UK Tech Committee meeting update. 30th September: Further to last Tuesday's news item, Yvonne Tramm asks that anyone intending to attend the UK Tech Committee Meeting on Sunday 13th October let either her or Ian Marshall know by close tomorrow (Tuesday). This is to allow SPRC to organise catering. You can E-Mail Yvonne at [email protected] and or Ian at [email protected]. Buy a rig, Bloodwise benefits. 30th September: UK Pro Modified racer Wayne Nicholson is selling his race rig (Pro Mod not included, nice try though - Ed) and upon sale will be donating £500 to Bloodwise. The details are as follow (also to be found on our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet): Renault Premium Rigid Box Body, 18 Tonne down plated to 15 Tonne for cheaper road tax, 30-foot box body with 1500KG tail lift, converted ten years ago for our use. 18-foot car area with shelving, separate living and sleeping area, cassette toilet, sink, cooker, fridge, lots of cupboard, wardrobe, storage, removable dining table, 240v and 12v lighting, water heater, insulated living area. Lots of outside belly lockers and storage space. Mains hook-up. Complete with 6m x 4m awning , pit lighting, pit flooring, pit tables, compressor etc etc. Stainless wheel covers, exterior sun visor, sleeper cab. The mileage is 404,000 km  which is 251,000 miles. Six-speed manual box, regular oil changes (Lucas) ,  recent new clutch, exhaust, front tyres, batteries, Prop joints. Removable tow bar etc etc. Very reliable, economical and cheap to insure and tax. £356 per year insurance with agreed value and mileage, £205 year road tax. Class 2 licence is needed. The rig is priced at £17,995 of which £500 will go to Bloodwise. If you are interested then you can contact Wayne at [email protected]. Swift snippets. 30th September: Robin Jackson writes that Santa Pod Raceway's recent FIA/FIM European Finals has been a productive event for coverage in the mainstream motoring media. In addition to items published in the weekly magazines Autosport and Autocar, the new November issue of Motor Sport features a report of the event's Top Fuel Dragster action headed by a group portrait of the four Top Fuel ladies photographed by Matt Woods. Those of an engineering disposition might also be interested to read the magazine's cover feature on Porsche's 'monstrous' 1973 Can-Am sportscar entry, the 917/30, which in terms of power output and outright speed capability, bore some comparison with the Fuel dragsters of the day, before the dragsters headed off to another planet. Motor Sport is available from good newsagents, price £5.50. Bloodlines season wrap. 29th September: Turboville Racing once again completed the whole 2019 UK National Super Pro ET Championship with the Bad Blood dragster for Bloodlines Racing. Ian Turburville writes: Laura did well in all seven rounds and ended up a very creditable fifth out of fifty four cars, a great achievement in the most competitive class. Ian and Chris kept the car running well all year against the odds and on a minimal budget. No racing would have taken place without our team partners and friends who stepped up to the plate and supported our efforts so a massive thanks to Nottingham College, USAutomotive, Nefarious (RIP), DASH Racing (Sarah and Darryl), Trouble Racing (Marcus and Brigitte), Rosita Trucking (Shaun and Rachel), RS safety Consulting (Rob Smith), Hi Speed Gas Racing (Stevie and Babs Saunders), G-Max Racing Fuels, Voodoo Hemi Racing, Cristiann Carlo, Nick Good, Crunch, Syd, Terry, Brum, Janne, Derek and everyone who lent a hand, bought a T shirt or contributed a couple of quid to keep us going. Much appreciated all! Ian also made a last-ditch attempt to help to save the Super Twin Top Gas class from relegation and it was a success but a one-off. He won the Saturday event at the Green Light Nationals after not having ridden since 2010. The famous True Blood slingshot once again wowed the crowds at Dragstalgia with its cackles and push start giving the fans a taste of what nitro was like in the golden years of drag racing, when Dennis Priddle was king. 2020 is in question right now as most of the above were just one-off gestures so we need a new sponsor and more partners for next season. The engine in Bad Blood suffered some damage at the final race and will need a complete re-build over winter as will the transmission. Please contact Laura or Ian via the web site or the Facebook racing page if you are interested, thanks. STP UK National Finals numbers. 29th September: Thanks to Andy Marrs for forwarding us the official STP UK National Finals timing data which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Courtesy of Marrs' timing data we can confirm that Lucas Oil Junior Dragster racers Frankie Taylor and Thomas Cook-Abbott were the winners of the Bob's Photo Finish Award posted by longtime Eurodragster.com supporter Bob Roberts at the STP UK National Finals. Frankie and Thomas will each receive £50 from Bob for the 0.0006-second finish line margin, which equated to 0.78 inches, in their race in round one of eliminations. Many thanks to Bob for his support. Many thanks to Ian King for letting us know that the final points standings in the 2019 ACU UK Drag Bike Championships are now showing on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com. Swift snippets. 26th September: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the words "Spotted outside a body/paint shop". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at [email protected]. Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street Machine magazine, including bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers. Sammy Miller fans will find Mike's update particularly interesting. You can check it out by clicking on the images above. Editor's note: It has been a bit of a struggle this week, but three days at home beckon which will give us the chance for some rest and also to catch up with the outstanding news and classified ads. UK Tech Committee meeting. 24th September: Thanks to Yvonne Tramm for letting us know that the next meeting of the UK Tech Committee will take place at 11:00 on Sunday 13th October at the Hilton Hotel in Northampton. If you wish to attend can you please E-Mail either Yvonne at [email protected] or Ian Marshall on [email protected] so that catering arrangements can be made. If you have any items for the agenda then please E-Mail either Yvonne or Ian as above. Final Championship points. 24th September: Many thanks also to Yvonne Tramm and to our own Simon for forwarding us the final points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships and SPRC Club Championships. You can check out the UK and SPRC points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. 2019 UK Champions. 23rd September: Congratulations to the 2019 UK Champions: Motorsport UK Pro Modified: Marck Harteveld Comp Eliminator sponsored by Secret Worx: Andy Hone Super Pro ET sponsored at the STP UK National Finals by Windscreen Wizards/Bloodwise: Brad Jackson Pro ET sponsored by Modurstang: Team Dark Horse Sportsman ET sponsored by Hutchinson & Dibley: Dan Holloway Super Comp sponsored by Phoenix Personnel: Leah Kellett Super Gas sponsored by the Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout: Simon Fulton Junior Dragster sponsored by Lucas Oil Products UK: Matthew Dowdy Street Eliminator sponsored by Topspeed Automotive: Andy Bond Nostalgia Super Stock sponsored by NEM Plant Ltd: Neill Watkins Wild Bunch: Callum Swinchatt VW Pro: Paul Bargate VW Sportsman: Jon Crawford Outlaw Anglia: Scott Crookston Outlaw Flat Four: Ian Clark ACU Top Fuel Bike: sponsored by Banks Night Club: Steve Woollatt ACU Funny Bike: Kars van den Belt ACU Super Street Bike sponsored by Taylor's Trophy: Steve Venables ACU Comp Bike: Louis Davies ACU Junior Drag Bike sponsored by In Posterum: Liam Holgate 8.50 Bike sponsored by NMCN: Jay Roe 9.50 Bike: Richard Sawatzki Supertwin Top Gas sponsored by Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure: Michael Gooding ET Bike sponsored by Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure: Phil Pratt 2019 SPRC Club Bike Champions. 