Springspeed Festival update. 30th April: Julie Willcox and Jerry Cookson have been in touch with the latest news about this weekend's Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway. First up is the final version of the official entry list for the event which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Event Coverage link and selecting the Springspeed Festival. All racer tickets have been sent out with the exception of late entries and those who asked for their tickets to be left on the gate. Gates open at 12:00 midday this Friday. Racers may arrive earlier but will have to park up in the approach road. SCR will have a jet dryer this weekend. The organisers had hoped to have power in the pits this weekend, but after what happened at Easter there have been problems finding a company willing to do the power. SCR are still hopeful of getting something sorted for the Open Sport Nationals in August. "Apologies to all for not getting it in place for this meeting, but we have done our best", says Julie. Advance spectator tickets are available up to 12:00 midday Friday by calling 01789 414119 during office hours. Ticket prices are: Saturday advance £13 / gate £15 Sunday advance £18 / gate £20 Monday advance £18 / gate £20 Two days advance £33 / gate £35 Weekend advance £38 / gate £40 Children under sixteen are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets include camping, parking and pit access. Strictly no dogs allowed on site. Additional racer tickets are still available up to midday Friday again by calling 01789 414119 during office hours. The pit plan and Saturday's provisional running order will be posted here shortly. ©Eurodragster.com Dave Beck has been in touch to let us know that along with the Racepak and MSD/MC4 win money of £40 and £20 respectively, MTC are also adding to the contingency pot again in 2008 with £25 for a win in Super Street Bike, Comp Bike and Funny Bike if using MTC pistons and of course running stickers and purchasing through Dave Beck Racing. All decals can be picked up from Dave Beck at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend. Glenn Ramsden of UK Event Safety has asked racers to check their fire extinguishers in readiness for the forthcoming season's meetings. "Whilst most people have been extremely co-operative in the past with this and other safety matters, things have started to slip a little with some teams", says Glenn. "Not to worry, these things happen but the extinguishers are there for a reason as we all know. Think of it this way: your life may depend on the team next to you having their extinguisher to hand, to help you out when the sticky stuff flies! It's a fact of life that fires do happen, always at a time when you're not ready for them, so use your head, get a proper fire extinguisher, and put it out in the pits! "Most teams clearly understand the need to protect not only the race vehicle but also your transporter, mobile home, awning and the rest of the venue. If it goes wrong there's nothing quite like being able to hit a fire very quickly, otherwise it will hit you - very quickly!" "We would like to thank everyone for being so understanding about the role that we fulfil, it's not often we are in a position to bring glad tidings but, as the saying goes, someone has to do it. Here's wishing everyone the very best of luck for the 2008 season, stay safe! We will be checking the pits at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend: we'll pop into your pit area to say hello, it's OK we won't bite!" Read for Champs. 30th April: Heather Bond has been in touch from Australia to let us know that ex-pat UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Steve Read will will be contesting the Nitro Champs at Western Sydney International Dragway this Friday and Saturday (2nd-3rd May): At the last round, the SummerNationals in February, we damaged a rear main in the first round so we did a quick change using our spare motor for the semis and although we won three rods gave way in the shutdown area so we were one engine short of running the final. It was so upsetting for us but then that's racing. ©Eurodragster.com We launched our web site at www.readspeedracing.com.au for the Summernationals where you can view the results from qualifying and eliminations for all Group 1 classes. The web site is still a work in progress but we will again be doing live results - or as quick as Dan can type - from the Nitro Champs. Bearing in mind that we are nine hours ahead, our scheduled qualifying times are 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm so you will still be able to watch in your daytime. Picture courtesy and ©John Van Daal Allman takes care of the Bangs. 30th April: Further to our Swift Snippet of 15th April, Wayne Allman of the Intergalactic Custom Shop tells us that he was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Press Day to look after and fire up Dean Butler's Flathead-powered Charles Bang Special. "I ran up the Flattie four times through the day for the journalists and the little slingshot sounded strong", says Wayne. "The car ran in the tens in the 1960s and managed an eleven at Shakey a couple of years ago when Dean flew in original owner/driver Charles Bang who got the wheels up! ©Eurodragster.com "Lord March said in his speech that Tommy Ivo's Showboat four Buick-engined slingshot would be attending along with the Glass Slipper, one of Don Garlits' Swamp Rats and one of Art Chrisman's cars. There are others to be confirmed for the Cacklefest which is great news for anyone who like me is into Nostalgia dragsters!" Goodwood have promised us more details about the line-up at July's Festival of Speed but have yet to come back to us. Picture courtesy and ©Goodwood Photo Library Swift snippets. 30th April: Markus Münch tells us that the weekend's Test and Tune at Luckau was a great event. "Tom Tinndahn ran good numbers on the eighth mile", says Markus. "Danny Bellio damaged his Top Methanol FC body a bit, but will be fixed for the Main Event. Many new PBs were run, great new cars and bikes where there, it was great for German drag racing. Thanks to the MSTO for holding this event. The Dragstripper's pictures are to be seen at dragstripper.smugmug.com/gallery/4817759_tYbs5#P-1-12 and dragstripper.smugmug.com/gallery/4826471_gB9fE#287157270_CZMUr." ©Eurodragster.com We understand that Sweden's Håkan Fällström will be filling the seat of Knut Söderquist's Top Fuel Dragster at the FIA Main Event after the termination of the deal between Knut and Eurodragster.com sponsor Derek Flynn. Wayne Colliver writes to announce the completion of his slingshot, which is headed for the Wild Bunch and Supercharged Outlaws and then Pro ET. The car was built by Roy Wilding and packs a blown and injected Ford Crossflow. The car is pictured outside the premises of Wayne's employers Apex Lifts who have agreed to sponsor the car. "Thanks to Apex Lifts and also thanks to my family, friends and especially my dad for all the help", says Wayne. Mick 'The Fish' Smith has put the legendary UK race car Money Hungry up for sale. The early 1970s Pro Stock which most recently saw action in Pro ET and Sportsman ET is on sale as a roller and you can find out more in the Cars For Sale section on our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet. Eurodragster.com News sponsor Derek Flynn has asked us to say Happy Queen's Day to all of his friends in The Netherlands. We are very happy to do so and we would like to add our own good wishes to all of Eurodragster.com's Dutch readers. Also getting in touch with good wishes is Tig Napier who has asked us to wish a big Happy Birthday to Cath Napier. We sure can, Tig: have a lovely day Cath. The real Big Bang! 30th April: UK Super Modified racer Craig Gibbs is working with a new set-up in the Gibbs family's seven-second Obsession Camaro in 2008. The major change is a clutch pedal which necessitates a whole new style of driving. Craig wrote to let us know how he got on at Big Bang at the weekend and to thank those who have helped the Obsession team: I spent all day Friday and into the the early hours of Saturday morning trying to get Obsession ready for Big Bang. After testing at a Run What You Brung a couple of weeks back, I found a couple of issues with the car - mostly the brakes. The master cylinder had given up on us. Thanks to Andy and Kate Robinson, who had a master cylinder coming in on a shipment two days before the event, I felt there was suffucient time to get it fitted and have the car loaded and ready to go by mid Friday morning. But you know what they say about best laid plans. Fitting the master cylinder highlighted another problem - the linelock. At 5.00 on Friday afternoon I took a trip down to Andy Robinson Race Cars to pick up a new line lock solenoid. In the end I didn't actually fit the solenoid as something was niggling away at me saying "That's not your problem". After spending a lot of time thinking about things and several late night conversations with Jeff Bull - sorry Jeff I know it was late - it suddenly dawned on us (well, Jeff really) what the problem was. The switch that was wired in for the linelock was my old transbrake button. This button is like a reversed switch, so it works the opposite way round to a conventional linelock button. The problem with this was that as soon as you turned the power on in the car, the linelock was effectively engaging, meaning that if you pressed the brake pedal for any reason, the brakes would lock on. It was only when you pressed and held down the button that the brakes would release - the opposite way to normal! Of course it was the wee hours of Saturday morning by the time I had wired in the old button, changed some of the wiring, and had it all up and running again. Loaded the car up, hit the sack at 2.00 am, up at 5.30 am and off to the track - shattered! ©Eurodragster.com Once we got the car on to the track, we found we had other issues. No, not the driver but mainly a misfire which the car had mysteriously acquired. As can be seen from the Eurodragster.com end of day galleries this resulted in a nitrous burp on our last run, but thankfully it doesn't seem to have done any damage. After no end of searching, the only thing we can find is a distributor cap and rotor arm that looks like they could be the culprits - to say they didn't look healthy is probably a slight understatement, not to mention the hairline tracking marks all over the inside of the cap. Anyway, having said all of this, considering this was our first real meeting with the clutch in the car, and considering the 7.94 on Saturday with a misfire, I dont think things are going too badly, and hopefully we will be able to build on that this weekend at Shakespeare County Raceway. So cue the drum roll...I just want to say a huge and long overdue thanks to Jeff Bull, Andy Robinson and all the team, Darren, Chris, and all the crew, Kev Perkins - who kept it very quiet that it was his birthday Saturday. Happy birthday mate, mind you if I had as many candles to put on the cake as you I would probably keep it quiet too! Thanks to absolutely everyone that has helped us out over the winter and last few weeks with advice and parts. Special thanks to Darren Prentice and Ian Marshall for their help (and accommodation) on Saturday - the new Super Mod pits are great, and very handy for access to the start line! Thanks to the marshals who spotted our radiator leak and promply shut us down on the start line. We trust these guys and girls with our lives, and they so often go unmentioned. Thanks to my sister's boyfriend Ben who stayed up to help me out Friday night, and not forgetting you guys at Eurodragster for making our sport even more accessible at the click of a button (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed). Web site updates. 30th April: In the latest entry in his exclusive Racer Blog, Eurodragster.com News sponsor Derek Flynn gives his initial reaction to the collapse of the deal to drive one of Knut Söderquist's Top Fuel Dragsters. You can read Derek's Blog by clicking here or by clicking on the Racer Blogs link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. The official Big Bang report is now on-line at www.big-bang.co.uk. "The report is packed with all the info from the race track, show car paddock and all the fun and games which happened around site", says Rick Cuthbert. ©Eurodragster.com Also updating from Big Bang is Gwynn Clark, whose excellent shots you can check out at www.pbase.com/slimboyfat/big_bang_08. Santa Pod Raceway have also posted a report and pictures from last week's ground-breaking Alternative Energy Racing event, the first such event in European drag racing. You can check out the report and pictures at www.aeracing.org. Forget 2007, it's 2008. 29th April: Dave Friend of the UK's Jones and Friend Funny Bike team says that he and rider Gary Jones ran out of season just as the new bike came together in 2007, but that they are all set for 2008. "We had a terrible season due to a problem that we were unable to trace for most of last year", says Dave. "The problem finally came to light at the UK National Finals and was then sorted. We went to the Flame and Thunder Show to make some demo passes, thank you for your invite Darren. We got in a couple of passes on a very cold track with a good speed of 189 mph in 7.6 seconds, but the day was ended when we broke a shift fork. But we had none of the problems which happened earlier in the year. ©Eurodragster.com "We have spoken to all of our sponsors about our 2008 race plan and happily they will all be continuing with their support for the team. They are all excited about our move to Funny Bike for which the bike was built having proven our that our EFI turbo alcohol system works. There are couple of little additions on the bike which will hopefully give us better tuning parameters to achieve our goal of running in the sixes. "With all of the Funny Bike class unanimously agreeing not to run at Easter due to the weather conditions, the season starts for all of us at the Springspeed Festival with all teams on equal points. The Championship chase starts here and we are looking forward to the competition for which the class is renowned." When Juniors come first... 29th April: Sharron Collier has been in touch with the latest news from the Jade Racing Pro Stock and Junior Drag Bike team, starting with Scott Collier's progress on his Junior Drag Bike which is packing new motive power: Scott went out for the first time on his 125 cc engine at Shakespeare County Raceway last week for the first round of the Junior Drag Bike Championship. He ran a quickest of 10.34/62, a good start to his 125 career, and took top qualifying spot with a 10.54 on a 10.50 dial in. Scott's new engine is a Gilera Runner, and Jerry has fitted a digital MSD ignition which also enables Scott to have a two-step, which he loves, and he thinks it's quite cool to have the laptop attached to his bike after a run. The bike is looking great thanks to a new paintjob by Martin Curbishley, thanks very much for that Martin! The points in Junior Bike are as follow: JB1 Scott Collier 140 JB3 Giselle Moor 130 JB5 Jordon Bissell 120 JB6 Joe Dear 110 Well done to the little guys and girls for looking so professional and performing so well. ©Eurodragster.com Meanwhile dad Jerry is still working on his Pro Stocker which is also going to be in competition at the Springspeed Festival. Big thanks to many people but to Dave Beck, Martin Bishop and George Laycock in particular for all their help building and putting this bike together. All are now on our Friends and Family list due to endless phone calls checking things and asking advice! Thanks also to Ray Debben for talking us out of Comp Bike and into Pro Stock Bike in the first place, at least I think we need to thank him. Unfortunately our crewman Baz can't come to this first meeting but we wouldn't have g ot this far without him so thanks for everything Baz. The bike is looking good, if very white, and we are auite aware that it won't be setting any records but we are happy with that, we've got a Junior Champion to finance and the Stocker has to come second! Here's to sunny weather and a good weekend. Sunday Street Wars I. 29th April: Even with the threat of a sixty per cent chance of rain, Sunday Street Wars kicked off the 2008 season with a bang at Dakota Drag Strip. It was action packed all day long with over 1024 runs on the drag strip from a fantastic range of cars and bikes. History was made at Dakota Drag Strip as Dave Grabham was the first person to fire up a blown and injected V8 race car in Devon since 1971. The last person to do this was also Yeovil-based, Dennis Priddle, at an NDRC event just down the road at Dunkeswell Airfield. Having installed a new clutch in the altered, team Freddy's Revenge were looking for some track time before the next NFAA Championship round. Dave and the team were nothing but true professionals in front of the spectators, eighty per cent of them have never seen a blown altered before. The big block altered performed some crowd-pleasing burnouts and smoked the tyres on the run in true nostalgia style. This was not the only history being made at Sunday Street Wars, as the first ever Japanese car drag race series in the south west débuted at Dakota Drag Strip. The Enginetuner Japanese Performance Series made a very promising start with forty three cars entered. The Four Wheel Drive class had a lot of interest and was well-supported with some very tough competition. This being the first round of the series, nobody was taking it easy: the carnage included blown turbos and damaged engines. 2007 Big Dog winner Stephen Forrest spent the winter getting more power out of his Subaru Impreza and picked up four tenths from the last event. The Paignton-based driver made it all the way to the final to face Oliver Powers in his Subaru Impreza. Making the trip from Weston Super Mare, Oliver is a great supporter of Sunday Street Wars and did a great job getting to the final. Oliver was down on power and took out some heavy hitters with his driving skills but he couldn't overpower Stephen Forrest's 7.77 in the final as Oliver ran an 8.09. The Rear Wheel Drive class had a mixture of Supras, Mazdas and Nissans all gunning for the final. Liam Abdullah made some nice eight second passes in his Madza RX7 and earned a place in the final to meet Stuart Williams running his Toyota Supra. The Rotary powered Mazda was three tenths down on the Supra but Stuart wasted a 8.48 by pulling a red light to Liam's 8.62. Hondas ruled the roost in the Front Wheel Drive class. Dale Prowse's Honda CRX started eliminations in the 9.7s but by the semis it was in the 9.4s. Running consistent 9.6s on his way to the final, Jacob Voss had to squeeze a little bit more out of Honda Integra to match the CRX. Jacob did squeeze a bit with a 9.59 but Dale Prowse had the same idea and improved with a 9.39 to take the win. ©Eurodragster.com As at all Sunday Street Wars events there were plenty of trophies on offer and the weekend's winners were: Quickest car: Steve Forrest, 7.77, Subaru Impreza Quickest 4WD: Steve Forrest, 7.77, Subaru Impreza Quickest RWD: Ian Powell, 8.09, Toyota Hilux Quickest FWD: Dale Prowse, 9.28, Honda CRX Quickest Audi: Ben Delacherie, 9.11 Quickest Ford: Stuart Cheeseman, 10.14 Quickest Vauxhall: David Hey, 9.76 Quickest Air-cooled Bus/Camper: Simon Knief, 10.05 Quickest Water-cooled VW: Joe Knight, 9.57 Quickest Bike: Nick Gray-Thomson, 6.99 Quickest Yamaha: Nick Gray-Thomson 6.99 Quickest Jap Bike: Nick Gray-Thomson 6.99 Best Burnout: Dave Grabham Show and Shine winners Best of Show: Jon Munden, 1977 Austin Allegro roadster Best Hot Rod: Mark Coombes, 1927 Ford T Best Classic: Ian Black, 1976 Corvette Best Club Stand: Slammed Devon Car Shows Best Modified: Lee Mills, Mazda RX7 As always the Sunday Street Wars team would like to thank everybody who supports their efforts: Santa Pod Raceway, IOPD and Eurodragster.com; Paul Venners for providing an excellent service and fantastic one-liners such as "They set up on a Saturday, you enjoy yourself on Sunday, and the cows are back on Monday"; and not forgetting our sponsors Enginetuner, Copyprint, eclipsephotos.co.uk, and Devon Cars Shows. If you haven't had an opportunity to attend Sunday Street Wars check out uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bIfGw73fvi4. The next Sunday Street Wars is on the 11th May; for more information check out www.streetnights.com or stay tuned to Eurodragster.com. Frankimpala walks by day. 29th April: Andy Bennett of Never Again Racing has been in touch with the latest on Frankimpala, eleven months into the project: Here she is, a mere shadow of her former self: a 1968 Impala which admittedly hasn't got much left on it that came out of its original California assembly plant in 1968. The photos so far have seen the car in its underwear, here she is fully dressed, pictures for muscle car fans whose grits may be stirred by the classic full size muscle car styling. ©Eurodragster.com We are maybe halfway in to the build. The big lumps are now done, but there are still a million things and a wad of cash to go. The engine and box still elude us, this will be on the back of the sale of Coco Connection, so if you want a low nine-second doorslammer complete or chopped up into parts and sold off in plastic bags, we're your men, drop us a line. Fabrication of the front end support is fifty per cent complete and then we will incorporate into it the door hinge mechanism, which is a bit tricky as Impala doors don't hinge the same as Nova, Chevelle and Camaro etc so there's a bit of head scratching going on. The car's styling certainly stirred up massive enthusiasm when it was rolled out into the spring sunshine for the pictures. Watch this space. Girl power! 29th April: On-line web magazine Girlracer will be paying its first visit to Shakespeare County Raceway at the weekend to capture images from Monday's eliminations with some of our female UK National Championship racers, writes SCR's Promotions Manager Jerry Cookson. Updated daily with news and gossip from the world of motorsport, motoring and extreme sports, Girlracer has already posted stories on Carolynne Campbell's Laffin-gas Rocket Dragster along with US American Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Nancy Matter. Other motorsport personalities featured include Fiona Leggate and Susie Stoddart (Touring Cars), Liz Halliday (American Le Mans Series) and Sky Sports TV presenter Anna Walewska. "This is a fantastic opportunity to pit in front of the camera some of the country's leading female drag racers", says Robbie Hill of Hill Tribe Productions. "Until I saw the entry list for the Springspeed event I didn't realise there were some many girls involved in drag racing. It's certainly going to make an interesting segment in the launch programme of Girlracer TV later in this year." "The plan is to film as many classes as possible involving the girls", says Jerry. "So if a film crew head for your trailer, don't go running to hide because you might become one of the rising stars of Girlracer TV." The Girlracer web site can be found at www.girlracer.co.uk. ©Eurodragster.com Swift snippets. 29th April: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for forwarding us Version 7 of the official entry list for the FIA Main Event, which you can view by clicking here. If you think that you should be on the list, or if you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry, then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. In preparation for this coming weekend's Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway, the track crew took advantage of Sunday's early-morning spring-like conditions to scrape the surface of excess rubber from the burnout boxes to the first concrete pad before the start line. The remaining length of the launch pads after the start line received attention earlier this month before the track opened. The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in association with USAutomotive are pleased to announce that Graham Beckwith has joined the Board of Selectors. Graham has been involved in drag racing since 1969 holding positions as a marshal, Race Director, Clerk of the Course, and RAC MSA Speed Events Committee member, as well as many other positions and services in his 39 years of involvement in British drag racing. In addition Graham has been the voice of drag racing at York Raceway since 1992 and co-commentator at Santa Pod with the famed John Price from 1991. In 2004 Graham was honoured with Life Membership by the Pennine Drag Racing Club. Graham will give the HoF much-needed input from the northern end of the UK by making sure that the sterling work of PDRC members is not forgotten and that with Steve Murty have been drag racing at York Raceway for some thirty years. ©Eurodragster.com Garry Coull of the UK's Team '56 B&H Automotive Street Eliminator team has asked us to thank Angie of Santa Pod Raceway's safety crew for keeping himself and Luke Robinson informed after Colin Lazenby's big Chevy went bang and disappeared behind a cloud of smoke during qualifying on Sunday. "Angie was in radio communication with the top end and kept us up-to-date on Colin's well-being", says Garry. UK drag racing legend and BDRHOF member Clive Skilton would be interested to hear from anyone with information on his race cars, specifically the stainless steel chassis of the Allard Skilton Revolution 1, the Harold Bull-built Revolution II and the Skilton Fraser Revolution III. Clive would also be interested in information on an Aston Martin V8 registration YUR 10K, and a Lamborghini Espada registration LUCK 44K. If you can help then please get in touch with us at [email protected]. The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com arrived with the words "Could it be that the new Funny Bike is ready to race this weekend?". As ever, if you know anything about the identity of this spy picture, or if you would like to send shots of your own, then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Ian Turburville writes that if you are headed for Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend and would like to order Impact/Simpson helmets, shoes, CarbonX underwear, gloves, shirts, Red Line Oil, die casts etc then please E-Mail him via his web site at www.turboville.com as he will only bring with him what is ordered. Eurodragster.com received a new best for a single day of 15,411 individual visitors yesterday (Monday). To be honest we are at a bit of a loss to explain why the visitor numbers should have been so high yesterday: our usual daily visitor count at this time of year is between eight and a half and nine thousand. We're not complaining though; on behalf of ourselves and our sponsors, hello and welcome to all of our new visitors and we hope to see you back here again every day. If you were here for the first time yesterday then drop us a line at [email protected] and let us know what brought you here. Editor's note: Apologies for the lack of a news update yesterday. A lunchtime update was on the cards but we lost the upload facility to the web server and it was only recovered late in the afternoon. CP Pistons back Bennetts. 