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Welcome Fuel Tech UK.
9th December: We are very pleased to welcome Fuel Tech UK as a sponsor of Eurodragster.com. Trevor Hirst writes:

Fuel Tech UK have been importing and reselling Fuel Tech products for three years We can supply the full range ECUs and accessories. It's no surprise that Fuel Tech is selling so well, as no other system can offer the same features ease of use and value for money. We can offer supply only, with full back-up tech support over the phone in most cases, or we will get back to you by E-Mail in two days.

Installation service is offered including making up of wiring looms. Tuning and calibration are available with a 2000 hp rolling road for two and four wheel drive, and 2000 hp land and sea dyno.

For more details check out the Fuel Tech UK Facebook page or click on the banner at right.

Many thanks to Trevor Hirst for his support. As ever please repay the support of Eurodragster.com sponsors by considering them when shopping for goods or services.

FIA regulations update.
9th December: Many thanks to Frans Steilberg for letting us know that, after ratification by the World Motorsport Council, the 2020 Sporting Regulations including the FIA European Drag Racing Championship SFI specs can now be found on the FIA web site at www.fia.com/regulation/category/101.

The work having been got out of the way, the FIA then turned their attention to the Championship Gala at which 2019 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion Anita Mäkelä was joined by Champions of lesser motorsports; many thanks to Lars Pettersson for the pictures, and congratulations again to Anita on her Championship and on her induction into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Raising funds for Melbourne.

9th December: Howard Holmes writes that there is now traction to make significant progress for developing Melbourne Raceway, the new drag strip on the old site of York Raceway:

The right team, the right package and the right partnerships are all in place for the successful return of drag racing in the north; the proviso is of course that the funds can be raised. The £100k required was raised before, but the deal fell through so all money was returned to donors. This time all deals are in place, £33k has already been raised and we are putting momentum into the fund-raising to get it across the finish line.

To help make this happen, Nomad Drag Racing Club is starting an E-Newsletter with a regular flow of news, updates and fund raising information for car and bike guys, enthusiasts, spanners, spectators and businesses who want to be kept informed about progress and what's happening. Please click here if you'd like to be in the loop and receive the newsletter.

As part of the fund-raising drive Jeni Dale is offering a 2020 calendar (left) at £15 including postage and packing. "All profits go straight into the fund", says Jeni. "Please do your bit to secure another track in the UK. You can order via E-Mail at jldale50@gmail.com or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/jldale50."

RRC launch new web site.
9th December: Just in time for the PRI Show, Eurodragster.com sponsor Robinson Race Cars have launched a new web site to coincide with a rebrand. Luke Robinson writes:

We are excited to announce the all-new web site and branding. Our goal with the new web site at www.robinsonracecars.com is create a user-friendly browsing experience for our trusted and valued customers and business partners, to showcase projects past and present, and to create a platform which can be kept up to date.

We also have a new E-Mail address at info@robinsonracecars.com, so please update your contacts. Our phone number remains the same, 01256 880589 (outside the UK +44 1256 880589).

Editor's note: We were not able to post a news update over the weekend and now we're all behind. Tune in to the next update, due tomorrow evening, for news from the Wild Bunch and for some words from the legendary Larry McBride courtesy of regular contributor Herman Jolink.

Something Funny about Pers.
6th December: Mark Bodimeade writes that Sweden's Patrik Pers will be rejoining the Funny Car wars in 2020:

We have just taken delivery of the ex-Bob Bode Funny Car and are looking forward to participating in the 2020 European Nitro Funny Car Series. The car is already down to a bare chassis and work is underway to build a new roll cage. Rebuild and new paint job will commence early January. Our goal is to have car ready for Easter to compete in the first round of the series. We will release more exciting news in the New Year.

In addition to the above we have a totally legal Top Fuel Dragster for sale. This car will come complete minus engine, reverser and cannon, MSD unit and Racepak unit. All cables for the MSD and Racepak will remain. The BDK, slide valve, Al valve and all related fittings will remain with the car. Front and rear wings, headers and Injector to remain too.

For more info contact me on 07909 528355.

Zeon TV DVDs now shipping.

6th December: Helen Todd and David Coleman, our good friends at Zeon TV, are now shipping their 2019 Season Review DVDs.

