at this weekend's race. Qualifying continues today (Friday) and you will be able to stay in touch with our heroes' progress at www.dragracecentral.com. Tog would like to say a big Happy 25th Birthday to his niece Jennipher. Half way to fifty, have a lovely day Jenn. Smax loses Ground. 10th November: Ex-pat UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Smax Smith, taking a breakfast break from setting up a charity Halloween party for five hundred people, got in touch to let us know about the latest outing of the Ant Hill Mob Top Alcohol Funny Car shoe'd by son Aidan and his own most recent event in the Leverich Family Racing Top Fueller: We were pulling our hair out trying to find the gremlin which would flatline the rpms at seven grand then go lean and pop the burst panels. My dad always says it's the simple things, well guess what... it was the spark plug wires! The first thing we did when we had the problem was to ohms test and swap a couple of wired which were not perfect. What we hadn't realised was that the metal tip inside the boot was too close to the end, so under load it would take path of least resistance to the spark plug tube inside! Bummer - we had chased that all season and had changed the mag, coil, points box, kill switch etc etc. We wanted to end season on a high so Aidan thrashed to rebuild the whole motor and we went to Cayuga, Toronto to test it out. After we loaded Friday our F350 had issues which we couldn't fix in time so in Smax style we got a Chevy 3500 Dually with broken shifter cable and bodged it to get it going. Then had to buy a pair of bedrails and install the gooseneck plate all of Friday afternoon Up early on Saturday in the rain, went for diesel and a brake line failed so I grabbed some fluid and headed to meet Aidan and crew for brekky but the trailer brakes didn't work either, so only foot brakes and 27,000 lbs rolling. Damn! Got to brekky but then had a flat tire on the Dually so sorted that and made it to Cayuga on time. We fired the car and we were excited to see it perform. After the usual checks we towed Aidan down and I said just go to 400 feet and we will check it all. I put a bit more fuel into motor for safety too. Aidan did a perfect burnout and the motor sounded strong, he did a perfect launch but it shook at the top end of first gear so lifted, but it transpired that the clamp for the fuel pump broke so he did a great job saving it. We were ecstatic that it revved to 9000 rpm and ran his best sixty foot of 0.994. A complete check revealed zero damage so I said do an eighth mile and shut it off for checking. However with issues at the track and an early curfew there was only enough time for one more pass so I told Aidan to go further but not all the way. After another perfect burnout he brought the rpms up to 6500 and launched hard to a better 0.990 sixty, then it drifted left so he corrected but had to do a long pedal to straighten it out then back on it and shut off at 800 feet and pulled the chutes. 6.7 to the quarter, Aidan's first six-second pass, running 4.14 to the the eighth even after a long pedal! We had the same early incrementals as a 5.75 so we are pumped for next season. On the way home the Dually burst a heater hose! My last outing was a match race at Grand Bend with Larry Dixon, Ike Maier and Jeff Veale. It was a great weekend although addressing issues, but racing Larry was a treat - see the video. Swift snippets. 
10th November: UK Outlaw Anglia racer Barry Woodford tells us that the Outlaw Anglias are represented at the
Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC, Birmingham, between today (Friday) and Sunday. Simon Barlow, Mick Taylor, Garry Hill, Rob Stone,
and Barry will have their race cars on Stand 640 in Hall 5. Eurodragster.com sponsor OCS Group can also be found at
the Show promoting their engine building, dyno and painting services. You can find out more at
www.necclassicmotorshow.com.
Michel Tooren and The Netherlands' Pro Dutch Racing Pro Modified team recently held their annual and legendary end-of-season party. Bianca Booij kindly sent us an account (Dutch-language PDF) which you can check out by clicking here. Eurodragster.com News Editor Tog would like to thank everyone who sent and posted birthday greetings on Tuesday, and to forgive Simon for sneaking the Snippet onto the news update. The happy day which everyone kindly wished came true, featuring Afternoon Tea and (after a very long walk) fish and chips with Mrs Tog and friends including Eurodragster.com US Correspondent Kathy Hileman who was on her last day of a week's holiday in England. Thank you all again. Web site updates. 10th November: The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Benevolent Fund, which exists to offer financial and other assistance to members of the racing community struck by misfortune, has launched its own page. You can take a look, find out the facts, support the Fund at www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk/bdrhof-benevolent-fund. Paul Bryan has updated his Flickr site with 130 pictures from the recent Flame and Thunder Show at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check it out at www.flickr.com/photos/paulbryan_photopedia. Also updating a Flickr site is The Mad Welshman who has posted a gallery from October's Late Autumn Madness Public Track Day at Shakespeare County Raceway at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman. Swift snippets. 7th November: We have a birthday on the team today (Tuesday). Kirstie, Julian and Simon wish News Editor, Race Reporter and Photographer Tog the Happiest of Birthdays. Have a great day buddy. Men on gas. 
