European Drag Racing News

The Package positively bulges.
28th February: With a few weeks left to the start of the season, UK Super Gas racer Simon Gough has been in touch with an insight on the updated contents of his Package:

First was the transmission, we needed a new Reid PG1500 case as we seemed to have put a crack in the other one at the UK National Finals. A quick call to Jeff Bull to get one brought in for us. Then it was off to Kevin Cerasale for a quick change over, install some new items to make it a bit more up-to-date.

We then purchased a new shifter and transbrake button. After my video with Tony Morris at the NitrOlympX he insisted on a better trans button to help me achieve the Reaction Times which we'd require to be consistent in Super Gas - no point hitting 9.90 all the time if you can't leave the line at the correct moment.

So the button was ordered and then we were told that the track at Santa Pod was being ripped out and a new £1 million track surface was being installed. Super Gas is an extremely tight class and so I wanted to install any advanced technology which I could use to my advantage. I made a quick call to Racepak HQ to seek advice in installing shock sensors and to ask whether they would help me to read the track quicker than my opponents. After that, a quick call to Dick Koster at Post en Dros and they were on their way.

New brake pads fitted, new shifter fitted, new rad and fan fitted, new oil accumulator seals fitted, new shock sensors fitted, new trans fitted, new filters fitted, a few new cables to put in and we should be ready for a quick fire-up and a test run on the Pro Jacks. Hopefully everything will be recording properly and we get a few garage test runs.

Our goal this year is do everything we can to finish in the top five in the Terry Gibbs Super Gas Shootout. We will be running in the Big Bracket shootout at the Doorslammers, at the NitrOlympX, and at every round of the SPRC Championship.

We have loads of sponsors to thank this year, a big Thank You to the following for all their efforts in getting The Package ready yet again: Jeff Bull Race Engines, Kev Carasale Transmissions, Dick Koster, Bret and Debbie, Sharron, and Gary Campion. Without these people I couldn't do what I do year in and year out.

I would like to wish everyone in Super Gas a fast and competitive 2018.

Festival of Power entry update.
27th February: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for sending us Version 3 of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 30th March-1st April.

You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Standard-rate entry closes on Friday of next week (9th March); entry after this date, if accepted, may be subject to a Late Entry penalty. You can fill in and submit or download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

If you have any queries about Festival of Power then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected].

VWDRC at 31.
27th February: The countdown to Easter is well underway and Luke Stevenson writes that the Volkswagen Drag Racing Club are busier than ever going in to their thirty first season:

After a great 2017, in which both VW Sportsman and Pro Championships were decided at the UK National Finals - the latter featuring a fight between the top three in the final rounds of year - this year we have another bumper crop of new racers taking on both classes looking to be the 2018 Rookie of the Year. The recent news of a rule change allowing cars from 2010 onwards to compete in VW Pro without a roll cage will hopefully will introduce a whole new crop of racers.

We will also see the return of some crowd favourites. Dave Crowhurst has had a complete new 25.1 chassis built by Bill Murfin to tame the Black Wanger Beetle after it tried to kiss the wall on more than two occasions during testing; multiple VW Pro Champion James Hodson has his eyes on the podium after a year of travelling, and Paul (Legend) Bargate will be back with the Yellow Peril Scirocco, just to name a few.

The current race schedule for 2018 features five rounds at Santa Pod and a single round at Shakespeare County Raceway, but with the well-known ongoing situation at SCR the Committee have decided that in 2018 all rounds will count towards the Championship instead of dropping a single round. This will hopefully make it fairer for our racers should a round be dropped at a later date.

As ever the VWDRC are blessed with such great support from companies which want to be involved with the longest-running single-marque Drag Racing Club in the world. We are very proud to announce that there is a pot of over £3500 to be won throughout the 2018 season. We will be awarding a prize to the number one qualifer at each event, and at last year's VWDRC Annual General Meeting it was decided to award the bulk of the prize fund to first, second and third in the final Championship placings in VW Pro and VW Sportsman.

A massive thank you to the following companies with whom we look forward to working and entertaining at the track: Brickfield Autos, Darkside Developments, WRP Paint and Restoration, Trackstuff Racing Fuels and Tyres, BJ's Speedshop, Starz Hair and Beauty, Hangar 30, CG Motorsport Specialist Clutches, R-Tech Performance, Engine Carbon Clean, KleenFreaks and Volks Workshop

The VWDRC promotional Tour kicks off in two weeks time at Ultimate Dubs at the Telford International Centre next week (10th-11th March), we then move on to the Volksworld Show at Sandown Park on 24th-25th March. These shows kick off a great season in the VW community, so why not visit both to get a taste of the Show season.

All twenty candles lit.
26th February: Although Eurodragster.com was registered and had an on-line presence in late 1997 we view 26th February 1998 as our official birthday since that is the date of our first news item, an update from European Top Fuel Dragster Champion and record holder Andy Carter. So, today is officially Eurodragster.com's twentieth birthday.

We couldn't have got here without the support of racers, clubs, officials, promoters, fans, family, friends and everyone else who has helped in one way or another, so a big Thank You to you all. A special Thank You, of course, to all of Eurodragster.com's sponsors without whom we would not be able to do this.

Tog would like to say a personal Thank You to Kirstie (eleven years and counting), Simon (fourteen years and counting) and Julian (six years and counting) for their support and hard work, to most of his former colleagues for their contribution, and of course to Mrs Tog for putting up with twenty years of head-down nights on the laptop and almost continuous absences during the season (TBH I suspect that is how she prefers it - Ed) and to Simon's wife Ros for tolerating similar conditions.

We would also like to say a big Happy Birthday to our good friend and Honorary Eurodragster.com Staff Member Darren Prentice of Santa Pod Raceway. Have a great day Darren. Happy Birthday also to UK Fuel Funny Car racer Kevin Kent, you have a great day too Kevin, and to former safety crew member Geoff Quaife. Have a great day Geoff.

Swift snippets.

26th February: We were very pleased to see that Sweden's Jonnie Lindberg had walked away from a short but high-speed stint as John Force's Official Receiver during yesterday's Fuel FC eliminations at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. You can find out more on NHRA Online or courtesy of the regular competition-standard tricoteuses on Facebook. Coincidentally, and conscience-free with the news that John Force is OK, a splendid autographed Kenny Youngblood print is for sale in the Drag Racing Memorabilia section of our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet.

Slicks still sought for SPR prep.
24th January: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall has been in touch with a reminder that SPRC's track crew are seeking used slicks or ET Street Radials for use in prepping the new track surface.

If you have any used slicks or ET Street Radials then please call Ian on 01933 313625 or E-Mail [email protected]. The Club will be glad to arrange collection of tyres including an outing already arranged for this coming Tuesday (27th).

Hutchinson and Dibley back Sportsman ET.
23rd February: Eagle-eyed readers of the official entry list for the Festival of Power will have noticed that the UK's Sportsman ET class now has a title sponsor, namely Hutchinson and Dibley Ltd. Andy Dibley writes:

Hutchinson and Dibley Ltd is a Buckinghamshire-based precision CNC engineering company specialising in the production of hard-to-manufacture parts. We have over fifty years of experience in most industries including defence, oil, gas and marine, as well as machining most common metals and plastics but also working with difficult materials such as titanium, magnetic iron and Inconel. Our shop facility includes CNC turning and milling as well as welding and fabrication equipment. Our entire production is ISO9001:2008 approved and accredited.

After two very successful seasons sponsoring the 50 Shades of Racing Sportsman ET team we are looking to increase our involvement within the class. The competition has got tougher than ever with top qualifying positions being decided by the thousandth of a second at most meetings. As part of our support for the class, Hutchinson and Dibley Ltd are also sponsoring a Number One qualifier trophy at every event. This trophy will be presented to the top qualifier in the Sportsman ET pits after the final round of qualifying.

You can find the Hutchinson and Dibley Ltd web site at www.hutchinsondibley.com, or call 01628 530448.

Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards 2018.
23rd February: We are very pleased to confirm that the Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards Scheme will continue in 2018. A minimum of £100 will be on offer for perfect performance at every UK National Championship event.

Cath and Tig Napier of Bad Habit Racing are again kindly sponsoring the Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award which will start at the Festival of Power at Santa Pod Raceway in March and continue at UK National Championship and certain other events including Dragstalgia and the Mopar EuroNationals. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at an event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award will be available to racers in all classes during qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. If not won then the Award will be increased to £75 for the next event; if it is won then it will be reset to £50 for the next event.

Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals will be available in the Signing On office or from the Eurodragster.com office in Race Control (entry via Spectator Bank side stairs only).

The Eurodragster.com / Gold RV Perfect ET Award, which will also be available at UK National Championship events starting at the Festival of Power, is again kindly sponsored by Derek and Fiona Flynn of RV sales and service specialists Gold RV. The Award, which also starts at £50, will be paid in cash to the first racer at an event to run an ET to the thousandth of a second on dial-in or index. If not won then the Award will be increased to £75 for the next event; if it is won then it will be reset to £50 for the next event.