29th April: UK blown-alcohol altered team Bennett Racing are very proud to announce the addition of another new sponsor, CP Pistons from across the Pond. Luke Bennett writes: As people will know CP Pistons are part of the Pankl Racing Systems group, and as part of CP Pistons' future they wanted to spread into Europe, and what better team to pick than Bennett Racing. As with all our sponsors we give our utmost attention and give them as much exposure and press as we can. CP Pistons' sales staff have over a hundred years of industry experience, and as a member of Pankl Racing Systems they share in the cutting-edge knowledge of a high-technology racing group supplying engine and drivetrain components to numerous racing teams in Formula 1, F3000, IRL, CART, World Rally, and to elite car manufacturers like Ferrari and Porsche. CP Pistons carry one of the most comprehensive inventories of off-the-shelf pistons in the industry. Obviously most of the pistons in drag racing are custom made which they can do to any specification using cutting edge technology and precise machining. CP Pistons endeavour to provide their customers with the best forged pistons in the racing industry. Their sales staff are versatile and knowledgeable, coming from all areas of motorsports to provide you with the best possible service. They apply this experience to your benefit when you place your order: by asking the right questions and understanding your needs, CP Pistons make sure that the pistons you receive are customised to your combination and application. ©Eurodragster.com As with any motorsport company CP Pistons attend many trade shows. Recent shows include the 2008 SEMA Show Las Vegas, Professional Motorsport World Expo 2008, Performance Racing Industry Trade show, 2009 Dealer News International Powersports Dealer Expo and the Ninth Annual V-Twin Expo. CP Pistons also sell buttons, locks, pins, rods and rings. For sales or tech support call +1-949-567-9000 or E-Mail [email protected]. Web site updates. 29th April: Eurodragster.com Reserve Photographer Peter Donaldson has updated his Fotopic gallery with shots from Saturday's action at Big Bang at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check out Peter's pictures at peterdonaldson5305.fotopic.net. ©Eurodragster.com Jon Spoard's excellent UK Drag Racing Nostalgia web site has been updated with a 1972 video clip featuring footage of all the big hitters of the day including Stripteaser, Tee-Rat, and John Siggery driving Commuter. The video finishes with Bootsie performing a fire burnout in Firefly. The UKDRN site is well worth a look with hundreds of pictures, several videos and an exemplary discussion forum. You can find the UK Drag Racing Nostalgia web site at www.ukdrn.co.uk. Big Bang results. 27th April: Congratulations to the winners of this weekend's Big Bang at Santa Pod Raceway: Super Modified: Nigel Payne 7.7999/178.08 def. Andy Kirk 7.7054/177.44 B&H Automotive Street Eliminator: Steve Nash 7.8029/183.90 def. Steve Pateman 11.4007/79.83 Sportsman ET: Nick Gay (14.60) 14.7745/80.37 def. Don Brittain (13.72) 15.2851/96.13 Junior Dragster: Dan Giles (9.00) 9.0365/70.04 def. Scott Hauser (8.00) 8.0306/81.28 9.50 Bike: Phil Pratt 9.5424/132.97 def. Wayne Saunders 9.5684/146.48 VW Pro: Paul Herbert (12.80) 13.0152/92.00 def. James Hodson (10.60) 11.2946/126.72 VW Sportsman: Paul Day (16.30) 16.4443/63.52 def. Russ Weir (18.95) 19.3117/66.40 VW Alternate Engine: Spencer Tramm (8.75) 9.1443/117.15 def. Mark Skeen (14.15) 15.4069/81.93 Outlaw Anglia: Rob Stone 9.6794/136.57 def. Simon Barlow 9.5469/145.25 ©Eurodragster.com Neither the Eurodragster.com/Speedflow Perfect Light Award nor the Eurodragster.com/Gold RV Perfect ET Award were won and so both Awards have been increased to £75 for next weekend's Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway. You can check out our American Car Imports-sponsored Big Bang reports, pit notes and pictures by clicking here or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Swift snippets. 27th April: Santa Pod Raceway are offering discounted FIA Main Event hospitality for racers and their sponsors. For more details on VIP hospitality check out Santa Pod's web site at www.santapod.com or call Kelly Dormer on 01234 782828 (outside the UK +44 1234 782828). ©Eurodragster.com Joint Eurodragster.com webcam sponsor Jon Webster appears as one of the experts in tonight's (Sunday's) episode of Scrapheap Challenge on the UK's Channel 4. The programme starts at 5:45 pm. Flynn, Söderquist split. 26th April: UK Top Fuel Dragster racer-to-be and Eurodragster.com News sponsor Derek Flynn and car owner Knut Söderquist have announced the termination of their car rental deal. After being stymied at Easter Derek was due to make his licencing passes at Big Bang this weekend prior to contesting the FIA European Championship in a car hired from Knut, but the deal ended last night after a disagreement over finance. "It's a real shame, but we just couldn't see any way forward", Derek told Eurodragster.com. "We have done quite a lot of money already. Right now we are down but not out. I still intend to race in Top Fuel, I will get my licence and we will find a car." ©Eurodragster.com "Derek and I just didn't click", said Knut. "I am not going to say anything bad about the guy. It was a quick Las Vegas marriage and a quick Reno divorce. The car will still be at the Main Event with another driver." There will be more details in Derek's next Blog entry. The Alternative view. 26th April: No nitro resounded between the bank and the grandstands, just the occasional tame roar of an engine sounding not much different to a Sportsman ET racer or Super Street competitor as the twenty or so alternative energy machines took to the Santa Pod quarter mile at yesterday's Alternative Energy Racing event. Traction surprised many including the Jenkins Motorsport truck which blew a clutch on leaving the start line leaving flaming aluminium fragment on the track as Dave Jenkins coasted to a stop. But this was the first time certainly in the UK that non fossil fuelled vehicles were run side by side down the track. The top two vehicles recorded elapsed times in the ten and eleven second zone and these were two wheeled. Fastest Time of Day was by Russ Joyner on a bioethanol (distilled apple juice - believe it or not in this case) Triumph Daytona with a 10.873. It was left to Nigel Hull driving a bioethanol powered VW Beetle to gain the best four wheeled time, a 12.306 followed by Tiff Needell (right) of TV's Fifth Gear fame in a Lotus Exige powered by a motor able to run on either petrol, ethanol or synthetically produced methanol. Needell was trying all afternoon to run a sub 12.99: "This is contagious, you keep on wanting to go again and again to beat your last time" he said afterwards. Tiff accomplished the feat on the last run with a fine 12.912 at 107 mph. Quickest electric vehicle was a purpose built Drag Racing VW Beetle driven by Sam Young who carded a 14.418. Swift snippets. 26th April: Many thanks to Yvonne Tramm for sending us the post-Easter Thunderball points standings in the Santa Pod Racers Club Championships, which you can view on our Speedflow-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the Points Standings page on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for forwarding us Version 6 of the official entry list for the FIA Main Event, which you can view by clicking here. If you think that you should be on the list, or if you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry, then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. If anyone's looking for accommodation during next weekend's Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway, Si Barker of Eurodragster.com News sponsor Nitrous Oxide Supplies has one twin bed and breakfast (smoking) room booked for two nights at Stratford-upon-Avon's Holiday Inn priced at pound;90 per night (usually £110 per night). Si also tells us he has special rate rooms booked for the Yanks Weekend at the Open Sport Nationals, again at the Holiday Inn (Stratford), for £60 per night (usually £78 per night). If anyone is interested in using these pre-booked rooms for these events, get in touch with Si Barker on 01652 680555 or mobile 07852 249183. UK National Championship points. 25th April: Many thanks to Championship Co-ordinators Yvonne Tramm and our very own Simon for forwarding us the official post-Easter Thunderball standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships. As if we didn't get enough support from the company already, we are very pleased to welcome high-performance hose and fitting manufacturer Speedflow as the sponsor of Eurodragster.com's Points Standings page this season. For full details of Speedflow products check out their comprehensive web site, which includes an on-line shop, at www.speedflow.co.uk, click on the logo at left, or call 0870 225 0097 (outside the UK (+44 870 225 0097). Many thanks to Fay Fischer for the additional sponsorship. You can check out the UK National Drag Racing Championship points, and find links to the ACU UK Drag Bike Championship and other series points, by clicking here or by clicking on the Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Kick-off time in Germany. 25th April: The German drag racing season opens with this weekend's Test and Tune at Jerry Lackey Raceway in Luckau, writes Markus Münch: A record-setting entry list of nearly 120 and a good weather forecast are points which should make this event a successful one. We have many special entries. Super Street Bike and Top Gas Harley riders are there to test, also the newly-formed Super Pro ET Challenge Germany field. The new Street Outlaw ET bike class will hold their first race. Entries from six nationas have made it an international affair. European Championship racers such as Danny Bellio (FIA Top Methanol FC) and Tom Tinndahn (UEM Pro Stock Bike) be there, whilst Germany's Harald Sturhahn will test his Pro Stock Mercedes Benz. Many new vehicles will be seen for the first time, or will be racing the for first time after a long break. Markus has promised to keep us up-to-date with developments. Swift snippets. 25th April: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for forwarding us Version 5 of the official entry list for the FIA Main Event, which you can view by clicking here. Don't forget that standard-price entry closes today (Friday). If you think that you should already be on the list, or if you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry, then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. ©Eurodragster.com Also on the subject of the FIA Main Event, Darren Prentice of Santa Pod Raceway has been in touch to let racers know that portable toilets are for hire for FIA Main Event weekend at a price of £100 plus VAT which includes cleaning. Orders must be placed two weeks before the event and you can find out more or place an order by contacting Darren on 01234 782828 (outside the UK +44 1234 782828) or at [email protected]. Anne-Marie and Stephen Seamarks have asked us to wish a big Happy 17th Birthday to UK Junior Dragster racer Matthew Seamarks. No sooner said than done guys, have a great day Matthew. UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Andy Carter recently changed his E-Mail address but tells us that he is still receiving E-Mail at his old AOL address. You can get Andy's new E-Mail address from the Contact Us link of the Carter Motorsport web site at www.andycarter.net. Pit power at Santa Pod. 24th April: Mobile electrical supply company ELP have informed Santa Pod Raceway that with immediate effect they will no longer supply power in the pits at race events. ELP cite a loss at every event they have attended, the loss and damage of equipment, and the steep and rapid rise in fuel duty. "To put this into perspective, I had an E-Mail from the Managing Director of ELP just after the Easter Thunderball", says Darren Prentice of Santa Pod Raceway. "He said that to run the power and to give everyone the sixteen-amp supply they need the costs would have to be increased five-fold. He went on to say "What made this intolerable was the attitude and behaviour of the teams. They were very aggressive and abusive to my crew and completely un-cooperative and un-reasonable. A couple of times my guys were physically threatened. Our equipment was also damaged, connectors driven over and broken and a locked cover broken off a distribution box. Bottom line was complete disrespect for the company, our equipment and staff. Why would I want to continue with this?". ©Eurodragster.com "I have had meetings with four other companies but all wanted around the same figure as ELP quoted to supply power. However, I have how been successful in securing a company called Eleventh Hour Events who are willing to come to this weekend's Big Bang and supply power at a full sixteen amps. After Big Bang a de-brief meeting will be held to see if the supply of power can be made into a worthwhile venture. "Both we at Santa Pod Raceway and Santa Pod Racers Club believe in the benefits of having a power company involved at our race meetings, as I know do ninety five per cent of the racers, when the supply is constant. This is a service we supply to the racers: Santa Pod does not make one penny out of it, so some of you may now appreciate what sort of deal you have been getting for your money even with the interruptions. So for those racers that have their own leads now, please do not forget to pack them and bring them with you this weekend." Statement from SCR on housing plan. 24th April: On Tuesday the local media in Warwickshire carried a story that the Hodges family, who own Long Marston Airfield upon which Shakespeare County Raceway is situated, have plans to build two and a half thousand homes on the site. These particular plans came to light via a leaked solicitor's letter to the local council. We asked Shakespeare County Raceway for a statement and received the following from Anthony Hodges and SCR, to whom thanks for their rapid response: ©Eurodragster.com Following recent press speculation about the proposed plans by the Government to build an Eco Village at Long Marston's MoD Camp, Long Marston Airfield owners wish to state that the airfield has always been involved in planning debates which included a 3500 housing development back in 1989-90. Furthermore, the owners wish to point out that motorsport and event activities, which have been part of the airfield's history since the mid-1950s, will continue to operate as normal. Ellis gets that Pro Mod out. 24th April: Multiple Super Modified Champion Graham Ellis turned heads with the UK's newest Pro Mod, a stunning Plymouth Superbird, at the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway. Graham got in touch to tell us about his début weekend: We had a bit of a mad time getting the car ready. It was not collected until late Tuesday evening from Andy Robinson Race Cars. We were supposed to collect it the previous Saturday but there were some mistakes on our part, which almost had the effect of a very public castration for Kev Perkins from flying shards of carbon fibre from our brand new injector hat. Yes, we had a backfire caused by a mistake when timing the mag. You should have seen the bruise two inches to the left of Kev's marbles. Because of this we didn't get the car until late Tuesday but that was still a good day as we had previously weighed the car for the first time, and considering the size of the axle a race ready weight of 2642 lbs was really a great achievement. The car was put in the trailer and forgotten until Friday morning; the first thing was to get the awning up, and it was a really cold wet morning but we eventually got it done, got the car inside and then began a thrash to get it ready to run. We had a lot to do and that included fitting weight bars, changing the hat, removing and resetting the clutch, and sorting out some electrical glitches. This sounds easy but it took most of the day in reality and it was a really good effort by all the crew: Kev, Rob Millward, Dave Clarkson and Gareth Ellis. Because of all this we missed the call to run over the eighth on Friday although we ran up the engine and it sounded good. From the manifold up it was all on loan from Andy Robinson as our new blower hadn't turned up and our hat was dead. Saturday was spent checking the car over we didn't even bother to start it we spent the time familiarising ourselves with the systems involved with the car. Sunday was just white and cold but we stayed busy. Monday arrived, and it was clear that we would get to run. This was really important to us as I had a mission to get licenced so that I could enter the Main Event. Eventually we were in the pairing lanes, I was in the car ,Pro Mod was running , there was one pair left before me, and it started snowing. Great. Eventually the track was dry and the pair before me ran. My turn. I rolled into the water with the intention of turning the tyres in the water, too hard on the gas as video evidence I've since seen showed. I almost started a burnout, the car rolled from the water box with the tyres hot and dry, then I attempted to start the burnout and promptly went for a drive by the stands. All I saw were sparks from the clutch and that was enough for me, I just killed the motor and was pushed back. And that was the great start to my Pro Mod career! ©Eurodragster.com After returning to the pits we checked the motor over, checked the clutch and not finding too much damage we towed down for another try. This went much better, we managed a good burnout - probably with too many revs but that is just a case of getting comfortable in the car. When I was called to the start line Kev motioned me forward and then stopped me at the blue line. I was confused as I could see the whole Tree from Pre Stage to red. I had been expecting to be called forward to a point that it was a struggle to see the Tree at all: with the nitrous car all I ever saw was the first of the three yellows if I sat up in the car, so this threw me a curve. I moved forward without stopping in Pre Stage as there was no opponent and when I was in full stage it was just business as usual, foot to the mat and wait for a flicker then I was gone. The car drifted left a bit and because of the state of the track I didn't want to start steering it and risk swapping ends so I just lifted and coasted to the end. The team were pretty pleased. We had managed to stage and launch without rolling through the guard beam, we got a decent reaction time, a sixty foot time good for the track, a really good 330 foot time for the prevailing conditions and the biggest thing of all no tyre shake. We had got the clutch about eighty per cent right first time out and we have good info from that run on our datalogger. As I have said before this team is pretty cute around a clutch - it's been said previously that it was just luck how we got the Cutlass and then Fred's car to run so well. Guess we must have been lucky again eh> We attempted to get in one more run to complete the licenscng procedure but as we sat there I thought "I really don't want my first full pass to be on a slippery track at night". The guys had all worked so hard I had to give it a go for them but the gods intervened in the shape of Darren Prentice who said that we couldn't run: in his words "The track's not there", "You won't learn anything", and "You have more to lose than to gain". Darren added that he had seen enough to accept my entry to the Main Event, "Thank you god". Darren's decision was spot on and it couldn't have been easy after the time we'd sat there ready to run, but it shows that safety is prime consideration on the start line well above personal feelings or the risk of confrontation: I'm sure some people would have been really pissed at that decision, but we knew that was the right and only decision he could make. Since then we have serviced the engine and clutch, our new blower will be fitted next weekend along with other new parts. We have sorted out some small problems and will be ready hopefully to qualify for the Main Event. We don't realistically expect to rotate the Earth but to qualify, and get some seat time, will be an achievement. Looking to the future we hope to do well in the class. We feel that we have the car to do it, as I genuinely believe that I have what is at the moment the most advanced Pro Mod chassis in Europe with some of the nicest features out there. All I can say now is a big thanks to the crew and all at Andy Robinson Race Cars for building me a really bitchin' hot rod. Easter was Hell. 24th April: The UK's E-Hell Super Pro ET and Pro ET team had a successful weekend at the Easter Thunderball after Simon Rowland took the event win in Super Pro ET on his first competitive outing in the Formula Tanker Rental-sponsored car. "Simon Rowland and the E-Hell Racing team started competing in Pro ET in 2007 in the original E-Hell dragster", writes David Leake. "The winter months saw substantial investment in new workshop space and infrastructure to support the addition to the team of Nick Spence's old Super Pro ET dragster. The cars have been imaginatively renamed to E-Hell One (Pro ET) and E-Hell Two (Super Pro ET) and both are running in their respective classes in 2008. "The Easter Thunderball weekend was Simon's first chance to drive the new Super Pro car in anger, and although battling with the difficulties of driving two different cars in consecutive classes at the same meeting, not to mention the weather, he managed to secure the team's first ever class win in E-Hell Two! "We will be looking to repeat this success in Super Pro ET, as well as getting some meaningful performance data for the newly fettled E-Hell One, which was treated to a complete engine rebuild over the winter (courtesy of Top Fuel tuner Alan Jackson) and a new gearbox due to a failure that led to the car jumping backwards off the startline at the end of 2007! She's also received a new carb and manifold over the last few weeks - a result in Pro ET to add to the team's first taste of success would be fantastic! "None of this would be possible without the support and generosity of our sponsor Formula Tanker Rental and each and every member of the crew. Also thanks to Alan Jackson for the engine, Zane Llewellyn for the gearbox and the Santa Pod team for keeping us racing at Easter." The team's next outing is the Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway on the 3rd-5th May. New motor Pops in. 24th April: The City of Derby is used to hearing the occasional melodic and gentle rumble of Rolls Royce's Trent Jet engines emanating from their extensive test bed facilities. Anyone who lives there will tell you – you just get used to it, eventually. Last week, however, a rather more raucous sound was heard dissipating around the City's skies. In particular, the residents of the district of Alvaston got more than just the evening news at Tea Time, when Outlaw Anglia pilot Simon Barlow decided to fire up his new toy, which had just arrived from America writes Richard Stirling: Simon has been racing in Outlaw Anglia for the past three years, and every year he has achieved new increases in performance. When he at last hit the nine second zone, it seemed that the Orange Pop's performances then became variable and even sporadic, a fact which frustrated Simon and the team. It was as if the team had lost their way a little, with their existing combination. After thinking on the matter for a while, Simon then announced enthusiastically that it was "Time to get a big new motor from the States" and the rest of the team couldn't find a flaw in that statement. Simon got in touch straight away with New York Chevy guru Scott Shafiroff and ordered his top-of-the-line small block Sportsman motor. It's a Dart "Little M" motor punching 434 cubic inches. With fifteen degree heads, an 1150 Dominator carb, the full MSD ignition system and a list of other goodies too long to mention, it all adds up to a whopping 824 horse power, as proven on Scott's Scott's dynamometer. For a Ford Anglia that's still mostly stock metal, Simon will probably not need his nitrous kit for a good while yet, as his front wheels will barely be touching the floor. The transmission has been completely re-invented by good friend and transmission expert Andy Frost at Penn Autos and it now sports a Neil Chance torque converter which should assist Simon getting away from the line without too much drama. When I arrived at Simon's new house on start-up day, I was really impressed with the garage and workshop that he has built for the Pop, with much assistance from his Dad. The workshop is truly massive and being at the bottom of a big garden, it meant that they had to lay down a lengthy drive to it, as well. I've seen houses that have been smaller than the Orange Pop's accommodation. Crew Chief Phil Pitt and Simon were already busily thrashing around making the last few necessary adjustments to the fittings, electrics and hoses. As we grew near to a start-up situation, Phil and Simon then started feverishly pumping copious quantities of fuel out of the disconnected carburettor fuel pipes. This puzzled me and I asked the question why and Simon solemnly reported "This baby is only ever going to run on C16" which sounds like a game plan to me – if you can afford it, at nearly £25 a gallon! Once the 'ordinary' race fuel was drained off, Jason Yates and Simon filled the tank up with the proper "blue" C16 which is, as always, produced and supplied by VP Racing Fuels. After fixing a minor fuel leak and churning it over a little on the starter, the motor then burst into life and what a roar! It ran as sweet as a nut from the word go, without even touching any of the timing or fuel, which betrays the fact that the motor has already been run extensively on the dyno. After running the motor for three glorious minutes and with careless regard for the neighbours' ear drums, silence at last befell the "Pop's Garage" and the delighted crew went into a deserved flurry of hand-shaking and backslapping. The car will be making its first appearance for 2008 at the Big Bang meeting at Santa Pod this weekend, and this will be a huge learning curve for the Orange Pop crew. I asked Simon if he'd be taking it gently, and with a wry smile on his face he said "It'll be a gentle ride in the park – it's just a Sunday drive isn't it?". Yeah, right! I've heard about his Sunday drives before... Swift snippets. 