Six titles are on offer: the European Championship action from the FIA/FIM Main Event and FIA/FIM European Finals, Motorsport UK Pro Modified, The Doorslammers, Dragstalgia and the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals. DVDs are £14.95 each plus P+P and a number of great package deals are available. As ever the front and back covers include photography from Eurodragster.com as well as our good buddy and occasional Contributing Photographer Callum Pudge, and footage is used from our Webster Race Engineering/Nimbus Motorsport webcam.

We will post our usual review shortly but it goes without saying that you don't really need to wait as the name Zeon TV guarantees the quality of the product. You can check out clips and order your DVDs at www.quartermilehigh.com.

Swift snippets.
6th December: Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street Machine magazine, including bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers. You can check it out by clicking on the images below.

Our good buddy Steve Moxley's STP UK National Finals report is now showing on the ACU web site at www.acu.org.uk.

Another good buddy, Remco Scheelings, has posted a feature on Tommy Grimes', Per Bengtsson's and the Beast team's Supertwin victory at Valdosta. You can take a look on the Drag Racing Europe Blog by clicking here.

Gerry Belton.
3rd December: We were very sorry to hear from Simon and Adi Belton of the death of Gerry Belton, who was instrumental in establishing drag racing in the UK.

When Gerry was Public Relations Officer for Allards, Sydney tasked him with organising the International Drag Racing Challenge, which introduced British public to US drag racing, and the 1964 and 1965 Drag Fests. His voice will be familiar to those with a copy of the official recording of the 1964 Drag Fest. As well as Secretary of the British Drag Racing Association Gerry was no mean racer himself driving an Allard Dragon, the Dos Palmas dragster and a 1965 Cobra in his time.

Gerry was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2014 and you can read his full citation by clicking here.

We had the privilege of meeting Gerry at the 2014 British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala and, unsurprisingly, found him a gentleman of the old school and a very interesting storyteller.

Gerry's funeral will take place at Taunton Crematorium at 12:30 next Monday (9th). Our deepest sympathies to Simon and Adi and to all of Gerry's family and friends.

Tim Mugridge.

2nd December: We were very sorry to hear from Jan Mugridge of the death yesterday of UK Comp Eliminator racer Tim Mugridge.

"Tim fought hard to beat his cancer but it was very aggressive and no matter what they threw at it it just kept spreading", says Jan. "He loved you all and he loved the sport."

It is fair to say that everyone loved Tim in return. He was a great racer, a cheerful and down-to-earth chap and always ready to help others. It was a privilege to have known Tim.

Our deepest sympathies to Jan, Nick, Luke and to all of Tim's family and friends.

Gala galleries.
29th November: In association with Lucas Oil Products we have posted two galleries from last weekend's British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala.

The first gallery is by our own Julian and can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the Interviews, Features, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Andy Willsheer kindly supplied the second gallery and we must also thank Keith Furness for editing assistance. You can check out Fat Wallet's gallery by clicking here or by clicking on the Interviews, Features, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Swift snippets.
29th November: Many thanks to our good friend Bob Roberts for letting us know that Autosport magazine have posted a podcast featuring FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion Anita Mäkelä. You can listen in at www.autosport.com/podcast.

Bike photo-journalist Steve Moxley has again been busy with Green Light Nationals and FIA/FIM European Finals reports now showing on the Eat My Ink web site at www.eatmyink.com.

Hall of Fame do the honours.
27th November: The fourteenth annual British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner, sponsored by USAutomotive, Santa Pod Racers Club, Beech Underwriting Agencies and BUA Motorsport, was held last Saturday at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey, and enjoyed by more than 200 attendees. An entertaining Bench Racing session took place earlier, compered by hot rod and race car builder and driver and drag racing announcer Bob Beck. The Gala is one of the leading motor sport presentation events in the world and the BDRHoF would like to thank everyone who made it possible.

The evening, compered by writer and former NHRA Motorsports Museum Director Tony Thacker, included the induction of five new members of the BDRHoF, presentation of the Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award and a special award to multiple IHRA Champion and NHRA race winner Doug Herbert.