To be eligible to collect the Perfect ET Award, racers are required to carry decals, one on each side of the vehicle. If you pull an event's first Perfect ET but are not carrying decals then there will be no discussion; we will not pay out and the next person to pull a Perfect ET will get the money assuming that they are carrying decals. Please note that the decals have changed since last season; those from previous seasons will not be valid. Decals will be available in the Signing On office or from the Eurodragster.com office in Race Control (entry via Spectator Bank side stairs only).

For more details about the services which Gold RV can provide please either see Derek Flynn in the Gearhead Garage UK Super Pro ET pits or visit www.goldrv.co.uk.

FAO UK teams with multiple racers.
22nd February: UK National Drag Racing Championship Co-ordinator Yvonne Tramm has been in touch with the usual reminder to racers who intend to field more than one racer in the same vehicle this season.

If you will be fielding multiple racers in the same vehicle this season then please E-Mail Yvonne at [email protected] with class, race number, team name and racer names. Information must be submitted by Friday 23rd March.

If you have any queries then please contact Yvonne on the same address.

Skool's Out is out.

22nd February: The UK's Jason Anslow says that he is sure that many of those in our wonderful world of drag racing are busy preparing for the new season, and that that is certainly the case at Quick Release Racing as the team continue to field one car and build another:

We only have six months of closed season to get all the jobs started, let alone completed! Last season was Lowri's first time drag racing in her Baja Beetle Lady Baja. I built the car for her to try the sport we both love hoping that she would enjoy the driving as much as I do. I'm really pleased that she did and that she has decided to carry on. I am currently building a new engine for her that will see an increase in size from a 1600cc to a 1915cc air-cooled flat four. This should help her to shave a second or two off her elapsed times and add a few miles an hour to her top speed. After a first season of learning how to race and compete we are both hoping to see her go rounds and challenge for event wins in 2018.

If any individuals or companies out there have a love for old Beetles and would like to support Lowri in her racing, please get in touch. Contact details are at the end of this piece.

Alongside that, at the end of last season I made the difficult decision to retire my car, the VW Beetle Skool's a Drag. I was incredibly proud of the car I had built and developed over the four years of racing it. I guess I should also be pleased that I achieved a PB of 13.1 seconds at 103 mph, not bad for an old Bug. There were however a number of issues over the years which meant to my mind that I never got the best out of it.

As is the case with many racers, once bitten by the bug of speed there is only ever one way to go and that's faster. Unfortunately in an air-cooled Beetle it's a pretty hard and expensive, especially if it breaks! And when I say faster I'm talking an aim of getting to the eights and maybe lower! It was being part of the air-cooled VW scene back in the early 1990s that introduced me to the wonderful world of drag racing and ever since then I have been hooked. Even then at all the VW shows I loved watching the Ford Pops racing and dreamt that one day I'd be able to have one. Of course I thought that it would only ever remain a dream.

Saying this, I've got to an age in life where I belive that if you really want something, you must do whatever you can to achieve it! Life's too short just to have dreams and not act upon them. So all the race spec parts on Skool's were sold and the fund to build a Pop running a supercharged Big Block Chevy was started. After all, moving from one short wheel based car to another is the easy and obvious way to do it, isn't it?

The plan is that it will probably take at least five years to be able to save the money and have the car put together, but ultimately it will give me the chance of hitting those low times and high speeds. As a Foster Carer I am lucky enough to have some time during daytime in the week, however it's not the best paid job in the world so I will balance the two things as best I can.

I've been really lucky in that a number of the parts I will need have come my way already. So at the moment I have a full fibreglass body, rear suspension, wheels, rear diff, fuel pump, pedals, ignition system and a few other bits and pieces. I have also sourced a potential engine. Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm 6' 5" and of a more comfortable physique so the decision has been made to have a full tube chassis built to enable me to race a car in relative comfort!

For me this is going to be one massive learning curve. I have very little knowledge on V8s and how to run them, set them up etc. I am looking forward to going through the learning process and becoming part of a world where the engines have twice as many cylinders. During the build years I will be crewing for Lowri as she carries on racing in the Volkswagen Drag Racing Club as well as for anyone else in the Club who can use a helping hand. I am also hoping to be able to shadow some teams who run in the Outlaw Anglias to see how it all works.

My biggest need however is for people. I am looking for those who would like to be part of the journey with me. I really have a need for someone with good experience in the world of V8s to help and guide me. This will hopefully enable me to make the right decisions when buying parts and choosing people to do the work etc. and teach me about the engines and the workings of a V8 race car. I am also looking for people who would like to help me with the build and then hopefully crew for me when I finally get the car on track. I am unable to provide any financial reward so ideally need those with a passion / interest in drag racing and / or cars or maybe have a specialised knowledge of any of the areas of a drag race team. I'm based in South Warwickshire, not far from Shakey so ideally anyone who is able to help will be fairly local.

If you would like to help please get in touch directly by E-Mailing me at [email protected] or via the team Facebook page.

Here's to the dawn of a new season and hopefully lots of great racing on the new concrete currently being laid at the Pod - and of course some track time at Shakey!

You're gonna need a bigger block...
22nd February: Santa Pod Raceway Track Announcer and, he says, definitely not racer (Point conceded, having seen him race - Ed) Colin Theobald has been in touch to put us straight after our parting crack in Andy Thetford's snippet on 10th February. "I do not own a race car", says Colin, "it is a Street car!". However...

As you all know, we managed to totally destroy the engine in Bruce the Camaro back at Dragstalgia last year. I basically pushed the car too hard with a totally stock bottom end and after achieving a Personal Best of 11.34/117.96 the pistons and rods decided that that was enough and they didn't want to play any more.

Fast forward to today and the new engine build is coming on very nicely indeed. Dan Williams at Williams Bros Racing has had the new Dart block back from the machine shop all nicely bored and honed to perfection. The crank has also returned from balancing so he now has all of the pieces to build the new 454 big block engine. We initially hoped to be ready for Easter but an unforeseen delay in obtaining a couple of key items has put the debut back a month or so. Dan is a perfectionist when it comes to engine builds and is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Having checked into the workshops today to see the progress it was like visiting a maternity ward to see how your new baby is, so many engines there that Dan had to point out which one was mine! Lots of shiny bits, the heads look amazing and the pistons need to be displayed in a glass cabinet they look so good. Once the engine is built Dan will run it in on their very own Superflow engine dyno, only when he is totally happy will he do a power pull.

Needless to say, with the combination that Dan and Nic have specified there will be a fair amount of extra power, not saying how much more yet as we are running a sweepstake to see who will be closest.

With the extra power, other upgrades were looked at so the trusty TH400 is making way for a new TH350, new fuel lines and Earls Performance fittings throughout and a replacement fuel tank that previously saw life in Mike Lacey's Metamorphosis Camaro. We had already replaced the differential a couple of years ago but to finish off the driveline new stronger half shafts are being fitted. The brakes are having a major overhaul as we want to make sure the car stops as well as it goes.

Whilst Dan is concentrating on the mechanicals, Nic and Ash at OCS Paint will be carrying out some paintwork to the rear of the car. I unfortunately picked up a deep scratch on the rear quarter panel last year and let's just say that lots of over-enthusiastic burnouts created a fair amount of stone chips. We had to roll the wheel arches a couple of years ago so that the slicks didn't rub, so repairs needed there as well so it makes perfect sense to do all of this whilst the axle and old fuel tank are removed. They will also replace the rear shocks and repaint the CalTracs.

Plans for this season will be again just one race meeting due to work commitments, so expect to see Bruce on the entry list for the SPRC Summernationals. I wish I could enter three classes but two is the limit, so this year it will be Modurstang Pro ET, just to see if I can win my pound coin back from Lee Huxley, and for sheer fun I'm going to enter Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator as I have always wanted to go on the Cruise and to be able to say that I have raced with the quickest street cars in Europe. I still aim to do the occasional passenger ride as I enjoy them so much because the victims I select haven't really go a clue what to expect. We do have one very special passenger ride to do however, as Bruce decided to have a front tyre blowout whilst on a two-mile journey to take the future Mrs Marshall to her wedding last November resulting in a back-up car being called. That run will be quite emotional especially as we hope Nikki wears her wedding dress for the occasion. We also have a top secret driver lined up to take Bruce for a blast or two down the famous quarter mile at Santa Pod at some point during the year.

At this point I have to say massive thanks to Lucas Oil UK for their continued support. We will be using their break-in oil when the engine is built, then switch over to their racing oil when the engine is run in. The transmission will be using the Lucas Oils Automatic Transmission Fluid, even the braking system will be receiving the Lucas treatment with their synthetic brake fluid. Finally the radiator will be receiving the Lucas Oils Super Coolant. Big up for Santa Pod for giving us the incredible facility that we race on, cannot wait to see the new concrete track. Thanks also to the whole Eurodragster.com team, especially Kirstie whom I embarrassingly forgot to mention at the SPRC Trophy Night (Kirstie added to the passenger ride list).