23rd September: Congratulations to the 2019 Santa Pod Racers Club Bike Champions. Please note that these are separate Championships from the ACU UK Drag Bike Championships, with a different points scoring system (also note that the Club standings posted yesterday were going in to the STP UK National Finals, not after - Ed). Top Fuel Bike: Neil Midgley Funny Bike: Kars van den Belt Super Street Bike: Steve Venables Comp Bike: Louis Davies Junior Drag Bike: Liam Holgate You can check out the final points standings in these Championships on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. The full points standings in the UK Championships are awaiting final ratification and will be posted shortly. STP UK National Finals rained out. 23rd September: Yesterday's eliminations were rained out at the STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway. Fifty minutes after a rain-enforced late start, only possible through the tireless efforts of the track crew, racing was stopped by more heavy rain during Motorsport UK Pro Modified eliminations. Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 UK Championships, and also to Junior Dragster racer Liam McDonald and Nostalgis Super Stock racer James Oliver who won this year's final Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award sponsored by the Twister Race Team respectively. The winners of the Bob's Photo Finish Award posted by Bob Roberts will be confirmed when we receive the official timing data, but it seems likely that the winners are Frankie Taylor and Thomas Cook-Abbott whose Lucas Oil Junior Dragster E1 race was decided by 0.0005 seconds or 0.78 inches. You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored STP UK National Finals reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Swift snippets. 23rd September: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to the fragrant Andy Marrs. Have a great day Marrs. A big Happy Birthday also to bike scrutineer and Steward Steve Johnson. Have a good day Steve. 2019 SPRC Bike Championships. 22nd September: Message from the Santa Pod Racers Club Executive Commitee: It has been brought to our attention that due to an oversight the points for the 2019 SPRC Bike Championships have not been published on Eurodragster.com. This has now been rectified and we look forward to welcoming the winners and runners-up to the Annual Trophy Night in February 2020 to collect their trophies and jackets. 2020 SPRC Dinner Dance. 20th September: Santa Pod Racers Club are pleased to announce that their 2020 Dinner Dance and Trophy Evening will take place on Saturday 1st February 2020 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Stadium MK (map). The arrangements are as follow: Proceedings will start prompt at 7:00 pm; please be seated by 6.45 pm. There will be trophy presentations to the 2019 Club Champions and runners-up. Dinner will be served at 7.15 pm. After dinner, the 2019 UK National Champions and runners-up will be presented with their trophies, followed by the 2019 MSA British Drag Racing Championship top three, and finally the 2019 SPRC Perpetual Award winners. Tickets for the Dinner Dance are £37.50 per adult and £20 for under-twelves, which includes a three course meal plus tea/coffee and mints. The main meal for children will be chicken nuggets and chips followed by ice cream. For bookings of more than two people please write each guest's name and their menu choices on the back of the form. If you have any special dietary requirements then please inform Yvonne at [email protected] and she will include them on the menu selection list for the hotel. Please do not approach the hotel yourself regarding special dietary requests. You can download the booking form (PDF) by clicking here. If you wish to pay direct to the SPRC bank account please contact Yvonne Tramm for bank details at [email protected]. Please note that SPRC are unable to take payments using American Express cards. Booking forms should be sent to Yvonne Tramm at the address specified on the form and not to the SPRC office. SPRC have negotiated a preferential rate for rooms in the hotel. These are £85 for a single room and £95 for a double or a twin room, including breakfast on Sunday morning. To book your room, please click here. SPRC have block-booked fifty rooms which will be available until 31st December after which date any rooms not taken up will be put into general availability and the preferential rate will cease. If you have any queries about the Dinner Dance then please contact Yvonne Tramm, not the SPRC office, at [email protected]. A Super Pro ET nail-biter. 19th September: Our good buddy Markus Münch writes that having clinched the French ATD Super Pro ET Championship, the UK's Billy Gane has a shot at the Drag Race Union Super Pro ET Challenge: Oliver Petzold of Team Schumann Motorsports has a 70 point lead over Billy, who can score more points at the UK National Finals. When there is a 32-car field, there are 136 points up for grabs. Considering the 56 points which Billy earned at the European Finals, which will not count if he wins more points at the National Finals, he can gain 80 points in total. So if Billy wins the race he can catch Oliver. If not, then Oliver is the Champ. Or he needs to qualify eleventh or better. So it is still exciting. All the action is brought to you by twenty one great drivers and teams, and of course the Drag Race Union. If you want to be part of the Pro ET or Super Pro Challenge then be there in 2020... we will be, that's for sure. Grumpy's latest last ride. 19th September: Paul Watson's latest retirement may be off after an enjoyable ride in Mick Taylor's Outlaw Anglia van at the NSRA Hot Rod Drags last Friday. Grumps writes: This story started last year when my altered Grumpy's T blew its motor. Mick Taylor came up to me knowing my love for Pops and offered me a ride. Unfortunately it didn't come off last year but it was mentioned again this year. I mean who in their right mind does this (Me - Ed)? As most people know altereds and pops are notoriously unpredictable, so not something you offer or take on lightly. The plan was to pop up on Friday, have the run then go back home. Although it was a squeeze I managed to get in and familiarise myself with everything. So, apprehensively, I started the burnout but everything was easy just a good car. The run was a non-gas run so no big dramas, I ran 9.6 short shifting. I really felt at home with Mick's son Joe and Rob Chilton looking after me, so much so that I stayed all weekend! I can't say Thank You enough to Mick. Rounding off in style. 19th September: The Supercharged Outlaws had a fantastic weekend at the NSRA Hot Rod Drags after a year featuring new teams and everyone pushing themselves to the limit: There were many more tears and triumphant cheers at the season ender. Everyone should give themselves a pat on the back. A big thanks to Andy Fadster for being a great organiser and total supporter of the group, also to Jim Maher from Good Vibrations Motorsport for their consistent support. This meeting was sponsored by Dave Two Lanes Armstrong in the memory of Pete Thomas; his daughter presented the trophies at the end. I personally look forward to seeing you all again next year. Bob's Finals Photo Finish Award. 19th September: We are pleased to announce that longtime Eurodragster.com supporter Bob Roberts will again be posting the Bob's Photo Finish Award at this weekend's STP UK National Finals. The Bob's Photo Finish Award presents £50 each to the racers involved in the closest race of eliminations at this weekend's event. The closest race will be decided upon distance rather than time since, for example, 0.001 seconds at 230 mph is further than 0.002 seconds at 110 mph. For this reason the official timing data will need to be consulted so the winners will be announced here on Eurodragster.com as soon as possible after the event and the winners will then be contacted for their preferred method of payment. Bob's Photo Finish Award is open to all classes during eliminations only, and although Eurodragster.com decals are not mandatory we would appreciate if it they are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff. Web site updates. 19th September: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr gallery with a gallery from the recent Straightliners/No Prep event at Lancaster Raceway, East Kirkby. You can check out Mad's shots at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman. STP UK National Finals racer update. 