The 2019 inductees to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame were:

Leading European Drag Racing web site Eurodragster.com, represented by founding editor Andy 'Tog' Rogers, Simon Groves, Kirstie Tramm and Julian Hunt, presented by Philip Evans of Atlantic Fluid Tech;

Builder and racer of the iconic Gonzo the Great altered and former Project Foreman at York Raceway Ian Lloyd, presented by International Organisation of Professional Drivers chief executive Steve Murty;

Great motorcycle drag racing innovators known for their Jade Warrior, the McCoy Dynamics team of Angus 'Ag' MacPhail, Mick Hand and Keith Parnell, represented by Mick Hand, and presented by BDRHoF member Ian Messenger, formerly of the Pegasus bike team.

Pioneers of UK Nostalgia drag racing, the Wild Bunch, represented by Claire Meaddows, Chris Hartnell and Roy Wilding, trophy presented by hot rod and race car builder and driver and drag racing announcer Bob Beck.

From Finland, winner of four FIA Top Fuel Dragster Championships and two European Top Methanol titles, Anita Mäkelä, presented by Keith Bartlett, CEO of Santa Pod Raceway.

Hall of Fame member trophies were sponsored by Santa Pod Racers Club.

The top three Lucas Oil Junior Dragster Championship racers Matthew Dowdy, Frankie Fordham and Kai Cooper, and top three ACU Junior Drag Bike racers Liam Holgate, Blade Dummer and Ciaran Lucas were presented by Cheryl Lynch, Race, Speed and Kart Executive, Motorsport UK. Champions Matthew and Liam each received cheques for £100 sponsored by Atlantic Fluid Tech, Jeff Bull Race Engines and Performance Parts, Mopar Muscle Association, Santa Pod Racers Club and USAutomotive.

The Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award, presented for global impact in the world of drag racing, was awarded to Bill Simpson in recognition for his innovations in safety in motorsports in general and drag racing in particular. New products such as modern fire suits, driver restraint systems and helmets and the drag racing parachute have undoubtedly saved many lives. Accepting the award from Steve Gibbs on behalf of Bill Simpson, who was unable to attend for health reasons, was his longtime friend 'Waterbed' Fred Miller.

A BDRHoF Special Trophy was presented by Hall of Fame consultant and Land Speed Record holder Geoff Stilwell to Doug Herbert on behalf of the Herbert family in recognition of their contribution to drag racing, Land Speed racing and road safety.

The evening was closed by British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Chairman and former Santa Pod Raceway Chief Starter Stuart Bradbury, thanking everyone for their participation and support.

Earlier the fifth Bench Racing Session, sponsored by US Automotive and Custom Car magazine had a former NHRA Board member and US nitro racers and crew entertaining a packed audience with tales of their on and off-track exploits back in the day. The panel comprised Steve Gibbs, Doug Herbert, Ron Hope, Fred Miller and Dan Richins. A video recording of the Bench Racing Session is available on Bob's Facebook page, along with several interviews of honourees.

The event would not have been possible without practical help and support from primary sponsors US Automotive and Santa Pod Racers Club and event sponsors Atlantic Fluid Tech, Beech Underwriting Agencies, BUA Motorsport, Chair Office, Custom Car magazine, DialAFlight, Eurodragster.com, the International Organisation of Professional Drivers, Jeff Bull Racing and Performance Parts, Kelsey Publishing, the National Street Rod Association, Mopar Performance, the Mopar Muscle Association, Prop Portfolio, Rat Trap Racing, Straightliners, Santa Pod Raceway and Shakespeare County Relics.

Swift snippets.
27th November: Congratulations to Tommy Grimes and the Beast Supertwin team and to Ian King of the Gulf Oil Drag Racing Top Fuel Bike team who took the event win and runner-up repectively at the weekend's Man Cup World Finals in Georgia. You can find out more at www.dragbike.com.

We would like to wish a big Happy Birthday with hugs to Junior Dragster Mum Rachel Wilson. Have a lovely day Rachel.

Better to burn out...
25th November: ...than to fade away, the old saying goes, and in that spirit over two hundred family, friends and drag racers gave a last farewell to Super Street Bile tuner and racer Peter Granica on Saturday. Benni Voss writes that after speeches from the priest, the mayor of Neckarwestheim, and fellow racer Herman Jolink, there was a smokey salute performed by Thomas Granica on Peter's Super Street Bike. "I hope this is not the last hurrah from Team Joker but only time will tell", says Benni.

