2019 SPRC Perpetual Awards vote 1. 30th December: Santa Pod Racers Club and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give Eurodragster.com readers the chance of input to the SPRC Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the SPRC Dinner Dance and Trophy presentation in February 2020. For several of the 2019 season awards, a shortlist has been decided upon for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. Nominations are now also being accepted for the Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when the SPRC Committee decides upon their winners. Today's category is Most Promising Newcomer. Nominees for SPRC Most Promising Newcomer have impressed whilst contesting their first full season in a class or making their on-track début in 2019. The SPRC Committee's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Ashley Cooper, Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator Vote for Ashley Cooper Kai Cooper, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster Vote for Kai Cooper Dan Holloway, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET Vote for Dan Holloway Gary Lake, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET Vote for Gary Lake Ronnie Mercer, Modurstang Pro ET Vote for Ronnie Mercer Alan Morrison Sr, NMCN 8.50 Bike Vote for Alan Morrison Sr Alan Morrison Jr, 9.50 Bike Vote for Alan Morrison Jr Craig Wright, 9.50 Bike Vote for Craig Wright To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the SPRC Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If your device doesn't automatically generate an E-Mail then please E-Mail your choice to [email protected]. ©Eurodragster.com The Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy, for which nominations are also now being taken, was first awarded to Santa Pod Racers Club's late Chief Marshal, Alex Brachtvogel, in 2001 to mark his outstanding contribution to Santa Pod Raceway and the sport as a whole. After Alex's death the trophy was named in his memory and continues to be awarded for contribution to drag racing. There is no shortlist for the Alex Brachtvogel award. Nominations are invited from Eurodragster.com readers for racers, race officials, track and safety crews, club officials, media, or anyone else who has contributed to the sport. Last year the trophy was awarded to Santa Pod Raceway Track Announcer Colin Theobald. Again see the official page for more details or E-Mail your nomination to [email protected] specifying SPRC Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy nomination as the subject and your nomination in the body of the E-Mail. For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. 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 contact SPRC direct rather than E-Mailing Eurodragster.com or commenting on social media. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement. The next voting category will be Best Appearing Car. SPRC Christmas update. 24th December: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall has been in touch to inform racers that the SPRC office will be manned part-time during the holiday period. "If you need ACU codes or anything else then it may take a day or two to get the information back to you", says Ian. "The office will be open full-time again from Thursday 2nd January. "Santa Pod Racers Club would like to wish all of our members a very Happy Christmas, and we hope that Santa brings all of the new bits you wanted for Christmas. "2020 is shaping up to be a great year. We have some new stuff to bring you early in the New Year which will make things a little simpler for racers and members. So stay safe, have a great holiday, and keep an eye on Eurodragster.com for updates on the new stuff in 2020. We also wish you all a very Happy, Safe and Sunny race season in the New Year." Swift snippets. 24th December: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday with hugs to Nitro FM presenter and occasional Contributing Photographer Nikki Marshall. Have a lovely day Nikki. No news update yesterday so we were unable to say a big Happy 60th Birthday to our good friend Jerry Cookson. Hope you had a great day Jerry. Drag Racing Unplugged XXI. 24th December: As has become traditional on our last pre-Christmas update, we have posted a page of quotes from this season's John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Eurodragster.com Event Coverage including Tog's, Simon's, Kirstie's, and Julian's personal Quotes of the Year, together with others which we didn't publish at the time. As well as the core team we have also asked our Off-Track Photographer Diana Macrae to choose her favourite. We are pleased to present Drag Racing Unplugged XXI, the 2019 collection, which you can check 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. 2019 Champions' Champions. 24th December: Honorary Eurodragster.com staff member Andy Marrs and our own Simon have again been hard at work to compile lists of European and UK Champions' Champions. The Champions' Champions tables show the all-time highest points earners since the FIA and FIM European Championships began in 1996 and 1992 respectively, and since the UK National Championships began in 1999. Marrs writes that 302 racers have now earned points in the FIA European Drag Racing Championships. Congratulations to Pro Modified and Pro Stock racer Jimmy Ålund who has taken over the number one spot in all-time FIA Championship points, passing 8000 career points in the process and also becoming the first driver to earn more than 1000 points in an FIA Championship season. Pro Modified racer Micke Gullqvist has passed 6000 Championship points and has moved up to fourth place in the all-time standings. Top Fuel Dragster racer Anita Mäkela has moved up to sixth place passing 5000 Championship points. Although Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren drops to to second in the all-time standings, he remains the highest-ranked driver to earn all of their points in a single class. Jimmy made a clean sweep of six events, setting High Speed for the third time - Michael is the only other driver to do this. Anita Mäkelä now leads all-time FIA Top Fuel Dragster career points, taking over top spot from Micke Kågered. Anita also has the highest number of Top Fuel round wins. Stig Neergaard has moved up to third spot, passing 3000 career points, whilst Antto Horto moves up to seventh and Liam Jones tenth. Anita also garnered the highest points total in one season at 556, the most event wins in a season at four, and the most round wins in a season at fourteen. Twelve racers scored points in FIA Top Methanol this season, the highest for the combined dragster/Funny Car incarnation of the class. Sandro Bellio of Eurodragster.com sponsor Dyno Unlimited has taken over top spot in all-time standings, passing 1000 career points as did Timo Habermann and Johnny Lagg, the latter moving up to third. Jürgen Nagel has moved up to seventh place, Johnny Oksa to ninth, and Manty Bugeja to tenth. Micke Gullqvist has passed 6000 career points, keeping top spot in all-time FIA Pro Modified standings. Mats Eriksson has moved up to second, David Vegter to fourth, and Jimmy Ålund to tenth. The sole change in all-time FIA Pro Stock standings is Bengt Ljungdahl's move up to eighth. You can check out the FIA Champions' Champions, Championship summaries, and analyses of qualifying results and round wins by clicking here or by clicking on the Champions' Champions link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Pro Stock Bike racer Fredrik Fredlund passed 3000 points in all-time FIM Europe Championship points. Fredde also now holds the highest number of round wins of any FIM Europe racer and of course of any FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike racer. Rikard Gustafsson passed 2000 career points in FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike as well as passing fifty round wins. Filippos Papafilippou passed 1000 points and