It goes without saying that I honestly couldn't do any of this without the help and support of Nic, Dan and Keith Williams. Nothing is too much trouble for them especially as I haven't really got a clue what a spanner is actually for. Think I'll stick to commentating and driving my Street car.

Swift snippets.

22nd February: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the words "Coming to the Home of European Drag Racing in 2018 – full story coming soon". Working for Elon Musk not necessary to get this one we'd say, but if you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at [email protected].

Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren is seeking a clutch mechanic for the FIA / FIM Main Event and FIA / FIM European Finals and other FIA rounds if interested. For more information you can call Michael on +46 72 157 1414 or E-Mail [email protected].

Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for sending us Version 2 of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 30th March-1st April. You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. You can download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

Micallef, Giordmaina, Borg honoured.
22nd February: Further to his news item of 16th February, Oliver Attard has been touch with more good news from the island of Malta:

Every year in Malta the Association of Sport Journalists, of which I am a member, together with Sportmalta, the entity that governs sports and sports facilities in Malta, organise the Malta Sports Awards. There are lots of categories to make sure that everyone is included.

The Malta Motorsport Federation, of which I am also the General Secretary, had three nominations for this year's awards. William England, Vice President of the Malta Motorsport Federation was nominated for the huge work he has done in taking local motorsport to a new level in every aspect - safety, regulations, organisation and so on. MMF and the Malta Drag Racing Association nominated the Simon Giordmaina Racing Team (Super Street Bike), made up of Simon Giordmaina and Franklyn Borg, for Team of the Year, and Duncan Micallef (Top Fuel Dragster) was nominated for the highest award, Sportsman of The Year.

William did not make it to the Finals of these awards, however Simon, Franklyn and Duncan did make it. Simon and Franklyn came in a prestigious third place for Team of the Year for finishing the third in the FIM Europe Super Street Bike Cup. Duncan, after winning the Sportsman of the Year last year and becoming the next fastest race driver behind Anita Mäkelä, was again acknowledged by Maltese sports journalists and was awarded Sportsman of the Year again for winning the FIA Europan Top Fuel Dragster Championship.

This is a huge success for the local motorsport community and especially for drag racing in Malta. From our tiny island we would like to thank you all for the support which our drivers get while racing all over Europe. Both the Simon Giordmaina Racing Team and Duncan Micallef will be back in this year's FIA and FIM European Drag Racing Championships.

Web site updates.
22nd February: Dynmaic photo-journalism duo Steve and Julie Moxley have had reports and pictures from the 2017 Open Sport Nationals and NSRA Hot Rod Drags posted on the Eat My Ink web site at www.eatmyink.com.

FIM Championships registration open.
20th February: Many thanks to Darren Prentice for letting us know that registration is now open for the 2018 FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships. You can register for FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike, Supertwin, Pro Stock Bike and Super Street Bike at www.tgeurope.eu.

Registration for the FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike Cup is free; to register for the Junior Cup please E-Mail Darren at [email protected].

Santa Pod track work update.

19th February: Keith Bartlett, CEO of Trakbak Racing Ltd has sent an update on the works at Santa Pod Raceway:

After a period of some 6 weeks with bad weather postponing the pouring of the concrete, Santa Pod saw the first concrete pour take place (starting at 5.30 am) on Wednesday the 14th February – a very nice Valentine present for the Pod! The period of unsuitable weather over the last 2 weeks has certainly brought about a 'squeaky bum' scenario for some of us – especially me, here at Santa Pod Raceway. With almost £1m (one million pounds) invested into this project we cannot afford mistakes or any major delays. We already have had to lose some of our early RWYB events because of the delayed works, due to poor weather conditions.

We have completed two fifths of the total pour required – so we still have more pours to be completed, which if the weather holds next week we are hoping for completion of the laying of all the concrete.

The requirements for laying the concrete track are that we need to avoid high wind speeds, to allow the laser levelling to remain 100% accurate, plus the outside temperature cannot be too cold - and no rain at all. Now we all know that is a 'big ask' at the best of times at Santa Pod - let alone throughout the winter months.

With that said we are all very excited at Santa Pod to be laying this new track in concrete to the full quarter-mile. At the same time, we are re-laying quite a large and important area of the shutdown area (in asphalt), which we feel sure will be very welcomed by the racers.

If you look at the photographs accompanying this article you can even see in these photos the standard of the track surface being laid. We are hoping we are going to give British drag racing one of the best drag racing surfaces anywhere in Europe - a tall order and big statement I know, but that is our goal and target. In addition, I would like to get European track records back at Santa Pod Raceway.

The company that are carrying out the re-laying of the track is 'Knights Construction' who I must say are doing a very professional job and meeting all the high design and laying criteria that they and we set at the outset of this project way back at the beginning of August in 2017. We have found all the management and staff at Knights Construction to be our type of people – professional people, who are of the mind set similar to us; that being; 'can do - and will do'! Of all the contractors, I have dealt with since purchasing Santa Pod Raceway in 1996 and having laid two previous tracks at Santa Pod, plus one at Avon Park (as it was called then), I must add Knights Construction and their MD Matt Jones are top level.

We have also re-constructed and re-modelled the spectator bank and people will be very pleasantly surprised at the result. The bank was also laser levelled and now has an alignment with the track along with better access and a pathway on the top.

Neale Saunders who has directly project managed the whole works on behalf of Santa Pod added: "The whole project has been enthralling since the very start. Knights Construction understood very quickly what was required and the gravity of such an important development for Santa Pod and Knights MD Matt Jones even made the effort to visit the US to take in an NHRA event with me to meet the head of their operations department which has laid 20+ tracks over the years. Work began on site soon after the design came together and was signed off in the autumn. The one thing fans won't see is the incredible amount of construction that lays beneath the super smooth surface. There are 3 newly installed drains running down the entire length of the quarter mile to keep the subbase dry; the old WW2 runway was ripped out and crushed to form part of the 750 mm deep foundation so with 8,600 square metres of track to build this was no small task. Huge thanks must go to Danny Bradshaw of Knights and the extremely capable men of the Earth Moving Division who were responsible for expertly installing the many thousands of tons of material that went into the track and the spectator banking. They may be "The warm up act" for the concrete laying guys but; what an act!

The technical side of the concrete laying operation led by Greg Davis is very impressive; the accuracy on this job is more exacting than Knights would normally work to, with state of the art laser screed machines dictating the grade of the surface to within 2mm. There will be a very slight 50 mm fall from right to left of across the 20 m width of the track (compared to a fall of up to 175 mm in places on the old track) to help with shedding water. The track walls have been heightened too allow for the uplift required. The finish on the concrete surface is something we have worked hard on; sourcing opinions from American Crew Chiefs, Safety Safari track crew, track whisperers and not forgetting our very own hugely experienced SPRC track crew. As most will know, track prep is a very important part of Championship Drag Racing so it was vital that the correct finish is left on the concrete to allow for our prep team to apply the magic. Knights installed test patches to allow us to decide on the best finish, which is just short of a shine. This, coupled with a new counter rotator track prep machine on order from Andy Robinson Race Cars, will see Santa Pod take another step towards regaining those European records.

A vital part of the soul of Santa Pod is the spectator banking, which has been remodeled. My intention here was simple; improve on the best bits and get rid of the bad bits. The old bank had significant areas that were not usable, particularly past half track. Some areas were very steep and unsuitable and other areas were flat which meant viewing was difficult. The bank at the startline had the best gradient so we selected that and applied it to the whole bank, right to the finish line. The height is now uniform (the startline end was much lower than the finish line) with a wide new path rather that the old rocky and muddy one. The pedestrian ramp is less steep and directed towards the toilets at the rear of the bank to allow for uninterrupted viewing by the faithful on the front elevation. The Hill Bar remains, as a fan favorite; the view from here will be much better as the height gain really is noticeable. We have also sought the advice of a seed consultant to be sure we have the right type of seed and fertilizer to ensure the bank will be ready to receive spectators at the Festival of Power over the Easter weekend. All in all, we are all very proud of the improvements at Santa Pod and hope that these commitments to the racers (track) and spectators (banking) will be enjoyed by all for many years to come."

In closing I feel that we have given both racers and spectators alike something not only new for 2018, but have made some major improvements to the whole facility at Santa Pod Raceway. I can't wait for the season to begin in earnest.

Festival of Power entry update.
19th February: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for sending us Version 1 of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 30th March-1st April.

You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

"The new entry form system is having a few teething problems", says Ian. "Pete Walters has come up with a fix to help us out as follows: If you are using Chrome or Firefox browsers then a downloaded PDF file will open automatically in Chrome's PDF viewer, which for some reason disables the use of the submit button. You can disable it in your own browser to open in Adobe Reader which then works. So if you are having issues then please try it and let us know how you get on. Alternately if you open the PDF from wherever you saved it, then it will open in Reader and work."

You can download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

Ian adds that Santa Pod Racers Club would like to thank last year's class title sponsors for continuing their involvement in Championship classes in 2018. "Once again Gearhead Garage are helping us with Super Pro ET, and Modurstang will be title sponsors for Pro ET class", he says, "Junior Dragster will also be supported by longtime sponsor Lucas Oil. We thank all of you for your support and ask that our members use these sponsors wherever possible."