24th April: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall has been in touch to let racers know that signing on will be open at Santa Pod between 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm tomorrow (Friday) for Big Bang competitors only. Please also note that the track is being used for the Alternative Energy event only tomorrow afternoon; it is not open for testing or RWYB. Further to last week's news item looking for information about Harold Bull's original Stripduster after its sale to Germany, Harold's daughter Jane has sent us a picture of the car as it was when sold. Hopefully this will help to jog some memories. If you have any information about this car then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Many thanks to Julie Willcox for forwarding us Version 3 of the official entry list for the Springspeed Festival, which takes place at Shakespeare County Raceway on 3rd-5th May. Click here to view the Springspeed Festival entry list. If you think you should be on the list, or if you have any queries about Springspeed Festival entry, then please contact Julie Willcox on 01789 720180 or 07792 919508. Julie asked us to inform racers that if you did not send an SAE with your entry then your tickets will be on the gate. ©Eurodragster.com Thanks also to Paula Marshall for forwarding us Version 4 of the official entry list for the FIA Main Event, which you can view by clicking here. If you think you should already be on the list, or if you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry, then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. UK Pro ET racer Antony Wilkins tells us that his appearance in Scrapheap Challenge is scheduled for episode 8 of the new series which starts on Channel 4 this Sunday. This puts Butch's appearance on the weekend of 14th-15th June, coinciding with the SPRC Summernationals. "As we've got electric now lets fire up those TVs and then you can all take the pee", he says. UK blown-alcohol altered team Bennett Racing would like to announce the addition of another new sponsor, this time a little different. "The Plough And Tractor Pub have come on board to support us", says Luke Bennett. "They are the official pub of Bennett Racing, a local pub with friendly staff and a good atmosphere, Sky Sports and Setanta Sports showing all major sporting events, free live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings, outdoor beer garden and a large car park. Their address is The Plough and Tractor, Great Knightleys, Basildon, Essex SS13 1RA. Telephone 01268 583547." Go with the flow... 24th April: UK blown-alcohol altered racer Joe Bond writes to show us some work which he has been doing on the front wing configuration of the Nuthin' Fancy altered as part of his final year project at university. "One of the aspects I did was to create airflow pressure distributions over the front end", says Joe. "So I modelled the front end of my car in Solidworks, and then tested the air at 200 mph, makes for fun viewing (click on picture for large version from another angle)! ©Eurodragster.com "It shows air flow around the wing, the high pressure around the front of the tank because it's a 'bluff body', as well as wing tip vortices which helps the pressure distribution over the wing area. The pressure is higher around the bottom of the fire bottles; I've been looking into maybe turning them around, so the front is facing the front because it tapers more. "A more leant-back fuel tank for next season is needed I think..." Santa Pod events update. 24th April: Alternative Energy Racing takes place at Santa Pod Raceway tomorrow (Friday) and is notably the first event where only fuels that can be produced sustainably have been permitted, writes Rick Cuthbert: It seems unlikely that we'll see any sub ten-second runs but there is an amazing variety of entries, including bikes, cars and even trucks. Some things to look out for at the event are: The first ever race in the UK between two biofuel motorcycles An attempt to set a hybrid drag racing record One of the first public outings of Lotus' experimental tri-fuel methanol Exige The event is being covered by Fifth Gear, so you may just catch one of the presenters in action on the strip too. If you'd like to see who's coming, take a look at www.aeracing.org/entry.php and if you'd like to come along to Santa Pod and see the vehicles up close and in action on the track, tickets are available for just £5 on the gate. The track will be open for the Alternative Energy vehicles from midday until 5:00 pm. ©Eurodragster.com This weekend Santa Pod Raceway is also hosting the Big Bang VW Festival which has increased its guest drag racing classes to include the following popular National classes: VW Sportsman, VW Pro, VW Alternate Engine, Super Modified, Street Eliminator, Outlaw Anglia, 9.50 Bike, Sportsman ET and Junior Dragster. Drag racing fans will have a packed day of racing to look forward to for just £15 on the gate on Sunday. Spectators will also have access to all the other attractions at Big Bang, including the Show and Shine, trade area and sideshows. Web site updates. 24th April: Swedish Pro Stock racer Adam Flamholc has been in touch to let us know that Caravan Films have posted the first episode of their YouTube documentary series following his US mini-tour. You can check out the excellent video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=UftSTCGrpBA. In the latest entry in his exclusive Racer Blog, UK Top Fuel Dragster racer-in-waiting and Eurodragster.com News sponsor Derek Flynn looks forward to this weekend's licencing passes at Santa Pod Raceway. You can read Derek's Blog by clicking here or by clicking on the Racer Blogs link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. The first of this year's King of Europe drag races took place at Tokol Airport in Hungary on 12th-13th April and you can find a report, pictures and timing data at www.kingofeurope.net/2008/koedrageast/rd1.html. ©Eurodragster.com UK photo-journalist Dick Parnham has updated his Fotopic site with a gallery of shots from the 2007 Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway. You can find Dick's pictures at dickparnham.fotopic.net. UK Wild Bunch racer Tony Smith has started to update his Cunning Plan web site after a lay-off of two years whilst he studied for his MSA and ACU accreditation, now mainly completed. You can find out what's new in the Cunning Plan pit at www.cunningplan.net. Tony also tells us that due to popular demand he will be bringing back his Guess Who competition with pictures supplied by Eurodragster.com Reserve Photographer Peter Donaldson. If you would be interested in taking part, or if you would like to put up prizes, then please contact Tony through the web site. You can take a look at the last Guess Who at www.cunningplan.net/guesswho.html. Swift snippets. 23rd April: Racers wishing to test before the FIA Main Event are reminded that Santa Pod Raceway are hosting Peak Performance Days on Saturday 17th May and Thursday 22nd May - the latter is only open to racers entered for the race itself. Pre-booking is highly recommended, either on on-line at www.santapodshop.co.uk, by downloading and sending/faxing the forms available at www.rwyb.com, or by calling Santa Pod Raceway on 01234 782828 (outside the UK +44 1234 782828). Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for forwarding us Version 3 of the official entry list for the FIA Main Event, which you can view by clicking here. If you think you should already be on the list, or if you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry, then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. This stunning piece of work is photo-journalist Mark Gredzinski's latest painting, just completed (click on picture for large version). "It's the Pabst Blue Ribbon-sponsored Dodge Charger Funny Car of Charlie Proite", says Mark. "This was the first of the beer-sponsored cars originally from 1973 with Russell Long driving. The car is depicted in its later incarnation with a modifed paint scheme in the hands of Vic Cecelia who took over the reins around 1975. Research showed the colours to be varied due to various lighting conditions prevalent and different films used in photos of the time. However, I managed to nail the main shade as best I could. The painting is acrylic on canvas and measures approximatetely 15" x 20". I'm doing a couple of Monzas next, one of which is the blue machine of Jungle Jim which is well underway". If you are interested in buying or commissioning Mark's work then you can contact him at [email protected]. Editor's note: Only a brief news update today: if you have been keeping an eye on UK financial and political news in the last few days, and if you know where your News Editor's day job is, then you will get the picture. Tune back tomorrow for the latest from UK Pro Mod racer Graham Ellis, to find out how the E-Hell team are faring, drag racers on Scrapheap Challenge and more, and please keep those news items coming to [email protected]. Gardermoen FIM/UEM round confirmed. 22nd April: Many thanks to FIM/UEM European Drag Bike Championship Co-ordinator Lars Andersson for letting us know that a FIM/UEM European Drag Bike Championship round will now take place at Gardermoen in Norway on 1st-3rd August. Lars tells us that the round was never really completely cancelled but we don't need to go into all that right now; the main thing is that it's an extra round which is great news for the bike contingent and for the Championship as a whole, and we would like to say a big Well Done to all those involved in getting the round back on. Guess it's time to re-book that camp site with the snake-inhabited lake and check out the ferries... ©Eurodragster.com Leanders launch Performance Products. 22nd April: If you have been tuned in to Eurodragster.com in the last year you will at some point have read that Ulf and Jörgen Leanders of Sweden's Leanders Bros Racing Top Methanol Funny Car team have been designing and producing various parts such as SFI-approved Alcohol and Pro Mod clutches as well as various brackets and most recently awnings. Ulf and Jörgen are very pleased to announce that they are ready to start marketing and selling the products which they have developed, tested and started to manufacture in the middle of Sweden, and we are very pleased to announce that Leanders Bros Performance Products have signed up as a sponsor of Eurodragster.com News. Ulf Leanders describes the products on offer: None of these products could have been designed or manufactured without our partners IronCad, Feature Cam and the HAAS EC400 CNC machine. First up are our awnings for race trailers. These are now made so that you can first buy a top and later upgrade with sides. We are carrying a standard size which will fit a double-deck Wilson trailer perfectly but we can also do custom sizes as we just have for Urban Johansson and Danny Bellio. The aluminum framework is as high as possible underneath and allows room for high Top Fuel wings and the lifting on and off of Funny Car bodies with the car jacked up. The awning comes with everything you need incuding brackets. Right now we are making the first raised awning, for example for a low bus or a low trailer. It will come with poles which go on the side of the vehicle and then we will use our standard design free-hanging framework on that, this will be priced later. A standard size top-only awning is just 39000 SEK plus VAT, at today's rates that is €4150 or £3150. No VAT will be charged outside Sweden if you have VAT number. If you go with the sides from start you are looking at 62000 SEK plus VAT, or €6600 / £5000. So the HAAS EC400 isn't standing idle, Jörgen has made some really cool blower belt guards with and without starter brackets. These fit PSI screw blowers and when time allows they will be made to fit roots blowers as well. Our longest and most time-consuming project has been the clutches but it feels like we are getting closer to the final testing of the two new models. We ran last year with the first clutch of this design and it worked perfectly, mechanically, but under some conditions had the disadvantage of having too little surfuce at just ten inches. We took the decision to bigger and Jörgen did the redesign to eleven inches. This may sound easy but is not at all - there are a lot of parts on a clutch and they all have to fit in the can! ©Eurodragster.com We have now got the new types of clutches SFI approved for 1.2, 1.4 and 1.5. as you can see on the Manufacturers list at www.sfifoundation.com. The SFI 1.4 three disc clutch will be used by us in our Funny Car to begin with, and the SFI 1.5 two or three disc clutch with ring gear will be run by a number of teams here in Europe. In the second phase a couple of cars in the States will be using both the Alcohol and Pro Mod clutch. We are also manufatcuring some other products which will be available soon. For example, a revolutionary valve spring tool for Fat Heads with which you can check spring pressure and change springs in a safe manner with the heads on, and a light Odyssey 48v or 24v battery pack with 240 volt charger. For more details about Leanders Bros Performance Products check out their web page at www.leandersbros.se/mainpages/products.htm or click on the logo at left. We would like to say a big Thank You to Ulf and Jörgen for their support of Eurodragster.com and as ever we are particularly pleased that thanks to our sponsor roster we are a one-stop shop for all your racing needs. We are sure that our readers will return that support by considering Leanders Bros Performance Products when looking for these particular products. Entry lists update. 22nd April: Many thanks to Julie Willcox for forwarding us Version 2 of the official entry list for the Springspeed Festival, which takes place at Shakespeare County Raceway on 3rd-5th May. Click here to view the Springspeed Festival entry list. If you think you should be on the list, or if you have any queries about Springspeed Festival entry, then please contact Julie Willcox on 01789 720180 or 07792 919508. ©Eurodragster.com Thanks also to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for forwarding us Version 2 of the official entry list for the FIA Main Event, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 23rd-26th May. This Friday (25th) is the official closing date for entries; entries after this time, if accepted, will be subject to a late-entry penalty fee. Click here to view the FIA Main Event entry list. If you think you should already be on the list, or if you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry, then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. Swift snippets. 22nd April: UK blown-alcohol altered team Bennett Racing are proud to announce the addition of a new sponsor, Slick Attire, purveyors of distinctive apparel for the discerning petrolhead. Luke Bennett tells us that Slick have produced a stunning Spring 2008 collection of T-Shirts and that they have plenty of other goodies on offer such as canvas prints, decals and free wallpapers for your computer. "Slick will be designing and providing our T-Shirts for this season, which should hopefully be ready around June", says Luke. "We have therefore reduced the price of last season's T-Shirts to £6 which is a bargain, or even better get two for £10. Not too many left now, so if you would like one then contact us through our web site at www.bennettracing.co.uk. ©Eurodragster.com Just to tease everyone, yesterday's Norwegian mole has sent another spy picture although again without much in the way of detail; in fact, the attached E-Mail said nothing apart from "Have a good time". As ever, if you know anything about the identity of this spy picture, or if you would like to send shots of your own, then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Nigel Taylor has been in touch to let us know that Carolina Classics are changing direction, and that they therefore have some bargains on offer. "We have a Blowtherm twenty one-foot three-phase spray booth up for grabs", says Nigel. "The fully-functioning oven can take most yank-sized vehicles; pictures can be E-Mailed to interested parties. We are also clearing all our old used stock to make way for our move, so if any Eurodragster.com readers are interested in any of our clearance items or the spray oven then give me a call on 01264 321170." Erbacher on Vegas (English version). 22nd April: Team member Andrea Wucher has kindly sent us an English translation of last Friday's press release from FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion and Eurodragster.com sponsor Urs Erbacher: We concluded our spring in the United States in a familiar place - Las Vegas! We ran Vegas in the autumn so for the first time over here we were at a race track where we had some of our own data. It made it very comfortable for us. It was a big weekend and a little sad as we knew our time in the U.S. was coming to an end, at least for now. As most of you already know, the plan has been for us to load the car and trailer on a ship after the Vegas race and return everything to Europe for the 2008 FIA season. It takes eight days from the East Coast to get the equipment to England and we wanted to make sure we had enough time to prepare everything for our title defence, so Vegas needed to be our last stop. After all the success we enjoyed in Houston - becoming the first European Top Fuel team to win a round in thirty years - we wanted to do more in Vegas. We dreamed of a victory but were at least hoping for a strong performance. It was also very important for us to represent our local sponsor, Marnell Masonry, in its hometown of Las Vegas. George Marnell is a former drag racer from the Pro Stock class who runs a very large and successful masonry business. He builds schools, casinos, government buildings, and various business sites throughout this booming city. After encountering a defect in Round 1 of qualifying, we posted a 4.826 at 303 mph Friday night and were able to relax a bit as we knew this would keep us in the field. It is a very proud accomplishment to qualify four times in four attempts this spring against the best drivers and teams in the world. On Saturday it got pretty hot and everyone struggled to run better times so we decided to work on our Sunday tune-up. We also had a question and answer session with some VIP guests at the track. They were all very interested in how we race in Europe and it was my pleasure to meet all these great fans. Additionally, we spent time with George and his family, friends, and employees in his luxury suite. What a view from atop the grandstands! We were matched against young driver Morgan Lucas for eliminations, but before we raced on the strip we spent Saturday night together at the small circuiton the property of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Morgan was racing some other drivers and they asked me to work with the announcers in the booth to describe the action. It was a lot of fun and good to hang out with so many fans afterwards. The wait to race Morgan was very long as there were numerous oildowns and explosions ahead of us. Sitting in the race car for so long is not much fun but we were still ready to race when the lights flashed. Unfortunately, the temperatures had gone up considerably and we overpowered the race track with too much horsepower, allowing Morgan to win with a beatable 4.765. My congratulations to Morgan. We stayed one extra day to load up and enjoy Las Vegas but then it was time to say goodbye and load everything for the trip home. Our defence of the FIA Top Fuel title begins at Santa Pod, England on 23rd-26th May. We know we are a step ahead of everyone else due to our experience here in the States. I'm sure that even if the others tested, they didn't run at this level. So we're excited to get started. The best part of our time here this spring was the great amount of fans and friends we made. Before, maybe no one knew who we were but now, thanks to some great media coverage about this crazy group of racers from Europe, people have come to know us. We'll be back in the autumn saying "Welcome to Las Vegas" once again, hopefully as back-to-back European Champions. Until then, we'll make sure to keep everyone up-to-date on our time over here in Europe. ©Eurodragster.com Big Bang Perfect Awards. 22nd April: This weekend's Big Bang is the second event in the 2008 Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards scheme. £100 is on offer for perfect performance. The Eurodragster.com/Speedflow Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by Pro ET racer Keith Herbert at the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball. The money will be presented to the first racer this weekend to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available to all racers in all Championship classes during time trials, qualifying and eliminations (not during Run What You Brung) but will only be awarded for the first perfect light of the event. If not won this weekend then the Award will be increased to £75 for the Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway; if it is won then it will be reset to £50 for the Springspeed Festival. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with performance hose and fitting manufacturer Speedflow, whose web site you can find at www.speedflow.co.uk. As Santa Pod's timing system works to four decimal places we must clarify that although the Perfect Light Award goes to three places, we will not pay out for red lights with zeroes in the first three decimals since a foul is a foul however far in the first non-zero digit may be. So 0.0001 will win you the money (if you're first to do it), but -0.0001 will not. Decals are not formally required for the Perfect Light Award but of course we appreciate it: you can get Eurodragster.com decals at the track from any Eurodragster.com staff member. ©Eurodragster.com The Eurodragster.com/Gold RV Perfect ET Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by VW Sportsman racer Dave Bridge at the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball. The money will be presented to the first racer this weekend to run to the thousandth on their dial-in or index. The Perfect ET Award is available this weekend in Sportsman ET, Junior Dragster (eliminations only), 9.50 Bike, VW Pro, VW Sportsman and VW Alternate Engine during time trials, qualifying and eliminations (not during Run What You Brung) but will only be awarded for the first first perfect run of the event. If not won this weekend then the Award will be increased to £75 for the Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway; if it is won then it will be reset to £50 for the Springspeed Festival. The Perfect ET Award is presented in association with RV sales and service specialists Gold RV, whose web site you can find at www.goldrv.co.uk. To be eligible to collect the Perfect ET Award, racers will be required to carry Eurodragster.com/Gold RV Perfect ET decals, one on each side of the vehicle whether car or bike. We allowed some latitude at the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball since it was the first event of the season and since it was somewhat disrupted, but if you pull this weekend's first Perfect ET but are not carrying decals then we will not pay out and the next person to pull a Perfect ET will get the money assuming that they are carrying decals. The decals (left) will be available at signing-on; please note that, as is usual with contingency schemes, racers are responsible for requesting or picking up decals when signing on. A list of required decals per class is always on display in signing-on. Weekends of Havoc beckon. 21st April: Nick Davies of Eurodragster.com sponsor ICE Automotive says that he and co-owner Rob Loaring have prepared the Havoc blown-alcohol altered for a concerted attempt on the European ET record which currently stands at 6.651 by Kenneth Feldthusen of Sweden's Team Northrace, set at Gardermoen in 2007. "We set the European speed record of 205.47mph in 2006, which still stands, and a best ET of 6.910", says Nick. "The car was starting to take over our lives and then at the 2006 European Finals Press Day a rod which was only five runs old decided to hamper our aspirations". The rod punched a hole in the oil pan and curtailed the popular car's 2006 season. In 2007 Rob and Nick decided to focus on customer engine and construction work. "We left Havoc alone and it sat in my garage unrepaired for the whole year with a sheet over it", says Nick. "During 2007 the competition in the NFAA moved forward in ET terms with Dennis Wratten, Frank Bennett and Clayton Round all running down into the sixes. The year out was an investment of time in our business which we're glad we did. But we're not good at being spectators on the sidelines. We would prefer to argue between ourselves than with the other teams that we try to help." The decision was therefore made to embark on what Nick calls The Unfinished Business Tour. "We built the engine in the week before the Easter Snowball and got the rods only the Monday before", he says. "We fired the engine up for the first time on Good Friday in the workshop before loading up and going to the Pod". Of course the NFAA did not run at the meeting, but Nick and Rob have been invited to run at this weekend's Big Bang and FIA Main Event, both at Santa Pod Raceway, in addition to other NFAA meetings. "We are sorry to miss the Springspeed event as it is only a week after the Big Bang but plan to return to Shakey later in the year", says Nick. ©Eurodragster.com "There is an awful lot more in the engine than in the driver. We estimate that the engine puts out about 1800 horsepower and our dyno won't take that much power. The car is 1800 lbs, lighter than the equivalent dragster. I am still learning to drive it; it's so short in length and tall in height. It feels twice as fast through the lights as my Oldsmobile Pro Mod". A hundred-foot trip through the field at the end of Santa Pod's run-off area was a reminder of how fast these cars are without a 'chute. "I can't praise the safety people at Santa Pod enough", says Nick. "These cars are not the most predicable to handle. They were on the scene immediately it had come to a halt and were great at helping my confidence." With only twenty five runs under its belt we can look forward to seeing Havoc on track for more runs this year, but what of the future? "We want to put the Nostalgia Funny Car on the track in 2009 depending on progress", says Nick. "It will be a '72 Vega with an iron Big Block Chevy with a 75% nitro set-up to run mid-sixes. It will be VRA-legal and Rob will be the driver. We hope that there will be other Nostalgia Funny Cars but if there is a gap I would like to tip the can and match race Havoc against Rob in the Vega." Spaans rejoins MPM TF Team. 21st April: If you were tuned in on 2nd April you will have read that Dutch Top Fuel Dragster racer Lex Joon announced the departure of his mechanical Crew Chief Hans Brings. Lex has been in touch to announce the identity of the MPM Oil-sponsored team's new incumbent. ©Eurodragster.com "Maxim Spaans, who previously worked in different positions within the MPM Top Fuel Team, will be the new man to lead the crew in our quest to win the team's second Top Fuel Championship", says Lex. "I am really thrilled to have Max on board again. With all the knowledge he has gathered in recent years he is the right man for the job". Max has started to work for the MPM Top Fuel team with immediate effect and is working with the rest of the crew towards the season's start in four weeks' time. In the latest entry in his exclusive Racer Blog, Lex reveals the stunning design of the MPM team's new trailer and has some thoughts on the coming season. You can read Lex's Blog by clicking here or by clicking on the Racer Blogs link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. More spies break cover. 