Herman Jolink's tribute reads: I will race in 2020, 45 years in drag racing. I always feel the fear before riding my drag bike but at the start line everything goes away. I don't know if Peter felt fear before racing. Hos best time on the quarter mile was 7.550 seconds, that is very good. Peter was not skinny, most Super Street Bike riders in the USA are very skinny. His best speed was 306 kmh which is not slow. I heard that Peter was building a new bike. Thomas you must build the bike and ride it. Peter will always be riding with you forever. Ride, Peter, with you.

Swift snippets.
25th November: A welcome return was announced during the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala on Saturday: Santa Pod Raceway CEO Keith Bartlett revealed that Ron Hope will return in the Rat Trap Fuel Altered to race Nick Davies in Havoc at the tenth anniversary Dragstalgia in July.

Our report of Saturday's Bench Race is in train and will be posted shortly.

A Five at the fifth.
23rd November: UK street-legal racer Andy Frost and the Red Victor team finally achieved their goal of running a five-second quarter mile in a street-legal car after five years' hard slog. Frosty writes:

Not only did we finally get the monkey off our back, our support club became a legitimate five-second club, and our great friend Rob Kearns who passed away before he got a chance to come with us can finally stop nagging in my ear about running the number! He got the ride he always wanted, that is for sure. We had a huge amount of adversity along those five years, but we fought through it and most importantly never gave up.

It was incredibly satisfying for all concerned to see that 5.95/260 come up on the BIC timing boards. The time actually wasn't so much of a surprise as the speed. At first we thought that there must have been a glitch in the clocks. But after a 5.92/262 and a 5.87/263.7 we realised it was actually that fast! The final 5.89/257 was done with the trans planetary going away, but still it wasnt too shabby a performance when all is said and done.

So we came away from Bahrain with the world's fastest speed in history for a street-legal car in the quarter mile, 12 mph more than the previous best, four new PBs all backed up and the last only .025 secs away from the world's quickest street-legal ET. We also have the the UK's and Europes quickest and fastest street-legal car in the quarter mile, and finally Europe's fastest doorslammer in any category. On a PB level we went 3.96 and 208 mph in the eighth mile, and a 1.91 back half, all with just a 1.07 sixty foot time - something which some said was impossible with a 3040 lb car!

Because of all we achieved above we are now bringing the car home. I have now personally achieved everything I wanted to do in a thirty two-year drag racing career which started off with sixteen-second quarters in 1987 to fives in 2019, and every number in between. When the car comes back the team will decide what the future holds with the car and team itself.

As with any achieved goal there are always lots of people and companies to thank. No one person could ever get this far on their own, and I am no different. So huge thanks to all the RV Bahrain/UK team: Crew Chief Gary Frost, Thorsten Appel, Deb Frost, Nick Bradley, Nik Wadsworth and super tuner Shane Tecklenburg. Our support team back home, Marc Lamude of Lamude Racing Engines, Wayne Allman of the Intergalactic Custom Shop, Nick at WAM Tools, Luke Robinson at Robinson Race Cars, Chris Bourton at Hard Knocks Speed Shop, Steve Guirey at Roland Alsop Engineering, Justin Attwood at JA Wiring, Alan Williamson at AW Upholstery, Hutch at Hutch Transmissions, Phil Pitt, Neil 'Soupy' Campbell and Andy Jones.

Ali Mahmood from UtrackTV, who not only filmed every minute at the track for the documentary of our efforts, but really helped with customs clearance, along with Suresh Nagajara of EK Kanoo logistics and Andy Betson. Martin and Liam Smith from Coastal Global Logistics who did all the paperwork for the export and import of RV3. BIC and Adel Shaji who treated us like royalty on every visit we made to Bahrain, and E Kanoo Racing who were also very hospitable to us. In fairness everyone at the track was very helpful to our needs whilst we were there. That always helps when you are 5000 miles away from home!

Rob White from R-Tech Welding Equipment who literally saved our trip on a couple of occasions and has continually supported us above and beyond our expectations.