18th September: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding details of the arrangements for this weekend's STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway: Friday 20th September 08:00 Gates open for the duration of the event 10:00 Signing On office opens 10:00 Car scrutineering commences, no specific order (details) 17:00 Bike scrutineering commences, no specific order (details) Saturday 21st September 07:00 Signing On office opens 07:00 Car scrutineering commences (details) 07:00 Bike scrutineering commences (details) 09:30 Track opens for qualifying Sunday 22nd September 07:30 Signing On office opens 07:30 Car scrutineering commences 07:30 Bike scrutineering commences 09:30 Track opens for eliminations The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other reason deemed necessary by race officials. No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event, which in this context includes Friday. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event. Junior racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside Scrutineering. Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary who is based in Signing On. Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes, to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them. At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards. Please, no casual visitors during racing hours even if racing is on hold for clean-up or on other down time. Two days at Tibenham. 18th September: Street Fighter Productions will hold their first weekend event at Tibenham Airfield in Norfolk on Friday-Saturday 18th-19th October. Previous events have been Friday only. Paul Marston writes that in addition to Street Fighter Productions' Run What You Brung, No Prep will be running two sixteen-car heads-up doorslammer races at the event: Our doorslammer races will be heads-up, flashlight start with random pairings. There will be no rules other than safety, Run What You Brung and hope you brung enough. Tibenham is an eighth-mile no-prep track and is one of the very few remaining tracks that has no noise restrictions. This is a grass-roots deal and everyone is welcome for RWYB, cars or bikes. Gate entry is £10 for spectators or crew, track fees for cars or bikes including driver/rider entry is £40 per day. Entry into any of the competitions organised by Tibenham themselves can be done on the day, at a small extra cost. Entry into the No Prep sixteen-car event is at a special price of £60, and the prize fund is £600 plus very nice and large trophies sponsored by Drag Race Engineering. Gates open at 16:00 on Thursday 17th, overnight camping is available at £5 per night. There is a licenced bar and café on-site, and there will be a barbecue on the Friday evening to create a nice social atmosphere after a hard day's racing on the track. The track is open between 10:00 and 17:00 both days. You can also purchase 108 octane race gas on-site at a very reasonable £1.95 a litre. Tibenham Airfield is not far off the A140, postcode NR16 1NT (map). For more details of how to register or how to enter, please E-Mail [email protected], call me on 07831 650230, or Like and follow No Prep Drag Racing on Facebook. For more information regarding events at Tibenham Airfield please Like and follow Street Fighter Productions on Facebook. Our thanks go to Street Fighter Productions for hosting us. Support your local drag strip! Cars sought for air show. 18th September: The organisers of Jet Fest, a vintage air show to be held at North Weald Airfield on Saturday-Sunday 28th-29th September, are seeking street or race cars from the 1950s-1990s to complement the jets which will be flying in for the biggest vintage show in the country. Free entry tickets are on offer to those who bring a car, and lunch will also be provided. As notice is relatively short the aim is to hold the main car day on the Sunday but if exhibitors want to attend both days then the organisers would be delighted to accommodate in any way they can. In addition, there is a plan to light the aircraft and cars for a dusk photo shoot. There will also be Spitfires and other WW2 planes on display. You can find out more information about the event by searhing Jet Fest 2019 on Facebook. If you are interested in bringing your car for a day out with a difference then call Paul on 07831 650230 or E-Mail [email protected]. Swift snippets. 18th September: Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Robinson and the whole Anger Management Pro Mod team would like to thank everyone who bid on the various items of the Camaro body recently. "We raised a good chunk of money which will go towards the new race car and getting back on to the track as soon as we can", says Stefani Fisher. "Andy was very humbled by how many people were interested in winning memorabilia from the race car, he and the entire team are beyond grateful. When we decided to do the auction for the body we also chose to keep back two pieces. These pieces have been donated to this weekend's charity auction for Bloodwise, and although we won't disclose what these pieces are just yet, one piece in particular is pretty special and has a lot of history with it - we really hope these can raise a good chunk of money for a very good cause." Comp Bike racer Dave Batcheler tells us that his two crew Rhys and Tyler Batcheler will be playing in the charity football match for Bloodwise at Santa Pod Raceway on Saturday evening. "Please come down and support them and watch these two stars play for this great charity", says Dave. "They have helped me for many a year and now it's their turn to shine. So please come down to watch and donate for a good cause." Thanks to Andy Marrs for forwarding us the official NSRA Hot Rod Drags timing data which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Marrs has also updated his table of UK and European Bests with those UK and track records set at the weekend. You can take a look by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. STP UK National Finals Perfect Awards. 18th September: £100 is up for grabs at this weekend's STP UK National Finals courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors. This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by Super Pro ET racer Joe Kellett at the FIA/FIM European Finals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available in all classes during both qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing. Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff. The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has been reset to £50 after it was won by Pro ET racer Gino Bernadine at the FIA/FIM European Finals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to run +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available in Windscreen Wizards/Bloodwise Super Pro ET, Modurstang Pro ET, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Phoenix Personnel Super Comp, Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only), VW Pro, SW Sportsman, the Wild Bunch, NEM Plant Lts Nostalgis Super Stock, NMCN 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, In Posterum Junior Drag Bike, Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Supertwin Top Gas, and Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect ET Award is presented in association with Andy Hadfield aka Fadster of the Twister Race Team. Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff. Web site updates. 18th September: Paul Lister has updated his DragCarAnon photo site with pictures from the FIA/FIM European Finals. You can take a look at www.paullister.zenfolio.com. 2019 UK Championship outcomes. 17th September: The 2019 UK National Drag Racing Championships and ACU UK Drag Bike Championships, both of which complete at this weekend's STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway, have been more diverse and more substantial than in 2018. Additional Championships have been held at meetings with Motorsport UK permits for classes which previously only had their own series and, thankfully, fewer races have been marred by rain this season. Our own Simon, who with Yvonne Tramm co-ordinates the UK Championships, writes: Marck Harteveld leads the Motorsport UK Pro Modified going into this weekend's final round, after wins at the STP Summernationals and Mopar Euronationals and a runner-up at the Festival of Power. His closest competition is Kev Slyfield, who couldn't capitalise on Marck's DNQ at the FIA/FIM European Finals and who lies just 16 points, or less than one round win, behind him. Every point will be precious, so undoubtedly both will try for five-second performance as well as round wins. Secret Worx Competition Eliminator, with expanded numbers this year, is a close battle between multiple Champion Andy 'Fred' Hone, Jordan Payne and Kev Perkins with 100 points between the first two, and Kev a further 30 behind Jordan. Qualifying positions as well as round wins will make a difference. Congratulations to Leah