21st April: Even though the 2008 season is underway, a couple more spy pictures have arrived at the offices of Eurodragster.com (click on pictures for large versions): ©Eurodragster.com The picture at left came from the UK and was accompanied by the words "A new Super Modified motor from the UK's premier engine builder, soon to be dyno'd at EDA and should then be making an appearance later in the season". The picture of the bus came from Norway and we notice that any identifying marks have been Paintshopped out. "A new team, or new colours?" said our mole. As ever, if you know anything about the identity of these spy pictures, or if you would like to send shots of your own, then please drop us a line at [email protected]. Swift snippets. 21st April: "If it looks good, it should go good" is the adage subscribed to by the UK's Chaos Fuel Altered team whose 417 ci Donovan looks dressed to kill. "Whilst the coordinated and colourful pieces don't necessarily add to the performance, we feel that it is useful element in raising the profile and enhancing the image of the sport", says Lawrie Gatehouse. "The down side is raised expectations of increased and consistent performance; if this is not forthcoming (not unusual when using 'pop') then the yellow bits may turn out to be egg on face! Tribute must be paid to John Wright and all the crew of Shaun, Tony, Danny, 'H' and, of course to Lesley, for the all-important job of feeding us during the many hundreds of hours spent thus far." Yesterday's National Association of Supertwins and Junior Drag Bike eliminations did not take place at the Public Test Weekend at Shakespeare County Raceway. It was another weather-affected day with a late start after overnight rain; a monumental effort by the track crew allowed a few hours' track action but slick-tyred cars never made it out onto the track before the rain returned in the afternoon. You can check out our American Car Imports-sponsored galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page ©Eurodragster.com Kirstie would like to thank all those Super Pro ET and Comp Eliminator racers who responded to her plea for FIA Main Event programme notes. Kirstie has responded to every racer who volunteered; if you have not received her reply then please check your Spam folder. "I'm doing this for the love of Sportsman racing", says Kirstie, "I hope you can support me in this quest." If you would like to get your name in lights in the FIA Main Event programme, or indeed if you would like to send news for Eurodragster.com, or both, then is not too late to volunteer at [email protected]. Web site updates. 21st April: Newly-licenced UK Comp Bike racer Phil Crossley has updated his Blog with an update from the Public Test Weekend at Shakespeare County Raceway. Bike fans especially shouldn't miss Phil's very entertaining and informative Blog at gsxbopchop.blogspot.com. Next up with an SCR Public Test Weekend update is our good buddy Alan Currans, who was there with his trusty camera and who has posted seventy three pictures (Oi! That's more than we did - Ed) which you can view via the What's New link at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk. ©Eurodragster.com Tubby has been in touch to let us know that the Shakespeare County Racers web site at www.shakespearecountyracers.com has been updated with pictures from the weekend plus the nominee for Muppet of the Month. SCR Public Test Weekend qualifying. 20th April: This weekend's Public Test at Shakespeare County Raceway is a round of the National Association of Supertwins and Junior Drag Bike. Below are the qualifying standings at yesterday's end. All NAST times and speeds are over the eighth mile due to yesterday's weather conditions. Supertwin Fuel Martin Wildash 9.385/77.45 Supertwin Gas Andy Smith 6.020/111.39 Les Harris 6.589/107.14 Don Irvine 6.805/100.45 Chris Mott 7.005/99.34 Ric Naylor 7.335/92.21 Neil Stedman 7.870/92.78 Robbie Dobbie 9.059/86.54 Supertwin ET John Hackney +0.102 6.602/110.84 Joe Elliot +0.170 7.770/93.17 Dan Baldwin +0.206 9.806/72.35 Tim Bootle +0.242 8.242/90.00 Damion Waterhouse +7.907 7.907/96.45 Simon Clamp +8.262 8.262/94.74 Junior Drag Bike Scott Collier +0.045 10.545/61.39 Giselle Moor +0.451 13.851/45.27 Jorden Bissell +1.035 15.575/36.92 J. Dear +3.474 14.474/44.03 We will bring you today's final elimination results on tomorrow's news update. Springspeed Festival entry list. 19th April: Many thanks to Julie Willcox for forwarding us Version 1 of the official entry list for the Springspeed Festival, which takes place at Shakespeare County Raceway on 3rd-5th May. ©Eurodragster.com Click here to view the Springspeed Festival entry list. If you think you should be on the list, or if you have any queries about Springspeed Festival entry, then please contact Julie Willcox on 01789 720180 or 07792 919508. Beck aims for FIM/UEM. 19th April: If you checked out Version 1 of the FIA Main Event entry list then you can't have failed to notice the name of multiple ACU UK Pro Stock Bike Champion Dave Beck on the FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike entry. Stephen Moon tells us that given enough sponsorship Dave is ready to take on Europe's finest. ©Eurodragster.com "Dave has spent the winter putting together two very trick new motors", says Stephen. "Rick Ward's very latest in the heads, Liberty six speed transmissions, new carbs, new vacuum pump. The chassis also has a number of mods as well. Dave pretty much trashed a trans on the Easter track and he wants to get that motor back together and test before the Main Event. "Why not just run with one motor is the obvious question. This is a long-awaited event and Dave wants to go in and do it right, confident that he can lean on it a bit. Dave's obsession with the detail and preparation is what has made him successful to date. It's easy to criticise, but that's not his approach to racing. If Dave goes in half-cocked and doesn't win it damages his reputation." BDRC discuss 2008. 19th April: The Bavarian Drag Race Club held its Annual General Meeting last weekend at the workshop of Peter Schöfer Racing, writes our good friend Gittli Koller: The Bavarian Drag Race Club was founded in 1996 by drag racers and fans in Bavaria, and has been the biggest drag racing club in Germany for many years. Today our members are not just from Bavaria but also Berlin, Switzerland and Sachsen (the east part of Germany). Since the BDRC was founded we have been working on making our sport more popular. Fans and interested parties can get information about the sport, the teams, race dates or ask for technical advice. We go to shows and fairs as well as to smaller races. For many years the BDRC has owned its own Junior Dragster which since 2005 has been driven by Sally Ekerst (right), a lovely ten-year-old who has won a lot of attention for the car. Last year the dragster got a new bigger engine which was mainly sponsored by the BDRC and Sally raced successfully in Germany and Switzerland. This year the BDRC plans special involvement in two series. The Junior Nationals is a Junior Dragster cup in Germany, Switzerland and maybe the Netherlands and is supported by the well-known german drag racing magazine DragRacer and 1-on-1-motorsports as well as DVD ev. The other series is Super Pro ET. This series is the result of a special effort by several racers and fans, especially Patrick Kaiser and Markus Münch and the BDRC wants to support this group of enthusiasts too. You can find out all about Super Pro ET at www.suproet.de. ©Eurodragster.com The two promoters of the three events in Bavaria explained their plans at the meeting. These events will be in Augsburg at the end of June, Landshut at the beginning of July, and at Vilshofen (Donau) in mid-August. Further information can be found on the BDRC's web site at www.bdrc.de (sorry, only in German only), or send an E-Mail to [email protected] (OK to write in English). Swift snippets. 19th April: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall has been in touch with an update for racers attending next week's Big Bang at Santa Pod Raceway. "Gates are open from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm only next Thursday (24th)", says Paula. "Gates will then re-open at 9:00 am on Friday. Racers are reminded to bring their DVLC licences as well as their Competition licences." ©Eurodragster.com The Netherlands' newest Junior Dragster racer Lisa Selles fired up the Selles family's Junior Dragster for the first time at the King Cruise last weekend fortuitously in front of sponsor Maria Pels of Cloud 9. "The sound that the dragster made was more powerful than our old one and a crowd quickly gathered round", says mum Henriette. "It will be a whole new ballgame for Lisa and Jessica: this JD is a little monster! They were eager before, but now they cannot wait to go to Luckau to get some real action. We might leave for Chambley the weekend after Luckau to do a little more testing." FIA Main Event entry. 18th April: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for forwarding us Version 1 of the official entry list for the FIA Main Event, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 23rd-26th May. Paula is too polite to say this so we will: if you want to contest the FIA Main Event then you really need to get your finger out as the official closing date for all classes, Pro and Sportsman, is next Friday, 25th April. If you enter after 25th April then if your entry is accepted you will have to pay a late entry penalty fee. You can download the FIA Main Event entry forms via the Entry Forms link on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. ©Eurodragster.com Click here to view the FIA Main Event entry list. If you think you should already be on the list, or if you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry, then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. Wild weekend at SCR. 18th April: The UK's Wild Bunch will be contesting the first round of their six-event Wild Bunch Series, and the second round of their Real Steel Series, at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend. Co-ordinator Claire Meaddows tells us that this event drew eighteen entries last season and that there is already a fair list of runners and riders this time around. ©Eurodragster.com "Some racers have already been out this season, braving the snow of the Easter Thunderball and the snow of the first Shakey RWYB, but others will be emerging after their winter rebuilds with a couple of newcomers expected", says Claire. "One thing we know for sure, is that defending Series title holders Tony Smith and Dave Williams will be there, as The Cunning Plan Minivan altered is already at the track! Determined to give them a run for their money will be a couple of Hartnell slingshots in the form of Chris in Backdraft and Mark in Awesome 4-Some, a newly-guised Tiki Munki altered which we are all eager to see, the currently dominant Easter Thunderball winner Darren Law in the Wicked Lady rear-engined dragster, and hopefully the other Riot Racers' altereds. We're also expecting former Series winners Mikey Cresswell and the Freq Racing Ensemble with the Living the Dream slingshot and two-time winners the Dog's Bollocks team with the RamRaider slingshot hoping for a return to form, and a few more familiar faces, who are on a last minute thrash to be there and whom we hope to see. "We look forward to the event and we are hoping for some more spring-like weather this time." Erbacher Racing Las Vegas report. 17th April: Zum zweiten Mal richteten wir uns auf dem Rennplatz von Las Vegas häuslich ein. Alles ist vertrauter und man fühlt sich schon ein bisschen heimisch, wenn man bereits einmal ein Rennen auf der gleichen Strecke gefahren ist. Las Vegas ist unsere letzte Station in den USA bevor es wieder Richtung Europa geht. Nach dem Rundengewinn in Houston wollten wir unsere bisherige Leistung übertreffen, vielleicht mit einem Sieg oder doch mindestens mit einer starken Leistung in der Elimination. Wie gesagt: Qualifikation ist Pflicht. Schliesslich wollten wir für unseren lokalen Sponsor Marnell Masonry eine gute Show bieten. Der erste Eliminationslauf endete nach dem Burnout mit einem technischen Defekt und wir rollten unverrichteter Dinge wieder in die Box. Im zweiten Lauf setzten wir uns mit 4.826 Sekunden / 303 mph auf den 12. Platz. Bis und mit Platz 12 wird die Zeit aus den ersten zwei Qualifikationsläufen gewertet. Ein wichtiger Meilenstein. Alle schlechter platzierten Teams fangen wieder bei Null an, sozusagen ohne Laufwertung aus dem ersten Qualifikationstag. Die Strecke forderte von den Tunern alles. Es war rund 27 Grad heiss und die Strecke heizte sich bis auf 44 Grad auf. Eine Temperatur, die der Traktion nicht gerade förderlich ist. Mit dem Lauf Nummer 3 und 4 mussten wir das richtige Setup für den Sonntag finden. 4.82 Sekunden sind nicht gerade eine Lebensversicherung auf dem Drag Strip. Der dritte Lauf mit 4.94 Sekunden war passabel nur die Stichflamme aus dem Motor am Ende der Strecke war nicht nach unserem Wunsch. Der vierte Lauf fand dann ohne uns statt. In der Qualifikation rutschten wir noch auf den 13. Platz, waren aber in unserem vierten Rennen zum vierten Mal qualifiziert. Die Pflicht war erfüllt. Morgan Lucas und Urs Erbacher mussten am Sonntag morgen lange auf ihren Einsatz warten. Als zweitletztes Paar gingen sie auf die Strecke. Die Paarungen vor ihnen kämpften zum Teil mit der Traktion und Motorendefekten. Leider verlor auch der Marnell Masonry Dragster direkt nach dem Start die Traktion. Urs versuchte noch einmal die Leistung auf die Strecke zu bringen, doch leider erfolglos. Morgan Lucas zog davon, um den Sieg nach Hause zu fahren. Schade, dass unsere Hoffnungen auf ein erfolgreiches Rennen bereits in der ersten Runde begraben wurden, aber "That's racing". Ende nächster Woche ist unser Auflieger und Dragster bereits wieder auf hoher See auf dem Weg nach Europa. Kurz nach der Heimkehr geht es mit dem ersten Meisterschaftsrennen in England schon wieder weiter. In der Zwischenzeit nutzen wir aber die Zeit um unsere Erfahrungen aus dem USA- Einsatz zu konsolidieren, das Team für die Europatour zusammenzustellen und alles für die FIA Tour vorzubereiten. Erste Priorität hat diesen Sommer klar die Verteidigung des FIA Top Fuel Champion Titels. Wir haben in den USA eine grosse Fangemeinde gewonnen und das Medieninteresse ist von Rennen zu Rennen gestiegen. Wenn es uns gelingt unsere einzigartige Position als einziges interkontinentales Rennteam (Europa-USA) erfolgreich zu vermarkten, kann es durchaus sein, dass es im Herbst 2008 wieder heisst... "Welcome to Las Vegas!" ©Eurodragster.com Flying the flag for drag racing. 17th April: With a few weeks to go before their next on-track appearances, a couple of Pro teams are doing their bit to promote drag racing. First up are the Carter Motorsports/Lucas Oil Top Fuel Dragster team who are facing a busy few weeks with four promotional appearances scheduled in as many weeks, writes Andy Carter. Andy and the team will be appearing at the following events: 18th-20th April: AACI Spring Nationals, Billing Aquadrome (Static TF display) 25th-27th April: Big Bang, Santa Pod Raceway (Static TF display) 8th May: Santa Pod / European Championships Press Call, London (Personal appearance) 11th May: PTM Show, Santa Pod Raceway (Static TF display) "We are looking forward to some great weekends meeting the public and press and promoting drag racing and our sponsors", says Andy. ©Eurodragster.com Also promoting drag racing are the UK's Showtime Racing Fuel Funny Car team who will be appearing at the Cavalcade of Transport and Country Fair in Rushden on the 3rd-5th May. "The event, staged by the Rushden Historic Transport Society, will be displaying 104 agricultural vehicles, 82 buses, commercial vehicles and fire engines, 257 cars, 76 military vehicles, 25 period caravans, 109 motorcycles, Bugs and three-wheelers and one 7500 bhp Nitro Funny Car!", says Nigel Holland. "John Spuffard and the car will be at the Show all weekend to show visitors to the cavalcade that not all vehicles with big fat tyres on the back are tractors". You can find out more about the event at www.cavalcade.org.uk. Swift snippets. 17th April: Next Friday, 25th April, is the official closing date for all classes Pro and Sportsman for the FIA Main Event. Entries received after the closing date, if accepted, will be subject to a late entry fee. You can download the FIA Main Event entry forms from the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. If you have any queries about FIA Main Event entry then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail [email protected]. ©Eurodragster.com We would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Mick 'The Fish' Smith, one of the great characters of UK drag racing, who who has been off-track for far too long. Mick tells us that he will be back soon, though, and that he is heading for Street Eliminator. Have a great day Mick. Also on the subject of Real Steel Street Eliminator, RSSE racer Pete Smith tells us that he has purchased John Claden's Mr Muscle '68 ragtop 'Vette from Ray Tucker. We look forward to seeing Pete doing the jobs you love to hate. A fun weekend at SCR. 17th April: It's expected to be another busy Public Track Day weekend at Stratford-upon-Avon's Shakespeare County Raceway with the début of the long-awaited Pro Street Drag Series, as well as established time trials series for the National Street Car Challenge and the Old Skool Ford Drag Challenge, writes SCR's Promotions Manager Jerry Cookson. Although Keith Cowie, SCR's official track record holder for Imports, is sidelined waiting for front suspension parts for his eight-second R32 GTR Skyline buddy Mick Begley, the new owner of the famous ex-Tim Webster Duke R33 GTR, is expected to step up to the plate this weekend for some shakedown runs from this well proven racer. Defending NSCC title holder John Osbourne will be looking for some more outrageous times from his 427 ci Ford 100E having been dyno'd at 750 brake horse by the man who knows, John Sleath. Russ Pursley is understood to have built a new motor for the nine-second Dutton while Karl Wilkins has finished off installing a fresh motor in the ex Richard Nicholls/ACW turbo'd Mustang LX, which ran tens last year. The Old Skool Fords are expected to field a large number of classic Anglias and Escorts including a rather rapid eleven-second 1600cc Mexico put together by former Pro Rover champion Kev 'The Caveman' Jenkins. Teams from the National Association of Supertwins and the Junior Drag Bikes will also be contesting the first official rounds for their season-long Championships. SCR will be rolling the red carpet out to the Avon Car Modifying Club who will be coming along for the first time to show off their prides and joy to the viewing public in a one-off Show and Shine. We might even tempt a few on to the strip too! Gates will be open from 6.00 pm tomorrow (Friday) and will remain open for the duration of the event. The track is open from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm Saturday and from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm Sunday, subject to track and weather conditions. Gate entry fee is £10 per person or £20 for the weekend. Children under sixteen go free when accompanied by an adult. No advance booking is needed. Please note, strictly no dogs on site. RWYB Track Fee is £20 per day or £35 for a weekend of unlimited fun. A full DVLA licence is required, and the use of a helmet is recommended. For further Track Safety information please call the Raceway office on 01789 720180 or refer to the Downloads page of the Shakespeare County Raceway web site at www.shakespearecountyraceway.co.uk. ©Eurodragster.com Eurodragster.com will be at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend; our coverage, presented in association with American Car Imports, will consist of end-day photo galleries on both Saturday and Sunday, and the Webster Race Engineering/MPM Oil webcam which will be on-line from approximately 8:00 am on Saturday until the track closes on Sunday afternoon and which will be scheduled to post a picture every sixty seconds. Qualifying and final results will be posted here on Eurodragster.com News. Racing and fundraising with NAST. 16th April: This weekend's Public Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway (about which more soon) includes the first round of the 2008 National Association of Supertwins Championship. NAST Co-ordinator Lorna Barter has been in touch to let us know that the NAST won't just be racing this weekend but will also be doing their bit for charity as the Multiple Sclerosis Trust are launching their 2008 MS Awareness Project. "Most people will have seen me at Shakey or the Pod nipping around the pits or down at the start line with the 'Twins in my wheelchair trike", says Lorna. "The usual assumption is that I'm in the chair because of a bike accident but in fact it's Multiple Sclerosis that got me here. I've had it for nearly twenty years now which I find incredible because I remember that when I was first diagnosed I felt like it was all over. If it wasn't for the MS I would probably have found a way to be out on the track by now, but as it is I'm having a great time organising the SuperTwins and building web sites and stuff. "I'm a real fan of the MS Research Trust. It's a tiny charity focusing on research and information, directly relevant to people with MS and the people close to them. They've got no huge marketing / fundraising machine, but they do various fundraising events - marathons, skydiving and stuff. They've even got an abseiling thing going on for the Awareness launch. They were completely blown away when I said "I can't come to that, I'll be drag racing!". "It occurred to me that I might be able to combine the two things so I asked around. Everyone I've spoken to in the wonderful world of drag racing has said "Yeah, count me in!" ,or words to that effect. One thing I know drag racers can do is get attention! ©Eurodragster.com "I'd love to get photos of as many bikes, cars, racers and crew as we can as well as shaking the tin a bit over the weekend. The Trust will be sending some T-Shirts and a banner with their new logo on (to be in the pictures). We'll have leaflets and I'll have more information if anyone needs detail. In the meantime their web site is at www.mstrust.org.uk. "If we can get some wider coverage that would be brilliant, maybe in your favourite magazine or local paper; that would be good for you, your sponsors, your Club, drag racing and the MS Research Trust! Let me know if I can help with that. If you want more information then you can contact me on 07947 328 389 or E-Mail [email protected]." If you are going to Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend then please be sure to bring some spare change, and if you're not headed to SCR but would like to contribute then you can donate on-line at www.justgiving.com/lornabarter. Swift snippets. 16th April: Santa Pod Raceway would be pleased to hear from any racer who would be interested in making demonstration passes at this Sunday's Central Ford RS Owners Club Day. Race vehicles should either be Ford-bodied or Ford-powered. If you would like to run this weekend then please contact Darren Prentice on 01234 782828 or E-Mail [email protected]. Roger's plea of 4th April to racers, team members, class co-ordinators or any volunteer to gather and write newsworthy notes on Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street and Super Pro ET for the Sportsman News pages in the Santa Pod Raceway event programmes garnered precisely one response, from Eurodragster.com team-mate Kirstie (see below). "This is a final plea for anyone to compile a small write-up for Super Comp, Super Gas and and Super Street", says Roger who edits the SPR event programmes. "I need to know by 20th April if there are any volunteers or anyone interested in taking on each class so that the pagination is prepared. I can then inform contributors of copy deadlines". If you can help then please contact Roger at [email protected]. ©Eurodragster.com Kirstie would like to hear from any Super Pro ET racer who would like to contribute notes to the FIA Main Event programme. "I have nothing so far so if I ends up with nothing then there will be no news from your end of the pits", says Kirstie. "How did your Easter go? I'm not asking for big secrets, just information on how your season is going so far and what your hopes are for the Main Event. Thanks!". If you would like to send Kirstie some programme notes then drop her a line at [email protected]. Bond's thanks. 16th April: UK blown-alcohol altered racer Joe Bond says that the Nuthin' Fancy Racing team would not have made it to the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball without the help of a number of people. "Thanks to Pete and Rich Walters for designing and repainting the car and other pieces, and to Wayne Allman for sourcing us parts as well as building us a wheelie bar after our old one broke at the National Finals", says Joe. "Thanks also to John Spuffard and Dave Bryant for sourcing me some very, very important parts at pretty much the eleventh hour! Thanks finally to everyone on our crew who frantically thrashed pretty much non-stop for the months before the meeting getting everything finished on the car only for us to watch it rain, blow gales and snow and for the car not to leave the awning all weekend. On a positive note it's all ready for the Springspeed Festival and we look forward to seeing everyone there. ©Eurodragster.com "For the Eurodragster.com Feature the car was far from finished, so here is a picture we took the day we loaded up to leave for the Thunderball (click on picture for large version)." The official Nuthin' Fancy Racing web site at www.nuthinfancyracing.co.uk was recently updated with an Easter Thunderball report, new pictures and a tidier design. Seeking Stripduster. 15th April: We've heard from Jane Maloney, daughter of legendary UK racer Harold Bull, who built and ran the Stripduster, the first car to run at Santa Pod Raceway. Jane is putting together a web site about Stripduster and would be pleased to hear from any Eurodragster.com reader who can help to track down the slingshot or who has photographs or articles. "After Stripduster was sold in England, her name was changed to Bonanza and Roy Morris shipped her out to Germany in 1980", says Jane. "She had several owners including Christian Hofmann, and Gerd Habermann who painted her red, but I am not sure if Gerd changed the name again. "Gerd sold the car in the late 1990s and the latest news we have is that the car was sold on E-Bay in Germany in 2005. ©Eurodragster.com "If anyone can help me in any way to trace her whereabouts, or help with photographs or magazine articles featuring the car whilst she has been in Germany, I would be very grateful." If you can help Jane with the car's whereabouts or with articles and photographs then please drop us a line at [email protected] and we'll put you in touch. The Outlaws are coming! 