amassed the highest number of Top Fuel Bike points in a season at 432. Marcus Christiansen's points total of 386 is the highest-ever in FIM Europe Supertwin as is his winning margin of 157. In FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike, Len Paget passed 2000 career points. FIM Europe Super Street Bike is pretty much a story of Steve Venables. Ven passed 2000 points, his points total of 468 is the highest-ever as his is winning margin of 136. As if that isn't enough Ven passed fifty round wins and now holds the highest round-win tally in SSB. At this year's FIA/FIM European Finals Mark Hope became the fiftieth different rider to win a round of Super Street Bike. You can check out the FIM Champions' Champions, Championship summaries, and analyses of qualifying results and round wins by clicking here or by clicking on the Champions' Champions link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If you have any queries about the FIA and FIM Europe Champions' Champions and analyses then you can contact Marrs at [email protected]. Simon writes that scoring for the UK National Championships Champions' Champions is based upon an event having to be completed for a win to be registered. Race wins are ranked by number based on the driver or rider. Points however are scored and ranked on a team basis, as are numbers of Championships. For teams with multiple cars or drivers changing teams during or between seasons, the compiler's decision is final. 2019 suffered two rain-offs, Bug Jam and the STP UK National Finals, but all eight other events which included SPRC National Championship rounds were completed. So there was racing in six rounds for both the car and the bike classes. Now that the SPRC and National Championships have been merged, we have included Competition Eliminator and Supertwin Top Gas classes for the first time. Happily, the European Funny Car Series was revived and we have looked at all years this class has run, notwithstanding different points systems in place. We had first-time Champions in nine classes, compared with seven last year and a record eleven in 2015. The number of back-to-back Champions was seven, the same number as 2018, compared to a record nine in 2017. Congratulations to Kevin Chapman for winning a hard fought and attrition-filled European Funny Car Series. In the Series that have been run over the last two decades, Gordon Smith and John Spuffard have both won three Championships and John has won ten events. Gordon has won the most points with Kevin Kent in second place in aggregate points, Kevin having reset the ET and speed records early in the season to 4.236/286.49. In MSA Pro Modified, The Netherlands' Marck Harteveld won his first Championship and two event wins on the way. Congratulations to him. Marck also enters the top twenty points total for the first time. Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Robinson leads numbers of Championships with seven, event wins with nineteen, and also career points, despite sitting out this season. Andy 'Fred' Hone won this year's Competition Eliminator Championship and shares the largest number of race wins, six, with Kev Perkins. He also leads the aggregate points over the seven years that the Championship has been contested, with a margin of 1470 over Kev Perkins. In Super Pro ET, Brad Jackson won his second, and back to back, Championship in this tough class and congratulations to him, his win being aided by an event win at the Summernationals. Scott Hauser leads the Championship count with three ahead of other Championship winners Martyn Jones, Steve Green and Ian Tubb who have had two Super Pro Championships each since 1999. Barry Giles leads wins with fifteen in total and as Giles & Hartley continues to lead aggregate points, ahead of Steve Johnson. Brad, who has notched up five race wins, has moved from fifteenth to ninth in the points tally. Team Dark Horse (previously known as Top Banana with Brian and Lee Huxley sharing driving) won their sixth Pro ET Championship in 2019 and Rick McCann lies in second place with three. Lee Huxley has had thirteen wins over the last twenty years, with Rick McCann and Bob Doyle having won six each. The Huxleys continue to lead the points tally ahead of Team Heaven & Hell. In Sportsman ET Dan Holloway won his first Championship and congratulations to him. Craig Wright, Geoff Cowley and Team Rainy City Lightning (Al and Linda Platt) each have three Sportsman ET Championships. Craig, with ten wins during his time in the class, leads Geoff Cowley and Rick Denny who both have seven wins. Team Rainy City Lightning still lead the points aggregate, with Eurodragster.com Photographer Kirstie Tramm entering the top twenty points scorers for the first time. Leah Kellett won her first Super Comp Championship emphatically with three event wins, and congratulations to her. Stuart Doignie, with four Championships in 2015-18, leads Brian Pateman for the most Super Comp Championships, Brian having three in the period under review. Brian has most wins with thirteen, and the most points over Pete Creswell. In Super Gas, Simon Fulton won his first Championship with two event wins and congratulations to him. Stuart Doignie, Jon Morton and Tim Adam have four Championships apiece, with Stuart's four again coming in 2015-18. Jon and Frank Mason both have twelve race wins in the period, whereas Frank continues to lead points scored. Congratulations to Matthew Dowdy on his first Junior Dragster title, including four event wins for the UK sport's most dominant performance of the season. Joe Kellett has the most Championships with three, Nick Mugridge continues to have the most wins with nine and Joe Kellett leads aggregate points over Billy Everitt. Congratulations to Andy Bond who won his first Street Eliminator title, with three event wins and new national records of 6.998/212.81 (backed up by an astounding but too-quick 6.903) along the way; Steve Pateman still dominates the overall listings with five Championships, seventeen wins and leads the aggregate points over Ian Hook. You can check out the UK car class Champions' Champions by clicking here or by clicking on the Champions' Champions link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Steve Woollatt scored his fourteenth ACU Top Fuel Bike Championship over the period covered (eighteenth overall), and his thirty event wins and aggregate points lead are unlikely to be challenged any time soon. At the Festival of power, which Steve won, he reset the ACU Top Fuel ET record to 6.062. Congratulations to The Netherlnds' Kars van den Belt on winning his first ACU Funny Bike Championship with one race win at the Green Light Nationals. Neil Midgley continues to lead all three categories with five Championships, seventeen event wins and a sizeable points total. In ACU Super Street Bike Steve Venables won his ninth national Championship, with a win at the Festival of Power. Ven continues to lead the number of Championships, has twenty eight ACU victories and leads the points total by a substantial margin from Graham Dance who lies second in Championships with four, and wins with nineteen. Congratulations to Louis Davies who won his first ACU Competition Bike Championship with three event wins making for a dominant season. With Dad Allan Davies having won the 2014 Championship, we think that this is the first ACU father-and-son Championships in British drag bike racing history. At eighteen years of age, Louis is also the youngest rider ever to win an ACU Drag Bike Championship.Phil Leamon and Ivan Birch each have three Championships, both have ten wins and Phil also leads the points over Stu Crane. Liam Holgate won his third ACU Junior Drag Bike Championship, with three wins during the season. Scott Collier leads the total of Championships with four and wins with ten wins. He also leads the points tally over Louis Davies. Jay Roe, with three event wins this year, won his second Championship in 8.50 Bike. Jake