Kellett for winning the Phoenix Personnel Super Comp Championship. Leah has had three UK wins this season and added to them with a triumph at the NitrOlympX. The Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout has four main contenders: Simon Fulton who is 180 points ahead of Collin Morrice, David Fulton a further 170 points back, and Andy Harrison, who missed out on the all-rounds bonus, a further 170 points in arrears. With 670 points available, Simon will need to qualify better and go two rounds further than his rivals. In Windscreen Wizards/Bloodwise Super Pro ET, Eurodragster.com brother-in-law Tom Atkinson in the Time is Money Cortina made a big move at the European Finals, winning the event and becoming Brad Jackson's only rival for this year's title. The gap is 410 points, a not-insurmountable hurdle but both racers will need to be on their game to capitalise on the other having problems. In Modurstang Pro ET the Huxleys' Team Dark Horse are closing in on their sixth Championship in the class, by way of wins at the Springspeed Nationals and Summernationals. Newcomer Ben Newsome has been in contention ever since he won the Festival of Power and he had another big win at the European Finals. Ben is just over a round, 120 points, in arrears, and a further 210 points back is Will Clark. Behind these are other racers who could garner a runner-up position if more than one of the top three stumble. Dan Holloway leads Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, with our own Kirstie Tramm in second place in the 50 Shades of Green Racing Camaro, 420 points behind Dan and 430 points ahead of Gary Lake in third. With a large field competing, it is possible for any of the top three to swap adjacent places if one wins four more rounds and qualifies much better than the other. Matthew Dowdy is within 20 points of securing the Lucas Oil Junior Dragster Championship; 990 points are available and Matthew is 970 points ahead of Frankie Fordham. Qualifying above the bottom of the field will be enough for Matthew, whereas Frankie is 700 points clear of Tom Kaye and Kai Cooper who occupy joint third place. Andy Bond has won the the Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator Championship: congratulations to Andy and team. Joe Stevens, who has withdrawn, is 500 points ahead of Ashley Cooper with 750 points available. A couple of bike titles are already decided so congratulations to ACU Comp Bike Champion Louis Davies and Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Super Twin Top Gas Champion Michael Gooding for accumulating sufficient points in their respective classes. ACU Top Fuel Bike, sponsored by Banks Nightclub, has a field of five bikes. Steve Woollatt is once again leading the Championship, however Neil Midgley is only 15 points behind, less than one round of racing and equivalent to two qualifying places or the 25 points for quickest ET or fastest speed. 290 race points are available so this could go down to the wire. ACU Funny Bike is led by Kars van den Belt, and with 520 points available and second-placed Dave Batcheler 445 points behind, a win of one round of racing will secure Kars his first ACU Championship. ACU Super Street Bike, sponsored by Taylor's Trophy, is led by recently-crowned FIM Europe Champion Steve Venables. Steve leads Garry Bowe by 420 points with Graham Balchin a further 20 points back and Dave Smith another 15 points in arrears. Eleven bikes are entered, meaning that, excluding records, there are 460 points available with three rounds of racing. Qualifying above eighth place, or one round win regardless of where he qualifies, will secure Steve the Championship. ACU Junior Drag Bike, sponsored by In Posterum, is led by Liam Holgate who is close to securing the Championship as he is 440 points ahead of FIM Europe Champion Blade Dummer with 450 points available. So signing on will secure Liam the Championship. NMCN 8.50 Bike is led by Jay Roe with a 160-point lead over Alan Morrison. 780 points are available including Perfect ET points. Ian Chrichlow is a further 30 points back. Jay will need to win the event to secure the Championship, whereas Alan or Ian will need to qualify and win the event and rely on Jay qualifying poorly and going out early to take the lead. 9.50 Bike is led by multiple Champion Richard Sawatzki by a margin of 180 points over Craig Wright, and 280 points over Alan Morrison Jr, both of whom are in their first season in the class. 780 points are available and so Richard will need to win to secure the Championship, and Craig or Alan will have to rely on each of the others having problems to gain the title. Double Champion Phil Pratt leads triple runner-up Gary Hester in Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike. Phil leads by 480 points with 760 available. Phil will need to qualify in the top four and win one round of racing to secure the Championship. In the SPRC Club Championships, Scotty Crookston has won the Outlaw Anglia Championship so congratulations to Scotty and team; the SPRC Championship tie-breaker was decided on who had the most round win points. In UK Nostalgia Super Stock, Neill Watkins is leading Eurodragster.com sponsor Nic Williams by 220 points with 770 points available. Nic will need to go a couple of rounds further than Neill to take the Championship, and Neill needs to win, or qualify first and go to the final to be sure of the title. In the Wild Bunch, Callum Swinchatt is 530 points ahead of Philip James with 620 points available, so to secure the Championship Callum must either qualify first or win one round of racing. In VW Pro, Paul Bargate leads Carl Goldmith by 80 points with 780 points available, so to win the Championship Carl needs to qualify better than fifth and to win the event. Jon Crawford has a 590-point lead over Holly Sanders in VW Sportsman with 770 points available, so Jon needs to win one round to secure the title. In Outlaw Flat Four, what was already a three-round Championship was effectively reduced to just two by the rain-out at Bug Jam, and so the Championship is still very open. Ian Clark, who is leading, can secure the Championship by qualifying in the top two and getting to the final, or by winning the event regardless of qualifying position. You will be able to stay in touch with all the Championship developments at the STP UK National Finals via our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Event Coverage. Passenger ride GoPro loan sought. 17th September: Race fan and Eurodragster.com reader Steve Evett is seeking the loan of a GoPro camera to record his passenger ride in Santa Pod Raceway's Two Seat Dragster this Saturday (21st). If anyone would be willing to loan Steve a GoPro for his passenger ride then please drop us a line at [email protected] and we'll put you in touch. The Two Seat Dragster has GoPro Mounts so please be assured that we are talking neither string and sealing wax nor a wing and a prayer. NSRA Hot Rod Drags results. 16th September: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod Raceway: Outlaw Anglia: Simon Barlow 7.9547/174.40 bye, Scotty Crookston shut off Wild Bunch: Pete/Rob Brown, average dial-in variance 0.0409 seconds Gasser Circus: John Grant (11.44) 11.4680/110.13 def. Sean Milsom (9.98) 10.0640/131.35 Outlaw Anglia Bracket: Shane Bird (12.10) 13.0323/81.71 def. Rob Turrington (12.85) 14.0636/89.62 Tri Chevy Shootout: John Dewey 9.6153/136.87 def. Ben Smith 13.0365/104.72 The following records were set, congratulations to: Outlaw Anglia ET: 7.243 seconds, Colin Millar Outlaw Anglia speed: 193.72 mph, Simon Barlow Congratulations also to Scott Crookston and to Sean Milsom who won the 2019 Outlaw Anglia and Gasser Circus Championships respectively. You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored NSRA Hot Rod Drags results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Ady Randle's funeral. 15th September: Thanks to Mike Lacey for forwarding details of Ady Randle's funeral, which will take place at 15:00 on Monday 30th September at the North Wiltshire Crematorium: Swindon Road Royal Wootton Bassett Swindon SN4 8ET Map All are welcome. Dress to be race-oriented, please. No flowers but if you would like to make a donation in Ady's memory then please donate to the British Heart Foundation. If you plan to attend then please let Mike know at [email protected] so that he has a rough idea of how many are coming. Bloodwise support National Finals. 