4th November: Last Saturday's Flame and Thunder Show at Santa Pod Raceway was an eye-opener for Colin Millar,
Scott Crookston and the Flyin' Fifer Outlaw Anglia team. Colin says:
Scott and I have never actually driven a car at this event as the heart of the car and the drive train are usually removed before the month of October. We left the car in one piece as it had behaved itself for a whole year without a breakdown or missed race. With an E-Mail to James Forster at Santa Pod Raceway and a quick reply to give us the green light, we certainly looked forward to the days going by after Hot Rod Drags to get one more hit, one more adrenaline shot and maybe, if the weather was kind, a few quick runs as we would have nothing to prove and we could join in and race against anyone. Leaving after tea on the Thursday night, and bearing in mind that the track was not open until after midday on Friday, we had a wee pit stop at Gretna Green and then headed down in the morning through some horrendous traffic, arrived in good time and got the car ready for the morning run. Even with the oil heater and the block heater on for some time she was dour to start and we ended up heating her up on C16 which is always an expensive activity. We were early on track and it was still a bit challenging with both Ginner and I easing our way up the track, with a throttle squirt by Ginner at the hit as he always wants to win. 10.1 for me and 9.9 for Ginner. Back down and then we were approached by Santa Pod and asked if we would like to race Robin Read in his Daimler-powered dragster. I did hear on the grapevine that Tog had some influence in this decision when he heard that Wayne Nicholson, who was due to match-race Robin, had had to withdraw... is that true Tog? (I cannot tell a lie - Ed) As always you see cars which probably shaped the way you are now, and I started going to the Pod in 1982 so it was a very easy decision: of course I would love to race alongside Robin. We had a chat to ensure that we were both focused on what had to be done and agreed on a one-second delay running a Pro Tree. We would have had a great race but a wee mistake which meant that we got a Sportsman Tree meant that as always I was away like a scalded cat on the first amber. Hey ho, it's all about having fun and Robin again so, so close to the magical 200 mph. We wish Robin and all of his lovely crew all the very best for next season still aiming to break the magical number and possibly début his new dragster (see below - Ed). Back to the pits, refuel and a fresh bottle of NOS, I shouted to Scott to go and sign on and to have a go with some gas. Was he keen? Of course he was keen... mad keen! The news quickly spread and Scott's mother Lynn was on tenterhooks and even more stressed out than normal. He was told not to go too fast! It was probably the best time of the day when Scott and Ginner went head-to-head. Little did Ginner know that Scott was on the gas! Off they went and the car launched so hard with both front wheels of the ground with a ground shaking 7.6651, but even more impressive a 1.09 sixty foot, the quickest-ever sixty foot in the history of Outlaw Anglia! On Scott's return to the pits Ginner was quickly on scene asking "Did you run gas maaaaan"! 
Everyone was ecstatic with a great vibe in the pits. We got ready to go to race Robin again but unfortunately he had broken and was unable to continue. We had a long old wait but in the end at about 7.30 pm Paul Dale in the Acute Anglia and I teamed up with great big rolling burnouts. With a track temperature of around 5° we didn't expect too much but we were both keen to try and it turned out to be a great race. A storming 7.6609, phew! I just managed to beat the youngster but he still held the sixty foot with a 1.11 from me, great for the evening conditions and what a way to end the last run of the event and the last run of the year, it could hardly get any better. Thanks Paul and see you next year. Sometimes it is hard to see how you can top an awesome season. We have been to so many places, we have travelled thousands of miles, we have spent more money than we have earned, we have been with great friends new and old. We have won the OA Championship and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved who helped us on our way with the OA family: our friends, family, supporters and of course the fantastic people who run and marshal at both Shakespeare County Raceway and Santa Pod Raceway. Have a great winter and see you all real soon. Roll on next week when we can hopefully sit in the sun in Malta with beers in our hands watching four days of drag racing, wooooooo hooooooooo! Man on nitro. 4th November: The man in the other lane, Robin Read, also got in touch to let us know how he got on with his blown-nitro Daimler-powered dragster at the Flame and Thunder Show: We had made a plan to go hard on our first run, no feeling our way into the tune-up. When we set up our pit bay on the Friday conditions were pretty much perfect, warm and sunny with little or no wind but on arrival at the track on Saturday it was disappointing to find that conditions had changed and were now far from ideal: cold, overcast and very windy! We knew that with the strong wind blowing straight down the strip our terminal speed would be affected, but by how much we had no way of knowing until we ran, nor how the track would be for grip with no direct sunshine. It was great to get to run with Colin Millar in the Outlaw Anglia. We had not met Colin before but you get the opportunity to get to know people while waiting in the staging lanes and he's a really nice chap running a lovely car. I know that he wanted to win, as did I. We chose a one-second delay on a Pro Tree in Colin's favour but sadly something happened and we got a Sportsman Tree causing Colin to redlight. Never mind! Hopefully another time things will go right. 