If you have any queries about Festival of Power then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected].

Hybrids join UK electric exclusion.
19th February: Ian Marshall also tells us that further to the notes of last week's Riders' and Drivers' Meeting, entries will now not be accepted from hybrid race vehicles as well as from electric race vehicles for Championship events at Santa Pod Raceway.

"We are setting up a working group in order to get electric vehicles back racing at the track as soon as we possibly can", says Ian. "We will keep you updated with any news on Eurodragster.com."

Electric and hybrid vehicles are still permitted at Run What You Brung events.

If you have any queries then again please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected].

APIRA Trophy Night closing.
17th February: Jerry Cookson of Shakespeare County Raceway has been in touch with a reminder that today (Saturday) is the deadline for bookings for the Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and the National Association of Supertwins Trophy Presentation Evening which takes place at 18:00 on Saturday 3rd March in the Avon Room of the Hilton Warwick, Stratford Road, Warwick CV34 6RE (on Junction 15 of the M40).

Jerry asks that any 2017 APIRA Champions or runners-up who know that they will not be able to make the Trophy Evening E-Mail him at [email protected].

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.

If you have any queries then please call 01789 720180, or E-Mail [email protected].

Micallef confirms title defence.
16th February: 2017 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion, Malta's Duncan Micallef, has confirmed that he will be contesting the full Championship Tour again in 2018. Oliver Attard writes:

During an ceremony at a hotel in St. Julian's Duncan exhibited the four trophies which he won during 2017, a gesture appreciated by his sponsors who were present when he announced his news. Duncan explained that is not easy for any non-professional driver to contest two consecutive Championships, but the support of his team, his sponsors and car owner Rune Fjeld Motorsport had made it an easier decision for him. The good news was welcomed by the many fans who follow Duncan both at home and overseas.

The sponsors behind Duncan in 2017 were Bajada New Energy, JP Portelli Projects, Mobile Total and Kamtech, all of whom have confirmed their support once again for 2018.

Duncan's international commitments will start on 25th-28th May at Santa Pod Raceway, UK, then 10th-13th June at Tierp Arena, Sweden, 28th June-1st July at Alastaro, Finland, 17th-19th August at Hockenheim, Germany, 23rd-26th August again at Tierp Arena, Sweden and 6th-9th September at Santa Pod Raceway, UK. Apart from these six rounds Duncan will have two test sessions abroad.

Duncan's first appearance in Top Fuel Dragster this year will be at the first round of the Maltese Drag Racing Championship, organised by the Malta Drag Racing Association at Hal Far Raceway on 24th-25th March. This will be a wonderful experience for the whole family which no Maltese person should miss.

2018 French ATD calendar.
16th February: France's Association Trophée Dragster, the country's Championship, recently held its annual meeting to close the 2017 season and to plan its programme for 2018. Didier Canicave writes:

In 2017 the ATD organised three races, two at Clastres and one at Rivanazzano in partnership with American Motor Pavia in Italy and Run Cap Sud for the motorcycles at Clastres which were a real succes. Racers from all over the Europe were pleaased to join the ATD in 2017 and they all hope to return in 2018. The surface of Clastres Dragway is becoming better every year with preparation by ATD staff. ATD President Eric Angeloni would like to thank everyone - drivers, friends and especially volunteers - for the successful races in 2017.

In 2018 there are four races in the series:

5th-6th May: Rivanazzano (ATD, AMP)
23rd-24th June: Clastres Dragway (ATD)
28th-29th July: Clastres Dragway (ATD, RCS)
15th-16th September: Vichy Finales (ATD, RCS)

The main change for 2018 is the amalgamation of Street Run A, B and C into Sportsman ET with a bracket of 12.00 seconds to 19.00 seconds (except in Italy). The European Pro ET Challenge will join the ATD race at Clastres in July. Many racing organisations have contacted the ATD team wishing to run at the races in June and July races.

Finally Eric answered questions, technical and organisational, from French drivers and then the meeting was closed with the presentation of 2017 trophies.

Racers from all over Europe are welcome to race in the Association Trophée Dragster. If you would like more information then please E-Mail [email protected].

Stay tuned and on our next update we will bring you pictures from both the ATD and European Top Gas Series presentations.

Matthew adds Gravitas.

16th February: UK Junior Dragster racer Matthew Dowdy is pleased to announce support from Gravitas HR Solutions for the forthcoming season. Mark Exley of Gravitas HR Solutions was introduced to drag racing by Matthew's dad just before Matthew was born. Once Matthew was old enough to go with his dad and Mark it wasn't long before Junior Dragster beckoned.

On to 2018 and at the end of last season it was becoming clear that the ex-Paige Wheeler car wasn't going to be big enough, so after a few calls and E-Mails an order was placed with HalfScale for a car capable of accommodating somebody 6' 4" tall. The new car should be sailing across to the UK shortly. It was then that Mark decided to help with the new adventure, saying that "Gravitas HR helps businesses to fulfil their potential, and we are delighted to support Matthew in his development through the Junior ranks in what will be an exciting season with the new car."

Gravitas HR Solutions are located at Grange Park, Northampton and at www.gravitashr.co.uk where full details of their services can be found. If you are in need of HR advice, please support someone who supports the sport!

Swift snippets.
16th February: After delays purely induced by weather Knights Construction Group were yesterday able to commence laying the new concrete surface at Santa Pod Raceway. Pouring commenced under clear skies and you can check out an extensive gallery on Santa Pod Raceway's Facebook page.

Our Pit Reporter Simon spent yesterday at the London Classic Car Show at ExCel and as well as finding plenty of US cars to ogle he was pleased to find the stand of Eurodragster.com sponsor the Anglo American Oil Company, and to meet Anders and Eva Hildebrand, who sent their greetings to Eurodragster.com readers.

Voting for the 2017 season APIRA Perpetual Awards closes at 23:59 UK tonight (Friday). To place your vote 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.

SPR hook up with Camplify.
16th February: Peer-to-peer caravan hire and RV-sharing community Camplify has partnered with Santa Pod Raceway to provide RV accommodation for events in 2018. Camplify offers campers a wide selection of RV accommodation that can be booked at the following events:

Festival of Power (30th March-1st April)
Big Bang (27th–29th April)
FIA Main Event (25th-28th May)
Dragstalgia (13th-15th July)
Bug Jam (20th-22nd July)
FIA European Finals (6th-9th September)
Flame and Thunder Show (27th October)

Customers must purchase a ticket for the entire event to be able to camp, as Camplify RVs are not available for single day ticket holders.

Caroline Holden, Commercial Manager at Santa Pod Raceway said "The collaboration between Santa Pod Raceway and Camplify is one we hope will make attending events easier for our customers coming from afar. We are very excited to be one of the first companies to partner with Camplify so soon after their launch in the UK."

Camplify, one of the world's fastest growing, and Australia's largest, peer-to-peer caravan hire and RV-sharing community launched in the UK in 2017. In less than two years, Camplify grew to over 20,000 members in Australia and has connected thousands of holidaymakers with private owners of caravans, motorhomes and campers. The UK has over 800,000 registered RVs and the majority of them don't get used for more than two weeks per year.

You can find out more at www.camplify.co.uk/partnerships/santapod.

FAO Juniors attending NitrOlympX.
14th February: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall tells us that he has received confirmation from Frans Steilberg that the Junior Stock Dragster 11.90 minimum ET and five-year recertification period for all Junior Dragster harnesses will be applied at the NitrOlympX at Hockenheim on 17th-19th August.

If you have any queries then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 or E-Mail [email protected].

Taylor Motorsports recertification.
14th February: Kate Robinson has been in touch to let racers know that Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Robinson Race Cars have been authorised by Taylor Motorsports to recertify their 4.1 transmission blankets, 7.1 engine diapers, 14.2 and 14.3 blower restraints and 32A-15 and 32A-20 race suits.

For further information please contact ARRC via their web site at www.robinson-race-cars.co or call 01256 880589 (outside the UK +44 1256 880589).

Swift snippets.
14th February: Hayley, Marra mom, Marra Dad and the rest of Limited Funz Racing asked us to say a huge Happy Birthday to the owners and drivers of the Wrathchild slingshot, Rob and Pete Brown aka Marra 1 and Marra 2. "Here's to a great race season and another year of amazing memories!", they say. Have a great day both.

UK Riders' and Drivers' Meeting report.
11th February: The 2017 UK Riders' and Drivers' meeting took place this afternoon (Sunday) at the Hilton Hotel in Northampton. The official minutes of the meeting will be published in due course but these are the main points.

TECH CHANGES

There has been a change to the rule concerning blower restraints on Sportsman cars. Details can be found in the news item below this report.

Vehicles manufactured by a recognised mass motor manufacturer in 2010 or later, which run 10.00 seconds or slower and which do not exceed 149 mph will not require a roll cage providing that they have no modifications other than to the exhaust, air intake (not turbo or supercharger), ECU, drive train module, or upgraded brakes.