15th September: Donna Fninegan of Santa Pod Raceway writes that for the fifth consecutive year Bloodwise will be supporting the STP UK National Finals in the drive to raise awareness and money for blood cancer. In an appropriate coincidence, September is also Blood Cancer Awareness Month: I have again been in touch with the Regional Relationships Manager, Michael Clarke, and they are delighted that we continue to support them at National Finals. Michael will be sending me some promotional material for use during the event, so here is where I ask a favour. Whilst the charity football match and the auction are great fundraisers, let's not forget what makes us special and that is drag racing. I would love to send Michael photos after the event which showcase our wonderful sport so please feel free to E-Mail any photos to [email protected]. Likewise, if you upload any photos to social media, please tag Bloodwise using the following handles: Twitter: @bloodwise_uk Facebook: facebook.com/bloodwise.uk Instagram: Bloodwise_UK Google+: Bloodwise Swift snippets. 15th September: UK Comp Eliminator racer Chris Orthodoxou asked us to say a big Thank You to Kev Slyfield for helping out several times over the FIA/FIM European Finals with obscure bits and pieces, Martyn Jones for the loan of expensive tools, Marcus Hilt for providing rocker parts, John Tebenham's team for the loan of a dial gauge, and Andy Robinson who helped out greatly several times, even staying in the trailer to nearly 01:30 on Sunday helping rebuild the B&J transmission. "Many, many thanks to all, top blokes all of you!", says Chris. Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two FIA/FIM European Finals reports on the Autosport.nl web site. As ever there is a race report which you can check out by clicking here and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by clicking here. A big Thank You to everyone who has sent best wishes to Mrs Tog after she broke a bone in her foot tripping up at home. Kay is as comfortable as she can be in the circumstances and is taking it easy, under protest. Twelve to Five. 15th September: UK Pro Modified racer John Tebenham has made twelve full passes this season, with his first five-second run on the twelfth pass. "Amazing that the only damage was two valve springs", says JT. "Hockenheim was a bit of a disaster, so we changed our game plan for the Finals and we were ready. I changed lanes on the Test Day, through tyre shake, but I had managed to run a 6.34 earlier in the day, so we were pretty much set. "Two runs of 6.15 on the Friday and then a massive 6.03. The next pass was a 6.02, but it slipped the clutch in third gear. I was really disappointed in the 6.02 as the 6.03 was such a bad run! The car went up in the air, shook, and missed both shifts, so I knew that if we got our shit together it would do a five. "I approach everything as a business, so I wasn't surprised when we ran a five - I bought a 6.03 car off Marco Maurischat and have got probably the best tuner in the UK (Luke Robinson) to tune it. I'm not into thanking everyone but we were all great! "On the first night of the start of Finals weekend we went for a full crew curry - even Andy Robinson came with us as there were no cars there for him to play with, and that surprised me more than the five! "On a serious note I'd like to dedicate the five-second pass to Tim Mugridge, who is fighting hard. I say this from everyone in UK drag racing: we are all with you mate - keep fighting!" Malmgren happy at three. 15th September: Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren says that he is happy enough with his number three spot in this year's FIA European Championship: We came to the European Finals second in points but it was very tight as Robin Norén was only half a round behind us and Bengt Ljungdahl a round and three points behind us; those three points turned out to be a key factor. As you all know we hurt our fast Gray engine at Hockenheim, and with two races left back-to-back we couldn't see an opportunity to get it fixed and back for the Finals, so we decided to run the rest of season with our back-up engine built by Bob Ingles in 2016. We managed to run faster than we could hoped for in qualifying with four solid runs in the 6.6 zone with best run at 6.60/209. Considering that we never got the clutch right for this engine, it slipped way too much on every run, we were very pleased with the performance of this engine; only Jimmy Ålund with Robin went quicker. We earned more points than Bengt in qualifying, which we didn't expect, which meant that going into race day we had one round on him. We also raced Bengt in the first round but due to an oil spill on rear tire our run was over before it started. It's too bad as I cut a two hundredths better light so it could have gone either way. In the next round Bengt lost to Jimmy in a tight race which was good for usas we would stay in the top three in the Championship. Robin had a bye first in the first round when Simon Gustafsson broke on the start line, he also had a bye run in the second round as only five cars showed up, and in the final he beat Jimmy on a holeshot. I think I can say that Robin earned his runner-up spot in the Championship, Team Norén. Bottom line was a good and exciting race with three cars fighting for second, third and fourth spots. It has been a learning year and we really got our black devil to run consistently in the second half of season with the changes we made at the mid point. This has given us some good momentum for 2020 and I am already looking forward to the Main Event at Santa Pod in 2020. I couldn't do this without my sponsors Diamond Pistons, PAC Valve Springs, Trend Performance, VP Racing Fuels, MSD Performance, Motive/Richmond Gear, Strange Enginering, Victory Titanium Valves, ARP Fasteners, Auto Verdi Dry Sump System, Speed Pro, Fel Pro, Dynotech Driveshafts and Braswell Carburettors. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again at the PRI Show, thank you all. Willinger on Drag Week. 15th September: Max Croot writes that Austria's Robert Willinger competed in this year's Hot Rod Drag Week with his '66 Nova: The car runs a blown 572 motor with some key changes – a modest exhaust, air filters, tow hitch and a vital cup holder. The car was shipped late in July via Amsterdam to New Jersey: The team faced some issues with hiring a suitable trailer to collect the car but eventually got what was needed and set up base. A suitable U-Haul trailer was also hired to tow behind the car to carry the week's parts. Amusingly the logo on the back of the trailer said Tow with any car! The team went through tech inspection on Sunday and had a long episode to replace a cracked brake rotor – an amazing ten-hour trip to collect parts. They then faced the first meeting at Virginia Motorsports Park, day one of fice consecutive days' racing and 1,000 miles of driving between venues. Monday started wet and racing was delayed until the afternoon. Robert ran a steady 9.55/142 then hitched up and drove 215 miles, via specified checkpoints, to a hotel near the next venue at Cecil County Dragway. The car ran hot with the heat and traffic, but was all ready for the next day's action. They were running on the road with the bonnet off to help manage the cooling. Tuesday's runs at Cecil Dragway produced a 9.57, though Robert had to run twice due a timing system fault – the first run resulted in a very good Top Fuel time! It was then straight on to Atco Raceway, some 156 miles and a tortuous route around Philadelphia. This produced more heating issues as well as electrical gremlins and a tyre issue, though thankfully a spectator came to the rescue to enable Robert to make the strip for Wednesday's run – the last one of the day just five minutes before the track closed. The team promptly hitched up and left for Thursday's venue - Maryland International Raceway around 190 miles away. At least there were some interesting sights on the way (above left). Stay tuned for the final instalment. European Top Gas Round 5 report. 