Repeat backing for Vegter. 30th January: Dutch Pro Modified racer David Vegter is proud to announce that Sonic Equipment and Vegter Pro Mod Racing will extend their partnership for another year. Remco Scheelings writes: In 2015 the name of the well-known hand tools company was seen on the Vegter Pro Mod Racing '67 Camaro for the first time. Sonic and Vegter Pro Mod Racing were both happy with the results of their co-operation and so Sonic decided to support the team again in their 2016 FIA European Pro Modified Championship campaign. "I'm very proud that such a well-known company wants us to represent their name at the European race tracks for the second consecutive year", said a motivated David Vegter. "We will do the full FIA European Championship tour and want to do even better than we did last season". Sonic Equipment is a highly experienced specialist in the development and production of professional hand tools and trolley systems. The partnership between Sonic and Vegter Pro Mod Racing, one of the leading European Pro Modified teams, started in 2015. The outcome of the co-operation between Sonic and the popular Dutch Pro Modified team turned out so well, that the Vegter Pro Mod Racing '67 Camaro will fly the flags of Sonic again in 2016. Later in February Sonic Equipment will launch their new web site at www.sonic-equipment.com where you will be able to find everything about the company and their range of products. David Vegter is also happy to announce that WVB Holland will support the team for the second year in a row. "It's great to see sponsors stay with your team, because that means that we represent them in the way they want us to" said David. "We will do all seven races, including the season finale at Malta. There will be no major changes to the Camaro. We have stripped the car and are checking every detail and we will start rebuilding it soon. There are some changes in the crew; two team members had other obligations this year, but after a break Nik Spijker will be back in the team. Although there is still a lot to do, I'm already looking forward to the start of the new season." You can read this news item in the original Dutch at www.autosport.nl. Jarmo Pulkkinen. 29th January: We were very sorry to hear of the sudden death of Jarmo Pulkkinen, a well-known supplier to and supporter of European race teams. Jarmo was born in Finland and brought up in Sweden but had lived in Costa Mesa, California since the late 1970s which was one of the very best times to be hanging around drag strips in California. He worked on restoring cars and hot rods before starting his own business, Jarmo's Custom Autos, building and painting cars and bikes. His business extended to supplying parts and knowledge to European racers and in the other direction supplying US race teams with the Swedish Auto Verdi oil pumps. Jarmo was widely known as one of the good guys with an ever-present smile and had a reputation for being endlessly helpful and providing excellent service to his customers all of whom became friends. His death will leave a yawning gap in drag racing both in Europe and on the other side of the Pond. Our deepest sympathies to Jarmo's family and to his many friends around the globe. APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 4. 29th January: Avon Park International Racing Association and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give readers the chance of input to the APIRA Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the joint APIRA / Supercharged Outlaws Trophy Presentation on Saturday 5th March 2016. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners. For six of the 2015 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. We are up against quite a tight deadline so two shortlists will be published each week, on Monday and Friday. Today's shortlist is the APIRA Endeavour Award. The APIRA Endeavour Award is presented to a racer, team, supporter or member of the media in recognition for services rendered over the last twelve months, as well as their overall support of Avon Park International Racing Association and Shakespeare County Raceway. The APIRA selection panel's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Mike Burrowes, photographer Vote for Mike Burrowes Peter Donaldson, photographer Vote for Peter Donaldson Les Downey, supporter (Lucas Oil UK) Vote for Les Downey Jeni Long, photographer Vote for Jeni Long Dave Peters, Funny Bike Vote for Dave Peters Tim Stanbury, Pro ET Vote for Tim Stanbury To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years. Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting comments on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement. Swift snippets. 29th January: The Netherlands' Kirsten van Croonenborgh says that the 2016 plans for her SuzyQ Cuda include running with the Supercharged Outlaws and probably UK Top Sportsman at July's Mopar EuroNats at Santa Pod Raceway. "My main goal is to have fun, as always!", Kirsten told Eurodragster.com. SuzyQ had some problems last season which kept her from going faster, but hopefully things will be sorted out this year to get us into the eights. Last year I had one run of 8.99 run but that was actually a lucky shot, as SuzyQ wasn't running properly. She should be making 8.5-second runs quite easily." York Raceway's 2016 schedule has been set and is now available on the track's web site at www.yorkraceway.org.uk together with entry and Club membership forms. Good luck and stay safe to Sweden's Adam Flamholc who is contesting this weekend's 11th Annual US Street Nationals at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Qualifying commences on Saturday and you will be able to stay in touch on the Flamholc / MMR Racing Facebook page. Classic reading. 29th January: One of the major bike highlights of last year's Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway was the display of Hogslayer and Pegasus, courtesy of the National Motorcycle Museum. Photo-journalist Keith Lee tells us that he has had a major seven-page feature in latest February issue of Classic Bike. The article looks at the build and history of these two iconic double Nortons from different sides of the ocean. Both made their mark on the sport, and are well-remembered by those who saw them in action some years back. Keith is already working on getting some new machines to Santa Pod to display at Dragstalgia, along with something special on-track if all goes to plan. Keith adds that his limited-edition eighty-page hardback book, featured in the last Eurodragster.com Christmas Gift Mart, has been very well received but he still has some copies available. British Drag Racing in the 1970s - A Photographic Memory features some of his favourite racing photographs, mainly cars, with most in full colour. This signed and numbered edition is limited to one hundred copies and is only available direct from Keith. The book, which is sized at 10" x 8", is priced at £32 plus £5 UK recorded delivery. If you would like a copy then please contact Keith at [email protected] or message him on Facebook at Keith Lee Images. Swift snippets. 27th January: Although it's still early days the entry list for February's Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Pomona already contains names one would expect to see, such as 2015 NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Jonnie Lindberg and Markus Svensson, one surprise appearance is that of multiple FIA European Pro Stock Champion Jimmy Ålund - no stranger to NHRA racing, of course, but never before in Stock Eliminator. You can see for yourself at www.nhra.com and doubtless more European names will appear soon. The closing date is fast approaching for Santa Pod Raceway's Early Bird ticket scheme which offers a 20% discount on tickets to all events organised by SPR in 2016. You can book on-line up to midnight UK on Sunday (31st) by clicking here or call the office on 01234 782828 (outside the UK +44 1234 782828) between 08:30 and 19:00 tomorrow and Friday, or between 08:00 and 17:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Regular readers will know that over the last few weeks attempts have been made to hack some of Eurodragster.com's E-Mail addresses. The attacks started on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote address (a BT Internet address, not a Eurodragster.com address) on the night we announced the first SPRC Perpetual Award shortlist. Most recently two Eurodragster.com addresses have been attacked, which together with other evidence would tend to imply that this was specific and not random targeting. Thanks to good server management by our long-standing ISP Selfnet no E-Mails were lost during the attacks. If anyone would like to shop the culprit then please get in touch in confidence at [email protected]. APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 3. 25th January: Avon Park International Racing Association and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give readers the chance of input to the APIRA Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the joint APIRA / Supercharged Outlaws Trophy Presentation on Saturday 5th March 2016. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners. For six of the 2015 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. We are up against quite a tight deadline so two shortlists will be published each week, on Monday (from next week) and Friday. Today's shortlist is the APIRA Shakespeare County Raceway Sportswoman of the Year Trophy. The APIRA Shakespeare County Raceway Sportswoman of the Year Trophy recognises the efforts of women in 2015 as racers, crew members or track officials. The APIRA selection panel's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Claire Davies (Funny Bike) Vote for Claire Davies Felicity Gibbs (Sportsman ET) Vote for Felicity Gibbs Michelle Mockford (Outlaw Anglia) Vote for Michelle Mockford Teresa Powell (Super Pro ET) Vote for Teresa Powell Deborah Sawatzki (9.50 Bike) Vote for Deborah Sawatzki Sandra Sparks (9.50 Bike) Vote for Sandra Sparks To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years. Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting comments on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement. Web site updates. 25th January: John Hunt has been in touch to let us know about a couple of great 360-degree videos by Aireye from October's Flame and Thunder Show at Santa Pod Raceway. Each video has a small circular 'control panel' at top right allowing the viewer to scroll left and right and up and down. The first video is of one of Robin Read's passes in his nitro-burning Daimler-powered dragster and can be checked out by clicking here whilst the second video features one of Liam Jones' Top Fuel Dragster passes and can be checked out by clicking here. 2016 UK Riders' and Drivers' meeting. 23rd January: Many thanks to Ian Marshall for confirming that the 2016 UK Riders' and Drivers' Meeting will be held on Sunday 14th February at the Hilton Hotel, Northampton, on the eastbound A45 just off Junction 15 of the M1 (postcode is NN4 0XW, map). The meeting will commence at 12:00 midday and should conclude between 14:00 and 14:30. Refreshments will be available free of charge on arrival. Items to be discussed include the 2016 UK National Championships (ratification of dates as well as Championship matters), event entry fees and pitside electrical supply, and prize funds, as well as Any Other Business. Racers are invited to submit items for the agenda but please note that an item will only be discussed if its proposer actually attends the meeting. If you have any items for the agenda of the 2015 Riders' and Drivers' Meeting then please send them either to Santa Pod Racers Club at [email protected] or to Shakespeare County Raceway at [email protected] by close of office hours on Friday 12th February. "Please accept our apologies for holding a meeting on Valentine's Day", says Ian. "We struggled to get alternative dates at the hotel, and of course Easter is earlier this year meaning we had to bring the meeting forward. There will then follow the Annual General Meeting for Santa Pod Racers Club. This meeting will ratify three new members of the SPRC committee and discuss the SPRC accounts. Please note that this will not be a continuation of the Riders' and Drivers' meeting and that access to the meeting will require current SPRC membership." 2016 SFI Tour calendar. 23rd January: Thanks to Jennifer Faye of the SFI Foundation for confirming the dates of the SFI European Recertification Tour. Venues and times will be posted as soon as received: Thursday 10th March: DHRA Headquarters, The Netherlands, see below Friday 11th March: Finland, venue TBC Saturday 12th March: Sweden, venue TBC Monday 14th March: Santa Pod Raceway, UK, see news item of 21st January Thanks to Kees van der Meij for letting us know that the SFI Tour's Netherlands stop on Thursday 10th March will be at the Dutch Hot Rod Association headquarters at: DHRA Aambeeld 11 1969 NC Heemskerk Inspections will take place between 08:00 and 12:00 and only cash will be accepted for payment. Kees adds that DHRA will also be carrying out tech on Junior Dragster chassis; as with UK Junior Dragsters and Junior FCs the drivers' compartment will be inspected. It is requested that bodies are removed from cars before they are presented for inspection. If you plan to bring a Junior Dragster for tech then please inform DHRA in advance at [email protected]. Loveridge joins BDRHoF board. 23rd January: Distinguished motoring journalist and Chairman of the Guild of Motoring Writers Guy Loveridge has joined the Management Board of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as Marketing and Commercial Director. Guy will also be presenting the Sydney Allard Media Awards at the forthcoming BDRHoF Gala evening which takes place at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel at London's Heathrow Airport on Saturday 19th November. Guy has written and published fourteen books and a number of documentary films. His first book, Romany Returns, published by the family firm Douglas Loveridge Publications, was shortlisted for the 1996 Longman / History Today Book of the Year Prize, and since then he has written on motoring and motor sport for a wide range of newspapers and magazines. In 2015 he won the Peugeot Motorsport Cup in recognition of outstanding achievement by a Guild of Motoring Writers member in the world of motorsport. Guy has commentated on motor sport for local radio stations, Autosport Radio Le Mans, and the Reims Revival, and acted as Master of Ceremonies at Guild of Motoring Writers Awards dinners. He also acts as consultant to auction houses and collectors on classic and historic cars and automobilia and organises Lord March's Revival Runners period police force as part of the Revival Meeting each September. He continues to be Chief Judge of the Sydney Allard award for Writing presented to the writer of the best book, article, feature or blog on British drag racing published in print or on-line during the twelve months ending 31st July. Guy replaces Brian Taylor who has decided to step down from the role after ten years. British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Chair Stu Bradbury said "The BDRHoF would not have achieved the worldwide status and recognition it now enjoys without Brian's expertise, foresight and guidance. Brian has been thinking about stepping down for some time and the travelling to and from Devon is becoming a little too much. So he will still be here with us, but now in the background." Guy remarked "Brian's shoes are pretty substantial and tricky to fill, but I am humbled to be invited and look forward to filling the role to the very best of my ability." News about the Gala and other events will be published on the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site and Eurodragster.com. The names of the 2016 inductees into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame will be announced on Eurodragster.com and the BDRHoF web site during Santa Pod Raceway's Dragstalgia meeting on 15th-17th July. 2016 marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Hall of Fame and the admission of its first members. The Gala Awards Dinner was first presented in 2014. APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 2. 22nd January: Avon Park International Racing Association and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give readers the chance of input to the APIRA Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the joint APIRA / Supercharged Outlaws Trophy Presentation on Saturday 5th March 2016. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners. For six of the 2015 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. We are up against quite a tight deadline so two shortlists will be published each week, on Monday (from next week) and Friday. Today's shortlist is the Shakespeare County Raceway Award for Outstanding Achievement. This trophy is awarded to a racer who achieved outstanding performance at Shakespeare County Raceway during the season. The APIRA selection panel's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Wayne Allman (Mental Breakdown VW pick-up) Vote for Wayne Allman Phil James (Wild Bunch) Vote for Phil James Joe Kellett (Super Pro ET) Vote for Joe Kellett Jack Shook (Junior Drag Bike) Vote for Jack Shook Andy Stones (Wild Bunch) Vote for Andy Stones Mark Todd (Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator) Vote for Mark Todd To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years. Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting comments on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement. Swift snippets. 22nd January: Diana Macrae and all of the Podington Peas asked us to say a big Happy 50th Birthday for today (Friday) to Charlie Chicken's dad and all-round top bloke Martin Stanberry. Our pleasure, have a very Happy Birthday Martin. Flamholc on 2015 and 2016. 22nd January: 2015 was a good season for Sweden's Flamholc Racing, and for Adam himself. Adam writes: In Europe the team won the European Drag Racing Series in the Pro Mod-style class Top Doorslammer, and we were able to set track records at every event. After the last event in Europe the team shipped the motor and transmission over to US to continue the season. After some testing with the Corvette in Florida and North Carolina, the team qualified third and then ended up winning the Outlaw Dragracing Championship in Bradenton, Florida. The next stop was the World Street Nationals in Orlando. The team qualified fourth and made it to the semis, where Kevin Fiscus won a very close race. I recorded a new Personal Best for the quarter mile with a storming 5.82/245. The last two events of the year were the Citrus Nationals in West Palm Beach and the Snowbird Nationals in Bradenton. In West Palm, the team again qualified fourth and again made it to the semis where we unfortunately suffered a transmission failure. In Bradenton we qualified eighth in a very strong thirty seven-car field. I managed to turn on a red light in the first round of eliminations, which ended the race early. All in all it was a good season for us! Last week I closed a deal with chassis builder David Reese at RBRC. David and the guys are building a brand new race car for Flamholc Racing! The C7 Corvette-bodied RBRC chassis will make its début later in 2016. The team will start the season with the spli- window Corvette and hopefully end it with the new C7 Corvette. The plan for 2016 is to contest as many IHRA events as possible (hopefully all of them), and then the races down in Florida during the winter. Of course none of this would have been possible without our loyal sponsors. Please support the companies who support us: MMR (Malmö Motor Renovating), Amalie Oil, 5 Days Plantation Shutters and Blinds, Stallningsbyggarna, HRE (Hameetman Racing Engines), Performance Plus, Linnarhults Terminalen, RBRC (Reese Brothers Racecars), Hydraulakuten, McDonalds (South of Sweden), Ekdahl Miljö and Mike Janis Superchargers. My Viper, which has probably been the most successful doorslammer in Europe, is now for sale. It was built by Jerry Haas 2003 and updated 2012. Titanium firewall, Racepack V300, MSD Grid, Lamb Struts and shocks, carbon front brakes. It won the Pro Extreme Championship in 2014 and the Top Doorslammer Championship 2015 and set track records at all events. It would also make a great Pro Mod car! Best ET in Outlaw trim is 5.70 over the quarter mile and 3.74 over the eighth, with a 0.93 sixty foot. The car comes as a roller without engine, transmission and third member. I will include Racepak run logs and help with the tune-up for the right buyer! Price 350,000 SEK or approximately €35,000. For more details please E-Mail me at [email protected]. 