Due to governing body regulations electric cars, electric bikes and hybrids will not be permitted in any class in 2018. This will be continually reviewed but no electric or hybrid entries will be accepted this season.

UK CHAMPIONSHIPS

The dates of this year's ACU UK and UK National Drag Racing Championship rounds are listed below.

Shakespeare County Raceway announced on Eurodragster.com yesterday (Saturday) that the Springspeed Nationals will not be taking place. However the Open Sport Nationals remains on the calendar until advised otherwise. Whatever happens, APIRA membership will be valid in 2018 then will be reassessed for 2019.

From 2019 Santa Pod Raceway will hold Championship events over the early May and August Bank Holidays.

Entry forms for events at Santa Pod Raceway will be available tomorrow in PDF and Word format on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. Entry forms for the Festival of Power can be filled out and submitted electronically; if this is a success then it will be extended to other events.

Closing dates are listed on the entry forms and reminders will of course be posted here on Eurodragster.com.

All teams intending to field more than one driver or rider for the same vehicle must send a list of the season's drivers to Ian Marshall or Yvonne Tramm at SPRC before the Festival of Power.

It will no longer be possible to pay for entry in cash at an event.

Big Bang is an SPRC Championship round, not a UK National Championship round, round for 8.50 Bike and 9.50 Bike.

Super Street will again contest two sets of qualifying and eliminations, both of which will count for points, at the FIA / FIM Main Event and FIA / FIM European Finals. One entry fee covers both contests.

Junior Drag Bike will run as an FIM class at the FIA / FIM Main Event and the FIA / FIM European Finals.

To run in Sportsman ET at Bug Jam, a racer must have contested the class at least one preceding event this season.

Bug Jam will again be a non-points round for Lucas Oil Junior Dragster.

The two-day Redline Rumble will consist of two full one-day events (qualifying, eliminations, points and prize money each day) for Funny Bike, Comp Bike, 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, ET Bike, Supertwin Top Gas and Junior Drag Bike. One entry fee covers both days; it will not be possible to enter for one of the two days.

Nostalgia Funny Car will appear at the Festival of Power, FIA / FIM Main Event, SPRC Summernationals, FIA / FIM European Finals and the UK National Finals.

Outlaw Flat Four will appear at Big Bang and Bug Jam.

Classes with consistently small fields will be reviewed although no class will be removed without an alternative for the racers involved (example cited was Super Street could move to Pro ET).

Cars	MSA Pro Modified	Super Pro ET	Pro ET	Sportsman ET	Super Comp	Super Gas	Super Street	Street Eliminator	Junior Dragster	Other classes
Festival of Power Santa Pod Raceway 30th March-1st April	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	Top Fuel Dragster, Fuel FC, Nostalgia Fuel FC, Comp Eliminator, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Wild Bunch
Big Bang Santa Pod Raceway 27th-29th April				✔					✔	Fuel FC, Outlaw Anglia, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four, FWD, Nostalgia Super Stock
FIA / FIM Main Event Santa Pod Raceway 25th-28th May	✔ FIA & MSA	✔	✔		✔	✔	✔ double-header	✔	✔	FIA, Fuel FC, Nostalgia Fuel FC, Comp Eliminator
SPRC Summernationals Santa Pod Raceway 30th June-1st July	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	Nostalgia Fuel FC, Comp Eliminator, Outlaw Anglia, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Wild Bunch, Nostalgia Super Stock
Bug Jam Santa Pod Raceway 20th-22nd July				✔				✔	✔ non-points	Fuel FC, Outlaw Anglia, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four
Mopar Euronationals Santa Pod Raceway 27th-29th July	✔									Nostalgia Super Stock (non-permit)
Open Sport Nationals Shakespeare County Raceway 25th-27th August		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	Outlaw Anglia, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Wild Bunch, Nostalgia Super Stock
FIA / FIM European Finals Santa Pod Raceway 6th-9th September	✔ FIA & MSA	✔	✔		✔	✔	✔ double-header	✔	✔	FIA, Fuel FC, Nostalgia Fuel FC, Comp Eliminator
UK National Finals Santa Pod Raceway 6th-7th October	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	Nostalgia Fuel FC, Comp Eliminator, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Wild Bunch, Nostalgia Super Stock, Outlaw Flat Four

Bikes	Top Fuel Bike	Pro Stock Bike	Funny Bike	Super Street Bike	Comp Bike	8.50 Bike	9.50 Bike	Junior Drag Bike	Supertwin Top Gas	ET Bike / NAST Supertwin ET
Festival of Power Santa Pod Raceway 30th March-1st April	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Big Bang Santa Pod Raceway 27th-29th April						✔ SPRC only	✔ SPRC only		✔	✔
FIA/FIM Main Event Santa Pod Raceway 25th-28th May	✔ FIM	✔ FIM		✔ FIM				✔ FIM
SPRC Summernationals Santa Pod Raceway 29th June-1st July	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Redline Rumble Santa Pod Raceway 18th-19th August			✔ double-header		✔ double-header	✔ double-header	✔ double-header	✔ double-header	✔ double-header	✔ double-header
Open Sport Nationals Shakespeare County Raceway 25th-27th August		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔ NAST	✔
FIA/FIM European Finals Santa Pod Raceway 6th-9th September	✔ FIM	✔ FIM		✔ FIM				✔ FIM
UK National Finals Santa Pod Raceway 6th-7th October	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔

EVENT ENTRY

Entry fees have been frozen this season.

Prize money has again been increased by 2% for this season.

2017 Santa Pod Racers Club Champions will again receive free entry to rounds at Santa Pod Raceway in 2018 with the exception of Top Fuel Bike, Supertwin Top Gas, Super Street, Comp Eliminator, Pro Stock Bike and Junior Drag Bike. Free entry applies even if you change classes. At FIA / FIM events SPRC will cover the equivalent of the National Championship entry fee for Pro Modified, Pro Stock Bike and Super Street Bike. In the case of teams with more than one driver, one team driver per event will receive the free entry. Pitside power must still be paid for. The free entry must be used during 2018.

For this year's SPRC Champions to receive free entry in 2019 there must have been an average of four bikes contesting events in Top Fuel Bike and an average of six vehicles in each other class.

Class	Two-day event	Three-day event	Four-day event
MSA British Pro Modified; Top Fuel Dragster; Fuel Funny Car; Top Methanol; Nostalgia Funny Car	£160	£170	n/a NB FIA classes pay FIA fees for FIA European Championship events
ET classes; Super classes; Junior Dragster; Comp Eliminator; Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator; VW classes; Outlaw Flat Four; Wild Bunch; Outlaw Anglia; Nostalgia Super Stock; other Sportsman car classes	£130	£145	£170
ACU Top Fuel Bike	£165	£170	n/a NB FIM classes pay FIM fees for FIM European Championship events
ACU Funny Bike; ACU Pro Stock Bike; ACU Comp Bike; ACU Super Street Bike; 9.50 Bike; 8.50 Bike; ACU Supertwin Gas; NAST Supertwin Gas; ACU ET Bike / NAST Supertwin ET; Junior Drag Bike	£135	£150	n/a NB FIM classes pay FIM fees for FIM European Championship events
Jet Car	£155	£170	TBC
Exhibition	£165	£170	TBC

PITSIDE POWER AT SANTA POD RACEWAY

Fees for single-phase power supply at Santa Pod Raceway have increased by £5 per event (not per day of event). The fees below will be frozen until 2020.

Event duration	Single phase	Three phase
2 days	£50	£145
3 days	£60	£155
4 days	£75	£170

OTHER BUSINESS

The UK rule book is to be made available on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site. SPRC members will still receive a copy of the rule book on a USB memory stick.

The first 300 feet of concrete is scheduled to be laid at Santa Pod Raceway tomorrow (Monday).

Andy Robinson Race Cars is building a counter-rotating sled for track prep at Santa Pod Raceway.

UK blower restraint update.
11th February: Ian Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club has been in touch with an update on blower restraint regulations for UK Sportsman racers:

Any Sportsman vehicle (non-FIA) running as quickly as 6.00 seconds, using a Roots-type supercharger which currently requires a restraint system, will now be able to run a SFI 14.1 restraint. This is regardless of running methanol or race gas. Nitromethane is of course a separate specification and still requires a 14.3 restraint. Previously some vehicles had to run the 14.2 restraint; these are still legal, but the slightly lower spec is now acceptable.

14.2 restraints are still mandatory in Comp Eliminator classes AA/BM, BB/AM and AA/PM.

Nomex strap covers are mandatory on vehicles running between 6.00 and 7.50 seconds on methanol, and are recommended on vehicles running between 6.00 and 7.50 seconds on race gas.

All other restraint systems remain as per the rule book.

If you have any queries then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 or E-Mail [email protected].

Shakespeare County Raceway statement.
10th February: We have received the following statement from Shakespeare County Raceway:

It is with regret that we have to inform the drag racing community that, at this time, due to planning constraints we are unable to fulfil our commitment to run our planned MSA/ACU APIRA Springspeed Nationals due to be held on the May Bank Holiday Weekend. We would like to thank all of the racing community from the National Championship for their support towards all the rounds held previously at Shakespeare County Raceway.