Mechaell continues to lead the Championships total with three equalling Mick Winyard's, the wins total with thirteen over Jay's nine, and the points total over Jay's. In 9.50 Bike, Richard Sawatzki scored his eighth Championship, an unprecedented fifth in a row, with two event twins equalled by runner-up Craig Wright's two, and leads the number of Championships won from Fred Furlong. Richard's twenty wins head Fred's eleven, and Rick continues with the overall points lead over Fred. Phil Pratt's dominance in ET Bike continued as he won his third consecutive Championship, having won all Championships since the class's points scoring status began. Phil heads Gary Hester in events won with ten compared to Gary's three, and leads Gary also in aggregate points. Congratulations to Michael Gooding for his second Supertwin Top Gas Championship in a row; Michael is the only rider to win more than one Championship since the class was established in 2014. Michael has five victories over Chris Mott's three and he leads the aggregate points over Les Harris. You can check out the UK bike class Champions' Champions by clicking here or by clicking on the Champions' Champions link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If you have any queries about the UK car or bike Champions' Champions then you can contact Simon at [email protected]. Eurodragster.com Christmas lists. 24th December: We will now be taking our Christmas break. News updates and postings to our Jeff Bull Race Engines Swap Meet will resume at the end of this week. Keep those news items coming to us at [email protected] and we will post them after our break. In the meantime we have compiled our usual requests to Father Christmas, together with our New Year resolutions. As well as the core team we have also asked Off-Track Photographer Diana Macrae for her thoughts: Top of Kirstie's Christmas list: The Mooneyes Cruiser bike back. How I miss that bike. Top of Simon's Christmas list: A practical application of Hollywood's de-ageing technology. Top of Julian's Christmas list: Dusty the Duster, obvs! It is available, so not completely unrealistic. Top of Tog's Christmas list: No more "Can you put it on today" birthday messages in the middle of Pro qualifying (and no more strops when I say no). Kirstie's New Year resolution: Being second next year isn't an option. Simon's New Year resolution: To continue to promote, and provide, quality journalism for European drag racing. Julian's New Year resolution: To feel less insulted by the small minority of racers who ask for pictures but who then begrudge contributing to the considerable cost of creating them and cease communication. Tog's New Year resolution: To hang up on anyone else who phones and threatens me whilst I am on my day job. Top of Diana's Christmas list: Health and happiness for everyone. Diana's New Year resolution: To get a surround sound system having lost mine. Kirstie, Tog, Simon and Julian would like to wish all Eurodragster.com readers and their families the very Happiest of Christmases, and to thank everyone who has sent us personal Christmas wishes and cards. Have a great time. UK STTG and ET Bike sponsorship 2020. 21st December: Derek Flynn of Eurodragster.com sponsors Gold RV and Accelerate Your Marketing has been in touch from his hospital isolation room, where stem cell transplant treatment is well underway, to tell us that he and wife Fiona have again arranged sponsorship for the UK's Supertwin Top Gas and ET Bike classes in 2020. Supertwin Top Gas will again be sponsored by Gold RV and, new for 2020, by Scorpion Motors, Thorsten Appel's one stop shop for all your Harley needs who can build, repair and sell bikes and parts. "My Gold RV partner Gary Jenkins is into his Harleys and has helped me a lot", says Derek. "Scorpion has been working on developing the class and getting the numbers up: he has put his money where his mouth is by purchasing and racing one of my Supertwins. We have arranged a prize fund for the Championship winner and runner-up which will hopefully increase the fields. Even a small win bonus might help encourage some of our Dutch and German friends to visit and to bolster the numbers. ET Bike is to be sponsored in the name of Derek BINDY Flynn; Derek tells us that if his treatment doesn't work out then the BINDY will be dropped from the class name. Decals will be mandatory for Gold RV/Scorpion Motors Supertwin Top Gas, and will be appreciated in Derek BINDY Flynn ET Bike. "When I spoke to Ian Marshall at Santa Pod Racers Club I reminded him about the bet between himself and Pete Walters, who both raced the Accelerate Your Marketing Audi S4 V8", says Derek. "That was a bet which Pete won by a quite a handsome margin, thank you Ian for the £50 for Bloodwise. It was great fun!" Now is also a good opportunity to remind readers that Bloodwise are still seeking support either in the form of donations or volunteers to donate blood or stem cells. Derek tells us that Super Pro ET team member Andy Flavell and Derek's nurse Lucy have signed up to donate stem cells. To donate money or to find out more about donating blood or stem cells please check out the Bloodwise web site at www.bloodwise.org.uk. Swift snippets. 21st December: Jason Stephenson tells us that a new paint shop, B and D Panel, recently opened in Grendon, near Wollaston, fifteen minutes from Santa Pod and roughly five minutes from Wellingborough Tesco. The shop is taking on work from a little scuff to a full respray. Alongside is a carbon fibre shop, DJS Composites, which can make carbon fibre or fibreglass parts to suit your needs. For more details about B and D Panel either visit their Facebook page, E-Mail [email protected] or call 07568 983879; for more details about DJS Composites either visit their Facebook page, E-Mail [email protected] or call 07572 061238. The latest spy pictures to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with no words although there is a bit of a clue in one. 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. You can check it out by clicking on the images below. Our good buddy Remco Scheelings is keeping himself busy posting features on this year's European and EDRS Pro Champions on the Drag Racing Europe Blog at www.dragracingeurope.eu. The last Eurodragster.com News update before Christmas will be posted on Christmas Eve (Tuesday) and will as ever consist of the 2019 editions of Champions' Champions, Drag Racing Unplugged XXI, and the top Christmas presents and New Year resolutions of the Eurodragster.com staff. If you have any updates for the Christmas Eve news then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Bill Simpson. 16th December: We were sorry to hear from Geoff Stilwell of the death of motorsport safety legend Bill Simpson. Bill had been in ill health recently, having to miss the presentation of his Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala, and was taken into hospital last week but unfortunately passed away today. Bill, himself a former racer, was founder of Simpson Performance Products and Impact! Racing and played a pivotal role in raising safety standards and creating a safe environment throughout motorsport in general, and drag racing in particular. His safety innovations include the modern firesuit, driver restraint systems and helmets, and the drag racing parachute. He once legendarily volunteered to put on one of his firesuits and then be sprayed with racing gas and have a match put to him. Needless to say, Bill came out of that exercise unscathed and with a point well made. It is beyond dispute that Bill saved countless lives in his long and innovative career, and we are sure that every drag racer in Europe and elsewhere feel that they owe him a debt of gratitude whether or not they have had an accident. There can be no more fitting memorial nor solid legacy than for Bill's products to continue to keep racers safe. Our deepest sympathies to Bill's family and friends. Isaacs and