2016 SFI Tour UK date. 21st January: Thanks to Ian Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club for letting us know that the 2016 European SFI Recertification Tour will make its UK stop at Santa Pod Raceway on Monday 14th March. Inspections will take place between 10:00 and 16:00. The building to be used at Santa Pod will be advised nearer the time. We have asked SFI Foundation for the full official European SFI Tour schedule and will post it as soon as we receive it but on previous form we are guessing that the Tour will visit The Netherlands on Thursday 10th March, Finland on Friday 11th March and Sweden on Saturday 12th March. Stay tuned for confirmation before you book that time off work. Attention UK Junior Dragster/FC teams. 21st January: Ian Marshall also writes that following UK Tech Committee discussion it has been decided to carry out chassis tech on all UK Junior Dragsters and Junior Funny Cars: Many Junior teams who have ventured outside the UK have encountered queries about tech stickers on their race cars and subsequently suffered problems at scrutineering. In the UK we have up to now only scrutineered, not tech'd, Junior Dragsters and Junior Funny Cars but this is to change. Starting this year all Junior Dragsters and Junior Funny Cars will be required to have their chassis tech'd in a similar manner to other race vehicles. Tech will only cover the race chassis (driver's cockpit area) but chassis tubes will be tested on all cars. Chassis inspector Mark Norton will be attending the SFI Day at Santa Pod Raceway on Monday 14th March and will be available to tech Junior Dragsters and Junior Funny Cars on that day. To ensure that things run as smoothly as possible Mark will need to have some idea of how many cars will be brought for inspection at the SFI Day, so if you intend to bring your car or cars along o 14th March then please E-Mail me at [email protected] before 19th February. Inspections will take place between 10:00 and 16:00 so please ensure that you arrive in good time. Mark has asked that bodies are removed before cars are presented. This year Santa Pod Racers Club will pay for the inspections. Vehicles will then be tested every three years per the standard UK National tech. The cost of the three-year renewal will be £15 in 2019 but we stress that there will be nothing to pay this year. Please note that it is not compulsory to attend on 14th March as further chassis tech will be carried out at the Festival of Power and at other events throughout the year. If you have any queries then please do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected] or call 01933 313625. Swift snippets. 21st January: Spencer Tramm writes that the off-season merry-go-round is turning in Pro Stock. "Bengt Ljungdahl has acquired Shane Gray's 2015 car and his previous race car is now in the hands of Jonas Boberg who plans to run it in Pro Stock", says Spencer. "Thomas Lindström's former sponsor Stefan Ernryd has purchased Allen Johnson's number two car, which was occasionally raced by Richie Stevens, and it is due to be shipped to Europe shortly." Racers don't forget that your fans are interested in what you have planned for 2016. Drop us a line and pictures at [email protected] and we'll do the rest. APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 1. 19th January: Avon Park International Racing Association and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give readers the chance of input to the APIRA Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the joint APIRA / Supercharged Outlaws Trophy Presentation on Saturday 5th March 2016. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners. For six of the 2015 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. We are up against quite a tight deadline so two shortlists will be published each week, on Monday (from next week) and Friday. Today's vote, the first, is the Iris Page Memorial Trophy. This trophy is awarded to a racer, team, official, marshal or other individual who has either contributed to the sport over the last twelve months, or who has achieved their personal goals against all the odds. The APIRA selection panel's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Pete and Rob Brown (Wrathchild Wild Bunch team) Vote for Pete and Rob Brown Barn Levy (Outlaw Anglia) Vote for Barn Levy Dave Massam (National Sprint Association) Vote for Dave Massam Bob Molden (White Noise Pro ET team) Vote for Bob Molden Jane Read (MSA official) Vote for Jane Read Carey Wadey (NAST Supertwin ET) Vote for Carey Wadey Pete Walton (UK Stock and Super Stock Association) Vote for Pete Walton To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years. Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting comments on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement. Swift snippets. 19th January: Richard Walters writes with a quick reminder to anyone who is wishing to attend the Super Pro ET party, which takes place on Saturday 27th Feburary at the Oliver Cromwell Hotel in March, Cambridgeshire, that there are still tickets available for the party and that rooms are still available to book at the hotel. Please make sure that you mention the Super Pro ET reservation when booking the hotel, as they might tell you it is fully booked. For more information on the party and to book tickets, please contact Richard on 01278 664363, or E-Mail [email protected]. CIRC complete move. 18th January: Eurodragster.com sponsor Chris Isaacs Race Cars has moved to a new location, not far from the previous workshop but now with more elbow room. Chris Isaacs writes: With nearly three times the space previously available we can offer more flexibility, accessibility and convenience to our customers as well as dramatically reducing the infamous CIRC waiting time! As well as a spacious main working area, our new shop features a dedicated clean room for assembly of differentials and other nut and bolt items, plus a separate showroom area which houses the Isaacs and Tramm turbo Pro Mod Duster. Currently in the shop are Jason Shalders' now well-known GT3-inspired MGB GT street-legal circuit racer featuring a quad cam, twin turbo V8, seven-speed sequential gearbox and CIRC fabricated 4130 chassis and suspension as well as in-house designed and constructed body patterns; Mark Pascoe's CIRC-constructed VW Beetle in for some last minute small jobs before a race début this year; Lee Corroon's Fiat 127 street and track day car powered by a mid-mounted, supercharged Honda Fireblade engine; and Paul Baynton's Pro ET Capri sitting on our purpose-laid, super-level set up pad, ready for collection after some roll cage and suspension updates.  Our new chassis table can be seen under construction, whilst sitting on one of our old faithful jigs is the beginnings of a lightweight single seater spaceframe chassis for Brunel University in West London, destined for competition in the Shell Eco-Marathon later this year.  We offer a full, top-quality build service up to and including turn-key race cars, as well as setup, design and consultancy work. You can find Chris Isaacs Race Cars at Unit 3a Byron Works, Russell Gardens, Wickford, Essex SS11 8QG. For a full picture of what we can do for you, please visit us at www.chris-isaacs.com or on our Facebook, call 01268 571077, or E-Mail [email protected]. Swift snippets. 18th January: We were sorry to hear from Wolfgang Schöfer that due to medical problems the Schöfer Racing Top Methanol Dragster operation is for sale turn-key including truck and trailer. If interested then please get in touch with Wolfgang at [email protected] or call +49 170 809 1067. Wolfgang adds that he will continue to carry out SFI inspections on PSI blowers; for more information please contact him as above. A big Thank You to everyone who voted for the Santa Pod Racers Club Perpetual Awards. Tough luck to those couple who tried to rig votes and to the moron who tried to hack the dedicated E-Mail address. The vote is now closed and the results have been passed to the SPRC Committee. We now move on to the vote for the Avon Park International Racing Association Perpetual Awards which will start here on Eurodragster.com tomorrow (Tuesday). Too fast and a bit furious. 18th January: Rob Creswell writes that 2015 was a great season for Super Comp in the UK, with a good field at every event, and that the racing was more competitive than it has been for a very long time. Dad and Super Comp racer Pete Creswell's Mustang remained the same from the end of 2014 with the spare engine in the hole, which seemed to be behaving itself and performing nicely: Over the course of twelve qualifying runs from the SPRC Summernationals, through the FIA European Finals and in to the UK National Finals we ran five 8.90s, four 8.91s, two 8.89s and a single wayward 8.87, mostly matched with 0.00 to 0.03 Reaction Times, which shows the consistency of the track prep! Unfortunately we could not convert the qualifying performances to enough race wins. However, third place in the UK National Championship and runner-up in the SPRC Championship can't be grumbled at. Congratulations to Stu Doigne, Bob Doigne and Tim Lane for a great season with the double Championship victory. We would like to wish all riders and drivers an adrenaline-packed, Podtastic, but safe 2016. Special thanks go to all the staff, track crew and everybody involved at Santa Pod Raceway. Also, thanks to Eurodragster.com for all the fantastic coverage over the years, past and present (Thanks! You're welcome - Ed). Rob has spent the off-season putting together an awesome video of one of Pete's passes including in-car and crew-cam footage. You will likely find yourself hitting Repeat as soon as the video finishes. Check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y4dym8kRpc. Autosport International report. 