Our run was very good, 6.71/194.68. All felt good in the driving seat but the car got a little loose at 1000 feet and drifted
towards the wall. It caused some concern about whether I would have to terminate the run early but the car responded well to
driver input and came back, allowing the full pass. Upon inspecting the timing slip from our best 6.69 pass and comparing it to
this run's ticket we could see that our sixty, 330 foot and eighth-mile times were all quicker, Personal Bests! The eighth mile
speed was down 2 mph so we now knew that the headwind would not allow a 200 mph terminal speed. The positive side was that we
had just made made the second quickest run on the car.
During the usual post-run turn-round we found a broken exhaust rocker on number five cylinder and a bent pushrod on number eight cylinder. These parts were changed and we thought that we were ready for the second run, but when we started the engine to get some heat in it, it only ran on seven cylinders. Further checks showed 100% leakdown on cylinder number eight - it was leaking though the exhaust valve. Sadly with no time to effect repairs the decision was made to withdraw from the meeting. What a year though: record runs for both ET and speed. 200 mph will have to wait until next year and will be attempted with the old car. The focus this winter is to get on and complete the new car to run in 2018. My usual heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me and the little nitro Daimler during 2017. The sale is off... 4th November: UK Pro ET team Paul Brown Motorsport had a fun 2017, apart from the weather. Paul writes: With the Shorty gone, my other dragster up for sale, other commitments for the team including Lee's wedding (congratulations mate), team holidays and a knee replacement due for Dad this was never going to be a serious season for team Paul Brown Motorsport, so we set out to have some fun. My return to Pro ET got off to a flying start at Easter, being one of only two racers to beat the Huxleys all season in the UK, but losing to Mike Lacey in the final. The Main Event was manic. I managed to turn up for most of the qualifying runs and Zoe and I also manned our sPeedZ Drag Racing Start Line Simulator in the entertainments area throughout the weekend (with Mum covering for me while I was racing and Tom Margesson delivering the dragster to the pairing lanes). The rushing around didn't do me any harm and I went into number one with a perfect ET in Q5, claiming the Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect ET award in the process. Taking out Laura Baynton in round one and enjoying a bye in the second, I was feeling good about my racing and the car but the Monday weather meant that I didn't get to find out how race day would actually turn out as the meeting was called off without any further racing for us. During the weekend we were visited by hundreds of spectators at the sPeedZ stand and they all had a lot of fun learning how to race and discovering that getting a perfect light is not easy. We were also visited by several racers during the rain on Monday and it included a very competitive match-up between Tethys and Duncan Micallef! 
My team had deserted me to go on holiday during the SPRC Summernationals but luckily Tom Margesson and pit mate Andy Harrison ably stepped into the breach. I was struggling with my ETs, slipping into the 9.30s, but it didn't affect race day and I was happy to get my revenge against Mike before Laura got her revenge on me in round two. The European Finals proved to be extremely frustrating for all of us – the spectators, the racers, and the track crew who worked tirelessly all weekend to dry the track. But the rain just kept on coming and so another event was left unfinished. I had never raced Carla Pittau before and before the rainout we had a cracking first round race in which I took the win, but that was the end of racing for Pro ET. We took advantage of the downtime though, and with the expert guidance of Tony Morris we rebuilt the carburettor hoping to find the missing power, but we had to wait until UK National Finals to find out. The National Finals and at last we had a great weekend for racing and what a close meeting it was! Straight off the trailer for a near-perfect ET which was only good for fourth place in the first qualifier followed by two amazing PBs, I was well happy with the dragster. Thanks Tony! Racing Dave Cherrett is always a challenge and this resulted in my only first round exit of the season but we had a great weekend and enjoyed the sunshine too. I was chuffed to finish fourth in the Santa Pod Racers Club Championship and eighth in the UK National Championship and I am so happy with my PBs and the car's consistency that I decided to keep it, spend a bit of money on it, and work on it over the winter ready for next season. Congratulations to the Huxleys and to Nic Williams on their Championship wins. We didn't race at Shakey this year due to trailering issues but I went along as crew member for Andy Harrison as well as helping him at the Pod. Andy had a tremendous first season in Super Gas winning the APIRA Championship, getting number one qualifier at European Finals with a Perfect ET, and finishing second second in the National Championship. Well done Andy! We're looking forward to next season already. Meanwhile sPeedZ is available for private hire, so if you fancy a bit of competitive fun at your party, stag do or any other occasion give us a call on 07947 945935, E-Mail us at speedzsimx@hotmail.com, or check us out on Facebook. Swift snippets. 