Our sponsors R-Tech Welding Equipment, Lamude Racing Engines, Tuned by Shane T, Precision Turbo and Engine, Pro Alloy Motorsport, Cam Auto Development, Goodridge, Trackstuff UK, Renegade Fuels, Turbosmart UK, Turbowerx, Steve Morris Engines, Visner Engine Development, Protec Fuel systems, Belistore, KA Sensors, Serck Motorsport, Total Seal Piston Rings, Manton Pushrods, Neal Chance Racing Converters, Zircotec, Lifeline Fire Yystems, Old Hall Performance, Red Line Oil, Knight Engine Services, Braille Battery, Victory Performance, Wallwork HT, Plastics4Performance, Billet Atomizer Injectors, Activ8, New Century Performance, Diamond Pistons, Hutch Transmissions, Powerlite Performance Electrics, Browell Bellhousings, Wilson Manifolds, Precision Shaft Technologies, Carl Cox Motorsport, Cartek Motorsport Electronics, Race Engine Technology, Magnecor, Rep Air Services, Prestige Group, Ankatags and www.Club Calibra.net.

Eurodragster.com for their support over the years for myself and the RV team (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed).

The Red Victor 5 Second Club who stuck and still are sticking with us for five years through all the ups and downs of the quest for the fives and supported us morally and financially, and who more than any group deserved their reward, which they watched live!

To everyone who sent congratulations by phone, or message, or even by card. Thank you.

And finally the biggest thanks are to my super wife Deb, who stuck with me through all these years of racing and everything else, and is still my biggest supporter. You have my eternal gratitude and love for life.

2020 ATD calendar.

23rd November: Élodie Dubois has been in touch with the dates for the 2020 French Association Trophée Dragster Championship at Clastres Dragway:

27th-28th June
25th-26th July
19th-20th September

"We hope to see you again next year", says Élodie.

ACU codes now available.
22nd November: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall has been in touch to inform bike racers that ACU codes for licences are now available.

For your code please get in touch with Ian at ir.marshall@btconnect.com. Please note one code per rider.

If you have any queries then please E-Mail Ian as above or call 01933 313625.

Eileen Cattley.

20th November: We were sorry to hear from Mike Lintern of the passing at the age of 84 of Eileen Cattley, long-time partner of Bob Phelps, co-founder of Santa Pod Raceway:

While Bob was the man who in 1966 almost literally constructed Britains first drag strip, Eileen was the great supporting woman who took on the role of Company Administrator, remaining involved with the sport even after Bobs death in 1988 to achieve almost thirty years of service to the sport.

Eileen lived in Shortlands, Bromley, close to the Phelps familys Fibre Glass Repairs workshops, and while Bob and son Roy were busy building dragsters and wheelie cars, plus fabricating bits of infrastructure for the track, it was Eileen who took care of the day-to-day running of the business. She maintained a close relationship with competitors, personally ensuring racers got their share of event proceeds at the end of each meeting. Eileen is recognised with the Phelps family in the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. At the time of her death, although in failing health, she was still living in the same house in Bromley.

Our deepest sympathies to Roy and Jason Phelps, and to all of Eileen's family and friends.

Peter Granica.
20th November: We were also sorry to hear of the death of Super Street Bike tuner and occasional rider Peter Granica of Team Joker. Peter died after giving it his very best against a long illness.

Peter was an absolutely top bloke, ever-cheerful, who bought right into and fit right into the Super Street Bike ethos of racing hard on condition of having a good time. He and brother Thomas have always been a very welcome and popular duo on the European scene and have always been big supporters of Eurodragster.com. Peter was a credit to his class and to the sport and will be very sadly missed.

Peter's funeral service takes place at 14:00 this Saturday at Friedhofstraße 12-14, 74382 Neckarwestheim; all are welcome.

Our deepest sympathies also to Thomas and to all of Peter's family and friends.

Another grand(s) total for Bloodwise.
18th November: Darren Prentice of Santa Pod Raceway writes that the total raised for Bloodwise at the STP UK National Finals was a fantastic £3007.16:

Thank You to all of you who dug so deeply into your pockets to make it happen.

We would like to thank Andy Bond and the Ugly Sister team not only for raising a staggering amount from the limited edition T-Shirts but also for the money for the ride on the Street Eliminator cruise. Be sure to check out their Facebook page. Pot Belly Brewery for the cask of Wobberly Bob Ale which sold out in record time... maybe next time the White Noise Racing team will leave some for others to try.