17th January: In association with John Woolfe Racing we have now posted our Autosport International report. Friday's second Trade and Press Day was not the busiest day we have ever seen at the NEC but we still found a number of subjects for interview. You can check out our Autosport International report by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Approaching closing dates. 14th January: With a few days left to its nominal end-date the support fund for paramedic Louise Payne has gone through a fantastic nine thousand pounds. We still have time to nudge it up to the target of ten thousand pounds. If you wish to contribute to Louise's support fund then you can do so by clicking here. Thanks very much to everyone who has already contributed. Voting for the Santa Pod Racers Club Perpetual Awards closes at 23:59 UK time this Saturday (16th). To check out the shortlists and to place your votes check out the official SPRC Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. The closing date is fast approaching for ticket bookings for the 2016 Santa Pod Racers Club Dinner Dance and Trophy Presentation which takes place at 6:00 pm on Saturday 6th February at the De Vere Staverton Park Hotel in Daventry. For full details about the 2016 SPRC Dinner Dance please see our news item of 6th October 2015. You can download the SPRC Dinner Dance booking form (PDF format) by clicking here. A Word format form is available on the Entry Forms section of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. Swift snippets. 14th January: We will be visiting the Autosport International Show tomorrow (Friday) and will post our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored report and pictures on Saturday. If you are attending Autosport International tomorrow and fancy being one of Tog's victims then he will be easiest found at Santa Pod Raceway / Lucas Oil stand (7460) after lunch. On a similar subject we have started to fill Eurodragster.com's John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage schedule for 2016. Currently only the first few planned events are listed so there will be several more to add. You can check out the first entries in our 2016 Event Coverage schedule by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. In the interests of aggro-avoidance please read the Schedule notes carefully. You too can do it... 14th January: Many people come to Santa Pod Raceway to stand on the Bank watching in awe of those duking it out on the quarter mile, or to take part in Run What You Brungs running side-by-side time trials. The idea behind Santa Pod's annual Dial-In Day on Saturday 5th March is to break down the barriers which keep people on the Bank rather than on the strip with an introduction to bracket racing - it really is easier and more accessible than you might think. There's absolutely nothing to stop you from entering an event in your everyday road car, no matter how slow it might be. It's one of those things in life that's easy to pick up and have a go at but extremely difficult to master. The concept of the Dial-In Day has worked to great success in recent years with graduates going on to pick up a whole host of trophies in the entry level class, Sportsman ET. In fact, last year's winning graduate, Gillian Medley, took her Jeep Grand Cherokee straight from the Dial-In Day into the Festival of Power just a few weeks later and won the event, beating one of her teachers in the final round! The day will consist of classroom-based theory sessions which will teach you everything you need to know to get you started with hints and tips from some of the best in the business. After a thorough grounding, you'll be invited to get yourself on track to take part in full qualifying and eliminations, putting your newly-learned skills to the test. The regular RWYB fees, rules and regs apply so why not come along on Saturday 5th March and have a go! Check out www.rwyb.com to find out more and to enter. The return of the Fuel Altereds. 13th January: James Forster of Santa Pod Raceway writes that Ron Hope will be making a return to Santa Pod Raceway in the Rat Trap Fuel Altered in 2016, accompanied this time by Randy Bradford in the Bradford's Fiat Topolino: With 2016 being Santa Pod Raceway's fiftieth anniversary of operating as a drag strip Dragstalgia on 15th-17th July, an event dedicated to historic drag racing, was always going to be one of the main celebrations and we have some very exciting news. Those that were there to the bitter end at Dragstalgia 2014 will have witnessed one of the best races in modern history when an unfortunate breakage to Rat Trap opened up an opportunity for Nick Davies in Havoc to line up alongside Brian Hope in Pure Hell. When the lights ran, the two ran side by side all the way up the track recording a pair of six-second runs with Nick carrying the front wheels most of the way! Most of us just watched on in awe but eagle-eyed fans will have noticed that although Brian ran the quicker ET, he red lit. You didn't think we'd leave it there, did you? We're very pleased to announce that to celebrate Santa Pod Raceway's and Rat Trap's fifteth anniversaries, at Dragstalgia 2016 we'll be welcoming back Ron Hope and Rat Trap along with a new companion to the UK in the form of Randy Bradford and the Bradford's Fiat Topolino. Equally, the armoury is being prepared on this side of the pond as Nick, Rob Loaring and Havoc have a new power plant being shoe-horned into the little Bantam – the nitro-fuelled Donovan motor which powered the Chaos altered to countless low six-second passes. The plan is to have the Bradford car and Rat Trap run together for the majority of the weekend but we're sure that we can arrange a grudge race with Havoc to close the show! In addition to this mouth-watering prospect on track is all of the usual favourites with Nostalgia Funny Cars, the Wild Bunch, Supercharged Outlaws, Gasser Circus, The Superstockers, the Outlaw Anglias, the 3rd Annual Willys Wars, Outlaw Street and the NSA Bikes on two wheels. Off track, the NSRA will once again be taking care of the Autoglym Show and Shine competition dishing out the trophies and ensuring there are some of the country's best Hot Rods on display. In addition, the NSRA will be putting together a Blast from the Past Hot Rod display to come in alongside the historic drag racing display. Add in some live music, Jet Car, an on-site hairdresser, Cacklefest and fire burnouts and you have all of the ingredients for one unmissable weekend. Day tickets are available from just £14 per person plus fees and under-16s go free, or to make your weekend extra special why get yourself some VIP tickets from £99+VAT. See the full line-up and buy tickets at www.dragstalgia.co.uk. There's more good news for UK drag fans as this time the US altereds will get a second bite of the cherry - they will also be attending the FIA European Finals on 8th-11th September. 2016 is going to be a year to remember! Harteveld goes Pro Mod. 13th January: Our good buddy Remco Scheelings writes that The Netherlands' Marck Harteveld will step up to Pro Modified this year: Last year Marck reset his Personal Best to 6.79 seconds with his 1970 Roadrunner Superbird. For him this was the moment to make his dream come true and step up to the fastest, quickest and most exciting doorslammer class. To make a succesful entry into the new category, the Voodoo Hemi Racing Superbird will have a new engine and supercharger. In his first season Marck will focus on the MSA British Drag Racing Championship. For insiders it was not a question of if but when Marck would step up to Pro Modified. He made his quarter mile début in Sportman ET and stepped up to quicker and faster categories over the next few seasons. A few years ago his Voodoo Hemi Racing team built the well-known '70 Roadrunner Superbird. To get used the new car the team entered the Superbird in Super Pro ET, but it was no secret that Pro Modified was the next step for Marck and his Superbird. When he reset his PB to 6.79 seconds in 2015, it was loud and clear that it was time to step up to Pro Modified. "I have always dreamed of racing in Pro Modified and this was the right moment to do it", said Marck. "I can't wait to make the first runs." As Marck and Voodoo Hemi Racing want to be competitive in Pro Modified many modifications have been and will be made to the Superbird. The chassis already has been upgraded, but even more importantly, "As you can never have enough horsepower in Pro Modified", the Superbird will get a new engine combination. A few weeks ago, Voodoo Hemi Racing bought a 526 cubic inch BAE engine from Pro Dutch Racing, and a Kobelco blower from Swede Thomas Dahlblöm. At the moment the Kobelco blower is with Hammer Superchargers in Mooresville for some updates. To get used to the new combination Marck will concentrate on the MSA British Drag Racing Championship, but as two rounds are also part of the FIA European Championship he can also face Europe's quickest and fastest Pro Modified racers. Marck will also enter the NitrOlympX and so will face the European competiton three times in his maiden Pro Mod season. Marck's first race in Pro Modified will be the Festival of Power at Santa Pod Raceway on 25th-27th March. The provisional 2016 calendar for Voodoo Hemi Racing is as follows: Festival of Power, Santa Pod Raceway, 25th-27th March FIA Main Event, Santa Pod Raceway, 27th-30th May Mopar EuroNats, Santa Pod Raceway, 29th-31st July NitrOlympX, Hockenheim, 19th- 21st August FIA European Finals, Santa Pod Raceway, 8th-11th September Other races for the MSA British Drag Racing Championship, but so far not on the provisional calendar are the SPRC Summernationals on 25th-26th June and the UK National Finalson 24th-25th September, both at Santa Pod Raceway. You can read Remco's original article in Dutch on the Autosport.nl web site. SPR/DFDS ferry discount continues. 