Further updates will be issued in due course.

Rockingham opens with No Prep Nationals.
10th February: The UK's Rockingham Drag Strip opens its doors for the first time on Monday 7th May hosting the Second Annual No Prep Nationals as well as drifting on the Motor Speedway's Outer Paddock and track action on the National Circuit. Paul Marston writes:

Rockingham Motor Speedway, near Corby, opened its doors in 2001 and was built to host many formulas including the CART Champ Car series. Over the years it has developed into a multi-purpose venue.

Rockingham Drag Strip is a temporary track on the pit road overlooked by the impressive Rockingham Building Grandstand, which houses just under 10,000 seats. After North Weald hosted the Gearhead Garage No Prep Nationals last July, Rockingham will host the Second Annual No Prep Nationals, again over the eighth-mile with no times and no speeds. This time there will be no Christmas Tree; in true Street Outlaw Racing style there will be a flashlight start, one winner, one loser. There will be no maximum car count as there was at North Weald, which was limited to sixteen. This will be an all-run field: if you enter, then you will run.

There will also be proper grudge racing and RWYB available; details of the format and all entry fees will be published soon. This is an Outlaw Track so things will be done a little differently. We have no restrictions and this is not a National event track, this is Street Outlaw-style racing in a safe environment, big cash prize money, put-up-or-shut-up drag racing.

The No Prep Nationals will run the same format as in 2017: two test hits then into eliminations, all names drawn out of a hat for elimination pairings and lane choice. Run to conclusion, guaranteed cash purses paid on the day to winner and runner-up.

To all the No Prep and drag racing fans out there: you are in for a great experience. There are great viewing areas available at Rockingham so come and check this place out, as you will not be disappointed. This facility truly is breathtaking. There are modern features which any competitor would expect from a professional facility including very-reasonable-to-rent pit garages with mains power, hard-standing parking areas, great hospitality opportunities and media facilities.

As you can imagine, there is a whole lot to be done when you start up a new track so please bear with us. But you can hopefully see that the focus is going to be on having a lot of fun. After all that's what it's all about, right? We will get more information to you as soon as we have it, there's not much time but this great sport needs this track and the track needs you. For this to be a success Rockingham Drag Strip needs your attendance and support to help put it on the map. We need marketing partners, sponsors, magazine coverage, race fans, competitors, and marshals. If you think you have something to offer then please let us know.

To register your interest for the No Prep Nationals, grudge racing or RWYB please get in touch with us on 07831 650230, E-Mail [email protected] or visit our new Rockingham Dragstrip Facebook page. Please also contact us for all enquiries from race series organisations or car clubs interested in attending.

I must thank the Rockingham team for all of their co-operation in making this happen.

Stay tuned for more information: there is a lot to tell you about this great new drag racing facility.

Rodman's ride.
10th February: Top Fuel Bike racer, Supertwin crew and acknowledged Marie Rose sauce connoisseur Al Smith tells us that Thursday's spy picture depicted Sean Rodman's new nitro twin which is nearing completion.

"The bike should be ready for its début at Easter", says Al. "It has a state-of-the-art 198 cubic inch motor by Johnny Vickers at Hawaya Racing, the same equipment currently being campaigned by Ricky House at Pomona."

The pictures show progress so far and Big Al has promised to keep us posted.

2018 Top Doorslammer calendar.
10th February: Many thanks to Martin Westerlund for sending us the calendar for the 2018 EDRS Top Doorslammer Series:

19th-20th May: Summit EDRS Members Memorial, Malmö Raceway
29th June-1st July: Sundsvall 1, Sundsvall Raceway
6th-8th July: Midnight Sun Drag Festival, Pite Dragway
27th-29th July: Mantorp Drag Revival, Mantorp Park
7th-9th September: Winter Nats, Malmö Raceway
22nd-23rd September: Night of Fire, Tierp Arena

You can find the official Top Doorslammer web site at www.topdoorslammer.com.

Swift snippets.

10th February: UK Pro ET racer Andy Thetford is proud to announce sponsorship from Thompson Elphick Chartered Accountants of Aylesford (01622 790055). After contesting one event in 2017 Andy plans to compete at all UK Championship rounds in 2018 toting a new Steve Schmidt motor. "It's all a bit strange as I said I would never own a race car!", says Andy. Talk to Colin Theobald about that one, Andy.

UK Pro Modified racer Chris Orthodoxou is seeking crew for his blown-alcohol Dodge Viper. "Previous experience with blown-alcohol engines, Racepak etc would be a big advantage", says Chris. "Essential attributes are enthusiasm, mechanical knowledge, reliable, and willing to lay under the sexiest race car you ever did see, in the cold, and working until stupid o'clock in the morning if required but, at the same time, a desire to have a bloody good laugh". For more information and contact details check out Drivers / Crew required on our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet.

If you were tuned in to our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Autosport International coverage you will have read about the possibly-limited FIA European Championship and Nostalgia Slingshot plans of Danish Top Fuel Dragster racer Stig Neergaard. Stig has now announced the purchase of a Top Fuel Dragster chassis from John Force Racing and courtesy of our good buddy Remco Scheelings you can read more on the Drag Racing Europe Blog by clicking here.

Martin Wilson tells us that his extensive collection of drag racing memorabilia, which he put up for grabs here on Eurodragster.com News on 18th January, has all gone. "The response was unbelievable!", says Martin. "Everything has gone to fantastic new homes. Many thanks to Tim, Colin Theobald (the great man himself!) and the lovely Sarah. I do really appreciate Eurodragster.com helping me out, good luck for the new season". Thanks very much indeed Martin, you are very welcome.

NSRA seek help in DfT consultation.
10th February: Hannah Thomas writes on behalf of the National Street Rod Association seeking support against the latest threat to the UK hot rod, kit car and VW industry, namely the regulations for implementing EU emissions and safety rules, including new fuel consumption testing, and supply of defeat device penalties:

As you may be aware, there is new Department for Transport legislation in the pipeline that could greatly affect the UK hot rod, kit car and VW industry. Section 4.10 - 4.13 of the Air Quality and Safety consultation covers changes to cars going through IVA. This consultation proposes that for cars going through IVA, compliance with the MOT emissions standards current at the date of registration will be required, despite the use of an older engine. In other words, the current guidelines for emissions according to the age of the engine will no longer apply.

The introduction of SVA, and then IVA, allowed our industry to produce vehicles to a recognised safe standard, quite often using parts that are already manufactured and in circulation. The older style of engines being vital to the core appeal of the model, and / or the potential costs of fitting compliant engines being so expensive as to cause sales to fall to unsustainable levels.

As I'm sure you have noticed, on a day-to-day basis there are few classic cars on the roads, often reserved for special occasions, days out and perhaps limited touring during the summer months. It is not uncommon for these cars to have limited mileage insurance, typically 2000-6000 miles per year, with many not covering more than 1000 miles annually. The emissions impact by this small fleet of cars is so small and does not warrant the heavy-handed controls that are being considered.

It does seem that if there is sufficient pressure and clear, genuine reasons why this part of the legislation could be catastrophic to our industry, there is a fair chance it could be removed from the proposals, but it is up to UK car enthusiasts to respond! And fast – the consultation closes on 2nd March 2018.

The list of Consultees involved in producing this consultation doesn't actually contain any parties to do with the kit car / kit altered / radically altered vehicle scene. There seems to be a clear lack of understanding by the Consultation authors on what type of vehicle uses BIVA and DVLA rules for retaining original identity.

This does not only affect people building hot rods, kit cars and altered VWs in the future, but also those who have been building with the rules in mind for many years. Many projects take 5-10 years to build due to additional outlays and time restraints. This doesn't simply require an engine change but a redesign to create a whole new package. Purchase of new engines would be very costly, about £3,000 for four cylinders and upwards of £7,000 for a V8 without peripherals. Aftermarket ECUs are not sophisticated enough run to levels required. Radically Altered vehicles are based on modifying existing vehicles so the engine is already in use,rather than causing major pollution with new car production. This is ultimately recycling - keeping parts in use rather than causing major pollution with new car production. Even if you have currently on the road; if it is ever written off in the future, it would then have to be rebuilt to BIVA specifications regardless of what engine it currently has and therefore it would have to conform to these emissions tests. This consultation will affect far more people than those currently building projects now.

Note current at date of registration - for now, that means 2018. As the years go forward and regulations change, so will the requirements to be met, i.e. one simple change to upgrade specs and it's game over for an entire UK industry.

If this legislation were implemented, it will affect businesses sufficiently that they might have to close. Many have small workshops and not a vast workforce, but all have many times that number indirectly employed who have specialist skills and rely on the popular kit car and hot rod market. It will kill a multi-million pound industry stone dead.

Here at the National Street Rod Association, along with other key stakeholders, we are doing everything we can to spread awareness of the impact this will have on the UK car scene and are doing all we can to preserve our way of life. We are asking if you are able to create awareness of this consultation, assist us in asking people to respond urgently in the hope that the legislation will not come into law.

APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 6.
9th February: 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 Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and National Association of Supertwins Trophy Night on Saturday 3rd March. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners.

The final shortlist is the McDonald Racing Ireland Best Newcomer trophy, for the most promising newcomer to contest events at Shakespeare County Raceway, was presented for the first time in 2012 and is posted by Graham, Edel and Gabrielle McDonald. The shortlist for the McDonald Racing Ireland Best Newcomer trophy, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

Andy Ball (ET Bike)
Vote for Andy Ball

Ian Dance (VW Sportsman)
Vote for Ian Dance

Leah Kellett (Super Comp)
Vote for Leah Kellett

Guy King (Nostalgia Super Stock, Pro ET)
Vote for Guy King

Holley Walters (Sportsman ET)
Vote for Holley Walters

Amy, Neil and Tom Watkins (Nostalgia Super Stock)
Vote for the Watkins family

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. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the title then simply send an E-Mail to [email protected] giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote 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 APIRA direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.

Voting closes at 23:59 UK next Friday (16th).

Swift snippets.
9th February: Courtesy of photo-journalist Mike Collins is a preview of his Hot Gossip column from the February edition of Street Machine magazine...

...together with a look back at a column from November which features legendary Rocket pilot and British Drag Racing Hall of Fame member Slammin' Sammy Miller.

UK Riders' and Drivers' meeting update.
8th February: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall has been in touch with an important message for those attending this Sunday's UK Riders' and Drivers' Meeting at the Hilton Hotel in Northampton:

If any National or SPRC Champions who are coming to the Riders' and Drivers' Meeting did not collect their trophy or (for SPRC Champions) jacket at the recent SPRC Dinner Dance then please contact me at [email protected] or call 01933 313625 and I will bring them to the meeting to be presented.

The UK Riders' and Drivers' Meeting commences at 12:30 at the Hilton Hotel, Northampton, on the eastbound A45 just off Junction 15 of the M1 (postcode is NN4 0XW, map). For more information please see our news item of 12th January.

VP Racing Fuels back Doorslammers.
8th February: Santa Pod Raceway are delighted to announce VP Racing Fuels as the latest sponsor for the new featured event in their 2018 event calendar - the Doorslammers on 19th-20th May. VP will not only be the official fuel supplier to the event but will also take title sponsorship of the Pro Doorslammer class. This class prize pot is worth £20,000 and is sure to attract some of the fastest doorslammer entries from across Europe.

"With VP's strong involvement and ties with street racing in the US, the association with the Doorslammers event is a natural fit to support a new featured event at Santa Pod Raceway", says VP's International Sales Manager Marc Wesler. "Santa Pod Raceway is a great partner and continues to help expose the VP brand to the European market. We are excited to be the official fuel for the event and title sponsor of the Pro Doorslammer class."

VP Racing Fuels have been an Official Partner to Santa Pod for the last eight years providing fuel solutions for drag racing teams across a number of classes. Santa Pod recently forged a new partnership with them as the venue chose VP Fuels as their preferred supplier of track glue. Their product Lane Choice 5 (LC5) is now an established weapon in Santa Pod's track armoury and will continue to play a significant role in the launch of the brand new concrete drag strip.

Swift snippets.

8th February: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the words "More to follow!". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at [email protected].

Good luck and stay safe to Jonnie Lindberg, Julie Nataas, Fred Hanssen and Ulf Leanders who are contesting this weekend's Lucas Oil Winternationals at Pomona. Top Alcohol qualifying commences at 00:00 UK / 01:00 European tonight and you will be able to stay in touch with our heroes' progress courtesy of the Drag Race Central web site at www.dragracecentral.com.

RedZone Betting on Doorslammers.
6th February: Santa Pod Raceway are very pleased to welcome RedZoneSports, who specialise in American Sports, as their betting partner for the upcoming Doorslammers on 19th-20th May. RedZoneSports are offering some great incentives for Doorslammers and drag racing fans which you can find at www.redzonesports.bet/santapod.

There's a long standing association between betting and drag racing; teams and fans alike can be heard making predictions on the results of races. Warren Llambias, Co-Founder of RedZoneSports.bet said "We are excited to join with Santa Pod and become part of the wider drag racing fraternity. As the British home of this particular American sport we hope, working closely with our TrakBak partners, to find ways to enhance the unique thrill of drag racing!"

Santa Pod are also very pleased to announce that entries are now open for the event and that the first cars have already entered. It's already looking like an event to remember! You can enter and/or view the current entry list at www.thedoorslammers.co.uk.

Swift snippets.
6th February: We have posted our provisional Event Coverage schedule including those webcasts planned so far. More event will be added. The schedule can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. We are undergoing formal sponsorship renewals at present but a big Thank You to Dave Riswick who has already confirmed that John Woolfe Racing will again be sponsoring our Event Coverage in 2018.

Web site updates.
6th February: Our good buddy photo-journalist Steve Moxley has had a report and pictures from the UK National Finals posted on the Eat My Ink web site at www.eatmyink.com.

APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 5.
5th February: 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 Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and National Association of Supertwins Trophy Night on Saturday 3rd March. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners.

For six of the 2017 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. One shortlist will be posted per week; the remaining lists will be posted on Mondays starting next week.

The latest shortlist is the Alan Wigmore Memorial Trophy. The founder of the National Drag Racing Club, Alan Wigmore was dedicated to every aspect of the sport at home as well as in America. As Chairman of the NDRC Alan got to do just about every job there was to organise as well as run race events. This Award is presented in Alan's memory to the chosen individual who has shown the same dedication, spirit and enthusiasm for the sport which Alan showed in his years in drag racing.

The APIRA selection panel's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

Scott Cooper (VP Racing UK Drag Karts)
Vote for Scott Cooper

Phil, Brett and Jasmine Cordelle (ACU Drag Bike)
Vote for the Cordelle family

Robbie Dobbie and Dave Smart (ET Bike)
Vote for Robbie Dobbie and Dave Smart

Dave Rowlands (Shakespeare County Raceway track prep)
Vote for Dave Rowlands

Luke Stevenson (Volkswagen Drag Racing Club)
Vote for Luke Stevenson

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. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the title then simply send an E-Mail to [email protected] giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote 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 APIRA direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.

The final category, McDonald Racing Ireland Best Newcomer, will be posted this Friday (9th).

APIRA Trophy Night update.
5th February: Jerry Cookson of Shakespeare County Raceway has been in touch with a reminder that Saturday 17th February is the deadline for bookings for the Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and the National Association of Supertwins Trophy Presentation Evening which takes place at 18:00 on Saturday 3rd March in the Avon Room of the Hilton Warwick, Stratford Road, Warwick CV34 6RE (on Junction 15 of the M40).

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.

Jerry asks that any 2017 APIRA Champions or runners-up who know that they will not be able to make the Trophy Evening E-Mail him at [email protected].

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.

If you have any queries then please call 01789 720180, or E-Mail [email protected].

Close enough to go again.
5th February: Andy Frost and the Red Victor team returned to Bahrain in January to continue the quest for a five-second pass with a street legal car, and then to go for Jeff Lutz' ET and speed records for a quarter mile in a street-legal car. Frosty writes:

As before ace tuner and good friend Shane Tecklenburg was in the house, and determined to get Red Victor 3 hauling down the track and running how it should. The consensus outside our camp was that there was no way that a 2965 lb car could ever achieve the numbers we were after, and we were after proving those naysayers wrong.

Of course, all of this isn't easy. Shipping the car and truck 5000 miles, getting the crew there, sourcing stolen items, fixing broken trucks, fixing the car, shipping the upgraded engine and trans and spares are all consuming. But we signed up for it, so it just has to get dealt with without fuss or drama so that we can carry on with the task in hand.

The team of Deb, Gary, Badger and myself, along with 5 Second Club members Nick Bradley and Nik Wadsworth (and Gurmeet Dhanjal later on) got there early to refit the engine and trans, check the car over and get it ready to make a test lap. Four days later, after a host of niggly problems which needed fixing, we got done. We found out that leaving a car standing for a year doesn't do it any good, although at least it was standing out of the sun!

We got a few test laps under our belt (albeit with tyre shake / spin) and continued to get further down the track as we learnt things from the data. We eventually managed to run the full quarter to get a baseline on the new Lamude Racing-built engine. This told us that the engine was in good shape, and more importantly that the tune-up was incredibly safe! In fact so safe that it wasn't actually making any power of note. As we were having issues with the suspension and wheelie bar we decided not to bother with the sixty foot time and to concentrate on 330 feet onwards to try to reach that initial goal.

Shane set about chipping fuel and adding timing in small increments till the plugs looked like they had actually fired, so we would gain some more power. Our initial test lap was 6.36, then 6.18, 6.04, 6.03 then finally 6.022/250.92 which put us 0.18 seconds and 0.5 mph off the record, and tantalisingly close to our initial goal of 5.999. This paid dividends when we realised how much power this standard bore space Chevy engine with the Precision 102 mm Pro Mod turbos made! By weight and speed right around 3650 hp and the seventy per cent level we are at now. Not so bad!