15th September: Herman Jolink writes that the fifth round of the European Super Twin Top Gas Championship took place at the 26th Mosten Race Days at Allingaboro, Denmark, on the last weekend in August. The track is a single-lane eighth mile so this round was held as a sprint. We had three qualifying rounds on the Friday then a fourth on Saturday morning. Qualifying: Jorg Lymant De 4.728/237 kmh Cord Albers De 4.797/240 Martin Buhler CH 5.196/226 Torbjorn Strom Swe 5.300/210 Anders Jensen DK 5.322/213 Fredrik Schack DK 5.605/200, still problems finding the right set-up Lars Wahlqvist Swe 5.705/201 Chris van Nimmen Be 5.886/189 Jaakko Miettinen Fin 5.997/185, Personal Best Gerd Caspari De 6.011/172 Andreas Herr De 6.045/193 Horst Petersen De 6.135/180 Carsten Hormann De 6.167/182 Sven Ole Schleichert De 6.243/182 Mats Larsson Swe 6.380/179 Christian Bruhn De 6.453/183 Jens Peter Hoffmeister De 6.454/174 Peter Jonas Junkergard Swe 6.587/173 Malte Foit De 6.869/158 kmh Jorgen Godske DK 6.949/164 John Hansen De 7.528/161 Peter Niklas De 10.680/86 Final result: Jorg Lymant De 4.710/236 Cord Albers De 4.746/240 Torbjorn Strom Swe 5.357/211 Martin Buhler CH 6.056/218 European Super Twin Top Gas Championship after five rounds: Jorg Lymant De 3160 Cord Albers De 2610 Frederik Schack DK 2495 Martin Buhler CH 1850 Torbjorn Strom Swe 1820 Anders Jensen DK 1580 Janne Malmberg Swe 1140 Carsten Hormann De 1080 Olaf Menzi CH 990 Herman Jolink NL 990 Sven Ole Schleichert De 960 Andreas Herr De 940 Jaakko Miettinen Fin 810 Christian Bruhn De 740 Gerd Caspari De 670 Peter Niklas De 640 Mats Larsson Swe 530 Maik Kruger De 500 Jorgen Godske DK 440 Tim Kruger De 370 Jens Peter Hoffmeister 280 Horst Petersen De 250 Juniors fêted at Hall of Fame Gala. 15th September: Once again, the 2019 UK Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike Champions will be celebrated at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner, to be held at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on 23rd November. Atlantic Fluid Tech, US Automotive, Santa Pod Racers Club and Mopar Muscle Association will sponsor two tables of ten for the top three Junior Dragster and Junior Bike with their parents. During the evening they will be introduced to many of the drag racing legends attending and asked on stage. The winners of each category will be presented with a BDRHoF cheque for one hundred pounds. We thank our sponsors for supporting the junior classes and allowing the drag racing community to recognise the stars of the future. Back to the Field of Dreams. 13th September: We were very pleased to hear courtesy of Sam Lewis that the annual Racers v SPR/SPRC Staff Charity Football Match is to return at next week's STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway. As ever the match will be the centrepiece of the annual drive to raise funds for Bloodwise. The match will be played after qualifying finishes next Saturday evening. Collections will be held over the weekend and during the match, and the traditional auction will take place at half time. If you would like to donate items for the auction then please get in touch with Craig Wright via Facebook. Swift snippets. 13th September: Many thanks to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for forwarding us updated points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships and SPRC Club Championships after the FIA/FIM European Finals. You can check out the UK and SPRC points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. The Supercharged Outlaws have no less than nineteen cars entered for this weekend's Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod Raceway. The last event of their calander is sponsored by Good Vibrations Motorsport for the Quick Reaction award, and by Dave Twolanes in memory of a fellow racer from the past, Pete Thomas. A lot of teams have suffered damage this year and had been struggling to make it back to the track, but they have moved heaven and earth to come back with a vengeance. This should be a fantastic race meeting with the Championship open to several competitors.  Outlaw Anglias wrap up 2019. 13th September: Colin Millar writes that this weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags is the fnial round of the Outlaw Anglia Championship: It has been such a great season, with thirty two cars running in the class with more new cars coming out next year. Outlaw Anglia is going from strength to strength and the numbers on the boards have been fast to say the least; who would have thought that an Anglia could run sub 7.5 seconds - unthinkable even five years ago but now it's a fact, and on a regular basis. This weekend there are twenty seven cars entered fromstreet cars to full-blown race cars. The main point of the meeting to have as much fun as you can, which is guaranteed if you're around the Outlaw Anglia pits. It's looking like a sixteen-car field this weekend. At least three teams have the ability to win the Championship, it's been a very long time since we went into the last round without somebody having a lead which was unreachable, so it's all to play for. Its being the last round does make you turn up the power, and the weather looks favourable so we could potentially see some real quick rounds. Fingers crossed for Mick Taylor, I so want him to run his first seven, the same goes for Jeff Meads so close with an 8.0. Rob Stone is back on form and I think we will see him fly. Kim Harrison has some new tuning parts and a new parachute so has got to be fast, the Nixons are mixing it up with brother Rob in the driving seat so good luck to Rob, Mat Cooper (come on the Benders) is back fighting and as always chasing that number seven, who's driving The Gasser? Barry Crookston is sporting a new blue bottle in his car against his mother's wishes, fingers crossed for that low nine. Can Gary Bird propel Lucky Penny any quicker than the insane speeds and times he has run so far. Such a shame that Paul Hensher is not out there pushing us to the limit. Simon and Scotty will be battling it out and I can hopefully hang on in there, these young boys are hard to keep up with but as always we will all be trying our very hardest as it is what we do and why we do it. Is there a six out there? Who knows! The Outlaw Anglia Bracket class will be back on the cards this weekend. I am looking forward to this as I actually get to see some OA racing which I never do, it's a great event to race in and to watch as there is often a very unlikely winner. Wait and see who comes through! Good luck to all the Outlaw Anglia racers and good luck to all of the other invited classes as well as all the RWYB racers. Thanks to the NSRA, still pushing it forward, and I'm sure that as always Santa Pod will give us the best track and marshals they can. Have fun, be fast, and be safe... see you all real soon. A legend returns. 13th September: This weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags marks the competitive return of someone whom Brian Nixon is considered a legend in Outlaw Anglia: Without Rob Nixon, there might not be an Outlaw Anglia class. Some of you may know that Rob is building a new race car with an anticipated return in 2020.  Rob purchased a Chevy Blazer from Tony Betts as a parts car for Rob's new Anglia race car, and took advantage of an opportunity to race the Blazer in France.  One pass and the passion was well and truly back.  On his return, a long standing agreement to go through his brother Brian's (Brin's) Prefect race car got underway.  The thirty-year-old year old race car was in need of some more current thinking as well as safety upgrades.  Work progressed and over a working weekend/family lunch Brian, having mulled over an idea, asked Rob whether instead of the planned Test Day drive how would Rob like to enter the event as the named driver?  Brian's thinking behind this offer was two-fold.  Not only as a thank you for the help, but it would be neat to see the brothers' names in the same Championship in the same year.  Something which has never happened in the history of Outlaw Anglia. Of course, none of this can happen without the help and understanding of the women in the brothers' lives, so a big thank you to Alison and Donna. See you at the track. Lacey's tribute to Ady Randle. 11th September: UK Modurstang Pro ET racer Mike Lacey writes that we lost a friend and racing colleague in Ady Randle at the weekend: Saturday morning, unfortunately, Ady had a massive heart attack which took him from us all way too early.  Ady was 49 years old and looking forward to his 50th birthday on 12th March next year, which he was going to celebrate at the Gatornationals.  His first time to America and thus his first time to an NHRA event.  He was so looking forward to the whole holiday, birthday and all the excitement of Florida and NHRA.  He'd heard so many of our stories from US events and was going to bring back plenty of his own stories.  He was good for that, telling stories. Ady's laughter, loud mannerisms and plain stupidity, that made us all crease up with laughter all the time will sadly be missed. He was loved by all.  