13th January: Many thanks to Caroline Holden for letting us know that the deal between Santa Pod Raceway and DFDS for reduced-rate ferry crossings across the English Channel is to continue into 2016, and with no increase in the concessionary fares. DFDS will be introducing two new ferries in February which will greatly increase sailing capacity and frequency. You can check out the provisional 2016 sailing schedule between Dover and Calais or Dunkerque (PDF format) by clicking here. You can download the booking form (PDF) by clicking here. A Word version will be available for download on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. Please note that bookings will not be accepted using the 2015 form. For more information about DFDS check out their web site at www.dfdsseaways.co.uk but to benefit from the Santa Pod Raceway discount please be sure to use the form, not the web site, to make bookings. Swift snippets. 13th January: Congratulations to Jason Anslow, Jake Clayton, Andy Frost (No relation - Ed), Natalie Laugher and Rae Purdy who are the winners in our Autosport International ticket give-away. Winners should have received our E-Mail by now; if not then please check your Spam folder. Thanks very much to everyone who entered, and to Autosport International and their PR Influence Associates for putting up the tickets. Congratulations and thanks to John Hackney whose drag racing colouring book has raised no less than £310 for Louise Payne's support fund. "I hope you all enjoyed getting your crayons out!" says Hackers. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy and to those photographers who submitted pictures. Habermann in Award vote. 13th January: German Top Methanol Dragster racer Timo Habermann has been in touch to let us know that his brother, 2016 FIA European Top Methanol Dragster Champion Dennis Habermann, is in the running for Sportsman of the Year in local newspaper Gelnhäuser Neue Zeitung. Dennis was named Sportsman of the Month for September 2015 after winning the FIA Championship and now goes head-to-head in a vote with the other eleven monthly winners from 2015, plus a couple of wild cards. Timo tells us that should Dennis win then he intends to donate a portion of the prize money to Louise Payne's support fund (Hence our appearing to break our own rule about organised voting - Ed). If you wish to vote for Dennis for what is, let's face it, a well-deserved accolade and also to help Louise then click here and then click on Abstimmen. All those voting are eligible for a prize. "Now it's up to you guys", says Timo. "Vote for Dennis and share the link with friends." Santa Pod's 50th starts here. 12th January: When Santa Pod Raceway unveils its display on Stand 7460 at this week's Autosport International, it will mark a UK motorsport milestone. The occasion will be the first public engagement of the Raceway's 50th Anniversary season. Half a century on from Santa Pod's inauguration as Europe's first permanent drag strip, the display will reflect the Raceway's vibrant present with a nod towards its future. The centrepiece will feature a pair of cars: Santa Pod's own two-seater Thrill Ride dragster and the Lucas Oil-sponsored dragster of rising Sportsman drag racing star, Brad Jackson. The nineteen-year-old from Yorkshire is one of the formidable band of young racers continuing to graduate from the Junior Dragster ranks and now races in Super Pro ET. In 2015, Brad finished runner-up in the UK National Super Pro ET Championship. His US-built car is powered by a methanol-burning big-block Chevrolet V8 and can reach 175 mph in 7.6 seconds. In time, Brad will hope to match the accomplishments of former multiple Sportsman champion Steve Warner, who nowadays pilots the Thrill Ride two-seater, taking lucky passengers on exclusive, high-speed excursions down the Santa Pod quarter-mile. Despite carrying two people, the Thrill Ride's performance capabilities fall not far short of that of Brad's Lucas Oil and, although no longer a competitive driver, Steve is still noted for his ability to cut Championship-quality lights away from the start line. Early in 2015, Steve introduced Idris Elba to the experience of real speed in preparation for the film star's recent No Limits television series. For 2016, the Thrill Ride will wear a brand new, Santa Pod 50th Anniversary livery which will be presented in public for the first time at Autosport International. Members of the Thrill Ride team will be on hand throughout the weekend to explain the intricacies and excitements involved and Santa Pod staff will be ready to accept bookings from any showgoers feeling inspired or intrepid enough to take a blast down the quarter-mile. The Thrill Ride operates at Santa Pod events throughout the season and is combined with full hospitality packages at principal races. It makes the perfect birthday or Christmas gift-with-a-difference – the ride may only last a matter of seconds, but seconds that will be imprinted in the memory for the rest of the passenger's life. Members of Brad Jackson Racing will also be present during the weekend, including Brad himself at certain times, along with Lucas Oil representatives ready to explain the company's extensive range of automotive lubricants, treatments, additives and ancillary products. Santa Pod's own staff will be there too on Stand 7460, happy to discuss a 2016 50th Anniversary programme crammed with more than fifty events for lovers of all manner of fast-paced, motorised machinery - enthusiasts, participants and spectators alike. It is for good reason that Santa Pod Raceway is known as "The UK's most action-packed venue". Swift snippets. 12th January: ...which leads nicely in to a reminder that our Autosport International give-away closes at midnight UK tonight (Tuesday). On offer are five pairs of tickets for the Show this Saturday (16th) including tickets to the 13:00 performance of the Live Action Arena. For more details and how to enter the give-away check out Saturday's news item. Slightly delayed by an outbreak of Man Flu at the Eurodragster.com offices, Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award sponsor Cath Napier asked us to say a big Happy Birthday and Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary for yesterday (Monday) to husband, Pro ET racer and Perfect Light Award sponsor Tig Napier. Hope you had a great day Tig and hope you had a great Anniversary guys. Good news and sad news from UK Top Methanol Funny Car racer Steph Milam firstly welcoming Caleb George Wilson, son of crewman Aaron, who arrived last Thursday (7th) weighing in at 8 lb 7 oz. On a sadder note the funeral of the team's Clutch Tech Dan Young takes place at 12:30 this Thursday at the Surrey and Sussex Crematorium. "Gone but never forgotten", says Steph. Speedgroup announce new CEO. 12th January: The Board of Directors of Speedgroup Board of Directors has decided to promote Åsa Kinnemar to Chief Executive Officer of Speedgroup AB. Speedgroup say that Åsa is an asset to the company and has shown good leadership and communications skills. She has a solid background in drag racing and is familiar with and has a good understanding of the company and the business. Chairman Pelle Lindelöw says "I am delighted to welcome Åsa Kinnemar as our CEO.  She brings substantial experience in European and International drag racing, both from her own experiences running a drag racing team for several years and as Administrator of those series which Speedgroup handles as well as all kinds of behind-the-scenes work. We are looking forward to working with Å to continue to build on the series and to strengthen drag racing in Europe." The Speedgroup Board will continue with the same composition as before: Roger Lyrén - Marketing director, EDRS/EDRS Pro series Leif Andréasson - Marketing director, FIA Relations Kjell Pettersson - Senior Advisor Mats Ericsson - Senior Technical Advisor for the Automotive Division Anders "Charley" Karling - Senior Technical Advisor for the Motorcycle Division Pelle Lindelöw - Chairman of the Board SPRC Perpetual Awards vote 5. 11th January: Santa Pod Racers Club and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give Eurodragster.com readers the chance of input to the SPRC Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the SPRC Dinner Dance and Trophy presentation on Saturday 6th February 2016. For several of the 2015 season awards, a shortlist has been decided upon for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. Nominations are now also being accepted for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the SPRC Committee decides upon their winners. This week's category, the final, is the James Edgar Memorial Trophy. The James Edgar Memorial Trophy is awarded for outstanding performance by a Crew Chief, tuner, racer / tuner, or crew member. The SPRC Committee's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Lawrie Bamford, for Liam Jones (Top Fuel Dragster) Vote for Lawrie Bamford Brian Cooper and James Woodsford, for Kev Slyfield (Pro Modified) Vote for Brian Cooper and James Woodsford Bob Doignie and Tim Lane, for Stu Doignie (Super Comp and Super Gas) Vote for Bob Doignie and Tim Lane Frank Field, for Pete Field (Super Street Bike) Vote for Frank Field Rob Loaring, for Tim Garlick (Nostalgia Funny Car) Vote for Rob Loaring Ian and Teresa Powell, Super Pro ET Vote for Ian and Teresa Powell Mark Todd, Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator Vote for Mark Todd Steve Venables, Super Street Bike Vote for Steve Venables Olly Young, for Sam Young (VW Pro) and Jonny Smith (Pro ET and Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator) Vote for Olly Young To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. ©Eurodragster.com The Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy, for which nominations are also now being taken, was first awarded to Santa Pod Racers Club's late Chief Marshal, Alex Brachtvogel, in 2001 to mark his outstanding contribution to Santa Pod Raceway and the sport as a whole. After Alex's death the trophy was named in his memory and continues to be awarded for contribution to drag racing. There is no shortlist for the Alex Brachtvogel award. Nominations are invited from Eurodragster.com readers for racers, race officials, track and safety crews, club officials, media, or anyone else who has contributed to the sport. Last year the trophy was awarded to bike scrutineer Steve Johnson. Again see the official page for more details or E-Mail your nomination to [email protected] specifying SPRC Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy nomination as the subject and your nomination in the body of the E-Mail. For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years. Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact SPRC direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com, posting cryptic comments on Facebook, or attempting to hack the Awards E-Mail address (As some moron has spent the last month trying - Ed). E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement. Voting for the Perpetual Awards will close at 23:59 UK time this Saturday (16th) / 00:59 European time Sunday (17th). SPRC Dinner Dance reminder. 10th January: The closing date is fast approaching for ticket bookings for the 2016 Santa Pod Racers Club Dinner Dance and Trophy Presentation which takes place at 6:00 pm on Saturday 6th February at the De Vere Staverton Park Hotel in Daventry (map). If you have not already booked then it is recommended that you send your ticket form as soon as possible. If any 2015 UK National or SPRC Champions or runners-up know that they will not be attending the Dinner Dance then please contact Yvonne Tramm at [email protected] so that she can arrange someone to receive their trophies. For full details about the 2016 SPRC Dinner Dance please see our news item of 6th October 2015. You can download the SPRC Dinner Dance booking form (PDF format) by clicking here. A Word format form is available on the Entry Forms section of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. Please note that booking forms should be sent to Yvonne Tramm at the address specified on the form and not to the SPRC office. If you have any queries about the SPRC Dinner Dance then please contact Yvonne Tramm, not the SPRC office, at [email protected]. Swift snippets. 10th January: There is one voting category left in the Santa Pod Racers Club Perpetual Awards, namely the James Edgar Memorial Trophy whose shortlist will be announced on tomorrow's (Monday's) news update. Voting for the Perpetual Awards will then close at 23:59 UK time next Saturday (16th) / 00:59 European time next Sunday (17th). To check out those shortlists already announced, or to place your vote, check out the official SPRC Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Sweden's Patrik Pers has put his Top Fuel Dragster up for sale. The car comes with both front and rear wings which are currently in tag, injector, clutch can and motor plate, headers, oils pans and anything else relevant to Top Fuel. The chassis is twelve runs old from a complete front half rebuild from the cockpit all the way down to include brand new McKinney A arms and 1000-foot fuel tank. The rear was updated a couple of years earlier. The car has brand new front wheels but no rear end. The asking price is €35,000. If interested then please contact Patrik at [email protected] or +46 70 696 1385 or Mark Bodimeade at [email protected] or 07909 528355. BDRHoF Gala moves house. 10th January: After just two years, November's third weekend is now firmly established on the international drag racing calendar as Gala Weekend for the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. The sparkling, black-tie occasion celebrates British drag racing's past, present and future before an audience of racers, fans and contributors to the sport, along with a gathering of distinguished figures from home and abroad, and honours the year's new roster of members inducted into the Hall of Fame. The date for 2016's Gala Awards Dinner will be Saturday 19th November and the event has a new venue, the Sheraton Skyline Hotel at London's Heathrow Airport. BDRHoF chairman Stu Bradbury explains "Our usual home, the Savill Court Hotel, will be closed for refurbishment next autumn so we have chosen a new venue which will suit the occasion perfectly. The west-of-London location has worked well for us, with excellent motorway connections from all directions, and the Sheraton Skyline will have the added benefit of rail connections from London into Heathrow close at hand. "The Sheraton Skyline has some spectacular facilities to offer us – our pre-dinner drinks reception, for instance, will take place in the Sky Garden, the hotel's tree-filled central atrium around the pool. We have endeavoured to keep any price rises to a minimum. The bedrooms are spacious and comfortable and we have negotiated special room rates for guests choosing to stay overnight of £115 per night single, £125 double. We'll detail booking arrangements soon. We expect our table prices to remain unchanged. "The addition last year of our afternoon question-and-answer Bench Racing session, featuring some of our visiting guests from America and Scandinavia, was a huge hit. It provided a unique opportunity – where else would you ever get the chance to engage with such a gathering of drag racing notables? – and we aim to expand on the recipe this year. We've set a precedent for attracting the sport's greatest names to our Gala and we certainly shall not disappoint this time. We already have some outstanding figures committed to attend and we'll reveal more news on that subject in the coming months. "I'm now happy to take reservations for the Gala Awards Dinner by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 01933 279102. The event always sells out well in advance so, if you would like to join us for the occasion, I'd suggest you make your reservation sooner rather than later. We've already had several tables reserved immediately after last November's Gala." Ongoing news about the Gala and other events will be published here on Eurodragster.com and on the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site at www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk. The Sheraton Skyline Hotel is situated on the A4 Bath Road on Heathrow Airport's northern perimeter and hotel information is available on-line at www.sheratonskyline.com. The names of 2016's inductees into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame will be announced on Eurodragster.com during the weekend of Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway, 15th-17th July. 2016 marks the tenth anniversary of the Hall of Fame's founding and the admission of its first members. The Gala Awards Dinner first took place in 2014. Web site updates. 10th January: Our good buddy, bike photo-journalist Steve Moxley had had two event reports published on the Eat My Ink web site, covering the two-wheeled action at the 2015 UK National Finals and 2015 Extreme Performance Bike Weekend, both at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check out Moxey's work at www.eatmyink.com. Autosport International give-away. 9th January: Thanks to those great people at Autosport International and their PR Influence Associates we have five pairs of tickets to give away for the Saturday (16th) of next week's Autosport International at Birmingham's NEC. Not only will the winners receive a free pair of tickets to Saturday's Show but also a free pair of tickets to the 13:00 performance of the Live Action Arena. Entry is also included to the Performance Car Show presented by Landsail Tyres in association with Autocar and Pistonheads.com. The total value of each set of tickets is £70. Either side of the Live Action Show you can visit Santa Pod Raceway and Eurodragster.com sponsor Lucas Oil Products on stand 7640 and check out the Two Seat Dragster in its new livery together with the Super Pro ET dragster campaigned by Brad Jackson, Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Robinson's blown-alcohol Camaro Pro Mod on the NGK Spark Plugs stand on stand 2850, Eurodragster.com sponsor the Anglo American Oil Company on stand 2500, and Mark Todd's 200 mph street-legal GTO on the Serck Services Motorsport stand (7350). For the fan of motorsports as well as drag racing there is plenty more to see from every discipline and a huge number of trade stands. To be in with a chance of winning one of the five pairs of Autosport International tickets simply send an E-Mail to [email protected] with Autosport International give-away as the subject and giving the following details in the E-Mail: Your name Your E-Mail address Your mobile phone number Yep, that's all! Entry closes at midnight UK on Tuesday (12th) / 01:00 UK Wednesday. Winners will be chosen at random from all valid entries. We will E-Mail winners at their specified address first thing on Wednesday morning with details of how and where to collect their tickets. Please note: One entry per E-Mail address. Multiple entries will all be deleted; Entries sent to any other Eurodragster.com address will be deleted; Entries without the above three pieces of information will be deleted; Only tickets for Saturday (16th) are on offer and there is no cash alternative; Winners are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to the NEC. We will not, of course, share your details with anyone except for passing winners' details to Influence Associates. Autosport International takes place at Birmingham's NEC next Thursday to Sunday (14th-17th); Thursday and Friday are trade-only days and Saturday and Sunday are public days. For more details about Autosport International check out the Show's official web site at www.autosportinternational.com, and for more details about the Performance Car Show check out www.performancecarshow.com. You can find out more about the NEC at www.thenec.co.uk. Good luck! In the picture with WaspCam. 