Tramm Pro Mod for sale. 14th December: After six seasons of highs and lows, success and tribulation, and a whole lot of fun, Eurodragster.com sponsor Chris Isaacs and Spencer Tramm have elected to place their turbo Pro Mod Duster up for sale. "As some people may remember, we threw a rod at the Doorslammers earlier this year after qualifying fourth in Pro Doorslammer and reaching the quarter finals before damaging the motor", says Chris. "We reached the point from the tail end of 2018 where we had a race car which would run low 6.4 or high 6.3 second quarters on a safe tune and low RPM with very little maintenance, allowing us and our super crew of Vince, George, Rachel, Steve and Adele more time for the all-important task of drinking tea and sampling my wife Rosie’s splendid cooking! "However, anyone who follows Pro Mod will know that in the past couple of seasons the MSUK British Championship has seen a sharp rise in performance, and whereas maybe eighteen months ago a race car which would run 6.3-6.4 very consistently was a competitive piece, it is looking like in 2020 it might take a 6.1 or better to qualify for an eight-car Motorsport UK Pro Mod field. "Spencer and I have been taking a long, hard look at our operation, and whilst we have no doubt that the car itself is capable of those ETs and beyond, the way we would have to lean on it to do so may well be beyond our resources of time, money and inclination. As such, we have decided to offer the Duster for sale in case another racer is better placed to take the car forwards. "Both of us still have plans in our racing lives, and freeing up some funding from the Duster would go a long way to realising those ambitions. If it doesn't sell we will then re-evaluate our situation." You can find Dusty under Cars For Sale on our Jeff Bull Race Engines and Performance Parts-sponsored Swap Meet. Zeon TV DVD review. 12th December: Zeon TV have produced six DVDs of drag racing from Santa Pod Raceway this year. Although it is a reduction from last year's ten productions (partly a result of Zeon covering tractor pulling as well as drag racing), the quality of each is up to the very high professional standards that we have been used to over the last sixteen years. They all deserve the attention of anyone who has an interest in drag racing. The first DVD is of the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals in May, with additional interspersed footage posted of the Vintage Hot Rod Association's Vintage Nationals from April. Classes involved at the Nostalgia Nationals are UK Nostalgia Super Stock, Supercharged Outlaws, Outlaw Anglia, Gasser Circus, Wild Bunch, Tri Chevy Shootout and there is also RWYB action.VHRA have their own class structure, based on capacity, types of specific engine, power adder or car body type. The events are well established, the Nostalgia Nationals being in its 26th year (the first twenty four editions being at Shakespeare County Raceway) and the Vintage Nationals now in its third year. The atmosphere at each event is different with VHRA vehicles being pre-1949 in manufacture and the Nostalgia Nationals for cars built pre-1973. As well as close and quick racing there is a chance to be on board with Colin Millar in his Flyin' Fyfer Outlaw Anglia - worth the price of the DVD alone. The Doorslammers meeting in mid-May had its second running in 2019, and the structure was similar this year, with a huge two hundred-car field enjoyed by a packed crowd. There were heads up competition in VP Racing Fuels Pro Doorslammer (largely populated by Pro Modified and Top Doorslammer entries), Webster Race Engineering 4 cylinder, Turbo Technics Pro Street, True Street, Eibach Front Wheel Drive (round 2 onwards), 6 Cylinder and the OCS Group Big Bracket. Drawing of lots for the ladder produced some intriguing races. Prize money of £80,000 was posted by Santa Pod Raceway and, like 2018, it inspired some exciting racing, many PBs and a large field of diverse machinery. The presentation includes interviews with some of the top drivers in many of the classes. This DVD is just under two hours of doorslammer heaven. The FIA/FIM Main Event was run to its conclusion late on Bank Holiday Monday and after a couple of late nights the event was wrapped up in all classes. The FIA car classes included in this great DVD are Top Fuel Dragster, Top Methanol, Pro Stock and Pro Modified, together with the European Funny Car series (back after a two season hiatus) and the amazing Top Doorslammer exhibition. FIM-E motorcycle classes comprised Top Fuel Bike, Super Twin, Pro Stock Bike, Super Street and Junior Drag Bike. The well-edited action includes qualifying and all of the eliminations and is a wonderful souvenir of a fabulous event. Dragstalgia was a complete contrast to the intensity of the Doorslammers and Main Event. It has always been a fun-filled race meeting, in its ninth incarnation in 2019, and the Zeon DVD conveys the atmosphere superbly as they always have. The classes involved were the same as the Nostalgia Nationals, with the added attraction of the Nostalgia Cannonball (including the iconic Nostalgia Funny Cars), Slingshot Showdown, Willys Wars, Custom Car invitational RWYB (pre-1980) and bike classes from the NSA and the Nostalgia Pro Stock Bike class racing in their own eliminator. Interviews include the legendary Hawaiian Roland Leong, who came over to tune Tony Betts' Nostalgia FC. Add to this a fantastic display of historic drag racing machinery, nitro cackling in the pits and on track and you have one hell of an event, even though the couple of racing incidents we had were unfortunate. The DVD provides one hour and fifty minutes of entertainment, if you discount the cross-dressing start line team (sorry guys). After a long summer gap, much of the sport travelling around Europe in the six weeks before September, the Zeon team returned to Santa Pod Raceway for the FIA/FIM European Finals. The same classes were included as at the Main Event and there was some fantastic racing with many of the Championships going down to the wire. You can see racers pushing to the very limit, and in some cases beyond. Junior Drag Bike on the Main Event and this DVD and the Junior Dragster final round are the sole showcase for the Junior side of the sport in this year's group of DVDs. Could an on-line production to promote Junior Dragster racing be a future project? The final, and only class-specific DVD this year is the Motorsport UK Pro Modified Championship, commentated on by Darryl Bradford. Rounds were held at the Festival of Power, the FIA/FIM Main Event, STP Summer Nationals Mopar Euronats, FIA/FIM European Finals and the season closer at the STP National Finals. Exciting action and interviews abound. This DVD is a must for fans of Pro Modified who want to know more behind the scenes as well as enjoying the on-track action. Commentary on the other five DVDs comes from SPR regular Colin Theobald who brings his usual enthusiasm (San-drooo! - Ed) and knowledge, so the viewer is left in no doubt when something special has happened. Camera work by Helen Todd, David Coleman, Cameron Rennie and Eurodragster.com Contributing Photographer Callum Pudge is excellent. With the prospect of many cold and gloomy days before the start of the next season, Zeon DVDs are a great way to lift your winter mood and, at the same time, an excellent reason to hold off that off-season rebuild for another few hours or while you wait for parts to arrive. You can purchase any or all of these superb Zeon DVDs for £14.95 each plus £1.50 postage per order to UK and £1.75 to anywhere else in the world. All DVDs are region free and in PAL format, which means you can watch them on a computer anywhere and on a TV which can display 625 lines at 50Hz. Various deals are available for the purchase of multiple titles. You can order on-line at www.quartermilehigh.com. 2020 UK class calendar. 