15th April: Dave McKenzie has been in touch to let us know that some of the Supercharged Outlaws will be first-footing at this weekend's Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway. Fuzzie tells is that Steve Goode will be making his first outing with the new supercharged engine in the Wobble altered. Tony Smith is also expected to attend with his newly-painted Topolino altered. Fuzzie additionally speculates that Brian Gandy, Roy Wilding, Clive Bush, Ian Hanson and Paul Watts may attend this weekend. On the aegrotat list for this weekend are Alec Coe has yet to put the engine back in his slingshot after a winter rebuild; Fuzzie himself whose programme has been knocked back by engine damage at the end of last season, the sudden death of one of his parts suppliers, and the collapse of his primary sponsor's company; and reigning series Champion Lee Gallimore similarly is not ready although he will be attending on his motorbike. "We now have twenty two teams registered and if a quarter of them turn out this weekend then that will be five or six cars", says Fuzzie. "Most teams are working towards the first points round at the Yanks Weekend when I expect at least eight to ten teams to be out." Miles of Smiles for charity. 15th April: The Miles of Smiles car show, organised by the Kent-based Left Hookers American Car Club at Farming World in Faversham in aid of a local children's charity was well attended despite a few heavy showers, with the bright sunshine in between highlighting the rain beads shimmering on the highly polished paintwork of the cars on show. UK Pro ET team Heaven & Hell Racing put in an appearance to support the Show and to promote drag racing with American and classic car enthusiasts. "We showed the 1970 Camaro which was fired up several times and did a few circuits on the grass arena, much to the delight of kids who loved the sound of the unmuffled engine", says Carla Pittau. "The quality of the cars on show was outstanding, including a beautiful '48 Cadillac finished in pearl white. I remarked that it looked heavenly and should be called Pearly Gates, to which the owner replied that he nearly ended up there when he confessed his Caddy purchase to his wife. Well worth dying for though, he added. Another entry which caught our gaze was a lovely turquoise '57 Chevy belonging to show organiser Clive Kirkham. We pointed out that as it was a "Two door post" (i.e. not pillarless) it was therefore suited for racing and although this failed to convince Clive that he should drive it in anger on the strip the car is surely a real classy cruiser. ©Eurodragster.com "Tony Stamp showed his 350 ci powered 1980 Camaro, which he purchased as a write-off and brought back to life on a strict budget. He's planning on stroking the motor to 383 ci in the future and we have good hopes that his past history as drag racer will start to haunt him enough to get back to the strip. A couple of bike cops with detail-perfect full costume and gun holster (we presume empty), as well as the standard issue mirrored Ray-Bans, made an appearance on fully kitted out cop bikes and appeared to check out our "Bald tyres", as a kid remarked, seeming surprised that they didn't give us a ticket on the spot. "We enjoyed talking to gear heads, admiring the great variety of classic cars on show and the excellent live band, and we were really pleased to find that the Heaven & Hell Camaro was featured on the cover and inside page of a local newspaper (Kent-based Adscene) publicising the show (photo by Andy Rudd). "Despite being a fairly new Club, the Left Hookers have already done a lot of work to help worthy causes and the organisation and layout of the show was really good. We look forward to supporting further efforts in the future and would invite the drag racing community to do the same: it feels good, it's fun, and it helps promote our hobby as well as helping the community - a win/win for all." Swift snippets. 15th April: Andy Bennett of Never Again Racing has sent us the latest workshop pictures of his Impala (click on picture for large shot from another angle). "Dave and I would like to give a big shout out to Dale Edmonds for a top job on the fibreglass work", says Andy. "The front and doors are held on at the minute with chewing gum, bent-over nails and sellotape but she's looking the part". ©Eurodragster.com We understand that a number of the NHRA and Garlits Museums' finest will be attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July of this year. Details are sketchy at present, not least since we were unable to attend the FoS Press Day, but stay tuned and as soon as we have more details we'll bring them to you. Block out the weekend 12th-13th July in your diary though, that's for sure. Welcome to Ryan Matthew Ltd. 14th April: We are very pleased to welcome motorcycle accessory and apparel suppler Ryan Matthew Ltd as a sponsor of Eurodragster.com News. Ryan Matthew Ltd was formed in November 2004 by Ian Hill who after many years in the motorcycle clothing industry decided to step into the wholesale market for himself. Ian went straight from school into Feridax in 1975, leaving as Sales Office Manager in 1986 to join Lewis James, a promotional clothing company based in Tamworth. As Sales Director, he was responsible for sales of promotional clothing to companies such as Kawasaki, Yamaha, Rock Oil and Silkolene. Ian quit in 1992 and created his own company Hill Clothing, also engaged in promotional gear, before going to Mid West Marketing for five years, selling the Rayven range of entry-level helmets and associated motorcycle clothing. Lintek's takeover by Frank Thomas created the opportunity for Ian to step into the wholesale market on his own, first as an agent for the Lookwell Bike Fashion range from November 2004. His business received a huge boost when the late Syd Tooth, formerly the Managing Director of Feridax, financially supported Ian's purchase of stock including 7500 helmets, 3000 pairs of StylMartin boots and the Ryan Matthew apparel range. ©Eurodragster.com Sadly Syd Tooth died in September 2006 aged 83, though without affecting the financial stability of Ryan Matthew. "I had known Syd for more than thirty years", says Ian. "He was my friend, business partner and mentor who has been a huge inspiration to me, even in his last days. He will be terribly missed and I will never forget the opportunity he has given me; his memory just makes me even more determined to succeed." Ever keen to develop his business further and embrace today's internet culture, Ian has launched a new online store, RM Direct, home to the 2008 RM collection. Ian is proud to sponsor Eurodragster.com and invites you to visit the new on-line store at www.rm-direct.co.uk or click on the RM logo at left. We would like to thank Ian Hill for his support and we are sure that our readers, as they do with our other sponsors, will take the chance to check out Ryan Matthew's offerings and keep them in mind when purchasing. Thanks also to Ozzy Ewing for his help. Puma Engineering press release. 14th April: It was announced at the weekend that bespoke drag bike engine manufacturer Puma Engineering is to pass into new management. Under an agreement brokered between Puma Engineering founder Pete Davies, Gerard Willemse and Ian King the primary assets and intellectual property rights will transfer to Amersfoort, Holland based company Goedhals Machinefabriek and current European Top Fuel Bike champion Ian King of Litlington, England. Pete Davies will continue to have a role within Puma Engineering as a consultant to the new owners and will also undertake project specific tasks and various engineering activities on an as required basis. Puma Engineering was founded in 1972 by Pete Davies as a manufacturer of aftermarket performance engine parts for Triumph engines used in Grass Track racing. In the mid 1970s Pete was introduced to drag racing and by the 1980s was manufacturing various wheels and assorted parts for drag bike racers of the day. In the mid 1990s he manufactured his first engine cases and crankshaft assembly for a bike that eventually was owned by multi Australian Top Fuel Bike Champion Jay Upton. Subsequent and similar Triumph style parallel engines were built for other racers including the 890cc engine used by new company partner Gerard Willemse which amazed all with its six second performances at the AMA Dragbike Finals a number of years ago. Davies built his first four cylinder Top Fuel Bike engines in 1987 (and latterly V Twin and New Age Funny Bike engines) and quickly established a name for the company as a supplier of the most robust, reliable and cost effective Top Fuel Bike engines in the world. Now the first choice of Top Fuel Bike racers across the globe Puma engines have powered the quickest and fastest riders in the US, Europe and Australia to multiple AMA, ANDRA, ACU, FIM and UEM Championships and records. Gerard Willemse is the CEO of Goedhals Machinefabriek of Amersfoort, Holland and a former European Supertwin and multiple Dutch Champion on a selection of Top Fuel V and Parallel twins. Goedhals specialise in precision gear manufacture, but have expanded recently into the manufacture of billet engines, cylinder heads and cylinder blocks for both four cylinder and V Twin Top Fuel Bikes. Ian King is three times European Top Fuel Bike champion and European record holder on a supercharged four cylinder Puma powered and chassied machine. He is also Team Principal of King Racing who has built a reputation in the Top Fuel Bike market as suppliers of precision screw superchargers and carbon fiber injector hats for nitro applications. Puma Engineering will announce further news of exciting new developments for Top Fuel Bikes later in the year. Orders for new Puma Engineering parts, crankcases, crankshafts and repairs should now be directed to the contact details below with immediate effect. For further information contact [email protected] and for orders use the contact details below: Sales Telephone: +44 (0) 1763 853985 (from US 011 44 1763 853985) Fax: +44 (0) 1763 852707 (from US 011 44 1763 852707) E-Mail: [email protected] ©Eurodragster.com Erbacher Racing press release. 14th April: Reigning European Top Fuel Champion and Eurodragster.com News sponsor Urs Erbacher completed his early season tour of the United States with a computer full of data that the FIA titleholder is convinced will help him defend his crown this summer. Racing at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, Erbacher successfully qualified for his fourth event in as many tries on this year's POWERade Drag Racing Series. The four-time European Champion has proven he can run well at the sport's elite level and should now be an even bigger force on the 2008 FIA tour. "The experience we gained here this spring has made us stronger", Erbacher said. "It was an expensive expedition, especially without the primary sponsorship we continue to need, but the dividends it will pay should make it all worthwhile. I'm not sure if our European counterparts have found time to test for the upcoming season but even if they have, it would be hard to compare with the experience of racing NHRA. "We have three goals for the year. First, we want to reset our European records of 4.747 seconds and 318.55 mph. I think this will be attainable as soon as the weather conditions are favorable. Next, we want to win another Top Fuel title. This will be very tough as the top teams were very close last year and should be once again in 2008. Finally, we need a sponsor in both Europe and the United States." Erbacher is certainly gaining a large fan base on American soil. His team's openness and multicultural background has appealed to many longtime NHRA fans and the media has made the entire Fat Attack race team the subject of numerous feature stories. On the track, Erbacher made a little history when he became the first European racer in three decades to record an elimination round win, which he accomplished two weeks ago in Houston. "To come here and step up to such an intense level of competition is very hard," Erbacher said. "The fact we were able to qualify for all four races makes me very proud. Winning a round in Houston was a great reward for us. Next we must find a way to win a race and become the first European team to do that in NHRA Top Fuel. "As for the fans, they were very hospitable to us everywhere we went. I think they see a group that loves to race and is willing to travel thousands of miles to race with NHRA - the best of the best. We have made very many friends and we are sad to leave for the summer, but we will be back in the autumn for more. "It is our hope that the uniqueness of this team and the fact we race in Europe and the U.S. will appeal to many companies. We can offer exposure that no one else is capable of providing at the moment. Hopefully, we will soon have the backing we need to make the final move to the top of U.S. racing." ©Eurodragster.com Swift snippets. 14th April: Kerry Grant has been in touch to ask us to congratulate regular Run What You Brungers Team Dwarf Racing on clocking a 12.45/119.81 blast with one of their scooters at Santa Pod Raceway last weekend. "By my figures that's over fifteen miles per hour faster faster than the current record for a twist and go scooter", says Kezza. "Due to an accident followed by bad weather they could not back it up the same day, but are planning to do so soon." UK Pro ET racer Marius Blackburn is again writing the Pro ET notes for the official FIA Main Event programme and thus would be pleased to hear from any Pro ET racers with any news (So would we - Ed) or other items of interest. You can contact Marius at [email protected]. ©Eurodragster.com For obvious reasons we decided not to publish these on yesterday's update, but Libby and Nev Mottershead asked us to say a big Happy Birthday for Saturday to Maureen Mason, and Mark Turner asked us to say a big Happy Birthday for yesterday to Cliff Gould from himself and the rest of the team. Hope that you had good days, guys. Apologies to those who tried and failed to place Car Parts For Sale advertisements on our Jeff Bull Race Engines Swap Meet during the weekend. That category ran out of numbers after the ten thousandth advertisement was placed. The problem has been solved but as a result we had to lose Car Parts For Sale ads dated prior to 1st April, so if your ad has been dropped then please feel free to re-post it. Web site updates. 14th April: In the latest entry in his exclusive Racer Blog, UK Top Fuel Dragster racer-in-waiting and Eurodragster.com News sponsor Derek Flynn explains why he doesn't like being called a Top Fuel racer-in-waiting, and brings us up to date on work on the dragster prior to his licencing passes at next week's Big Bang at Santa Pod Raceway including its new colours. You can read Derek's Blog by clicking here or by clicking on the Racer Blogs link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. ©Eurodragster.com Tony Densham. 13th April: We are very sorry to have to report the death of pioneering UK Fuel racer and British Drag Racing Hall of Fame member Tony Densham after an illness. Tony was 78. Tony Densham's first runs in a dragster were in September 1963 when at Silverstone he joined Dante Duce and Sydney Allard among others in the Transatlantic Drag Challenge. Tony drove a 1500cc blown Ford-powered slingshot called The Worden, named as an adaptation from the owners Harry Worall (a senior development engineer at Ford) and Tony Densham. In the final round of the series, five thousand spectators lined the strip to see Tony challenge, and lose to, Alan Allard in a match race. Tony continued to campaign The Worden until 1966. In 1964 and 1965 he ran the car at Duxford Airfield and at the legendary DragFest events that saw the sport take root in the UK. At the first-ever Santa Pod event on 11th April 1966, Tony won Top Eliminator. However bigger things were afoot. Mickey Thompson had at short notice brought his Fueller the Harvey Aluminium Special to the UK in 1963 and raced it at Brighton, where the nitro flames set light to the straw bales on Madeira Drive, and at RAF Debden. National Dragways, the company which operated Santa Pod in its early days, purchased the car with its 427 ci supercharged Ford motor and completely rebuilt it as the Golden Hind. The car first appeared at the August British Drag Racing Championships at Santa Pod and Tony ran it to a new class ET record. Over the next year, the team of Tony and his great friend Peter Billinton, helped by the Fibreglass Repairs firm of Bob Phelps, built a new car based on the blueprints for the Harvey Aluminum Special. The Commuter first ran in July 1967. By the end of August, Tony had run 9.10/141, the quickest ever by any British built car. In October 1967, Tony attended the International Sprint Organisation Records Weekend at Elvington. He ran an averaged quarter mile of 8.915 for the FIA-recognised World Record and also took the standing five hundred metre record with a two way average of 11.20. 1968 saw the first season of British Top Fuel match racing, Tony mixing it with Clive Skilton, Dennis Priddle and Rex Sluggett. Commuter ran an 8.45 second ET at 180 mph over Santa Pod's standing quarter mile, and then lowered this to 8.22 seconds a year later, both European ET records. Tony travelled to Sweden in 1969 when Commuter raced a round robin series at Anderstorp with Clive Skilton and John Siggery, Tony winning two out of three of its matches. In August 1970 Tony ran a reported 205.76 mph at Santa Pod, making it the first British car to go over 200 mph. The car was equipped with a high-ratio rear axle and larger rear wheels in anticipation of Tony's attempts at the flying kilometre record at Elvington the following weekend, where he set a Flying Kilometre record at 207mph. In April 1971, at Gosport HMS Daedalus Naval Base, Tony gave the Santa Pod's new Chrysler-powered Fueller Firefly its début run. A year later, Tony was to announce that he was to retire from the sport, leaving the driving seat of Firefly vacant for Allan Herridge. Tony had a love of travel and photography and in his post-racing years combined these interests travelling the world. He lived on the Channel Island of Alderney where in the words of close friend Antony Billinton "He did a lot of photography and a lot of entrepreneurial things. Tony was a great photographer and very artistic. He was always laughing and was mentally active to the end." Tony was inducted to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2006, its first year, and was recently reunited with Commuter for a while when the car was shipped to Alderney, a feat of logistics which involved the dragster firstly going to France and then coming back to the Channel Islands. In an interview for TV coverage in 1967, Tony said that it was the mechanical side of building a Fuel dragster that was most challenging and he took the driving duties in his stride. As well as his racing exploints Tony will be remembered as a true gentleman in his dealings with racers and with the media. Antony Billinton describes Tony as one of the most modest people you could ever meet, and a man who took a lot of encouragement to talk about his exploits. We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Tony's family, including cousin Gary Densham whose racing connections with Tony go back to the late 1960s, and to his many friends. Tony's funeral is to be on Alderney next Friday, 18th April. If you would like to send flowers then please contact the Alderney Florist on 01481 822807 or at 21 Victoria St, Alderney, Channel Islands, GY9 3TA. Alternately you can make a donation in Tony's memory to Alderney Cancer Relief. Cheques payable to Alderney Cancer Relief can be sent to Lloyds TSB at 35 Victoria Street, Alderney, Channel Islands GY9 3TA. Swift snippets. 12th April: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall has asked us to inform racers that entry to Big Bang is now closed. You can check out the final official entry list for Big Bang, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-27th April, by clicking here or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page and selecting Big Bang. ©Eurodragster.com FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion and Eurodragster.com News sponsor Urs Erbacher and Swedish Top Methanol Funny Car racer Leif Andréasson are contesting this weekend's NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas. Qualifying started yesterday and you can stay in touch with Urs' and Leif's progress on the Drag Race Central web site at www.dragracecentral.com and on the NHRA web site at www.nhra.com. At time of writing Urs is in the Top Fuel field and Leif just outside the Top Alcohol FC field. Erbacher Racing press release. 11th April: After making a little bit of drag racing history March 30 in Houston when he became the first European racer in 30 years to win a Top Fuel elimination round, reigning FIA Champion and Eurodragster.com News sponsor Urs Erbacher will try to make another entry in NHRA's annals with an event victory this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Erbacher is in the United States to prepare for his FIA title defence, which begins May 23-26 at Santa Pod Raceway in England. His recent first-round upset of No. 1 qualifier Alan Bradshaw in Texas sent record-keepers delving into the history books to see when a European-based racer last won a round on U.S. soil. The answer was Clive Skilton of England, who claimed a few rounds in his Led Zeppelin-themed rail in 1977. "It was a proud accomplishment," Erbacher said from his home in Arlesheim, Switzerland. "Now we would like to figure out how to win the race itself. No other European has done that so it's become a dream goal for our team. "The most important thing, though, is to get our car running at its best before we pack it up and put it on the boat to England. We're intent on defending our title in the FIA. Then we'll come back to the states and try to win some more at the end of the year. What can I say? We love to drag race and this is the best in the world." While he preps for his regular tour, which winds through England, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and England once more, Erbacher is ready for the 2008 debut of his wildly-popular reality show. The "Kings of Nitro" is a smash hit on Discovery Channel EMEA, which airs in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. "The TV is a little different (in Europe) but we do know it's starting in Italy on the evening of April 18th," said Erbacher, a custom motorcycle builder by trade. "Then it opens in the Middle East and Africa on May 29th. After that, people can see it every week. It's a really fun show that follows us around while we're racing and building our custom motorcycles." Erbacher will banner Las Vegas builder and former Pro Stock racer George Marnell's company Marnell Masonry as the primary sponsor of his dragster this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "I still love the sport and it's neat to have a car with your name on it," the former national event winner said from his Las Vegas home. "It gives all the kids and our employees someone to root for. "I haven't met Urs Erbacher in person yet but I hear he's quite a character. I'm interested to hear his stories about racing in Europe and I know all the guests we have coming up to the suite can't wait to meet the European Champion. It would be really something if he can go some rounds this weekend." Erbacher and his international team will be busy during the ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals. Erbacher was scheduled to sign autographs on Thursday at the Palms Hotel and Casino as part of the Champions Meet & Greet party. He'll then serve as color commentator for the all-star event involving NHRA stars racing in Thunder Roadsters at 6:30 pm, Saturday, at The Bullring. "We want to go out with a big weekend so we're holding nothing back," Erbacher said. "Las Vegas is a very exciting place and we want to add to the party." ©Eurodragster.com Rocketing between the elements. 11th April: UK Rocket Dragster pilot Carolynne Campbell has been in touch to let us know how she got on in her Laffin-gas dragster at Shakespeare County Raceway last weekend: As we arrived in the transporter on Saturday it was sleeting and blowing a strong and very cold north wind. The rest of the team was already there and we got the car out, covered her up, climbed back into the bus, closed all the doors and put the heater on. It was already obvious that there would be no fast run that day. There was a break in the weather, so Rachel and Will took off the top panels and hub caps ready for Glenn Stockton to give her his usual thorough scrutineering job. There were a few new bits and modifications done over the off-season and I went over everything with Glenn. As usual, he picked up a couple of small items that needed rectification. You don't get anything dodgy past him! Then the rain/sleet returned. Conversation in the transporter turned to "Do we run, don't we run?". The unanimous decision was "We've come this far, let's at least get her on the track, if we can, and do a launch to prove the ignition in track conditions. Another break in the weather, the sun appeared and we could see the track crew working their socks off trying to get the track ready. Susie and David Rose put a small (for us) dose of nitrous in the car, while Rachel, Susie and Will went through the safety check-list. Once the gas is in the car, we only have a couple of hours before the pressures start to drop, so now we really needed the weather to hold up. A heavy shower sends us back into the old race bus. ©Eurodragster.com It took an hour before the track re-opened and we decided to go for it right away. As we pushed the car into the fire-up lane, the PA announced "Treaded tyres only on the track. That told us that the track conditions were not suitable for a high speed run. A launch would be safe enough, though. The crew pushed me to the line, final radio check, and Dave Rose gave me the thumbs-up. Fred came on the radio, car switched on and, on Fred's commands, I initiated the ignition sequence. "Pilots, pilots, pilots" came over the radio. I turned the switch and felt her light up well. "Go, go, go", throttle full forward and she left strongly, by sixty feet I could feel the power dropping as the nitrogen started to push through the small amount of nitrous in the bottles. I let her run to half track and shut her down, coasting through to the end (click here for video). She had done exactly we expected. There was no damage to any of the rockets or structures in the car and absolutely no mess on the track. I was a bit crestfallen that I hadn't been able to give her a full blast, but everyone else was very happy. We'd got a good launch, proved the car in race conditions and we hadn't blotted our copybook. As we got back to the pits, down came the weather again. It turned out that we'd taken our only opportunity of the weekend as Santa Pod-like snow descended on Sunday. That was lucky! We're talking with Jerry Cookson at Shakespeare County Raceway about the date of the next run when, weather permitting, we'll fill her up to the brim and really have a go. You can see more at www.myspace.com/laffingasrocket. Picture and video courtesy and ©Powerpoint Communications The latest from Greece. 