7th January: UK Junior Dragster racer Jordan Payne is pleased to announce sponsorship from camera manufacturer WaspCam. Jordan writes: A couple of days ago two friends of ours, Charlie and Cheryl, came and visited us to exchange Christmas presents and also to go out for a meal. Charlie is a representative for a company called WaspCam, a Canadian manufacturer of High Def Action Cameras for all action sports, and he has supplied me with their top-of-the-range product! WaspCam produce cameras, camera mounts and a wide range of different accessories. The camera which we have been given is the WaspCam Gideon. The Gideon comes with a fully waterproof anti fog case, a swivel T-mount, mount adaptors, two rear case doors (one is vented), a lithium ion battery, a USB charging cable, a velcro strap, a secure tether, and a copy of the ArcSoft video editing software which allows you to edit and share your videos on-line. The camera itself has many functions including recording HD videos in nine different quality options, and taking photos in up to 16 mp quality. The Gideon also has built in wi-fi so can connect with any smart phone through the WaspCam app (Hmm... - Webcast Producer). The camera can stream videos live to your phone, and also allows you to preview your completed videos wirelessly. The Gideon has time-lapse mode which takes pictures every 1, 3, 5, 10, 30 or or 60 seconds. With the Gideon you can also purchase a wireless wrist remote, which can either be used as an ordinary watch or used to control the camera wirelessly from up to twenty five feet away. The watch can control all of the camera's functions, and also receives a live video feed, so that you can see what the camera sees. After having a little play around with the camera I have found that the WaspCam is a lot easier to use than a GoPro. I find it simpler to navigate through all the menus and to select different recording modes. My dad can even understand how to use it, so it must be simple! The camera's OSD display is very bright and clear making it easy to see in bright sunlight, and also complete darkness. I would like to welcome WaspCam to the Sticky Situation Junior Drag Racing Team. You can find their web site at www.waspcam.com. Autosport International line-up. 7th January: As well as the Santa Pod Raceway / Lucas Oil stand (7640), drag racing will also be represented elsewhere at next week's Autosport International Show at Birmingham's NEC. Bob Roberts tells us that NGK Spark Plugs' stand (2850) will be hosting Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Robinson's blown-alcohol Camaro Pro Mod. Close by the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions stand (E970, Thursday and Friday only) will be Scott Hauser's Super Pro ET Dragster. Eurodragster.com sponsor Geof Hauser tells us that BMRS have an exciting new product on display which is already used by Schumacher Racing, we will of course bring you details in our report. Lee Child of Eurodragster.com sponsor LA Racing Parts says that he will be in attendance on the stand of fellow Eurodragster.com sponsor VP Racing Fuels (E55, Thursday and Friday only) whilst another Eurodragster.com sponsor, the Anglo American Oil Company, will be found on stand 2500. Autosport International runs from Thursday to Sunday next week (14th-17th); Thursday and Friday are trade-only days. You can find out more and book tickets at www.autosportinternational.co.uk. Eurodragster.com will be attending Autosport International on Friday, so if you or your vehicle are appearing on a stand or if you are going to be at the Show on Friday and will be available for interview then please drop us a line at [email protected]. 2016 FIA rules released. 6th January: Many thanks to FIA Drag Racing Commission Vice Chair Lars Pettersson for letting us know that the 2016 season FIA European Drag Racing Championship Technical Regulations, Sporting Regulations and SFI Specifications have now been posted on the FIA web site. Lars writes: There are both new rules and clarifications made by the FIA Drag Racing Commission for 2016, including a clarification concerning points allocations when there is an infraction, exclusion, suspension or an disqualification. Travel money has been adjusted and there is a new article about a Traction Assessment Test which has to be carried out before an event. I would like to take this opportunity to thank organisers, Officials and the Rules Advisory Group active in the FIA European Drag Racing Championships for their proposals and for their work on the 2016 FIA rules. I would also like to remind that racers, teams and officials carefully study the FIA International Sporting Code and the Appendix. There are lots of rules and chapters which we must all understand and follow. You can go directly to the new FIA European Drag Racing Championships rules on the FIA web site at www.fia.com/regulations/regulation/fia-drag-racing-101. SPR seek static display vehicles. 6th January: James Forster writes that Santa Pod Raceway would like to invite racers to display their vehicles at StuntFest on Saturday 20th February: Although the track isn't open, StuntFest is a family-oriented day out with the Podzilla Monster Truck, Car Jumping, Car Football, Stunt Displays and more. Further information on the show is available at www.stuntfest.co.uk. If anyone would like to come along with their vehicle, please contact me at [email protected] or call 01234 782828. APIRA, Outlaws Trophy Night reminder. 6th January: A reminder that Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and the Supercharged Outlaws are holding their joint Championship Trophy Presentation Evening on Saturday 5th March in the Avon Room of the Hilton Warwick, Stratford Road, Warwick CV34 6RE located on Junction 15 of the M40. The evening will honour the 2015 APIRA Champions and runners up and APIRA and SCR Perpetual Award winners, together with winners and runners up from the UK Supercharged Outlaws. The evening will commence 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. There will be a disco till late provided by Kenny's Bar resident DJ Jamie, along with a raffle during the course of the evening. Tickets will be £20 per adult and £10 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. Children's meals will be cheese on toast followed by beefburger served with french fries followed by chocolate pudding. 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. These are priced at £91 for a double or £81 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 website at www.hilton.com/warwick quoting reference number AWED15. Cut off point for bedrooms on 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. Credit card payments can be made by calling 01789 414119 during business hours. Payments can also 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. If you have any queries then please call 01789 720180, or E-Mail E-Mail [email protected]. If you have already ordered your tickets then they will be sent out shortly together with an information sheet. 2014 Perpetual Award winners please note that all trophies should be returned to APIRA / SCR as soon as possible please. To make arrangements for return of trophy's please E-Mail Jerry Cookson at [email protected] or call 01789 720180 during office hours. Interview: Arthur Christy. 5th January: For the latest in our occasional series of Features presented in association with Lucas Oil Products, Simon interviewed Arthur Christy who in 1971 became the first South African drag racer to visit Santa Pod Raceway. Arthur helped create South Africa's first drag strip and constructed his Hawaiian III dragster which he raced at Santa Pod. Running on treaded tyres, he qualified with a Personal Best of 9.05/177, and on the Saturday ran a losing pass against Dennis Priddle before winning against Alan Blount in a third place run-off. Simon's interview with Arthur tells the story of a lifelong love of cars and drag racing. You can check it out by clicking here or by clicking on the Features, Interviews, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. All invited to Drachten... 5th January: Margot Schmidt of Quartermile / ESLA, the organising body for The Netherlands, has written to announce the dates of three three-day events at Drachten Airfield in 2016. All racers are invited. The Main Event takes place on 22nd-24th July and the Weekend of Champions on 16th-18th September. Pre-registration costs €150 including driver's registration, two start line crew entry tickets and one pit crew entry ticket (€45 value each). Entry is free for Junior Dragsters and Junior Drag Bikes including driver's registration and one start line / crew entry ticket. Entry includes campsite, electricity, showers, toilets etc. The track will be fully prepared. Registration payments must be made at least three weeks before the event. Late entry in the last three weeks before the event is €200. Racer entry at the gate is possible, but at an increased cost of €250. Quartermile are also organising an event at Drachten on 27th-29th May. This is a street-legal event with a fully-prepared track. All Pro racers are welcome to test and tune at this event for free. More information on all three events can be found at www.quartermileshow.com or E-Mail [email protected]. ...VWs invited to Clastres. 5th January: France's Wild VW and Buggy Club is proud to announce the second Wild VW Drag Days at Clastres Raceway Park on 14th-15th May. Bernard Wajsbrot writes: The Wild VW Club still retains the same staff since its first activities thirty years ago, which makes it the oldest nationwide air-cooled VW Club. We are a non-profit organisation and all the staff have day jobs. Our goal is simply to improve the aircooled VW brotherhood and drag racing in Europe, nothing else. We organised the first six runnings of the Super VW Nats, culminating in an entry of three thousand VWs from all over Europe. A lot of British VW drag racers entered those European events, the first being Keith Seume who became a special friend of the Club. In 2014 our club organised the first Wild VW Drag Days which immediately turned into a European VW drag racing event. Back in the day we raced with the VWDRC at Bug Jam at Santa Pod Raceway. The Wild VW Drag Days will be held on the drag strip at Clastres Raceway Park which is near Saint Quentin in the Aisne, an hour and a half from Calais on the A1 motorway to Paris. The track is now the sole permanent drag strip in France. It's 1650 metres long and thirteen metres wide and is used monthly by Sportsman racers. The French Drag Racing Championship comes six times a year. The track is prepared and timed by the staff who organise the French Drag Racing Championship. They use VP track products and the Christmas Tree and the timing system are the same used in Pro series in the USA. We often hear from regular European racers that the potential of this track is currently just three tenths of a second down on Bitburg, and that the grip is becoming better and better. Of course all the safety services including doctor are on duty during events. Restaurants and camping facilities are part of this friendly weekend. Nearly sixty racers from Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy and of course France came for the first event in 2014 but we were desperately missing British racers! You can check out a great YouTube video of the 2014 Wild VW Drag Days by clicking here, and for more information please E-Mail Bernard at [email protected]. LucasOilRacing.TV's UK launch. 