11th December: Many thanks to Darren Prentice of Santa Pod Raceway and Ian Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club for forwarding us a list of classes which will run at each Permit event at Santa Pod Raceway in 2020. The usual matrix will be posted after the Riders' and Drivers' Meeting in the New Year but the intention behind the sneak preview is to assist racers and teams in booking time off work etc. Festival of Power 10th-12th April: Pro Modified, Nitro Funny Car, Top Fuel Dragster exhibition, Comp Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Pro ET, Pro ET, Sportsman ET, Junior Dragster, Street Eliminator, Outlaw Anglia, VW Sportsman, VW Pro, ACU Top Fuel Bike, ACU Pro Stock Bike, ACU Funny Bike, ACU Comp Bike, ACU Super Street Bike, 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, ET Bike, Super Twin Top Gas, Junior Drag Bike Springspeed Nationals 2nd-3rd May: Nostalgia Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Pro ET, Pro ET, Sportsman ET, Junior Dragster, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Wild Bunch, Nostalgia Super Stock, Outlaw Flat Four, ACU Top Fuel Bike, ACU Pro Stock Bike, ACU Funny Bike, ACU Comp Bike, ACU Super Street Bike, 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, ET Bike, Super Twin Top Gas, Junior Drag Bike FIA/FIM Main Event 22nd-25th May: FIA Top Fuel Dragster, FIA Top Methanol, FIA Pro Modified, FIA Pro Stock, Nitro Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Pro ET, Pro ET, Junior Dragster, Street Eliminator, Stock/Super Stock, FIM Top Fuel Bike, FIM Supertwin, FIM Pro Stock Bike, FIM Super Street Bike, FIM World Super Street Bike, FIM Junior Drag Bike Cup STP Summernationals 18th-19th July: Pro Modified, Comp Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Pro ET, Pro ET, Sportsman ET, Junior Dragster, Street Eliminator, Outlaw Anglia, VW Sportsman, VW Pro, Wild Bunch, ACU Top Fuel Bike, ACU Pro Stock Bike, ACU Funny Bike, ACU Comp Bike, ACU Super Street Bike, 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, ET Bike, Super Twin Top Gas, Junior Drag Bike Bug Jam 24th-26th July: Nitro Funny Car, Sportsman ET, Street Eliminator, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four, Supercharged Outlaws Mopar EuroNationals 1st-2nd August: Pro Modified STP Green Light Nationals 22nd-23rd August: Green Light Pro, Comp Eliminator, Sportsman ET, Nostalgia Super Stock, Outlaw Anglia, Wild Bunch, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four, Supercharged Outlaws, Big Bracket, ACU Pro Stock Bike double-header, ACU Funny Bike double-header, ACU Comp Bike double-header, ACU Super Street Bike double-header, 8.50 Bike double-header, 9.50 Bike double-header, ET Bike double-header, Super Twin Top Gas double-header, Junior Drag Bike double-header FIA/FIM European Finals 10th-13th September: FIA Top Fuel Dragster, FIA Top Methanol, FIA Pro Modified, FIA Pro Stock, Nitro Funny Car, Nostalgia Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Pro ET, Pro ET, Junior Dragster, Street Eliminator, Stock/Super Stock, FIM Top Fuel Bike, FIM Supertwin, FIM Pro Stock Bike, FIM Super Street Bike, FIM Junior Drag Bike Cup STP UK National Finals 26th-27th September: Pro Modified, Nostalgia Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Pro ET, Pro ET, Sportsman ET, Junior Dragster, Street Eliminator, Nostalgia Super Stock, VW Sportsman, VW Pro, Outlaw Flat Four, Wild Bunch, ACU Top Fuel Bike, ACU Pro Stock Bike, ACU Funny Bike, ACU Comp Bike, ACU Super Street Bike, 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, ET Bike, Super Twin Top Gas, Junior Drag Bike If you have any queries then please get in touch with Ian Marshall [email protected] or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625). Stock/Super Stock comes to Santa Pod. 11th December: Following almost constant requests from a number of racers, Santa Pod Raceway and Santa Pod Racers Club have taken the decision to run Stock/Super Stock at the 2020 FIA/FIM Main Event and FIA/FIM European Finals. The success of Nostalgia Super Stock has proven that format will work with a little help: The class will run to NHRA  regulations. We currently have six legal cars in the UK, that number is set to grow, and dozens in Scandinavia and also in Germany. The hope is that we can attract some of these cars and drivers to come and race with us at these events, It would be great to see Team Heaven & Hell back on UK soil to come and do battle with the guys over here, as well as many of the other Stock/Super Stock cars out there in Europe. The Williams Brothers have very kindly offered to put up addition prize fund for the Stock/ Super Stock class to help encourage racers from Europe to come and get involved, and of course any UK racer who feels that their cars may meet the required specification. If you have questions please either get in touch with the Williams Brothers through Facebook or contact Ian Marshall at Santa Pod Racers Club at [email protected] or call 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625). The Williams Brothers are well equipped to help with most enquires on this as they currently spend a part of their season racing with the big hitters in the United States. With the Doorslammers the week before the Main Event there is also scope for racers to get involved in the Big Bracket and perhaps take some additional funds home with them. All are more than welcome to come over and get involved a week earlier, and we would obviously be able to accommodate the cars being left here between the two meetings. More news on this will follow in the New Year, but from the perspective of organising ferry and other travel etc this will be happening so start booking. Please note that Nostalgia Super Stock will still run at 2020 and that this will not change their calendar in any way. Attention SPRC Perpetual trophy holders. 11th December: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall has been in touch to request that current SPRC Perpetual Award trophy holders return the trophies before Christmas. Trophies can be returned either to Santa Pod Raceway or to Ian, for the latter please contact Ian at [email protected] or call 01933 313625. The shortlists for this year's SPRC Perpetual Awards are currently being compiled and the usual vote will open here on Eurodragster.com very shortly. Foundation to support UK Juniors. 11th December: UK Supercharged Outlaw racer Andy Hadfield, aka Fadster, who sponsors the Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award, has set up a foundation to assist Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike teams. Fadster got in touch to explain the FOundation and how you can get involves: After one season of racing with Purdie in Lucas Oil Junior Dragster, I cannot help but notice some teams really struggle to keep their kids involved because of the financial strain of running a team. I set up the Foundation on 7th December to act as a support system for the Junior side of our sport/hobby. The Foundation wants to provide a financial support to offer parents and enthusiastic kids the chance to compete in the Junior classes, be that bikes or dragsters. The intention, subject to funding, is to encourage new personalities into the hobby, to give assistance to existing teams, and to provide one-off financial assistance to exceptional cases. We have yet to make a decision how that support will manifest itself; this depends so much on our kind beneficiaries most of whom come from the drag racing world. Getting new kids into the sport is difficult for parents who are probably already over-stretched with the cost of just raising a child these days. As of 09:28 yesterday (Monday), the Foundation has raised £2080 with a further £500 of pledged donations. Sales of Foundation bumper stickers have helped but the bulk of donations are from individuals within the sport. Support will be via fuel and oil donations direct to teams, small steps initially but from small acorns etc. I would like to take the opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks to all the individuals and companies who have already made generous donations, and I would actively encourage others to do the same. Donations can be made through PayPal to [email protected], and please E-Mail [email protected] for enquiries either about the Foundation or about about alternative forms of payment. The Foundation can be found on Facebook as The UK Junior Drag Racing Foundation. The people we are supporting now are the future of drag racing and, in some small part, the Foundation will help to cement the future for our up-and-coming stars. Swift snippets. 