4th November: Amongst the most eagerly-awaited off-track events of the year is the unveiling of the
front covers of the Zeon TV UK season review DVDs, and Helen and David have now released this year's covers. As ever
the covers front and rear include a sizeable contribution from Eurodragster.com. You can take a closer look at
www.quartermilehigh.com and stay tuned for details of pricing,
ordering and our annual review.
Maja Udtian and her Nitro Vikings Top Fuel Drag Racing Team had a busy but also very successful and enjoyable two weeks at the Offshore Technology Days and the Oslo Motor Show. You can read more on the Drag Racing Europe Blog courtesy of our good buddy Remco Scheelings by clicking here. Buick Boy, a man desperate to acquire an classic VW air-cooled project, is that keen to do so that he is willing to swap everything he has to do with drag racing. Parts to build an altered, die-cast models, autographs, rare Fuel Altered books and a lot more are on offer. If you are interested then get in touch on 07450 974381. Today's news update should have been published yesterday (Friday) but unfortunately your News Editor has been dealing with a crisis away from the world of drag racing. We can't go into details but please be assured that no-one is unwell or anything like that. Morris goes GET'M. 4th November: International drag racer and carburettor specialist Tony Morris has joined the US' GET'M Garage team as Carburettor Department Manager. In this role, he will be responsible for all facets of carburettor assembly, carburettor rebuilds and on-site diagnostics. "I am excited to be included in the GET'M Garage fold", sais Tony. "After being at the Fall Fling in Bristol with Trevor Wiggins, it's easy to see the missing element at the track. I'm looking forward to helping GET'M Garage fill that void – which means meeting the racers' needs." "Tony, a lifelong racer, understands the racers' needs and that converts well to the goals of GET'M Garage" commented co-owner Mike Laws. "Tony is well-respected, has a tremendous international following and is a real top-notch carb expert. We are thrilled to have him join our team." Prior to joining GET'M Garage, Tony worked for fourteen years with a well-known carburettor modifier in Orlando where he started manufacturing small precision parts. Because of his in-depth carburettor knowledge, he was later promoted to carburettor department manager, where he oversaw all aspects of carburettor production and worked closely with Mike in carburettor development. In addition, he was a mainstay at the track, providing on-site technical support to racers. Originally from Birmingham, England, Tonys saw his first drag race at Santa Pod Raceway at the age of five and got behind the wheel of his first race car as soon as he was old enough to race. Before moving to the United States Tony raced competitively in Germany, scoring five Championships there. Always looking to broaden his horizons, Tony moved to the United States in 1990 and continued to race. He has wins in Super Comp, Super Street and Pro Am, just to name a few. He continues to race internationally any chance he can and travels to Europe several times a year to tune customer carburettors. For more information, visit www.getemgarage.com or check our the GET'M Garage Facebook page. BDRHoF to hold Charity auctions. 4th November: The Benevolent Fund of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame will be auctioning, raffling and selling some great items at the Gala Dinner in Weybridge on Saturday 18th November as well as auctioning a Mac Tools utility cart to open here on Eurodragster.com on Monday (6th): The BDRHOF Benevolent Fund was established as a Registered Charity to provide benefit to people involved in drag racing who are in need of financial support through injury, accident or financial circumstance, including organisations which operate in drag racing but also for the public benefit. So the money raised by donation goes back into the sport. No money goes to the BDRHoF, which is funded by separate sponsors. In advance of the BDRHoF Gala Dinner to be held at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey, fund-raising opportunities have been gathering speed. During the day there will be sales, raffles and auctions of some eye-watering prizes, and this theme will be continued into 2018 with chances to win more fantastic items and contribute to the sport's own charity at the same time. At the Beech Underwriting / BDRHoF Bench Racing session at noon on 18th November, where sixteen legends from the sport will be regaling the hundred-strong audience, a range of memorabilia will be for auction and sale. The star auction prize is the very crash helmet worn by the late Raymond Beadle when he raced at Santa Pod Raceway from 1977 to 1980. Also for auction is a pewter tankard presented