11th April: Elias Vathias has been in touch with the latest news from the Greek scene: On 29th-30th of January, the first drag race took place at Polykastro - Kilkis. There you can find an excellent drag strip, prepared by LEMAK and George Tzabazoglou. The race was a success with 144 racers participating, the only problem was the non-participation of the AT2 racers, who usually attract a lot of fans, because of some ongoing problems. You can find 650 pictures (courtesy of motorsite.gr) at www.greekdragster.com/images/Shows_Races/080323Polykastro/index.htm (thanks to motorsite.gr), streaming video of cars at www.greekdragster.com/tv/080403-0001-L.shtml and and bikes at www.greekdragster.com/tv/080403-0002-L.shtml. ©Eurodragster.com Pro Action have announced five races at Tympaki - Creta. Pro Action have got brand new RaceAmerica wireless timers, proving their intention to organise drag races properly. Our team from greekdragster.com helped Pro Action to learn everything about drag racing, track preparation, timing management etc and also helped them during their first race which took place on 5th-6th April. Although it rained heavily on Saturday, on Sunday the weather was great and Pro Action's first drag race was a success. There are 215 pictures at www.greekdragster.com/images/Shows_Races/080406Tympaki/index.htm and streaming video at www.greekdragster.com/tv/080406-0001-L.shtml. You can find the 2008 drag racing calendar at www.greekdragster.com/events.shtml. We are now preparing for the second ELPA Championship Drag Race of 2008 which will be held in Serres on 19th-20th April. Swift snippets. 11th April: It scarcely seems possible but a quick look at the calendar confirms that the official FIA Main Event closing date for all classes falls in two weeks' time, on Friday 25th April. You can download the entry forms from the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. ©Eurodragster.com Christine, Sandy and Stuart Morrice and girlfriend Meghan have asked us to say a big Happy 18th Birthday for today to Collin Morrice. No sooner said than done, have the very happiest of days Collin. Web site updates. 11th April: Eurodragster.com Reserve Photographer Peter Donaldson has updated his Fotopic gallery with shots from last weekend's Tesuto Test Day and Saturday Night Special at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check out Peter's shots at peterdonaldson5305.fotopic.net. ©Eurodragster.com Richard Striling has updated his Topnitro fan site with a large number of pictures from the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball, which you can find at www.topnitro.co.uk. US-bound Malmgren's Oakley protection. 10th April: Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren is making a US racing trip with a difference in May. Michael has done a deal with US racer and tuning consultant Rickie Smith to use Rickie's Cobalt Pro Stock as a test bed for the Lahega-sponsored team's new Bob Ingles motor. "Rickie is hired by many top teams for consulting", says Michael Malmgren. "Most recently he helped Tom Hammonds, but for example he also sorts out new Bickel Pro Mod cars going to Bahrain and Dubai etc. "We are very excited about this deal which was made with help from longtime friend Jerry Bickel who is also a close friend of Rickie's. Jerry and I were talking at PRI and we said that it would be exciting to put our new Bob Ingles bullet in a car belonging to someone who really knows the game. Then we would get to know pretty much where we stand in competition. Jerry talked to Rickie as he doesn't have an engine for his new Bickel Cobalt and is only running his Pro Mod car this year, and he is also very busy helping his son Matt Smith the 2007 NHRA Powerade Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion. ©Eurodragster.com "We will put our engine in Rickie's car and go testing for three days to sort out the tuning, carburettors etc and then we will take part in the O'Reilly NHRA Nationals in Madison on 1st-4th May. Rickie will drive during testing as with his long experience of Pro Stock he can make much more consistent runs so we can get the most out of the testing. Then we will have to see who drives at the race, that has not been decided yet. Because of finance it will only be Crew Chief Anders Wall and I who will go to US for the testing and the race." Michael is also pleased to announce that this season he will be wearing an Oakley SFI/FIA-approved firesuit by Sparco. "I have one of Oakley's top of the range Factory Pilot firesuits custom-made with sponsor logos embroidered", says Michael (click on picture for large version). "Oakley also make their own driving shoes, driving gloves and underwear, all SFI/FIA approved. They also make mechanic shoes both fire-resistant and regular, team shirts, bags, caps and of course all kinds of T-Shirts and other apparel. "We are happy and proud to be associated with Oakley as a world-wide well known brand known for always being a step ahead of their competitors in design and function. Oakley Eyewear have for years been the nuber one in the market in every area with outstanding technology and function. When you say to people that you have Bluetooth and MP3 player built in to your eyewear, people say it is impossible, but not for Oakley. "Oakley is also supplying all of the team gear from top to toe for the Lahega Racing crew, so we will look real good and feel comfortable at races and other events which I find very important. See www.oakley.com for more information and for products, or come by the Lahega Racing pit where we have Oakley Racing Division catalogues as many of their products are not on the web." Swift snippets. 10th April: Our very best wishes to journalist Jo Holland who is leaving Eurodragster.com News sponsor Motorsport News today (Thursday) for pastures new. Longtime readers will remember that Jo ran the Sporting Scene section of MN for a couple of years and that during her stint she gave drag racing in all classes a lot of quality coverage, was well-liked by racers, and forged a close working relationship with Eurodragster.com. All the very best for the future Jo, including for your forthcoming marriage to Neil. Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for sending us Version 5 of the official entry list for Big Bang, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-27th April. You can check out the entry list by clicking here or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page and selecting Big Bang. The official closing date for entry to Big Bang has now passed; late entries, if accepted, will be subject to a one hundred per cent penalty fee. If you have any queries then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625). ©Eurodragster.com The UK's Nostalgia Fuel Altered Association have announced their racing format for next month's Springspeed Festival at Shakespeare County Raceway. The NFAA have two sessions each on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The first five of these will be qualifiers; after Monday morning's session each team's four best ETs from the five sessions will be aggregated and then the two quickest will race for the event title on Monday afternoon and the third and fourth quickest will pair off for third/fourth place honours. FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion and Eurodragster.com News sponsor Urs Erbacher and Swedish Top Methanol Funny Car racer Leif Andréasson will be contesting this weekend's NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas. Qualifying commences tomorrow (Friday) and you will be able to stay in touch with Urs' and Leif's progress on the Drag Race Central web site at www.dragracecentral.com and the NHRA web site at www.nhra.com. Web site updates. 10th April: Facebook addicts can now be friends with Santa Pod Raceway, writes Rick Cuthbert. "By adding Santa Pod as a friend, you can see our calendar pages for official events, receive special offers and mail-outs, meet other Santa Pod fans, share news about your club or team on Santa Pod's wall, and even ask questions direct to a member of Santa Pod staff", says Rick. "To become Santa Pod's friend, visit www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1198925063 and sign in to Facebook. ©Eurodragster.com An end to the Rebellion? 9th April: Three-time Nostalgia Fuel Altered Association Champions Team Rebel Racing plan to retire from racing. Clayton Round says that the six-second Rebel 'T' blown-alcohol altered has been put up for sale. "This decision has been reluctantly made and is due to my work commitments", says Clayton. "I now work in the Czech Republic and as a result I have lost my workshop facilities in the UK. I also have very little spare time which makes it very difficult to work on the car. I have immensely enjoyed racing with the NFAA; it is an excellent class full of friendly helpful people. ©Eurodragster.com "I would like to thank my crew - brother Chris, Gill, Russ and Julian - for all thier help over the last three years, and Lawrie Gatehouse for all his hard work in forming and bringing the class forward and making it so enjoyable. "The car is for sale (see advert in the Swap Meet). It is ready to race and I would like to sell it complete with trailer and spares. In the five years I have had the car it has been very reliable and consistent, and nothing would give me more pleasure than for the buyer to continue running the car in the NFAA and take the Championship again. When possible I will continue racing the car until it does sell." Race car sought for photo/video shoot. 9th April: Production company Dentsu Live are seeking a full-bodied car to participate in a photo and video shoot in Germany in mid-April. "We need a Pro Mod (Corvette, Camaro etc), a Funny Car, or a doorslammer for the upcoming photo and video production", says Oliver Imfeld of Dentsu Live. "We would prefer a black car but this is not essential. The car and crew will be needed to stay with the production team in Germany for five days and will be required to make three runs and perform several burnouts." ©Eurodragster.com If you are interested then please send details and pictures of your car and team to Oliver at [email protected]. Swift snippets. 9th April: The GTi Spring Festival takes place at Santa Pod on Sunday (13th), and if you're into water-cooled VWs, this is the event to be at in 2008. The event contains the usual Show and Shine, club displays and Run What You Brung, but keep an eye out for the top RWYB cars which are now breaking deep into the tens, and the latest show cars débuting for the 2008 season. Tickets will be available on the gate, and you can be found at www.vwaction.co.uk. ©Eurodragster.com Web site updates. 9th April: Paul Lister has updated his Dragcaranon web site with more pictures from the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball. You can check out Paul's shots at www.dragcaranon.co.uk. ©Eurodragster.com FIA/UEM Championship registration. 8th April: Geoff Myers of Trakbak Racing has been in touch to remind racers intending to contest the 2008 FIA and UEM European Championships that they must register no less than thirty days before the first event they intend to contest. Racers only need register once for the entire 2008 season and registration closing dates are as follow (this calendar is provisional and subject to change): ©Eurodragster.com Event Venue Event date Registration ends FIA Main Event Santa Pod Raceway, UK 23rd-26th May 23rd April FHRA Nitro Nationals Alastaro, Finland 3rd-6th July 3rd June Veidec Festival Mantorp Park, Sweden 24th-27th July 24th June FIA European Finals Santa Pod Raceway, UK 4th-7th September 5th August On-line registration for the FIA and UEM Championships is available at www.fiauem.com, and Championship and event entry forms, which list official closing dates and late entry penalties, can be downloaded from www.powerracing.eu. Snow and Show and Shine. 8th April: Although early morning out-of-season snow tried its best to dampen this year's early-season events for the second time in as many weeks, visitors to the first anniversary gathering of the Worcester-based japmids.com/Total Magazine Shootout, held at Shakespeare County Raceway on Sunday, were amazed to find the track up and running by mid-morning, writes SCR Promotions Manager Jerry Cookson. This was thanks to the gallant efforts of the track crew in transforming what at six in the morning looked something like a toboggan track into a perfectly dry racing surface. With a steady stream of cars coming through the gates by mid-morning, the Jap Shootout started in earnest to see who would end up with the Quickest Evo, Impreza and Nissan. By three in the afternoon and with all the times logged, the first of the three trophies was awarded to Steve Norman's Mitsubishi Evo 3. Having travelled all the way up from Bristol at eight in the morning, Steve recorded a best time of 12.864/111.32. Taking the Impreza award was Andrew Davis' silver Scooby in a time of 12.432/114.51, and the Nissan award ended up in the safe hands of David Drewitt, son of nineties Super Gas legend 'Psycho' Phil Drewitt, with a time of 13.301/112.08 from his '96 model 200SX. ©Eurodragster.com Despite the freezing and muddy conditions, the Japanese Performance magazine/Shakespeare County sponsored 'Snow & Shine' did take place with first place going to Neil Marshall for his dark blue Toyota Supra Turbo MK4. Judged second was James Taylor's snow-white Type R Honda Integra Type R over the pearl white Honda NSX of Nigel Rouse. Congratulations to all of the day's winners and an extra special thank you to all the other Jap enthusiasts for turning out and showing their cars in such unpredictable weather. Christmas Tree picture courtesy and ©Dave Derry Swift snippets. 8th April: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for sending us Version 4 of the official entry list for Big Bang, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-27th April. You can check out the entry list by clicking here. The official closing date for entry to Big Bang has now passed; late entries, if accepted, will be subject to a one hundred per cent penalty fee. If you have any queries then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625). Sharron Collier has asked us to remind UK Junior Drag Bike racers that round one of the 2008 Junior Drag Bike Championship takes place at Shakespeare County Raceway on 19th-20th April. "If you are planning to enter this event you need to ring the track as soon as possible on 01789 720180", says Sharron. "Thanks to all at the track for their help. If you have any questions about Junior Drag Bike racing then our phone number is 01246 570304 or E-Mail [email protected]. Calling Street Eliminator and Sportsman ET racers: Eurodragster.com reader Marc Owen has asked whether any racer with a street-legal car would be interested in driving himself and his bride around on their wedding day at the start of July. Two passenger seats seems to be the sticking point, but if you can help Marc then please give him a call on 01582 507987. ©Eurodragster.com Alas it got caught up in a recalcitrant mail server on the way to us but Yvonne, Spencer and Kirstie Tramm got in touch to ask us to wish Steve Tramm a very Happy Birthday for yesterday (Monday). Hope you had a great day, Steve. The recent mention here of the UK's Scrapheap Challenge TV programme prompted Bob Roberts of Eurodragster.com Home and News sponsor Andy Robinson Race Cars to send us a link he recently found to Andy Robinson's appearance in an episode. You can check it out on Channel 4's web site by clicking here. JDB v the snow. 8th April: In addition to the reminder above, Sharron Collier also tells us that the Jade Racing team had their work cut out testing two Junior Drag Bike motors at Shakespeare County Raceway at the weekend: This was our son Scott's first ride on a 125 cc engine as he turned eleven in December. Jerry has fitted the engine, a Gilera Runner twist and go, over the winter and he's also fitted a programmable MSD ignition which we can change using the laptop. We had no idea where to start, and we knew that the weather forecast was against us. ©Eurodragster.com Saturday started out dry, and a shakedown pass saw Scott run an eighteen second pass at 31 mph, he wasn't very happy with that! After Jerry changed the ignition timing, and after a snow shower, Scott ran a much improved 11.4/61. The snow came down again so we called it a day. On Sunday morning we awoke to about three inches of snow but thanks to the efforts of Tony Byng and the crew (and Scott himself) they managed to get the track clear by mid day, unbelievable. Sunday was a gorgeous sunny day, if freezing, and after Jerry's constant tweaks with timing and clutch weight, Scott eventually ran as quck as 10.28 at nearly 63 mph. This shows great promise for next time, and Scott took to the extra power like a duck to water, he absolutely loved it. Well done Scott. We are also very proud of our little mate, Jordon Bissell, who is now running Scott's engine from last year, the 50cc Yamaha. Jordon got down to 12.94, right on his index. Well done Jordy, we are proud of you! Web site updates. 8th April: Peter has provided a gallery of shots from Friday's Tesuto and the weekend's Saturday Night Special at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check out Peter's pictures, which are presented in association with American Car Imports, by clicking here or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. ©Eurodragster.com After the beautiful weather in the UK at the end of last week our good buddy Alan Currans found it inevitable that it would change for the worse (Are you PeteB in disguise Alan? - Ed) but nevertheless he travelled up to the Public Test Weekend at Shakespeare County Raceway on Saturday where, despite the disappointing weather, he managed to snap a few pictures. You can access Alan's shots via the What's New link at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk. Outlaw power arrives. 7th April: Just arrived from Dan Wagner's DTM Performance shop in Youngsville, North Carolina is a new Suzuki Outlaw motor which will see action in the fledgling Outlaw Pro Street exhibition events in the UK later in the year. The motor is destined for the Stephen Moon-owned, Conrad Skett-ridden nitrous Suzuki which has already delivered 7.6 second performances. The war-weary exterior of the motor conceals 7.2 second potential. This Wagner-built and developed motor has delivered a world best for a no-bar GSXR1100 motor, delivering a 7.27 second run with several terminal speed in excess of 195 mph. A radical Ward Performance, titanium-valved head, 1460 cc MTC Pro-Lite pistons and block, MTC slider clutch and Robinson five-speed billet auto transmission are some of the major features. ©Eurodragster.com "With several top-flight nitrous and turbo bikes Outlaw under construction from some of the UK's leading builders and riders, I am optimistic that the new class will deliver low seven second performances to entertain race fans", says Stephen Moon. "We want to be in the mix later this year and this new motor will give us more ammunition. We are very pleased with the current motor, but having a reserve will enable us to turn the wick up even more." The first exhibition event is to take place at Shakespeare County Raceway on August Bank Holiday weekend, with a full elimination event at Straightliners Extreme Bike Weekend at Santa Pod Raceway on 13th-14th September. "I would like to thank Dan Wagner for all the advice and support he has given to myself and to other UK Outlaw participants", says Stephen. "I would also like to thank Dave Beck for his 24/7 advice and support. I'm fortunate to have the best advice from both sides of the Atlantic." Dakota Drag Strip opens for 2008. 7th April: Sunday Street Wars returns to the UK's Dakota Drag Strip this Sunday (13th) after a promising start in 2007. The last event back in November was blessed with warm weather at the Devon venue and was well-attended: with 234 riders and drivers signed on to run the eighth mile, the day was action packed on track and with 2000 people attending the atmosphere was awesome. The 2008 season at Dakota Drag Strip has increased to ten events. "We are trying to keep the interest going and make each event grow and be consistent at the same time" says Lee Child of Sunday Street Wars. This year's growth plan includes a new series for Japanese cars. This weekend's Sunday Street Wars will be hosting its very popular street-legal turn up and race format with some new features including the first ever Japanese car race series in the South West which will be exclusive to Dakota Drag Strip. The Enginetuner Japanese Performance Series is a five round series and a final product of Alan Jeffrey and Lee Child after months of brainstorming. The series will consist of three classes: rear wheel drive, front wheel drive and four wheel drive. Alan Jeffrey of Plymouth-based Enginetuner Ltd has been a supporter of Sunday Street Wars from day one. "I am really glad to have a company like Enginetuner Ltd involved in this new series", says Lee Child. ©Eurodragster.com As ever there are plenty of trophies up for grabs at Sunday Street Wars for the drag strip, twenty five in total for the drag strip covering both cars and bikes. But there are more trophies to be won off the drag strip with the traditional Show and Shine, club stands and the Bike Dyno. Jam Performance mobile bike dyno company are placing two trophies up for grabs, for the highest horsepower for normally-aspirated bikes and for turbocharged, supercharged and nitrous bikes. The handling circuit is now also a regular feature at all Sunday Street Wars events. Admission to Dakota Drag Strip on Sunday is £5.00 per person. The sign-on fee for unlimited runs on the drag strip is £20 per driver; a valid DVLC and crash helmet are required. The sign-on fee for the handling circuit is £5 per driver; again a valid DVLC and crash helmet are required. For more information about events at Dakota Drag Strip including its location check out www.streetnights.com. The Sunday Street Wars team would like to thank the following for their continued support: Keith Barlett, Kjell Petterson, David Lloyd Jones, Darren Prentice and DJ of Santa Pod Raceway; Steve Murty of the International Organisation of Professional Drivers and York Raceway; and Eurodragster.com. Coming soon: an eight-second Orange? 7th April: The UK's Team Orange Pop pick-up is all ready for the first Outlaw Anglia round of 2008 which takes place at the Big Bang at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-27th April. "We entered the Easter Thunderball in Super Comp with a few changes from last year - raised compression, a longer wheelie bar and a datalogger - and two new crew members, Jay and Miranda, to help Jayne", says Steve Wells. "Unfortunately oil pressure problems, one cylinder refusing to light and, snow meant we never managed a full pass. Thanks to the Santa Pod crew, who never gave up trying to prepare the track, we got a run in on Easter Monday and identified our problems. With these problems hopefully now behind us, we will be concentrating on our first eight-second pass. ©Eurodragster.com "We would like to thank Ian Goldie at Cam Auto developments for his continued support. Many products including Goodridge hosing and exhaust wrap are available from his online shops at www.racehoseshop.com, www.exhaustwrapshop.com, www.brakehoseshop.com and www.raceteamshop.com. Thanks also to Steve Clark of Nimbus Motorsport whose products include Nimbus CarbonX fire resistant underwear. A big thank you to all at Eurodragster.com, without whom European drag racing would not be where it is today (Oh I say, thanks - Ed)." Swift snippets. 7th April: Further to yesterday's Swift Snippet, Swedish Pro Stock racer Adam Flamholc tells us that the TV crew from Caravan Film will be following him around this season with a view to producing an eight- or ten-episode series, with ESPN's name mentioned as a possible broadcaster. Adam adds that he plans to run in the USA again after the 2008 FIA European Championship season finishes. ©Eurodragster.com The post-Easter Thunderball points standings in the 2008 ACU UK Drag Bike Championships are now available on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com. Ian Turburville will again be writing FIM/UEM Supertwin notes for Santa Pod Raceway's event programmes this year and would be pleased to hear from Supertwin racers who intend to compete at the Championship events at Santa Pod. "Can you all please E-Mail me at [email protected] with your intentions and anything you would like included", says Turbo. "I don't have much space but can fit in a brief piece about each team. This is in your best interests; if you don't tell me, it can't be in the programme!" Editor's note: A big Thank You to Simon for managing the news updates for a week whilst your Editor recovered from illness and then took a break. Web site updates. 7th April: The official web site of Bert Englefield and Andy Wright's BA Racing Pro Mod team has been updated with a report from the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway. Check it out at www.b-a-racing.com. ©Eurodragster.com Rouge et Noir II to return. 6th April: Bike racer Phil Steele, also known as Paso, the drag racing forum moderator of 200mph.net, has recently completed a deal with Keith Parnell to return Rouge et Noir II to the track. The bike was built by the McCoy Dynamics team of Angus McPhail, Keith Parnell and Mick Hand for the 1976 season to replace the original Rouge which was the first eight-second Fuel bike in europe. Paso says the rebuild will be With the support of Peter Ford of Black Dragon motorcycles, who has commenced work on the bike. Paso hopes that the bike will debut at an NSA meeting in the summer prior to been seen at the NSA 50th anniversary celebration at Santa Pod in the autumn. Plans for the 2009 season should see the bike entering the NAST Top Fuel class. In the meantime Paso will be seen riding his Super Street class bike in selected ACU rounds in 2008, starting with the Springspeed Festival at SCR in May, and his usual hunting grounds of NSA South sprints. Phil's first race season was 1974 when he competed in the old Street class with the likes of Dave Rawlins, Terry Revill and Phil Brister. Paso has promised us updates on the rebuild. On the subject of historic bikes, the From the PASO archives thread on 200mph.net is a great read with many photos of UK drag bikes from the past included. Swift snippets. 