11th December: Swedish Street (8.60) racer Veronica Olderin has announced that she will be racing Top Fuel Dragster next year in the dragster campaigned by the late Björn Mårtensson. The current plan is for a limited schedule with outings at Gardermoen and Tierp Arena. Jade Race seeks new home. 11th December: Andrea Kloss writes that the airfield in Mariensiel will no longer be available as a venue for Germany's Jade Race in 2020: After eleven years of successful co-operation with airfield management, all authorities and offices involved as well as the businesses around the race, this was an unpleasant surprise which has caused great regret, especially as the prospect of the continuation of the race event was made in the previous stakeholder meeting (District of Friesland and City of Wilhelmshaven). The reason for the suspension of the event is not due to issues with the race, but rather due to the quality of the new runway surface. During set-up for the race event in July 2019 the new surface reacted to the heavy loads, leaving indentations and imprints. This was clearly not due to use of race vehicles or our service vehicles as the old surface had worked without any damage for ten years. A rectification of the defective surface is certainly recommended even if it is only used for flight operations and where heavy recovery equipment could also be used, which the surface would also not be able to withstand. Or, to put it another way: the bad or faulty quality of a resurfaced motorway or a public road would certainly not be accepted. It is more than annoying that with the loss of the Jade Race the region will lose an attractive race event. First and foremost, we are thankful for the long-standing trust in the event's potential and for the fascination for it. The Jade Race has continued to develop into one of the most prominent events in the region of Friesland / Wilhelmshaven. Next to the NitrOlympX, with the permanent drag strip at the Hockenheimring, the Jade Race is the most renowned race of its kind in Germany and has increasingly attracted up to 250 teams from all over Europe. The high level of sporting professionalism and the perfect handling of this complex race event make the Jade Race attractive for race teams and spectators. A brief look at the history of this event tells an impressive story. The Jade Race has grown steadily since 2007 and we have counted up to 8000 visitors on race days. Many hotels, guest houses and other holiday accommodations in the region were fully booked. Regional businesses have discovered that the race event makes an effective advertising platform for themselves and, according to their own statements, the Jade Race has gained them new customers. The race event is not only a successful engine and excellent advertisement for the tourist location of Friesland, which has gained publicity beyond the borders of the region due to international participation. The technical solutions developed within the framework of the optimisation of our racing vehicles, for example in the field of injection technology, are finding their way back into the industry. In fact, motorsport is still a laboratory and testing ground for technical innovation.  Motorsport is undergoing a radical change in times when environmental awareness and climate protection are playing an increasingly important role. A development that has not left the Jade Race unaffected and which has long been taken into account with the use of clean fuels such as E10 or bio-methanol. In addition, we wanted to send out another signal in the coming year with the introduction of an electric drag racing class, a project for which renowned vehicle suppliers and power suppliers have offered support.   Our interest in e-mobility is also inspired by the world record that was set by students from Stuttgart at the Jade Race in 2015: the acceleration from zero to a hundred in 1.779 seconds with an electric racing car, which secured the track an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. The Jade Race is a platform for technical innovation, modern vehicle construction and exciting racing events which make a unique entertainment programme and even with the increased environmental awareness is politically endorsed and should be maintained. An alternative racetrack in the immediate vicinity may in fact be possible. The Jever Air Base, which is no longer used for military flight operations, is basically usable due to a central waiver for motorsports purposes. The necessary approval by the DMSB (German Motorsports ASN) and the ADAC (Automobil Club of Germany) are available. Should the Commander of the Object Protection Regiment give consent then the Jade Race could have a new home in 2020.  We hope that with the continued political support (District Administrator S. Ambrosy and Environmental Minister Olaf Lies), the authorities and administration and of course the press and the public we will get the chance to continue this successful and profitable event for the region. We are ready to sit at the negotiating table with the responsible persons, to discuss in full transparency the best possible solution. Record-setting ICE look to 2020. 11th December: The '68 Pontiac Firebird campaigned by leading Silverstone-based V8 engine builder ICE Automotive and sponsored by US Automotive and BUA Motorsport became the fastest UK Pro Mod with a terminal speed of 249 mph at the FIA/FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway in September. Driver Nick Davies, who typically drives the US Championship-winning Havoc Fuel Altered, said "My partner, Rob Loaring, and I learned a lot during the six MSUK Championship races we campaigned, as we continued to lower our times and increase our speed". Indeed, during the European FInals, Nick attained a new Personal Best elapsed time of just 6.06 seconds and hit that top UK speed of 249 mph. "It was an encouraging start", said Rob Loaring. “"We accumulated data that will benefit us next season where a few changes are planned, some larger than others." 2020 is looking to be a busy season for the ICE Automotive team as not only will they campaign the Motorsports UK Pro Modified Championship with the Firebird, but they are looking forward to a match-race series with American Ron Hope and the Rat Trap Fuel Altered at the tenth anniversary of Santa Pod’s Dragstalgia, as well as a return trip to Bonneville Speed Week with BUA Motorsport for some unfinished business. Oh, and the advancement of a couple of new projects destined for the quarter mile. "It will be a full and exciting season", concluded Nick. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the Firebird super crew Nick, Rob, Scott, Dave and Callum, partners US Automotive, BUA Motorsport, Roberts Motor Bodies, and Tony Thacker & Friends. Double Champers all round! 