A true lover of this sport. A home for him for too many years to count.  If there was ever a place for him to go it would be at the Pod. As said so many times by so many of his friends on Facebook his heart and soul will be there forever. As soon as I hear of any funeral plans I will let you all know. Our thoughts are with Liam, Sue and Ady's family. Goodbye my friend. Ride with me forever. RIP. FIA European Finals numbers. 10th September: Thanks to Huw Button for forwarding us the final points standings in the FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships, which you can check out on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Thanks also to Andy Marrs for forwarding us the official FIA/FIM European Finals timing data which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. As well as the European records listed yesterday, Marrs tells us that the following bests were set over the weekend: European side-by-sides Pro Modified ET: Jan Ericsson 5.8049 seconds v Dmitry Samorukov 5.8465 seconds Super Street Bike ET: Steve Venables 6.8265 seconds v Garry Bowe 6.9734 seconds Super Street Bike speed: Mogens Lund 208.17 mph v Steve Venables 216.85 mph Santa Pod Raceway track records Top Fuel Dragster ET: Maja Udtian 3.8068 seconds Pro Modified ET: Jimmy Alund 5.7806 seconds Top Fuel Bike ET: Filippos Papafilippou 5.6629 seconds Super Twin Top Fuel ET: Marcus Christiansen 6.2338 seconds Pro Stock Bike ET: Fredrik Fredlund 7.0289 seconds Super Street Bike ET: Steve Venables 6.8042 seconds Street Eliminator ET: Andy Bond 6.9035 seconds Street Eliminator speed: Andy Bond 212.81 mph In addition: Jimmy Ålund is the first driver qualify #1 in two different FIA classes at the same event, and is also the first driver to set Low ET in two different FIA classes at the same event Anita Mäkelä won the highest ever number of Top Fuel rounds in a single season, 14 David Vegter reached 50 round wins in Pro Modified Mark Hope became the fiftieth Super Street Bike rider to win a round Marrs has updated his table of UK and European Bests which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Swift snippets. 10th September: Thanks to Lena Perés for letting us know that the 2019 EDRS Awards Banquet takes place at the Aronsborgs Konferenshotell at Bålsta in Sweden on Saturday 23rd November. You can find out more and place your booking at www.dragracingeurope.eu/banquet-2019. Bookings close on 23rd October. If any UK racer should need a base at Pomona then Geoff Stilwell of BUA Motorsport has premises within ten minutes of the race track and within easy reach of all the main freeways going to all points of the compass. "I have a total of 4000 sq feet which I am looking to share", says Geoff. It has two double height roller shutters, is alarmed and on a secure site. It is a modern unit with office and shower. Fully equipped with storage, airlines and power. I can drive my whole rig in with ease and shut the roller doors. Loads of other racers or car people are on this site so if you need anything it can be done, from aluminium welding to painting. We are really near most of the main suppliers such as BAE, ISKY, Schott Wheels, Stage V, Pinks, Donovan etc etc. It will be a straight rent with no extras. For any budding UK racer who would like to race in the US this could be your chance". You can contact Geoff at [email protected]. Will McKenzie tells us that Dave 'Fuzzie' McKenzie will be back at the track at this weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags having been very poorly after a motorbike accident in July. "I would like to thank everyone for all of the good wishes, I know it put a smile on his face", says Will. "Mark, Aaron, Eddie, Lauren and I would like to say welcome back. And to all of the Supercharged Outlaws, thank you as always for the support." Enter EFEst. 10th September: So when you have this idea, that has spanned years, and then mention it to an idiot with the enthusiasm to promote it a bit,  to see if it can work,  plus the total co-operation from some rather brilliant  and enthusiastic people from Santa Pod Raceway. A plan was hatched, the word was spread, and interest was generated. So what is Efest? Lizz Charman explains:  The idea was to see how many Suzuki EFEs we could gather in one place, and have a meet up of like-minded individuals. A tentative "Just putting it out there" enquiry on various forums met with so much interest that it had to be done. So after chatting to Donna Finnegan, who advised "The more the merrier", we made a club, got a date and now we wait! The date is Saturday-Sunday 28th-29th September which is the Saturday night Special and The Jap Show Finale on the Sunday. As it is the first ever EFE gathering in the UK, we decided it was to be predominantly a static display and a get-together, but there is also a RWYB on the Saturday for anyone wanting to get their EFE on the track. To put it mildly, it's gone mental! The interest has been huge, and to date we have a hundred EFEs booked and entered! The most that we have seen assembled was nine, unless anyone can contest this. This is going to be awesome! It is not too late to be a part of it!  But you need to be quick: call Santa Pod Raceway's ticket line on 01234 782828 –andbook and pay for your tickets, quoting "Jap Show Finale EFEST",  pay for weekend or the day, then message me at [email protected] advising how many EFEs you are bringing, so that we can organise a vehicle pass for you.  The lovely Ian and Paula Blackett of Blackett Photography, resident photographers at Santa Pod, are on board and will be taking  a group photo. They will also be on the track taking photos all weekend.  And with more generated interest, it could be huge... possibly the biggest EFE meeting ever! Simpson's BDRHoF Achievement Award. 10th September: The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame has presented this year's Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award to Bill Simpson, founder of Simpson Performance Products and Impact! Racing.  The award was made in recognition of Simpson's pivotal role in raising safety standards and creating a safe environment throughout motorsport in general, and drag racing in particular. A former racing driver, Bill founded Simpson Performance Products and Impact! Racing. Safety innovations attributed to him include the modern fire suit, driver restraint systems and helmets, and the drag racing parachute. The award was created in 2014 to recognize a person, team, company, institution/organisation or any other body that, in the opinion of the judges, has increased the awareness and stature of drag racing on a global basis or contributed to the technical development of the sport that has resulted in advances on a worldwide basis. Previous recipients of the award were, in 2014, Don Garlits, and then in 2015, the Mopar brand itself received it for its work in developing the Chrysler HEMI engine. In 2016, the National Hot Rod Association was honoured and in 2017, Steve Gibbs, former NHRA vice president and founder of the NHRA's Hot Rod Reunions, received the award. In 2018, the SFI Foundation, a non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for the quality assurance of speciality performance and racing equipment, became the fifth recipient of the award. This year, FCA US LLC's Mopar brand becomes the new title sponsor of this award.  Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) is the service, parts and customer-care brand for FCA vehicles around the globe. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of anti-freeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than eighty years to represent both complete care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide. Stuart Bradbury, Chairman of the BDRHoF, said "We are delighted to welcome the Mopar brand as our new title sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement Award, after remaining close to us since winning the award in 2015.  The winner of this year's award, Bill Simpson, has done more than any other parts supplier to innovate the products that help save racers' lives." Pietro Gorlier, Global Head of Parts & Service (MOPAR) said "We are proud to support an award that highlights the people or organisations that have helped develop the sport to the level it is today.  The Mopar brand continues to be closely involved with drag racing in terms of vehicle development, technical support and competing in the National Hot Rod Association races.  