5th January: A new 24/7 streaming TV network dedicated solely to the world of motorsports will receive its UK launch on the Santa Pod Raceway stand (Hall 7, Stand 7460) on the opening day of next week's Autosport International at Birmingham's NEC. Visitors who sign up to LucasOilRacing.TV next Thursday (14th) and Friday will be in time to catch some exciting US racing from The Chili Bowl live on Saturday 16th. LucasOilRacing.TV will run twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and looks set to be the world's premiere motorsports destination. Programming will include live racing, expanded pre-race and post-race action, behind-the-scenes content, unseen interviews, automobile build shows, and an extensive library of motorsports content and racing. The new streaming service will be available for a monthly subscription of $4.99. It will deliver unlimited access to all types of motorsports racing including American Sprint Cars, Pro Pulling, GT racing, Short Course Off-Road racing, Modifieds, Drag Boats, Late Model Dirt, NHRA, stock cars, motorcycle racing, authentic build shows and everything in and around the world of motorsports. In addition to an extensive on demand library of programming, LucasOilRacing.TV will also include interviews with the world's most popular and dynamic drivers, conducted by the sport's most iconic journalists. "LucasOilRacing.TV consolidates all the best racing and automotive programming in the world into a single destination for viewers, making it available to anyone with internet access" says Bob Patison, Executive Vice President of Lucas Oil. "LucasOilRacing.TV will give viewers access to their favorite motorsports, on demand, anywhere and any time they want it." The new service will be available worldwide across multiple digital media players and mobile devices including products by Android, Amazon, Apple, Roku, Smart TVs and through PCs. LucasOilRacing.TV is dedicated to continued development of its platform for additional devices, including popular gaming consoles. Eurodragster.com will be attending Autosport International next Friday (15th). If you or your vehicle are appearing on a stand or if you are going to be at the Show on Friday and will be available for interview then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Chris Wicks. 4th January: We were sorry to hear from Al Golding of the death of his long-time friend and former racer Chris Wicks, who passed away on 29th December following a four-year battle with cancer: Chris had been around drag racing since the mid-1970s with his Sunbeam Tiger The Cat back when the BDRA ran the meets at Santa Pod and Blackbushe. In 1982 Chris won several trophies in both Modified and Super Street. His other car, a Mini Cooper named The Mouse, was driven by one of his cousins. Chris later came back in the early 1990s in a Cortina estate called Wild Ride equipped with a 351 Cleveland and four-speed manual box. When Chris retired from driving he helped crew with the likes of Jim Whelland, Rick Lea and Brian Pateman for many years.  With his knack for Holley tuning and engine building he ran his business Racing Services before working as a dental test rngineer for fourteen years. Chris will be sadly missed by many friends, both in drag racing and his personal life. Chris' funeral will be held at 1:20 pm on Thursday of next week, 14th January, at West Herts Crematorium, High Elms Lane, Watford WD25 0JS followed by the after-service reception at The Tudor Arms, Bushey Mill Lane, Watford WD24 7TQ. All who knew Chris are welcome to attend. Our deepest sympathies to Chris' family and friends. SPRC Perpetual Awards vote 4. 4th January: Santa Pod Racers Club and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give Eurodragster.com readers the chance of input to the SPRC Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the SPRC Dinner Dance and Trophy presentation on Saturday 6th February 2016. For several of the 2015 season awards, a shortlist has been decided upon for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. Nominations are now also being accepted for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the SPRC Committee decides upon their winners. This week's category is Most Professional Appearing Team. The SPRC Most Professional-Appearing Team trophy recognises not just the presentation of a race vehicle but the team's overall approach to racing. As well as a well-turned-out car or bike, the Committee have considered such aspects as the appearance and attitude of team personnel, the organisation and appearance of their pit area and support equipment, and their readiness when their class is called. The SPRC Committee's shortlist, in alphabetical order of team / vehicle (not racer) name, is as follows: Current Racing (Sam Young, VW Pro) Vote for Current Racing Howlin' Hauler (Al Williamson, Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator) Vote for Howlin' Hauler Just Mustard (Jack Brewster, Super Pro ET) Vote for Just Mustard Miss-de-Meaner and Another Miss-de-Meaner (Caitlin and Morgan Wilson, Junior Dragster) Vote for Miss-de-Meaner and Another Miss-de-Meaner The Package (Simon Gough, Super Pro ET) Vote for The Package Plum Crazy Racing (Simon Innes, Pro ET) Vote for Plum Crazy Racing Przym Paintworks (Paul Przybyl, Super Pro ET) Vote for Przym Paintworks Warpspeed Racing (Pro Stock Bike, Funny Bike, Junior Drag Bike) Vote for Warpspeed Racing White Noise (Bob Molden, Pro ET) Vote for White Noise Williams Brothers Racing (Dan and Nic Williams, Pro ET) Vote for Williams Brothers Racing To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. ©Eurodragster.com The Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy, for which nominations are also now being taken, was first awarded to Santa Pod Racers Club's late Chief Marshal, Alex Brachtvogel, in 2001 to mark his outstanding contribution to Santa Pod Raceway and the sport as a whole. After Alex's death the trophy was named in his memory and continues to be awarded for contribution to drag racing. There is no shortlist for the Alex Brachtvogel award. Nominations are invited from Eurodragster.com readers for racers, race officials, track and safety crews, club officials, media, or anyone else who has contributed to the sport. Last year the trophy was awarded to bike scrutineer Steve Johnson. Again see the official page for more details or E-Mail your nomination to [email protected] specifying SPRC Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy nomination as the subject and your nomination in the body of the E-Mail. For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years. Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact SPRC direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com, posting cryptic comments on Facebook, or attempting to hack the Awards E-Mail address (As some moron has spent the last three weeks trying - Ed). E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement. The final voting category, due next Monday (11th January), will be the James Edgar Memorial Trophy. Picture purchase thanks. 3rd January: Eurodragster.com Photographer Julian Hunt would like to thank all those who purchased a photograph to raise money for Louise Payne's support fund. "Together we have managed to raise £460", says Julian. "A big Thank You to Skullracing Team (Finland); Wayne and Helen Allman; Edd Thorpe; Steven East; Graham White; Adam Gleadow; Mark Bishop; Ryan McGrath; Graham Sykes; Bob Hawkins; Neil Payne; Tom and Jana Gotta; Pete Morley; Chris Gibson; Pete Le Gros; Paul Geary; Donald Harvey; Frans Steilberg; Jonny Marriage; Hans van Hengel; Paul Marriman; Martin Wilson; Andrew Lambert; Charlie Draper; Markus Münch; Sarah Howells (Dash Racing); Dave Grabham; and Rob Smallworth." Don't forget that John Hackney's drag racing colouring book is also available with all profits going to Louise's support fund; more details on Thursday's news update. You can also contribute direct to Louise's support fund on its Justgiving page. Many thanks to everyone for their support. Swift snippets. 3rd January: The replays of the Webster Race Engineering / Nimbus Motorsport webcasts are certainly proving popular and they are still running today; you can tune in at www.didyousee.me/dragrace. The next shortlist in the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote will be posted on tomorrow's (Monday's) news update and will be for Most Professional Appearing Team. In the meantime if you have not already cast your vote for Most Promising Newcomer, Best Appearing Car or Best Appearing Bike, or submitted a nomination for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy, then you can do so by clicking here or by clicking on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Webcast replays now showing. 1st January: In the promised New Year present to our readers, replays of some of 2015's Webster Race Engineering / Nimbus Motorsport webcasts are now available courtesy of Maikel Gloudemans of our streaming service supplier Doyousee.me to whom many thanks. Events available are the 2015 UK National Finals, Dragstalgia and NSRA Nostalgia Nationals and you can tune in at www.didyousee.me/dragrace. Enjoy and have a very Happy New Year from Tog, Simon, Kirstie and Julian. Earlier news