11th December: The UK's Wild Bunch had two celebratory weekends in a row at the end of November. Claire Meaddows writes: The first was the prestigious British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala on Saturday 23rd November at the Oatlands Park Hotel in Surrey. This was a hugely memorable and very special occasion for the Wild Bunch and there were some thirty members in attendance to celebrate the induction of The Wild Bunch in to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame! Such a huge honour for the club, who will celebrate their official 25th Anniversary season next year. The beautiful and moving tribute to Bootsie, the commemorative crystal award, was presented by US commentator Bob Beck, and the citation read out by Robin Jackson. Wild Bunch founder Roy Wilding, next Chairman Chris Hartnell and current General Manager Claire Meaddows received the award on behalf of the whole Wild Bunch, and Roy made a wonderful speech. The Wild Bunch also congratulated member Ian Lloyd of Gonzo the Great fame who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on the same evening. Many congratulations also to the whole eurodragster.com team on their induction (Thanks! - Ed). Those present had some great celebratory group photos taken, and then on to some late evening drinks to celebrate further. The club would like to thank Stu and Bev Bradbury and the whole board of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame for this incredible accolade and for all of their hard work in keeping the history of British Drag Racing very much alive and celebrated by all! It is such an honour for our whole club to be recognised amongst the ranks of the legendary pioneers of British Drag Racing, and we thank all of them for all they have done for our wonderful sport. We will always do our best to keep this nostalgic spirit alive, so long may it continue! The next weekend, the Wild Bunch held their 24th Annual Prize Presentation at the SnowDome, Tamworth, and it was a fantastic night, enjoyed by all. Many thanks to our great MCs Barry Bohannon and Paul Wright, who did a fantastic job as always calling the winners, reading the citations and adding their own inimitable take on the proceedings. All the various Series winners were presented with their awards, with the 2019 Wild Bunch Series win going to Phil James with the Rampage Funny Car, his second win of this Series in a row. Many congratulations to Phil and the team. One of the biggest winners of the night was Callum Swinchatt who won the Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series winner for the first time with his beautiful Kings N/W Topolino altered. He also won the Springbridge MSUK Challenge Series Cup held over the four MSA events in which the Wild Bunch compete. This was his first win of that Series, which is sponsored by Springbridge Direct Ltd to whom many thanks for their Series sponsorship and also sponsorship of some event prize funds and trophies this season. Callum also won the Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series. Many congratulations to Phil and Callum for their wins, and to all those who finished in the top four, and top ten in Wild Bunch. The Wild Bunch would like to thank Bob Hawkins of Springbridge Direct Ltd for his long-standing and ongoing support, and our host of other event trophy and prize money sponsors this season: MJC Property Solutions, Wiz Training, Sutton Soda Blasting, Team East, Team Ratcatcher Racing, Team Ratchet Strap, Coolengineeredart, Christian Frei, and of course Roy Wilding of Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars. There were various other presentations made during the evening, including to Secretary Lynne Coulsell, web site author Ed Yates, and Race Co-ordinator, Treasurer and General Manager Claire Meaddows and for all their hard work. Presents were given to all the lovely ladies attending. Flowers were given to Claire, kindly donated by Mark Coulsell of Team Limited Funz. Special presentations included Keith Crampton to celebrate his achievement of finishing in the top ten of the Wild Bunch for ten years in a row. Well done Keith!! We also celebrated the recent presentation of the Bootsie for the Wild Bunch's Induction in to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. This was announced by Paul Wright and our two longest-standing Wild Bunch members attending, Committee members Mark Coulsell and Dave Williams, were asked to receive the Bootsie again on behalf of the whole Wild Bunch. Such a huge honour for our club. In addition, the winners of all the Wild Bunch Special Merit Awards were announced: Big Bang Trophy - Bob Hawkins, Time Traveller II Fastest time by a British-engined dragster (sponsored by Martin Holgate) – Dr Faye Hern, Daddy Cool, 9.442 backed up by a much quicker 9.089 Fastest MPH – Rob Brown, Rebel 161.91 mph with back-up 159.60 Quickest ET – Mark Coulsell, Ballbreaker 8.143 with back-up 8.178) Best Newcomer – Andy Clifford, Snake Eyes Best Dragster/Radical – Phil James, Rampage Best Slingshot – Rob and Pete Brown, Rebel Best Altered - Callum Swinchatt, Kings N/W Best Turned Out – Wrathchild Racing, Rebel Best Achiever - Callum Swinchatt, Kings N/W Perseverance Award – Lee and Mark Hartnell, Metal Mistress, Backdraft and Couped Up Derek and Brenda Annable trophy – Ian, Ozzie and Harrison Brown, Thatadoo Racing C & C Sportsperson - Terry, Ruth, Andy, Rachael and James Clifford Crew of the Year – Alan 'Skippy' Skipp, Cheap Thrills, Bitchcraft, Ballbreaker and more! Scottie Durrant Above and Beyond Award – Craig Larman, The Ferret Personal Achievement (Daddy Cool Sag Award) - Team Ratchet Strap Racing Crazy Chris Showmanship Award – Callum Swinchatt in Kings N/W The greatest Wild Bunch accolade of the evening was, as always, the Don Garlits Spirit of Drag Racing Shield, the most prestigious award in the Wild Bunch, which represents sportsmanship, achievement, perseverance, commitment, presentation and a host of other attributes. 2018 winners Team Rampage presented the Shield to the 2019 winners Wrathchild Racing – Rob, Pete and Hayley and George and Julie Brown. Together they are hugely enthusiastic and passionate about nostalgia drag racing and are committed to fielding a super well turned out slingshot. They are dedicated to the Wild Bunch and show the true spirit of the Club and this award. Huge Congratulations to the whole team of Marras on this achievement, a very popular win! Very well done and very well deserved! We also held a raffle to raise funds for the club, so many thanks to all who donated prizes. The night was rounded out with copious amounts of Champagne for some, dancing, and many cheers, hugs and laughs all round. Many congratulations to all our winners! We can't wait until 2020 to be back out at the drags for the 25th Anniversary season of the Wild Bunch. Full info will be found in due course on the Wild Bunch web site at www.the-wild-bunch.co.uk. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy, dry, safe and quick New Year to all racers and teams, marshals and officials, track and safety crews, photographers, media, promoters, managers and of course Eurodragster.com staff, who work so hard and have been recently rewarded with their induction into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame! Thanks to everyone for all they do for this sport of drag racing we all love so much. See you all at the drags next season for our fantastic Silver Anniversary year! Spiderman in a few seconds. 11th December: On the same weekend as the Wild Bunch and other inductees were being fêted at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala, US Top Fuel Bike racer Larry McBride was wowing the bike fraternity with an astounding world best 5.507-second pass. Top Gas racer and regular Eurodragster.com contributor Herman Jolink stole a few minutes with Spiderman before the Man Cup Finals and kindly sent us his notes: "I am building five engines for the Man Cup Finals", Larry told Herman. "We made some changes to the frame and we have been busy with the wheelie bar, little things with nig results. I don't do this just by myself, the whoe team are busy seven days a week and twenty four hours with our drag racing. I also get a lot of help from friends. We live for it!" The work paid off with a sixty foot of 1.014, 330 foot time of 2.528, 3.67/215 eighth and 5.507/257 quarter. Thanks to Jack Korpela for the picture. Welcome Fuel Tech UK. 9th December: We are very pleased to welcome Fuel Tech UK as a sponsor of Eurodragster.com. Trevor Hirst writes: Fuel Tech UK have been importing and reselling Fuel Tech products for three years We  can supply the full range ECUs and accessories. It's no surprise that Fuel Tech is selling so well, as no other system can offer the same features ease of use and value for money. We can offer supply only, with full back-up tech support over the phone in most cases, or we will get back to you by E-Mail in two days. Installation service is offered including making up of wiring looms. Tuning and calibration are available with a 2000 hp rolling road for two and four wheel drive, and 2000 hp land and sea dyno. For more details check out the Fuel Tech UK Facebook page or click on the banner at right. Many thanks to Trevor Hirst for his support. As ever please repay the support of Eurodragster.com sponsors by considering them when shopping for goods or services. FIA regulations update. 