To the racers, crew, marshals, security, and staff who took the time to play in the football match, helped to raise money and put on a great display. To everyone who donated some greats item to the half time auction. To Darryl Bradford and Andy Thetford for doing a great job commentating on the football match - I dont think that Gary Lineker has to worry about his job. To the totally unbiased referee who did a sterling job keeping the racers team in check - tricky lot, the racers. To Tom and Linda from the Coffee Man trailer for donating all of the hot drinks on the night.

To Eurodragster.com for the great coverage as ever (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed). To the Maintenance team for getting everything ready and in good order for the football match.

Finally a massive Thank You to Sam Innes, Craig Wright and Susan Ponsford for all their help beforehand and on the day, to Santa Pod Raceway for hosting the football match and to Santa Pod Racers Club for their never-ending support.

You can find out more about leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and all blood cancers, donate more, or consider stem cell donation on the Bloodwise web site at www.bloodwise.org.uk.

Hall of Fame Bench Race update.
17th November: We are sad to announce that, due to health problems, motorsport safety pioneer Bill Simpson will be unable to travel to the UK for next weekend's British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala, where he was due to receive the Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award and participate in the afternoon's Bench Racing session.

On a happier note, Bench Racing will still feature a distinguished line-up of American drag racing luminaries eager to entertain their British audience. Doug Herbert former Top Fuel star, road safety campaigner and scion of a famous drag racing family and Dan Richins who drove his Iron Horse Top Fuel Dragster into the Cragar Five-Second Club in 1973 will be the new faces on the panel, while ex-NHRA Vice President Steve Gibbs, Rat Trap Fuel Altered racer Ron Hope and raconteur extraordinaire Waterbed Fred Miller have already lit up previous Bench Racing sessions with their wit and insights. The session will be led by veteran racing and hot-rodding commentator and broadcaster Bob Beck.

Past Bench Racing audience members will already be familiar with the often-uproarious Chat Show with the Legends' format. For newcomers considering a visit, it's a unique opportunity to hear and meet leading US figures of the sport in convivial surroundings here on home soil, without having to cross the Atlantic for the privilege.

Bench Racing is open-house. All are welcome. If you are a guest attending the evening's Hall of Fame Gala, it makes an exciting start to your weekend. If you just want to attend the session itself, it's a fine way to spend a couple of Saturday lunchtime hours.

And it's all free. Admission and parking are free of charge. The time: 12.30 pm. The date: Saturday 23rd November. The place: Oatlands Park Hotel, Oatlands Drive, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 9HB.

SPRC on-line entry set for testing.
14th November: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall writes that the Club is testing an on-line race entry system and that he would appreciate the help of any racer, from the UK or elsewhere, who races at Santa Pod to try it out.

The on-line entry test form is now available at www.rallies.info/webentry/2019/santapodwinter. You will see that the test form is currently hosted on the server of a Channel Islands racing club but it contains a lot of information pertinent to SPRC and drag racing. When you get down to the Club field please just pick one of those listed.

"Please have a go and get used to the layout", says Ian. "This may well go live for the 2020 season. Anything in a red box on the form is mandatory. Enter any class you wish - bike racers please pick a car class for the time being. You can select differing entries, Pit Loo options and extended pit space requirements, so please get inventive and try different options. Bike racers please either use your competition licence number or just make something up - that detail is not currently important. Obviously you will not have to pay.

"Your E-Mail details are very important since when I receive your entry details a receipt will be generated and E-Mailed to you.

"I need your help to generate entries so that we can see if any issues arise, and if you see something missing (not bike classes!) then please let me know at ir.marshall@btconnect.com and we can look at adding fields to the form. Pit space forms and Pro entry team sheets will need to be added, but I'm working on that at present.

"Thanks in advance for your help."

Frosty closes in on ET record.

14th November: UK street-legal racer Andy Frost and the Red Victor 3 team are within touching distance of a new world best ET with a 5.876 in Bahrain this evening (Thursday), a shade off Jeff Lutz' record of 5.852. On the 5.876 pass Frosty also bettered his own world speed record with a backed-up 263.74 mph. You can watch a video of this run by clicking here or on the picture at right, and you can watch today's remaining and tomorrow's live stream from the Bahrain International Circuit on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/bahrainbic.