6th April: Fiona Flynn has asked if we could wish husband and Top Fuel driver in waiting Derek Flynn a Happy Birthday from her and all at Eurodragster.com home and news sponsor Gold RV for today. I'm sure everyone will join us in wishing Derek a great day. British Independent Film Production company Caravanfilm.co.uk have been following FIA Pro Stock racer Adam Flamholc on his US travels and have posted on Youtube a trailer for their production. German construction (part two). 5th April: Our good friend Benni Voss has kindly sent further details on the mouth-watering cars under construction in Germany. "The Beetle with a Wankel turbo methanol motor, aiming at Pro ET for starters, is by Markus from Zeven near Hamburg, who has a page called Primer Racing, in German only, but the gallery is interesting. It can be found when clicking "Projekte", scrolling down to "13BT rotary Drag Bug", and clicking there. Right now Markus has had the first dyno-test, and found out that his engine management computer was not quite up for the task. Another computer will be sourced and integrated for the 2008 roll-out, with the non-optimal injection and ignition it had 450 hp at 0,7 bar boost and 5.500 rpm, more to come." The sound of the engine towards the end of the linked Youtube video is quite something. "The full-tube-chassis for a Nissan 6cyl Turbo RWD in an Opel Kadett Estate is for Super Gas. The man behind this is Elli of EB Tuning in East Germany, and lots of "step-by-step" pictures can be found here - scroll down to 2007 for the overall picture. This team had all sorts of powerplants in this car, including a V6 with blower and AWD, they raced at tuning events and airport races for years, before converting the whole project to full doorslammer specs. "A trend that seems to be catching, slowly but steadily is also shown in a Golf Mk1 RWD with Pro Mod chassis, they have recently bought a full-race-ready rotary from the U.S. running on methanol with nitrous. Lars from the LowBudget Team near Bremen is building this together with his mates, his gallery can be seen at www.lowbudget-dragracing.de. This is not the very engine that is on its way from Florida, but it should look like this once finished: "The team with a VW Passat estate body on a Pro Mod chassis and a BBC powerplant, are Jan, Karsten and Tim from NG Drag Racing team in the Hannover region started two years ago with a late-model Mustang, powered by a BBF, which they got into the 9s before selling it to swedish racers. Their "Passat Project" is not featured on the homepage yet, but there is a thread running in the German Drag Racing forum with lots of pictures. To be fair, it should be said that although both cars are /will be built to SFI 25.1.e specs, both teams know that they will not be a threat to the "old, big and successful" European PM teams. Yet...they are, however, optimistic about the future and once the cars are finished, they want to concentrate on the motors/drivetrains and not on chassis updates, updates, updates.... "Another Beetle with an Audi V8 Twin Turbo mid-engine for Street Eliminator Germany is the joint project of "Loco" (owner/driver) and Spenna Motorsport near Frankfurt. Some pics are in this thread. The V8 Audi lump (with Porsche/KKK Turbos and watercooled intercoolers), together with Audi trans and rear axle, fit as "mid-engine" into a tubed chassis with a steel Bug body over it. "The BMW 3 series estate with full-tubed chassis and SBC, headed for Super Gas this year has already won an small-scale sprint series in East Germany but has not drag raced the car yet. This is one of the few (but not the first) teams out of East Germany who built their own dragster, and for a first-time effort it is looking and driving very good." If all else fails... 5th April: Sportsman ET racer Nick Gay has updated the Sportsman ET web site with an account of his racing weekend at Easter and writes: Sportsman ET has an early contender for crew chief of the year in Toya Stacey after my Metro cut out after my quarter final win over Kevin Long; I managed to limp back to the pits but the car just would not start! Out with the plugs - no spark! Power to the coil? 12v. Output from the coil? Nothing. Brian Huxley had a spare oil so we quickly fitted it. By this time the semi call had gone out and it was getting dark, then it started to snow again! I got the coil fitted with Brian's help. Still nothing, so we put the meter on the small electronic box that triggers the coil, nothing. As the snow came down harder I decided that the game was up! Even a quick scan of the camping field for stranded Metro's didn't give any hope. That was when super crew chief Toya stepped in. "Nick, if the black box is broken, can I hit it with a hammer?" "You might as well." Crack! The plastic case shattered revealing the electronics inside. I tried the key in the ignition, the car burst into life, eureka! I jumped into the car after refueling and drove to the pairing lanes where Tethys and Geoff Cowley were waiting. In fact there was still plenty of time as the track was still being warmed for the fuel cars. But soon it was time to race. I got the drop off the line but span the wheels to 60 foot and so couldn't catch Tethys's closer to dial-in charge, although it was pretty close. That was that! We managed to watch Geoff win the final. three of only a handful of people still there at about 7.30, then we started the long trek home. So thanks to the Pod crew for tirelessly working to get the racing finished. Well done to Geoff for his first win of the year and a very big thankyou to Toya for keeping everyone fed and watered over the weekend and her intuitive tuning techniques. The full account of Nick's weekend can be seen on the Sportsman ET web site, and the class is now supported by JRH Imports, Jacksons MOT and service centre (01344 427060), Blackett Photography and Drive Cars. Swift snippets 5th April: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for sending us Version 3 of the official entry list for Big Bang, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-27th April. You can check out the entry list by clicking here. The official closing date for entry to Big Bang has now passed; late entries, if accepted, will be subject to a one hundred per cent penalty fee. If you have any queries then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625). Daniel Bennett has asked if we can wish his brother Darrell Bennett and Steve Green of Super Pro fame a happy birthday for today 5th April. It's our pleasure, have a great day guys. Thanks to Rob Geiger for sending us a link to a blog written by FIA Top Fuel Champion Urs Erbacher on his mini-tour in the U.S. which he has written for Competition Plus. SCR track day this weekend. 4th April: With Winter all but done and dusted, the first weekend in April (5th/6th) sees the season opening Public Track Day/RWYB at Shakespeare County Raceway, Long Marston Airfield, together with the first birthday celebrations of the Worcester based Japanese Car Club Jap Mids.com, writes SCR's Promotions Manager Jerry Cookson. Japanese car enthusiasts from all walks of life will be heading to Shakespeare County for a very special birthday heads-up street style shootout on the Sunday of the event. But that's not to say that you don't need an import to take part. No sir. All makes, all models of cars and motorcycles are welcome to the friendliest track in town. As well as the on-track challenge activities to find the quickest and fastest Japanese Nissan, Impreza and Evolution (sponsored by Total Car Magazines), there will be the traditional Show & Shine competitions, traders, club stands, Pro Street Drag Series warm-up, a special drag showdown between the French Car Owners Club and the Honda Prelude Owners Club, Kawasaki Triples Challenge, and the Old Skool Ford Drag Challenge racers. Carolyn Campbell will be testing the 200 mph potential of her rocket powered dragster 'Laffin Gas' throughout the weekend (see below) along with some of the countries top drag racers. It's going to be a fast weekend so why not stay overnight in the free camping area after a day's Time Trials on Saturday (overnight camping available on the purchase of a weekend ticket), and enjoy a drink in the bar and listening to some fine music. Gates will be open from 6.00pm Friday 4th April and will remain open for the duration of the event. Track opens from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm Saturday and 11.00 am to 5.00 pm Sunday (subject to track and weather conditions permitting). Entry tickets at the gate are £10 per day. Children under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult. No advance booking is available and strictly no dogs are allowed on site. The RWYB Track fee is £20 per day or £35 for the weekend for unlimited runs. A full DVLA licence is required and for further Track Safety information please download the Track & Safety Requirements or call the raceway office on 01789 720180. Rocket car cooking on gas. 4th April: There could be a new speed record established for alternative fuelled cars at Shakespeare County Raceway's opening meeting of the season following successful tethered tests of a unique rocket powered dragster, 'Laffin Gas', at a remote farm in Northamptonshire. Powered by a mixture of liquid nitrous oxide and vegetable oil the Laffin-Gas rocket dragster is the brainchild of David Knight and Carolynne Campbell, who are confident that the technology could equally be applied to rocket-assisted take-off of aircraft and UAVs. At the recent Southern Manufacturing and Electronics Exhibition (right), Chief Engineer Knight (who comes from a race engineering background) explained that the four rocket tubes are lined with thick cardboard, soaked in oil. "That's biofuel," he points out. "Our dragster is capable of producing 4000 to 8000 lbs of thrust, and has a power to weight ratio that is four to five times that of a Formula 1 racing car, yet it's designed to be reliable and re-used over and over again." The nitrous oxide is held in four high-pressure cylinders, one for each throttle valve and motor. The valves are solenoid operated and open against the flow of the liquid. Any interruption of electrical power causes them to shutdown instantly. The nitrous oxide is pumped into the rocket motors by weight, so as to equalise the running time and pressure profile of each tube. The pyrotechnic charges that start ignition are set off by glow plugs. Carolynne, who is the driver said: "We want to be able to run fast regularly and reliably. We got the idea about four years ago, when we saw a tiny rocket car at a track. It made lots of noise, but it wasn't very quick. We built our dragster ourselves and it works. This weekend we are hoping to set an early benchmark for the top speed of over 200 mph for a bio-fuel powered car. This will also be our first chance to test the new pilot ignition set-up which performed so well in recent tethered testing. "After a long off-season, where I've felt like I'm just standing by the car, tapping my feet and waiting for something to happen, we're wrapping up warm and heading for good old Shakey. Testing in the off-season has gone really well and we've gone over and tested everything on the car a dozen times. The car should go and go really well, with the biofiel rockets dispensing plenty of power. So any mis-fire will be down to human error on the day. It's our first test of the year, we're all quite nervous, and hoping for a good result. Thanks again to all the gals and guys at Shakespeare for letting us run and keeping us safe." Sportsman news plea. 4th April: Roger is inviting (pleading?) for help in supplying copy for the 2008 Santa Pod Raceway FIA Main Event programme. He says "I would welcome any help to complete the Sportsman News page for this and future programmes. Contributions for Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street and Super Pro ET are urgently needed. Are there any volunteers/class co-ordinators willing to gather some information on their respective class? It needs to be short but interesting as space will always be a premium. See past Sportsman pages in the programmes for examples. It would be a shame to lose the page through lack of interest or have just the two car classes with regular news featured, Pro ET thanks to Mo Blackburn and Junior Dragster thanks to Matthew Seamarks. Bike classes can contact their writers, Steve Moxley and Ian Turboville.If you can fit the bill and help to give your class more exposure then please contact the Editor at: [email protected]. I will need to know before 20th April as the programme pagination has to be agreed for layout and design purposes." Dreaming of a white Easter. 4th April: Pro ET racer Carla Pittau has written with her account of Easter with the two-car Heaven and Hell team and co-driver Rick McCann. Not an encouraging start to the season for Heaven & Hell, definitely more in the Hell flavour. Our hearts were as heavy and dark as the clouds on the Met Office weather forecast for the Easter weekend, but we still hoped to get a few runs - maybe Friday would be OK - and very much looked forward to getting down the track side by side, like the good old days of the RWYB wars, when we were young… (well, younger anyway). Alas, it wasn't to be. The trouble started even before we unloaded the "Heaven & Hell As Well" Camaro from the trailer. I started her up, put her in reverse… no reverse gear was to be found. OK, let's push it off the trailer and see what the problem is once it's on the ground… but no, it wouldn't budge, the transmission appeared to be locked. So we dropped the prop shaft to check that it wasn't a rear end problem, but no, as soon as the back wheels were unhooked from the trans it pushed back easily. When you have built the trans yourself and you have a problem you can probably find only one person to blame, and that person was me. The expensive "unobtanium" parts were the ones that worried me the most – I feared that if they were damaged the repairs would be seriously costly, although all seemed to point to a low-reverse assembly problem, and the ultra-light parts were basically the forward and direct clutch drums. Of course the more you try and figure out in your head what could have broken and wedged itself in the planetary gears area, the more you think of all the things that you could have done wrong… like left a snap ring off, or forgot or incorrectly positioned the case-saver clip, or similar horrible thoughts. As we still had one car in the game, we decided that Rick should stay at the track, assisted by crew man Dave Buckland, and get a shot at qualifying, whilst I would go home with Jemma Harrison to finish building a spare transmission and fetch it back to the Pod. The drive home started with an unscheduled test of a fire extinguisher in the back of the truck as it lost its pin and decided to put out an imaginary fire as I hit the brakes coming out of the Pod (an expensive CO2 one, of course, so now we know it worked fine!) When we got to the garage we found that contrary to our records the spare transmission already had a good pump in it, so all I needed to check was the end play. This was good so we loaded up and started the journey back. However the traffic on Good Friday was not very forgiving, and by the time we got back, although Rick and Dave had by then removed the sick transmission from the Camaro there was no chance of fitting the spare and having a go at qualifying the same day, but with Saturday still to go and one scheduled run on Sunday we still had good hopes of getting to qualify. However everyone now knows that the Weather Gods begged to differ. They were going to have plenty of fun with the white fluffy stuff instead, so our first competition outing in the new car ended with a DNQ, while I got more and more depressed looking at the elegant, highly structured, beautifully unique crystals falling out of the sky. The only people who I imagined would be even more heart broken than us must have been the Santa Pod crew. They did everything human and superhuman to get us to be able to race, and no matter how much they tried, the evil fate laughed and sprinkled some more of the fluffy flakes on the track every time they finished drying it. They must know how much all racers were aware of this, and how grateful we all are for their brave efforts, let me say a big thank you to all of them. At this point there was nothing left for us to do but take the car home and strip the trans; this would ensure we could keep warmer and pass the time a bit more constructively than we would staring at the sky at Santa Pod. So we did, and I tore into the transmission as soon as I could, expecting and fearing to find that I was the cause of the failure. Much to my relief we found that the reason for the lock up was a broken retaining ring – the one that secures the sun gear to the sun shell – and that fragments of it had lodged themselves in the planetary gears. In other words, nothing to do with me, which was some consolation. There wasn't any damage to any other parts, which was also quite lucky. Perhaps some other racer could help/shed some light on this query: why don't we ever get new retaining and snap rings with any rebuild kit - ever? Are any available to buy anywhere? We do have spare ones, but they all come from stock transmissions that must have done at least 100,000 miles or more before we acquire them and gut them to modify them. We can find most parts not included in rebuild kits relatively easily, including bushings, but not snap rings. If any Eurodragster reader knows where to get a supply of these, please let us know. The weekend wasn't going to get any better for team Heaven & Hell – as the '70 had severe tyre shake off the line in the first round and violently bounced to the right. Rick tried to save it but the run was doomed, and an 11.08 on a 9.79 dial-in handed victory to Steve Anderson in the black Dodge. Despite the set back, not all was bad over Easter: we got our log book, passed scrutineering and had confirmation of a good crew extremely willing to help and do any work needed. The good will of all other racers was of course heart warming even in the freezing conditions.We will of course persist, we'll just have to try harder! We are determined to get down that track side by side and we'll repair the "unobtanium" trans and try again at Shakey. Well done to Lee Huxley for his well deserved win and to Paul Baynton for showing that his No. 1 was "no fluke". Special thanks to Dave Buckland, Jemma Harrison, Colin and Grace Roaf and Darren West of Power Race Graphics, together with the Santa Pod crew, the ineffable bunch of Eurodragster.com, the whole Pro ET class and the class sponsors, who supported us again this year - and what stylish T-shirts were produced, all showing the scheme sponsors! Shame we didn't get a chance to show them off – perhaps class fur coats would have been more suitable for the White Easter: Hauser Race Cars, Blackbear Harley Davidson, W.A.S.P. Alleyjax, Inkwell Printing, Toxico Clothing, A1 Motor Stores, Penn Autos, Real Steel and Motorshack. Web site updates. 4th April: Eurodragster.com Reserve Photographer Peter Donaldson has updated his personal Fotopic gallery with pictures from last weekend's Straightliners meeting at Santa Pod Raceway (pictured: Steve Wood). You can check out Peter's pictures at peterdonaldson5305.fotopic.net. Springspeed entry forms reminder. 3rd April: Julie Willcox of Shakespeare County Raceway has sent a reminder regarding the downloading of entry forms for the Springspeed meeting. "We have received a couple of entries completed on last year's entry forms taken from the APIRA site, which we have no control over. All Springspeed entry forms are available from the downloads page of the Shakespeare County Raceway web site and no other. Also a further reminder that the closing date for entries of 11th April is coming up fast. If any racers have queries, they should contact Shakespeare County Raceway's office on 01789 720180 (dialling from abroad +44 1789 720180)." Construction in Germany. 3rd April: Our good friend and Nitrolympx announcer Benni Voss has been in touch to tell us about some interesting projects going on in various workshops in Germany. "There is one man beefing up his old beetle with a wankel-turbo-methanol motor, aiming at Pro ET for starters, with a rollout planned for 2008. "Another team is building a full-tube-chassis for a Nissan 6 cylinder Turbo RWD, whilst looking like a Vauxhall Chevette (late series) estate, for Super Gas if it does 9s, again with a rollout planned for 2008. "A VW racer is already running his "street-legal" car with a four litre Audi V8 Twin Turbo mid-engine, and enters this full-tubed-and-caged car in Street Eliminator Germany, aiming for 9s and dreaming of 8s with up to 800-900 hp on full boost and only 550kg in weight. The car's first timed run will be in May, but it has already been at 250 Km/h on Autobahn with 1/3 of boost. "And there is also some kind of unofficial "build-off" between two teams, one doing a Golf Mk1 RWD with (I am being serious here) a Pro Mod chassis; they have recently bought a full-race-ready rotary from the US (methanol/NOS). This is hopefully for a rollout during 2008. The other team is also going the long and costly route with a Pro Mod chassis, upon which a VW Passat estate body will be finding its new home. They have a BBC powerplant, but still a long way to go, and realistically the rollout for 2009. "Not to forget the BMW 3 Series Estate with full-tubed chassis and SBC, which has already run for a year at small RWYBs and goes Super Gas in 2008. "All self-built in sheds, but in good quality, after reading the rulebook." Swift snippets. 3rd April: If you fancy testing before the next Championship round then don't forget that Shakespeare County Raceway are holding Public Track Days this Saturday and Sunday (5th and 6th April). Entry is £10 per day, £20 for the weekend, and the track fee for unlimited runs on the strip is a further £20 per day or £35 for the weekend. A valid DVLC licence must be presented at sign-on. Crash helmets, leathers etc are mandatory for bikes, and crash helmets are mandatory for cars quicker than 11.00 seconds or faster than 100 mph at the finish line. For more information including directions check out www.shakespearecountyraceway.com. Tesuto, a Peak Performance event due to take place at Santa Pod Raceway tomorrow (Friday) has been opened up to all and is now a standard Peak Performance Day with places available on the gate. Rules, regulations and prices are identical to any other Peak Performance Day. Please call 01234 782828 to make your booking, pay on the gate, or visit www.rwyb.co.uk/performance.php for more information on prices and what the days involve. Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for sending us Version 2 of the official entry list for Big Bang, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-27th April. You can check out the entry list by clicking here. Racers are reminded that this coming Friday (4th April) is the official closing date for entry to Big Bang. You can download entry forms from the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. If you have any queries then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK (+44 1933 313625). Pro ET racer Carla Pittau has sent a picture seen entirely by co-incidence in a the January 2001 issue of Classic American of their recently acquired '84 Camaro at the NHRA Inaugural Meet at The Strip in Las Vegas in 2000 (right). Carla says "She was obviously trying to attract the attention of the British media even back then. Perhaps she knew something we didn't; it is seriously strange that we kept the January 2001 issue as long as this, and even stranger that we should look at it after all this time as Rick was looking for inspiration for a custom bumper for his 1965 van. We both thought it was a good omen, so perhaps our bad luck is now reversed." Thanks to Wild Bunch racer Sarah Howells for letting us know that the producers of Channel 4 programme Scrapheap Challenge are looking for teams of enthusiastic amateurs to build amazing machines at home to compete in summer 2008 event Challenges. If you think you and your friends could build mad stuff that can be raced please contact Scrapheap Challenge or call 0207 013 4115. PMR Thunderball Review. 3rd April: Eurodragster.com news sponsor Paul Marston Racing were exceptionally pleased with the team performance over the Easter Thunderball. As readers know, the race was completed under exceptional circumstances, for which we must all thank the Santa Pod track crew, who never gave up and got the event completed in conditions that we will probably never race in again in our lifetimes. From the very start of the weekend, our goal was to get all our entries qualified and make the first round. It looked like the qualifying window was going to be small so everyone had to be ready. Being the first round of the National Championship, there was a lot to play for. Dave Catton, driving the PiranaZ backed 4-Link dragster in Super Comp, firstly had to complete his observed runs, which he did with no problem with the additional bonus of qualifying as well. Come eliminations, Dave surprised quite a few drivers with lightning-quick reactions and some good finishline driving, going all the way to the semi-finals, not bad for his first drive of a Dragster. Mick Howling drove Grumpy's Dodge with a fresh motor courtesy of Drag Race Engineering. He found starting a methanol-fuelled big block challenging, although once coaxed into life it behaved perfectly. Unfortunately, Mick contracted a bad bout of food poisoning on Friday morning, after a meal at a local restaurant on Thursday. Still, with the Friday window being the only realistic chance of qualifying, Mick pulled himself out of bed and qualified Grumpy in both Super Gas and Pro ET, under the circumstances quite an achievement as he really was not well Steve Bolton, driving the Dark Destroyer Plymouth Scamp was the defending event champion in Pro; he opened his account nicely and qualified. On Monday however Steve struggled with his new engine combo and bowed out in round one after suffering too much wheelspin on the startline against Ian Brown, who was 0.01 on the tree. Steve's 0.07 RT sealed his fate and his day was done. Congratulations to Paul Marston Racing Drag Race School graduate Tethys for such an auspicious debut in Sportsman, well done to both Tethys and Crewchief Robin Tregaskis. Paul Marston driving the Whoopass Monza was running yet another Drag Race Engineering rebuilt Big Block Chevy in both Super Gas and Pro ET. He just could not get the Monza off of the startline, going up in smoke on the hit. Knowing the Monza is sensitive to low temperature tracks, it took until the last run of the day Friday for the PMR team to figure out how to get the Whoopass Monza down the track. Come Monday, unfortunately first round eliminations in Pro was the same story, up in smoke on the hit, even with a 2,000rpm footbrake launch, as was half the entire field in Pro for that matter. Being the first class down the track, everyone knew the score. Super Gas was not an inviting prospect either as nothing less than a transbrake launch would give Paul an RT that was worth a carrot - especially with Frank Mason as his first round matchup. Despite putting in a new rear end suspension setup that held a transbrake launch, the reduced launch rpm netted an 0.07 RT, to Frank's 0.01 and the throttlestop setting with no data left Paul wanting, but with Frank's backed off 9.93, getting round him would have been a tough job anyhow. There will be plenty of Paul Marston Racing Drag Race Driving School and Passenger Ride action before the next event at Shakespeare County Raceway (weather permitting). A bit thank you to all our Paul Marston Racing crew who worked so hard, Drag Race Engineering for such great motors, all our sponsors and fans who stopped by. It was great to see Sharkman back at the track too, where he belongs. Lastly, everyone who gave so much in such difficult circumstances, Santa Pod Crew and Management, Eurodragster, Nitro FM, we owe you all. Robinson newsletter. 