9th December: Many thanks to Frans Steilberg for letting us know that, after ratification by the World Motorsport Council, the 2020 Sporting Regulations including the FIA European Drag Racing Championship SFI specs can now be found on the FIA web site at www.fia.com/regulation/category/101. The work having been got out of the way, the FIA then turned their attention to the Championship Gala at which 2019 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion Anita Mäkelä was joined by Champions of lesser motorsports; many thanks to Lars Pettersson for the pictures, and congratulations again to Anita on her Championship and on her induction into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Raising funds for Melbourne. 9th December: Howard Holmes writes that there is now traction to make significant progress for developing Melbourne Raceway, the new drag strip on the old site of York Raceway: The right team, the right package and the right partnerships are all in place for the successful return of drag racing in the north; the proviso is of course that the funds can be raised. The £100k required was raised before, but the deal fell through so all money was returned to donors. This time all deals are in place, £33k has already been raised and we are putting momentum into the fund-raising to get it across the finish line. To help make this happen, Nomad Drag Racing Club is starting an E-Newsletter with a regular flow of news, updates and fund raising information for car and bike guys, enthusiasts, spanners, spectators and businesses who want to be kept informed about progress and what's happening. Please click here if you'd like to be in the loop and receive the newsletter. As part of the fund-raising drive Jeni Dale is offering a 2020 calendar (left) at £15 including postage and packing. "All profits go straight into the fund", says Jeni. "Please do your bit to secure another track in the UK. You can order via E-Mail at [email protected] or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/jldale50." RRC launch new web site. 9th December: Just in time for the PRI Show, Eurodragster.com sponsor Robinson Race Cars have launched a new web site to coincide with a rebrand. Luke Robinson writes: We are excited to announce the all-new web site and branding. Our goal with the new web site at www.robinsonracecars.com is create a user-friendly browsing experience for our trusted and valued customers and business partners, to showcase projects past and present, and to create a platform which can be kept up to date. We also have a new E-Mail address at [email protected], so please update your contacts. Our phone number remains the same, 01256 880589 (outside the UK +44 1256 880589). Editor's note: We were not able to post a news update over the weekend and now we're all behind. Tune in to the next update, due tomorrow evening, for news from the Wild Bunch and for some words from the legendary Larry McBride courtesy of regular contributor Herman Jolink. Something Funny about Pers. 6th December: Mark Bodimeade writes that Sweden's Patrik Pers will be rejoining the Funny Car wars in 2020: We have just taken delivery of the ex-Bob Bode Funny Car and are looking forward to participating in the 2020 European Nitro Funny Car Series.  The car is already down to a bare chassis and work is underway to build a new roll cage. Rebuild and new paint job will commence early January. Our goal is to have car ready for Easter to compete in the first round of the series. We will release more exciting news in the New Year. In addition to the above we have a totally legal Top Fuel Dragster for sale. This car will come complete minus engine, reverser and cannon, MSD unit and Racepak unit. All cables for the MSD and Racepak will remain. The BDK, slide valve, Al valve and all related fittings will remain with the car. Front and rear wings, headers and Injector to remain too. For more info contact me on 07909 528355. Zeon TV DVDs now shipping. 6th December: Helen Todd and David Coleman, our good friends at Zeon TV, are now shipping their 2019 Season Review DVDs. Six titles are on offer: the European Championship action from the FIA/FIM Main Event and FIA/FIM European Finals, Motorsport UK Pro Modified, The Doorslammers, Dragstalgia and the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals. DVDs are £14.95 each plus P+P and a number of great package deals are available. As ever the front and back covers include photography from Eurodragster.com as well as our good buddy and occasional Contributing Photographer Callum Pudge, and footage is used from our Webster Race Engineering/Nimbus Motorsport webcam. We will post our usual review shortly but it goes without saying that you don't really need to wait as the name Zeon TV guarantees the quality of the product. You can check out clips and order your DVDs at www.quartermilehigh.com. Swift snippets. 6th December: 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. You can check it out by clicking on the images below. Our good buddy Steve Moxley's STP UK National Finals report is now showing on the ACU web site at www.acu.org.uk. Another good buddy, Remco Scheelings, has posted a feature on Tommy Grimes', Per Bengtsson's and the Beast team's Supertwin victory at Valdosta. You can take a look on the Drag Racing Europe Blog by clicking here. Gerry Belton. 3rd December: We were very sorry to hear from Simon and Adi Belton of the death of Gerry Belton, who was instrumental in establishing drag racing in the UK. When Gerry was Public Relations Officer for Allards, Sydney tasked him with organising the International Drag Racing Challenge, which introduced British public to US drag racing, and the 1964 and 1965 Drag Fests. His voice will be familiar to those with a copy of the official recording of the 1964 Drag Fest. As well as Secretary of the British Drag Racing Association Gerry was no mean racer himself driving an Allard Dragon, the Dos Palmas dragster and a 1965 Cobra in his time. Gerry was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2014 and you can read his full citation by clicking here. We had the privilege of meeting Gerry at the 2014 British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala and, unsurprisingly, found him a gentleman of the old school and a very interesting storyteller. Gerry's funeral will take place at Taunton Crematorium at 12:30 next Monday (9th). Our deepest sympathies to Simon and Adi and to all of Gerry's family and friends. Tim Mugridge. 2nd December: We were very sorry to hear from Jan Mugridge of the death yesterday of UK Comp Eliminator racer Tim Mugridge. "Tim fought hard to beat his cancer but it was very aggressive and no matter what they threw at it it just kept spreading", says Jan. "He loved you all and he loved the sport." It is fair to say that everyone loved Tim in return. He was a great racer, a cheerful and down-to-earth chap and always ready to help others. It was a privilege to have known Tim. Our deepest sympathies to Jan, Nick, Luke and to all of Tim's family and friends. Earlier news