At time of writing the team have a thrash on to change rear tyres in time to make one more run this evening elsewise Andy, Deb, tuner Shane Tecklenburg and the team have tomorrow to wrap it up. Good luck Frosty and stay safe.

Web site updates.
14d October: The eighth issue of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame's on-line magazine HoFTalk, is now available courtesy of Jerry Cookson. HoFTalk 8 is timed to preview next weekend's Bench Race and Gala and covers events, news and updates from inductees and more. You can check it out by clicking here, by clicking on the picture at left, or by clicking on the Features, Interviews, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr gallery with a gallery from Santa Pod Raceway's last Saturday Night Special of the year which hosted the final rounds of Old Skool Ford and Outlaw Street. You can check out Mad's shots at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.

Frosty's Five and a world best.

13th November: Massive congratulations to UK street-legal racer Andy Frost and team who achieved Frosty's aim of a five-second street car pass with Red Victor 3 during testing in Bahrain last night (Tuesday).

Frosty's 5.950/260.55 now counts as the fastest-ever pass by a street car, beating Jeff Lutz' previous best: Jeff was very quick to congratulate the team. With the track open until the weekend Frosty has the opportunity to go after Jeff's 5.852 ET record. Tuner Shane Tecklenburg, to whom congratulations also, has said that with his estimates of performance yet to come it could be tight but it has to be said that the close-knit team have made things look easy however difficult we know they actually are. Frosty's 6.075/248.24 in testing at Santa Pod in May, in bad conditions at that, certainly presaged well for this trip.

Our good friend and timing guru Andy Marrs, who never lets us down, has pointed out that Frosty's terminal speed was higher than the European Pro Modified speed record.

Good luck and stay safe to Andy, Deb, Shane and team... even the chip shop bomber.

Hall of Fame Bench Race beckons.
13th November: Geoff Stilwell writes with a reminder that next Saturday's (23rd) British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala at the Oatlands Park Hotel kicks off with the regular and legendary Bench Race sponsored by US Automotive.

Taking part will be UK favourite Ron Hope of Rat Trap Racing, Waterbed Fred of the Ray Beadle Championship-winning Blue Max team, Cragar 5 Second Club member and Top Fuel racer Dan Richins, Top Fuel racer and IHRA Champion Doug Herbert, Nitro Revival Series guru and previously NHRA Competition Director Steve Gibbs. All of these icons of the sport will be kept in line by announcer Bob Beck whom many will recognise as the voice of the Hot Rod Reunions at Bakersfield and Bowling Green, the NHRA Cruise nights in Pomona, and of course as presenter on the Great American Auto Scene on-line broadcast.

If you are attending on 23rd then please make sure that you get to the Oatlands Park Hotel in good time as the Bench Race will start in the Terrace Room promptly at 12.30.

Flying the flag.
12th November: Spotted by Simon at the weekend's NEC Classic Motor Show were the Outlaw Anglias in one of their regular annual dates (Michelle Mockford below centre), WBR Racing Engines where Eurodragster.com sponsor Nic Williams was celebrating the company's exclusive UK dealership for FST Carbs, and Santa Pod Raceway doing their usual great job both of promoting the sport to dedicated fans and reeling in families and other casual visitors.

Elsewhere at the Show, Wayne Allman's Mental Breakdown blown-alcohol pick-up was attracting a lot of astonished interest.

Swift snippets.
12th November: Many thanks to Robin Jackson for letting us know that Elana Scher's article on Roland Leong's weekend with the Venom Nostalgia FC team at Dragstalgia is now showing in Automobile magazine at www.automobilemag.com.

Motorsport UK licence update.
6th November: Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall has been in touch to inform racers that, following a change to Motorsport UK terminology, licencing will be changing for 2020 as follows:

Was	Now
Non Race National B	Interclub
Non Race National A	National NB still required for competitors wishing to race outside the UK
International	International

Junior Dragster racers please apply for the Interclub licence, unless competing in Europe in 2020 in which case the National licence will still be required.