In the last year, more than 1.6 million spectators have attended the NHRA races in the US and over 80 million viewers have watched on TV showcasing its popularity."  Bill Simpson, member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, said "I am deeply honoured to be the recipient of the Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award.  It's now fifty eight years since I first started experimenting using parachutes to stop cars from high speed, and over half a century since I first made a fire-resistant suit for drivers to wear. I didn't set out to make safety equipment, I just wanted to come up with something that would save lives. I was in the right place at the right time and I made a good quality product.” Attending this year's Gala and flying in from the USA is one-time Vice President of the National Hot Rod Association, Steve Gibbs. Steve, who has over fifty years' association with the sport, forty eight of those with the NHRA, will have the honour of presenting the Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award to Bill Simpson. 2019 European Champions. 9th September: Congratulations to the 2019 European Champions, decided at the FIA/FIM European Finals with the exception of Jimmy Ålund who had won FIA Pro Stock after the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals: FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Anita Mäkelä FIA Top Methanol: Sandro Bellio FIA Pro Modified: Jan Ericsson FIA Pro Stock: Jimmy Ålund European Nitro Funny Car Series: Kevin Chapman FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike: Filippos Papafilippou FIM Europe Supertwin: Marcus Christiansen FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike: Fredrik Fredlund FIM Europe Super Street Bike: Steve Venables FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike: Blade Dummer FIA/FIM European Finals results. 9th September: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's FIA/FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway: FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Anita Mäkelä 3.8507/297.01 def. Liam Jones 4.9793/159.06 FIA Top Methanol: Manty Bugeja 5.3032/268.28 def. Sandro Bellio 5.6307/261.15 FIA Pro Modified: Jan Ericsson 8.1717/114.36 def. Jean Dulamon 8.2609/116.53 DQ red FIA Pro Stock: Robin Norén 6.5860/209.04 def. Jimmy Ålund 6.5500/210.82 European Nitro Funny Car Series: Kevin Kent 4.9638/173.06 bye, Kevin Chapman no show Nostalgia Funny Car: Tony Betts 6.4382/228.92 bye FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike: Filippos Papafilippou 16.8865/55.967 bye, Al Smith no show FIM Europe Supertwin: Marcus Christiansen 6.3380/218.97 def. Neil Midgley 8.4473/97.77 FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike: Martin Newbury 7.0537/189.91 def. Fredrik Fredlund 7.0479/186.61 FIM Europe Super Street Bike: Steve Venables 6.8042/216.85 def. Mogens Lund 7.0297/208.17 FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike Cup: Blade Dummer (8.41) 8.7331/75.581 def. Liam Holgate (8.22) 8.5647/78.97 Secret Worx Comp Eliminator: Robin Sattler (9.58) 8.9641/123.04 def. Andy Hone (7.95) 7.3663/185.70 Hauser Race Cars/CG Composites Super Pro ET: Tom Atkinson (8.73) 8.7646/154.13 bye, Brad Jackson (7.66) shut off Modurstang Pro ET: Ben Newsome (11.60) 11.8752/114.06 def. Gino Bernadine (9.40) 10.1417/101.39 DQ red Phoenix Personnel Super Comp: Leah Kellett 8.9449/159.62 def. Phil Bennett 9.0356/132.17 Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout: Collin Morrice 9.9053/135.22 def. Andy Harrison 9.9370/138.67 Lucas Oil Junior Dragster: Matthew Dowdy (8.29) 8.3386/77.09 def. Frankie Fordham (7.90) 7.9707/75.02 Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator: Andy Bond 7.1992/204.25 def. Mark Todd 14.8330/64.98 DQ red Subject to official ratification the following records were set. Congratulations to: FIA Top Fuel Dragster ET: 3.806 seconds, Maja Udtian FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike ET: 5.662 seconds, Filippos Papafilippou FIM Europe Supertwin ET: 6.299 seconds, Marcus Christiansen FIM Europe Super Street Bike ET: 6.804 seconds, Steve Venables FIM Europe Super Street Bike speed: 216.99 mph, Steve Venables Street Eliminator ET: 6.998 seconds, Andy Bond Street Eliminator speed: 212.81 mph, Andy Bond We will bring you other records such as quickest side-by-sides once we have been through the official timing data. Congratulations also to Super Pro ET racer Joe Kellett and Pro ET racer Gino Bernadine who won the Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and the Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team respectively. Both Awards have been reset to £50 for the STP UK National Finals. You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored FIA/FIM European Finals reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please join Tog in thanking Simon, Julian, Kirstie, Diana Macrae and Thaliah Gibb for their hard work over the race weekend. Print media attend European Finals. 3rd September: Robin Jackson writes that journalists from three leading UK automotive magazines will attend the FIA/FIM European Finals on Saturday: Not content with publishing a rare drag racing feature (on Anita Mäkelä) in its 22nd August issue, Autosport is going a unique step further by sending a staff outing to the race – editor Kevin Turner, writers Matt Kew and Steven Lickorish. They will be joined in the grandstand by the Managing Editor of Autocar, Damien Smith, while the distinguished journalist Simon Arron will be on media duty representing Motor Sport magazine. The group is sure to visit the pits, giving racers an opportunity to explain the dynamics of the straight-line sport to correspondents professionally versed in the corner-turning variety. Swift snippets. 3rd September: Thanks to Gaute Lindskog for letting us know that Norway's Julia Wagner has become the world's youngest licenced Supertwin Fuel racer at eighteen years of age after completing her observed runs at the weekend. Congratulations Julia and best wishes for a long and successful career. Many thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding us the final version of the official entry list for the STP UK National Finals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 21st-22nd September. You can check it 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. FIA/FIM European Finals Perfect Awards. 3rd September: £100 is up for grabs at this weekend's FIA/FIM European Finals courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors. This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by NEM Plant Ltd Nostalgia Super Stock racer Tom Wakins at the Green Light Nationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available in all classes during both qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing. Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff. The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has been reset to £50 after it was won by Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racer Holley Walters at the Green Light Nationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to run +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available in Modurstang Pro ET, Hauser Racing/CG Composites Super Pro ET, Secret Worx Comp Eliminator, Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only) and FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect ET Award is presented in association with Andy Hadfield aka Fadster of the Twister Race Team. Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff. Web site updates. 3rd September: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr gallery with three galleries from the Mopar EuroNationals. You can check out Mad's shots at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman. VW Action galleries. 1st September: We have posted two end-day galleries from the weekend's VW Action at Santa Pod Raceway in association with John Woolfe Racing. You can check out our galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Grand response to Ugly shirt auction. 1st September: We are very pleased to announce that Bloodwise will be better off to the tune of £1125.99 thanks to the generosity of Eurodragster.com readers bidding for the six T-Shirts put up by Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator racer Andy Bond. Congratulations and thanks to our successful bidders (in alphabetical order): Steve Matthews Colin Millar Nev Mottershead Anais Shepherd John Tebenham James Webber A huge Thank You to everyone who submitted bids. Andy will be in touch with the winning bidders very shortly. Earlier news