The next run was going to be the one, but as always in this sport of ours something has to give. This time the pinion stripped its teeth at around 150ft. Unfortunately this was the last day of racing at the Bahrain International Circuit, and because with diff breakage comes trans breakage we just ran out of time trying to fix to get another run. Damn...

The team's initial reaction was so near and yet so far, and that it was time to pack up and come home. But our loyal supporters in the 5 Second Club, along with our main sponsor R-Tech Welding Equipment, were having none of it. They had been watching team member Andy Betsons's live video for two weeks and had followed the ups and downs minute by minute. They wanted us to come back and get the job finished, so within a week they raised enough for us to go back (without going broke).

So, the team are going back for one last go at Round 5 of the BDRC Championship on 6th-9th March. We will arrive there a week earlier to get the new diff - supplied and built by Hauser Racing - in the car, and to make the changes we want to make as well plus check the whole car over. This will include replacing the prop, slip yoke, valve springs (9600 rpm on the limiter when the diff broke) and then we can get a couple of test laps on the last day of Round 4. We are confident we'll be in the fives very soon after that, then we will do what is necessary to shoot for the ET and speed records. Of course only the timing slip counts...

Of course, doing something like this cannot be done by the team alone. It takes the help of sponsors and supporters to do it, and we couldn't ask for better in ours. Thank you to all of these companies and people who have helped and supported our quest for the last three years and more: the Red Victor 5 Second Full Members Club, Lamude Racing Engines, R-Tech Welding Equipment, Tuned by ShaneT, Precision Turbo and Engine, Turbosmart UK, E Kanoo Racing and Logistics, UTrackTV, VP Racing Fuels, Pro Alloy Motorsport, Goodridge Ltd, Cam Auto Developments, Steve Morris Engines, Belistore, Turbowerx, KA Sensors, Total Seal Piston Rings, Diamond Pistons, Manton Pushrods, Red Line Oils, Zircotec, Neal Chance Converters, Hutch Transmissions, Victory Performance, Powerlite Performance Electronics, WallworkHT, Wilson Manifolds, Precision Shaft Technologies, Prestige Group, Visner Engine Development, Trackstuff UK, Cartek Motorsport Electronics, Pro Torque, MSK Racing, Braille Batteries, Magnecor, Club Calibra and Plastics4Performance.

And finally Thank You to Adel Shaji, Hamad Shahabi and all the Bahrain Drag Racing Club guys, and Bahrain International Circuit who have accommodated our every need, and literally treated us like royalty every time we went to the track! Hope you keep watching...

2018 European Top Gas calendar.
4th February: Many thanks to Herman Jolink for forwarding us the calendar for the 2018 European Top Gas Series.

19th-20th May: Malmö Raceway, Sweden (eighth-mile)
1st-3rd June: Speed Days King of Germany, Alkersleben, Germany (eighth-mile)
23rd-24th June: Drag Day 1, Hoskovice, Czech Republic
27th-29th July: DHRA Main Event, Drachten, The Netherlands
17th-19th August: NitrOlympX, Hockenheim, Germany
31st August-1st September: Mosten Race Days, Allingaboro, Denmark (eighth-mile)

The best five of six events will count for Championship points. The Winter Nationals at Malmö Raceway on 7th-9th September is listed as a spare race.

Stay tuned as Herman has also kindly sent pictures from the recent Top Gas Series presentation. We will post these pictures very shortly.

Year 11 of the Challenge.
4th February: 2017 marked the tenth year of Germany's Super Pro ET Challenge, making it the longest-running drag racing Series in continental Europe. The organisers of the Super Pro ET and Pro ET Challenges joined forces, forming the Drag Race Union. Our good buddy Markus Münch writes:

The 2017 Super Pro ET Challenge winner was Oliver Petzold of Team Schumann Motorsport in his Roadster Corvette. He took a well-deserved win after a disturbing 2016 season with many gremlins in the car, preventing the team from runnign fast and consistent. The runner-up was Stefan Eisenhauer from Germany, third was Simon Rudiferia from the Südtirol and fourth was Enrico Bailo from Italy. So you can see that the challenge is an international affair. It mainly turned out that points were collected at Hockenheim, Rivanazzano and Clastres as well as at Drachten and Santa Pod Raceway. For 2018 we have an English entry for the first time ever alongside German, Swiss, Italian and French teams.

We truly thank our sponsors and supporters who add the salt. Thanks for their support in 2017 to Turboscheune.com, the Bavarian Drag Race Club, Spedition Schumann, Rechsteiner Bedachungen, Racepoint.it, Team 74 Bruckmüller, Eisenhauer KFZ Service and Tuttifix.ch.

Preperations for 2018 season are fully underway. Click here to read the rules, terms and conditions to participate in the Challenge in both German and English (PDF format). If you want to be part of the Challenge as a sponsor then give us a shout.

Information is spread throughout our web site at www.suproet.de and on our Facebook page.

Swift snippets.
4th February: UK Fuel Funny Car racer Steve Ashdown has asked us to say a big Thank You to Dave Robey of Robey Scaffolding (07931 501235) and to Gary Brooks of Fast2Finish Printers (0208 659 1119) for their continued sponsorship for the 2018 season. "These guys have been with me since I started in Rune Fjeld's Top Fuel Dragster in 2016", says Steve. "Without the continued help and support of companies like these I couldn't participate in this great sport we all love."

The latest spy picture to arrive at 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 [email protected].

Alan Martin writes that things are well underway for the 25th Annual NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway on 11th-13th May. "Plenty of the traditional track action, possibly even a few surprises thrown in for good measure", says Alan. "The DJ and bands are booked, as is the Saturday courtesy bus to Rushden Lakes, so all is looking good. It goes without saying that there will be plenty of track time for all of you to put your cars through their paces. Just to whet your appetite here's a sneak preview of this year's must-have T-Shirt. All you have to do now is to pencil the dates in your diary and we will see you all at Santa Pod. For updated information, or to book tickets, visit www.nostalgianationals.com."

Feature: Man Cup World Finals.

2nd February: The latest in our occasional series of Features presented in association with Lucas Oil Products is photo-journalist Steve Moxley's account of the Man Cup World Finals in Valdosta, which included a sizeable contingent of European racers.

You can take a look by clicking here or by clicking on the Features, Interviews, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Moxey's report on the FIA / FIM European Finals is now showing on the Eat My Ink web site at www.eatmyink.com.

Swift snippets.

2nd February: Bob Hancox writes that the Debbie Hancox Memorial Trophy, awarded to the team showing the most spirit and inspiration Outlaw Anglia class and voted for by the class' drivers and crew, was presented to Cliff Griffin at last weekend's Trophy Presentation. "We have made the difficult decision to end the trophy this year", says Bob on behalf of himself, Carole and Fiona. "We would like to thank everyone for their support and we congratulate not only Cliff as the final recipient but all of the the teams who have received the trophy over the last eleven years."

Further to Wednesday's news item, Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren adds that he is seeking a clutch mechanic for the FIA / FIM Main Event and FIA / FIM European Finals and other FIA rounds if interested. For more information you can call Michael on +46 72 157 1414 or E-Mail [email protected].

APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 4.
2nd February: 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 Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and National Association of Supertwins Trophy Night on Saturday 3rd March. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners.

For six of the 2017 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. One shortlist will be posted per week; the remaining lists will be posted on Mondays starting next week.

The latest shortlist is the APIRA Endeavour Award which 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:

The Coulsell family (The Wild Bunch)
Vote for the Coulsell family

Andy Hadfield aka Fadster (Supercharged Outlaws)
Vote for Andy Hadfield

Steve Moxley (Media)
Vote for Steve Moxley

Dave Smith (Media)
Vote for Dave Smith

Graham Smith (Tri-Chevy Shootout)
Vote for Graham Smith

Team Wrathchild (The Wild Bunch)
Vote for Team Wrathchild

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. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the title then simply send an E-Mail to [email protected] giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote 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 APIRA direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.

The remaining categories will be posted as follow:

Monday 5th February: Alan Wigmore Memorial Trophy
Friday 9th February: McDonald Racing Ireland Best Newcomer

Racers invited to StuntFest.
1st February: James Forster of Santa Pod Raceway writes to invite racers to bring their vehicles to StuntFest on Saturday 17th February:

StuntFest is an arena-based family fun day with stunts, jumps, monster trucks, a jet car, side shows and more. We're inviting racers from any class to take part in a static display for anyone wanting to put themselves, their vehicle and their sponsors in front of a family audience.

For anyone for whom a static display isn't quite enough, we're also happy to accommodate burnouts as part of the arena show. Last year we had Nigel Hale in his Street Eliminator C30 pick-up smoke out the arena, and he's looking to return in 2018. If you'd like to join him in burning rubber please do get in touch.

If you'd like to attend please contact James on 01234 782828 or E-Mail [email protected]. For more information on StuntFest please see www.stuntfest.co.uk.

Earlier news