3rd April: Eurodragster.com home and news sponsor Andy Robinson Racecars has sent his monthly newsletter aimed mainly at the home constructor. Andy's Top Tech Tips: Although the SFI re-certification tour is over Andy is able to recertify some items independently. These include SFI 29.1 flex plates, SFI 30.1 flex plate shields and SFI 4.1 trans shields. He can also re-certify Dedenbear/Reid Racing trans cases. This month's special offer: We've started to use Fullbore Race Products fasteners, they're like a Dzus-style fastener but use a 3/16 hex key instead of a flat blade. This means a much more positive connection when you turn the fastener and less likelihood of slipping and damaging the paintwork. They are avalable in steel or aluminium, dome head or countersunk and two lengths to suit most applications. The fasteners cost £1.80 each and the key £9.50. To launch these we are offering the fasteners at £1.50 and the keys at £7.50 during April. These prices include VAT but please add postage at cost Contact us on 01256 880589 or [email protected] to discuss your requirements and place an order. Special Tools: A couple of handy items from MilSpec tools will give a professional finish to the installation of Dzus-style fasteners. The first is a dimpling tool to form sheet metal into just the right shape for the fastener. The second is a spring height adjuster to allow for different thicknesses of material to be fastened. The dimpler costs £15 and the spring height adjuster is £25 including VAT plus postage at cost. Ringers Gloves: Ringers have just introduced a new glove for fabricators, made of leather they are just the thing to stop those annoying little nicks in your fingers from the edges of sheet metal. Race Radios: No, we're not setting up in competition with Nitro FM but we can supply driver/crew radio systems from Racing Electronics. We've been planning to use them for years and now we've got a set we wonder how we ever managed without them. The basic Panther 2-man (driver and crew chief) system costs £570 including VAT. It's possible to add more crew men to this system at additional cost. Prize Draw: And finally the lucky winner of an Andy Robinson Race Cars polo shirt is James Lake from Southmoor. Web site updates. 3rd April: Our good buddy Sharkman of Eurodragster.com news sponsor Superchargedimages.com sends us the good news that he has relaunched his personal site. "After a complete year out in 2007 due to suffering from ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome the start of 2008 sees me better than I was and at least able to get to the track for a couple of hours. It's not much but its a start and I must say a huge thank you to all the racers, crew, track crew, commentators, other photographers and of course my old mates at Eurodragster who have all made me feel very welcome. "With only being track side for short periods of time there are no huge galleries at the moment, but I figured some pics was better than no pics at all. You will notice that the site has had a bit of a makeover as I finally lost the free web hosting that I have enjoyed for the last 5 or 6 years. With the site at the time about 2gig in size that presented a major problem as there is no way I could afford to pay for the sort of hosting package the site need. However, all is not lost! Thanks to the guys I have been working with on the Superchargedimages.com project, Topendtales has been reborn, although at the moment without all the old galleries and wallpapers that take up so much space. Hopefully they will be reintroduced later this year. For now though, there a small selection of Thunderball images for you to enjoy and rest assured I have already started producing images for this years School of Excellence! See you all at Shakey in may." Paul Castle says he has just added a new 2008 Easter Thunderball album to the photo gallery on his website. The photos are from Monday taken from the spectator bank. Brings departs MPM Top Fuel team. 2nd April: After more then two years as part of the MPM Top Fuel organization, Hans Brings has released the news that the Main Event will be his last race as Mechanical Crewchief for the Dutch based team. His daily work and the fact that other private matters ask for more of his time now then they did in the past are the main reasons for ending the association. Lex Joon, driver and team owner said the time Hans worked for the team has been of great value. "I think it's a big loss but we need to continue and a replacement will be found. We wish Hans the best in the future and we hope to see him around because and Hans's involved in drag racing goes back for more than 30 years", Lex said. If you think you are the person who can be the next mechanical crew chief for Lex Joon Racing, don't hesitate to send an email to [email protected] Swift snippets. 2nd April: Eurodragster.com news sponsor Dan Welberry has asked that we put out an appeal for pics of Andy Carter who is putting together a book, more accurately a pictorial, of his racing career. Dan says "We're very light on the early years, basically anything up to 2000. In particular we need shots in high resolution of Andy's time in Outlaw Anglia and his early Top Fuel years. If any reader has anything corresponding to this (and we know you won't let us down - stand-in News Editor), they should send it to me at [email protected]. Matthew Seamarks has been in touch to ask us to wish Wild Bunch racer Darryl Howells a slightly belated happy birthday today for 1st April. Hope you had a great day, Darryl. Also on the subject of birthdays belated Happy 67th Birthday wishes to Clive Skilton. National Dragster have published a review of his racing history in the current issue, focusing in particular on 1977, when he ran the NHRA tour and many match races against Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney and Gary Beck. As well as coming runner-up to Shirley in the Spring Nationals at Columbus, Clive was a semi-finalist in a 32-car field at the US Nationals. I'm sure everyone will join us in wishing Clive many happy returns. A voyage of self rediscovery. 2nd April: Photographer Paul Grant is an expat living in Vancouver Canada whose photography work has been seen in several noted drag racing sites and publications. Having grown up going to Santa Pod in the 70's and 80's he has found himself in the position of being able to be a regular at his new local track, Mission Raceway Park. But on visiting the 2008 Easter Thunderball after a break of over 25 years, he found the weather from Vancouver had mysteriously followed him... I was going to Santa Pod as a lad back in the seventies and continued to go, probably, until the mid eighties. I remember the old 'Stripteaser', 'Al's Gasser', the 'Houndogs', Medicine Man' - the list could go on forever. I still have my old event programmes and Drag Racing News papers and my much-loved 'Blue Max' hero card from '76 (I think). Working in roundy-roundy motor racing took me away from the drags in the 80's and I kinda lost touch. Fast forward to '97 when I finally decided to give up the racing wrenches and move to the West Coast of Canada. I chose to limit my access to motorsport for a couple of years to help with the separation from it and to focus on the new life. But it wasn't too long before I found my, now, local track at Mission Raceway Park and like an old flame, the drags were back in my life. It wasn't long before I was able to realize a childhood dream of watching a NHRA race in the States and I gotta tell ya, my first Top Fuel pass in probably 15 years, just about knocked me on my ass. Movin' on a bit, I have been fortunate enough to take in a few West Coast races now and my local track sees plenty of good action as it continues to be NHRA Div.6 track of the year. OK, to my point. I was given the opportunity to come back to the UK this year and after much negotiating, I was able to make this trip happen so that it would include the Easter Thunderball. After all, me and the Easter SPR meeting had some history; I remember the 24 hour cafe where the DJ would come after a night spinning tunes for the 'Angels' and he would sigh and say "phew, only got one brick thrown at me tonight!", and of course there were those parties in the marquee that he had just survived, it's amazin' what you'll do on a big ol' jug of cider! Then sitting in the old wooden stands, betting bottles of beer all day long on which lane would win. Ah yes.... So anyway, imagine my excitement when I realized I was going to get back to one of the biggest influences on my young life, it was like going to catch up with a long lost best friend. I packed up my camera equipment as I have managed to merge that hobby with the races to a point that I've received some great feedback from top guys. My wife was already in the UK when I set off and she'd had some pretty decent weather so there I am excitedly rubbing my hands together in anticipation. Well as the day approached, I'd be watching weather forecasts, but no matter what they said I wasn't going to let them burst my bubble. Even if there was a bit of rain, I was still going to go, this was a huge deal for me. The weekend rolled around and seeing as we were staying in London and I had recently been out of work for a while, a car rental had to be worked out that we could work with and achieve as many of our goals as possible. I negotiated a SPR trip for Saturday and some of Sunday. It was going to be huge, via the best website in drags, Eurodragster (thanks - stand-in News Editor), I had heard that it was possible the revamped 'Stripteaser' might be out, there was 'Spuff's' FC, oh and the Fuel Altereds and Pro Mods; I was so stoked about seeing them and it was going to be sooo cool. Well, I woke at my friend's house in Milton Keynes on Saturday morning knowing full well, although windy, there had been some good action on the Friday. I pulled back the curtains only to find snow. Snow! I'd just flown 4,500 miles from the land of snow, my bubble had been burst. I guess it was obvious how I was feeling as my wife and friends took me out for a nice cuppa coffee and breakfast and my friend proceeded to convince me the weather could be different at Santa Pod even though it's only 20 miles away. By lunch time I had, somewhat, pumped my bubble back up again and I was going to visit the hallowed land. And just as Bob told me, the closer I got, the sunnier the weather became and I began to believe. I pulled up at the entrance, got my camera out, I wanted to document this whole day, so there was a shot of the SPR flags, shot of the kiosks (much nicer than 25 years ago), got my ticket and I was in! There was a strange familiarity about the place, you know, it was all the same but very different. Slid into the muddy parking lot, but it was sunny it'll soon dry up a bit by the time I leave, no worries. It was pretty cold, so I donned the hat and fleece, got the camera equipment bag out and I set off to the old grassy bank I knew from old. It's the silly things that you notice first off, like the toilets, I'm not sure if you remember the loos of the golden years - you probably don't want to. But it was great to see concessions and toilets a plenty. I climbed the concrete path which was a great addition, got to the top and the track is being worked on, the sun is in the sky and it's going to be a great day isn't it? They had just fired up a couple of monster trucks so I thought I'd watch them and warmed up my camera and shutter finger ready for the day. Well apparently the trucks held my attention as I did not notice the black clouds a-brewin' and the first of several blasts of snow blew through just as they finished their show. I joined some other fans shielding behind a fairground truck and no sooner had it begun, it had stopped and blue sky once again filled the background. I'm still believin' and thinking "that's OK, it was just a short blast, they'll get it done". As I walk around to the pit side I reminisce about the missing 'shed' at the end of the strip, a place were I'd going when they fired up the nitro Harleys on the rolling road, you'd get pelted with stones initially and then that sweet sting as the nitro goes up your nose and you just can't help but cry. My memory is quickly brought back to the present when the next blizzard roles through, again followed by sunshine and all things good. I continue to walk up through the pits, remembering the old 'stands' and amenities as best I could and just as I pass the end of the new grandstand (very nice by the way) an old tune from the 70's comes over the PA, I think it was by a band called 'Mud'. Well that took me right back and I had a rush of great memories, thanks guys. Whilst chatting with a lovely young lady at the coffee bar near the 'Pod Shop' the announcer is talking about a 'window' of weather according to the 'met' office. "Sweet" I think as I enjoy my coffee and cookie whilst wandering and remembering. Well I don't know what happened to the window, but I guess it got closed and someone drew the curtains as waves of rain, snow and hail blew across at alarming regularity. At one point I took shelter in the shop, damn that weather ended up costing a whole bunch of cash as well. Well, as I'm wandering back around to the grass bank, I guess around 3-ish, they finally call it a day, and with my deflating bubble I head toward the arena for the show there. I get there, just got my camera out and bam! my feet went from under me on the slippery surface and down the bank I went. I guess I was so cold I didn't feel anything that day, so I wipe as much mud off me as I can and as I am there and the show was starting I decided to watch the show. Let me say how much I appreciated what those guys did, those stunt riders on a cold slippery surface, the MX riders doing big air moves in nasty cross winds and the lad on the bike doing some great moves in very dodgy conditions. Despite, what can only be described as one of the most miserable days, weather-wise, I have ever had at a race track of any kind I met some great people, Santa Pod have built a great facility (better than some NHRA ones), from the concessions to the fair, the clown for the kids and that great arena show, I actually left there thinking it had been a reasonable day. I had enjoyed some great memories, I saw Ronnie Piccardo behind the wheel of some cool heaters, and the arena announcer was just awesome, how he kept it upbeat was very impressive. And besides, I will be back for Sundays events....... Unsurprisingly, after checking in with the superb Eurodragster coverage (thank you guys) and my bumps and bruises from the slip coming out I just decided to head back to London with my bubble pretty much burst. On the up side, I guess out of sympathy, our Mondays plans were laid out in such a way I would have a 2-hourish 'window in the afternoon that, if I wanted, I could have a look-see at the track. Weather was supposed to be good, my ticket was still good from Saturday, just took a small camera seeing as how I couldn't really get into a big production and it was one of the best couple of hours I have spent in ages. No, I didn't see many of the cars I had hope to, but considering the conditions and the weekend preceding, the show I saw was awesome and as with the guys in the arena, I would like to extend a huge thank you, as you made my vacation. So, as was the whole point of this, I would like to thank SPR, the crew, the announcers, the concession people, the racers, all the riders and drivers in the arena and some of the fantastic fans I met and Eurodragster. You made my voyage of self rediscovery a great one. Please pass on my gratitude to anyone you feel might like to hear it. If you would like to see my small selection of images, they are at : www.330images.com/2.html. Stand-in news editor's note: do keep those Easter Thunderball stories coming in; there won't be another one like it along for quite some time... Martin on FIA chassis rules. 1st April: Geoff Martin, who heads up the UK Tech Crew, has been in touch with a response to Knut Söderquist's comments about chassis rules which we published on Sunday: The Top Fuel Funny Car restraint rules for FIA have not been revised since publication in December. The Top Fuel Dragster rules for FIA have been revised this week, but only to this year's NHRA Rules, because the FIA had adopted 2007 NHRA restraint rules which were found to be impracticable. If a seven point restraint was purchased with mountings, there should be no problem. Knut is in some ways correct in opining that the heat-treated tube loses some of its elasticity, approximately ten per cent, but "brittle"! Hindsight is 20/20 vision, and drawing on knowledge gained from the use of heat-treated moly tube, there are now two new chassis specs, SFI 2.3N Dragster and SFI 10.5 Funny Car, which allow chassis builders the choice of using either heat-treated or normalised 4130 chrome moly tube. Neither of these Specs are mandatory in Europe this year, and we are all optimistic that they will not be for several years yet. This is strictly the Tech UK view as I see it. If you have any queries then you can contact Geoff on [email protected]. Siw's Skippy weekend. 1st April: Norwegian racer Siw Nystad stepped out of her usual Top Fuel cockpit to race the family Mustang named Bossie in Pro ET with some definite objectives in mind. What an experience; after a long journey from Norway, we were at "The Pod" to race our Mustang. Our goal was to sort out the car with a new combination of engine/clutch/trans and set a new personal best ET below a 10.61. During the weekend we were struggling with problems with the starter, so we got only one qualification run at Friday. We got a new starter in the afternoon from a Norwegian friend. After two days of "Norwegian weather" we were ready to race on Monday. Then a new problem struck us; the throttle cable broke when I was about to drive to the starting area. So I was not able to reach the elimination round. I went to talk to Darren, and he was very nice and gave me the opportunity for a test run. With lots of great help and parts from our new friends in Pro ET and Sportsman, we made a throttlecable, and were ready for a run. During the run I lost traction at the start, but when she regained traction, she jumped down the track, like Skippy! Unfortunately we did not set a new personal best, but we got a run. It seems like we need to make some adjustments before we enter our next race... Thanks to Darren for letting us have the run. And a big thanks to: Brian Huxley, Paul Baynton, Ian Brown, Mike Lacey, Vic Amato and Charlie Chivers, for all the help they gave us and making it possible for us to have our test run. Even though we didn't achieve any success within the competition, it was still a great experience to be able to race "Bossie" at the Pod. I am still working very hard to be able to collect sponsorship, so that I can come back and race Top Fuel again. Swift snippets. 1st April: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Paula Marshall for sending us Version 1 of the official entry list for Big Bang, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 26th-27th April and which is a Championship round for all VWDRC classes, Super Modified, Sportsman ET, Junior Dragster, 9.50 Bike, B&H Automotive Street Eliminator and Outlaw Anglia. You can check out the entry list by clicking here. Racers are reminded that this coming Friday (4th April) is the official closing date for entry to Big Bang. You can download entry forms from the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc. If you have any queries then please call Paula Marshall on 01933 313625 (outside the UK (+44 1933 313625). Nostalgia Fuel Altered racer Tony Betts has sent a picture of the Venom team's 'Snake Pit' waiting for the new Venom to come home. He said 'Two complete engines are being built, and clutch and associated parts are being balanced as we speak. After many hard weeks work on the trailer it is now just about finished and what a job the lads have done - it looks the dog's dangleys. We have had all sorts of problems with the build in the U.S. due to titanium component and steering box problems. However we are hopeful that all is coming together and on its way over.' SPRC Club Secretary Paula Marshall has also asked us to wish husband and SPRC Chief Starter Ian Marshall a very Happy 19th Wedding Anniversary. "None of the usual jokes about the date please", says Paula. A very Happy Anniversary to you both, have a great day. Calling BTRA race trucks for 13th April. 1st April: All BTRA race trucks are invited to enter York-Raceway's Deliver-ance Day, 13th April 2008. This event - which is possibly the first event of its kind in the world - is aimed at the commercial vehicle and includes: Pick-ups from the American Super Stock drag racing series, which have large engines and always put on a good show with their long burnouts and very quick times. The Van-als Shootout, which is aimed at those people who always kick up the dust as they want to have a stab at the track but have only brought the works van. Well, here is your chance. It's about having a laugh, as we know vans would take ages to race but against other vans they can be fairly competitive. This can easily lead to one or two surprises as to why a van is so stupidly fast. The Bobtail Bash is the return of BTRA trucks. The winner of the bash will be determined on who comes closest to the index – the stated ¼ mile time – and the first to cross the line. It's not the fastest truck that wins, but the best driver who shows the most consistency in their performance. York Raceway is a fantastic venue for testing and development and can accommodate full 16x6mtr racing transporters and canopies. The raceway was the first venue to run truck drag racing in the late 70s with up to 20 trucks racing on a regular basis, with the current record set at 15.56 seconds by Karl Nowdtarski. For more information about the event don't hesitate to contact Terry Gibbon or York-Raceway on [email protected]. Thanks Nigel... 1st April: Super Pro racer Rick Cooke says that in spite of the weather and suspicious pools of trans fluid, he had fun at the weather-bound Easter Thunderball thanks to fellow racers. It was a busy start to the season as the trans and flex plate had to be recertified. I only had a few days to get the dragster back to a race ready state so it was going to be some late nights after work burning the oil. The trusty Transit made it to the Pod and I met up in Airfield Road with fellow Super Pro racer Nigel Turner. On Friday I had a good first round qualifier and all was going well until I got to about 1000ft when there was a massive side wind. Once I had passed the quarter mile point it was a handful to get the dragster back straight and away from the wall, but it was a very interesting new learning experience and it also put me into the number one qualifing position. On my third qualifying run I did the burn out was backing up when Ian Marshall signalled to me to shut it down. When I was pushed back, the reason was clear in the form of a pool of trans fluid. The transmission gremlins from last year that we thought we had fixed had returned. So we got the rail back to the pits and started taking the trans out to replace the various seals, when we had a power cut. Working in torch light conditions, we continued to remove the trans. Saturday was spent trying to sort the problem out with the trans; at this point I must say a big thank you to all the people that helped me getting it sorted. There are too many to list, but it shows what a great family the drag racing crowd is. You all know who you are - thanks guys. So, freezing cold and fed up with the artic conditions, we decided there was only one place to be, so we spent the evening at the Curry Garden in Rushden. Sunday morning was spent trying to work out why there was another pool of trans fluid on the floor under the trans only to find out after a lot of head scratching, and crew that could not keep a straight face, it was placed there by a fellow mate. I know about the no naming and shaming rules at Eurodragster, so thanks Nigel. It was all taken in good spirit with no hard feelings and it put a smile on our faces. As we could not race because of the snow, a snowball fight then broke out which resulted in me being hit spot on the side of the head - once again, thanks Nigel. With things not looking good weather wise for the rest of Sunday we decided to pack up so the crew got a head start back to Stroud. I decided to stay at the track until the roads cleared so I could get the rail back home safe. Monday morning came and the weather looked a lot better than the previous day, then we were given the call to run, so all panic broke out. The rail was very quickly unloaded and ready to go. All credit must go to John Everitt and his crew for stepping in and helping me out - with my emergency back up crew, we were ready to race. In the first round of eliminationss we were on a bye run and in the second round I was against Steve Green. It was a interesting run, however somehow John's lead foot sneaked into the office and we broke out. I know the run felt fast, hence the breakout but if you look at the timing data on Eurodragster we ran our first 199.05 mph pass, not bad for a rail capable of around 170 mph. With my story of the Easter Snowball told, that only leaves me to say a big thank you to the track crew for all their hard work to give us a track to run on. Also thanks to fellow racer Nigel Turner for the coffee and the warmth of a motorhome, as the Transit was like a ice box, and thank you to my crew Sam and Andy and my emergency back up crew. See you at SCR. Earlier news