to Raymond for setting a new speed record of 221 mph during his very first appearance in 1978, and a Skoal Bandit team shirt signed by Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme, who raced at Santa Pod in September 1980. For sale after the Bench Racing session will be signed copies of the books Six Seconds To Glory by Don Prudhomme and Mongoose, The Life and Times of Tom McEwen signed by the Snake and Mongoose themselves. Also for sale are pistons signed by John Force and other goodies. Our grateful thanks to 'Waterbed' Fred Miller and Bob and Sharon Muravez for helping to source these items and getting them signed. Les Downey of Lucas Oil UK has very kindly agreed to raffle one of Lucas Oil's remote-controlled racing trucks (valued at over £300) at Saturday night's drinks reception. Tickets will be £2 each and will be sold on the entrance to the drinks reception, again in aid of the BDRHoF Benevolent Fund. At the Gala Dinner a silent auction will be held for an amazing prize, worth £2000, of two event tickets and Kalitta Motorsports VIP passes to the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway on 15th-18th March 2018. The package includes return flights from the UK to Orlando, seven days' car hire and up to £500 towards hotel costs booked through DialAFlight. The opportunity to make a sealed bid is open to all attendees at the BDRHoF Gala Awards Dinner, except Board members and advisers and BDRHoF Selection Panel members. The winning bidder must settle their bid no later than forty eight hours following the Gala Dinner. Kalitta Motorsports' major sponsor Mac Tools will be supplying a Three-Drawer Utility Cart, worth over £1000, which will be auctioned on-line here of Eurodragster.com. The auction commences next Monday, 6th November, and concludes at the end of Sunday 12th November, with settlement due by end of 14th November. Shipping to the UK has been kindly funded by USAutomotive and the winner may collect the Cart from USAutomotive's warehouse in Bedford, or alternatively it will be delivered to the winner provided they are based in the UK; carriage costs will be borne by the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund. Stu Bradbury, trustee of the BDRHoF Benevolent Fund and Chair of the BDRHoF, said "We are truly grateful to 'Waterbed' Fred, Bob and Sharon Muravez, Les Downey, DialAFlight and Mac Tools for making these incredible prizes available which will raise money for our Charity and benefit racers directly in the future." The Gala Dinner is now sold out, but on-going news about the Gala, sponsors and other events in which the BDRHoF is involved will be published on the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site at www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk, on Eurodragster.com, and on Facebook and Twitter. NSRA events move to Santa Pod. 1st November: The UK's National Street Rod Association have announced that their Nostalgia Nationals and Hot Rod Drags will take place at Santa Pod Raceway starting next year: 2018 marks the 25th Annual NSRA Nostalgia Nationals and the 30th Annual Original Hot Rod Drags, a milestone year for sure. With continuing uncertainty and much speculation about the immediate future of the facility at Shakespeare County Raceway a decision has had to be made to secure the long term future of both events, which have become a major feature in the calendar for both hot rodders and drag racers alike. With that in mind, both events will now take place at Santa Pod Raceway, the Nostalgia Nationals over the weekend 11th-13th May and the Original Hot Rod Drags on 14th-16th September. The formats will remain the same, with a firm commitment to pre-1973 RWYB, coupled with the ever-popular and entertaining action provided by Outlaw Anglia, the Gasser Circus, Supercharged Outlaws and the Wild Bunch, as well as some additional track action which will be announced in the not-too-distant future. We are still confident that we can retain the distinct flavour of both meetings with the emphasis still being that of a Rod Run which just happens to take place at a race track. It will still be the same team promoting the events and sorting all the details, we've even been assured that the admission fees will stay the same, so we look forward to welcoming you all at our new home. On a final note, we would like to thank the management and crew at Shakespeare County Raceway for their tireless support over the last three decades, as well as recognising the support we have had from the team at Santa Pod and their desire to secure the long term future of both events. Most of all though, we want to thank each and every one of you who have supported us through the years, you make it all worthwhile. Here's to the next thirty years! See you at the track! Earlier news |
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