First-time Junior Dragster applicants must first complete the required observed runs, and then receive a letter of recommendation from Santa Pod Racers Club: this must be completed before applying for a licence.

Applications for 2020 licences will be accepted from 18th November.

If you have any questions regarding licences then please either contact Motorsport UK on 01753 765000, or contact Ian on 01933 313625 or ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

Swift snippets.
6th November: Kirstie, Diana, Julian and Simon would like to wish Eurodragster.com News Editor, Race Reporter and Photographer Tog a very Happy Birthday for tomorrow (Thursday). Have a great day buddy, and many happy returns.

Welcome Shorty's Fabrication Shop.

5th November: We are very pleased to welcome Shorty's Fabrication Shop as a sponsor of Eurodragster.com.

This year marks Jedd Guy's tenth year in the chassis building trade. The decision was made late last year to take the plunge and to try to brave the harsh but rewarding world of running his own fabrication shop.

In March, Shorty's Fabrication Shop sprung into life with the intention of supplying the racing world and car enthusiasts with low competitive prices, quick turn-round times and of course second-to-none levels of fabrication which Jedd's existing customers love.

Shorty's Fabrication Shop are proud to offer services ranging from full tube chassis builds, Motorsport UK-legal roll cages, shell restoration, stainless/aluminium welding, baseline and suspension tuning, tuning advice on track or at home and basically any level of fabrication work needed to be carried out on your beloved car.

For a first year the Shop has been busy with its first full tube chassis ready to leave the new shop and multiple roll cages and shell restorations completed along the way. This doesn't mean that the on-track action has been lacking either, with on-track tuning helping customers go quick and safe. Most notably, Scott Crookston took the Outlaw Anglia Championship in only his second year running a rolling chassis built by Jedd and also, tuned by Jedd, he managed to run an unheard-of series of consistent mid seven-second passes throughout the year. Jedd's also had an exciting year tuning the Flyin' Fyfer for Colin Millar who ended the season with the Outlaw Anglia class record of 7.243 seconds.

If you're planning any winter upgrades, or if you feel that your car could benefit from a baseline and a fresh look at the suspension then don't hesitate to contact Shorty's Fabrication Shop via the Shop's Facebook page or call 07495 743379; the off-season is always a busy time of year and spaces get filled up rather quickly.

Many thanks to Jedd Guy for his support and to Jemma Bromley for her assistance. As ever please repay the support of Eurodragster.com sponsors by considering them when shopping for goods or services.

2020 FIM Championship rule changes.
3rd November: Further to Friday's calendar update, Job Heezen of the FIM Europe Drag Racing Commission has been in touch with a summary of the 2020 rule changes submitted to FIM-E management for approval. Job stresses that the below has been produced for rapid dissemination and that the actual rules will be more detailed.

DR14.1.8 - Handlebars must have sufficient clearance between handlebars and any part of the motorcycle to protect the rider from potential crush injuries.
DR14.1.19 - Kill switch must disconnect all electricity including electric fuel pumps
DR14.3.3 - Footwear must be of leather material with a minimum inside height of 150 mm providing full protection in racing position.
DR14.3.15 - Weight limits for Pro Stock Bike: some combinations will be removed because these are obsolete, weight limits are under investigation and awaiting 2020 NHRA rules.
DR14.5.1 Super Street Bike engine: any kind of unleaded fuel, methanol grade A or AA, E85 is permittted.
DR14.5.3 Super Street Bike wheels: carbon fibre front wheels are not permitted.
DR14.5.6 Electronics: electronic traction and wheelie controls are permitted.
DR14.6.4 Protective clothing: wearing a bulletproof vest (class 3A or equivalent) mandatory.
DR14.7 Junior Drag Bike: parents or legal guardian must be in attendance at all times with the competitor.
DR10.8.3 Method of start (Supertwin and Top Fuel Bike): Non nitro bikes are permitted to re-start their engine once at the Starter's discretion and in concert with the opponent.
DR10.8.5 Pro Stock Bike weight: riders must present their motorcycle to be weighed after each run.
DR11.6.1 License: any rider who has not earned points in the preceeding three years within the class entered will be required to carry out observed runs. Any rider competing outside FIM-E may need special approval from the FIM-E Drag Racing Commission.
DR11.8.2 Runs: a minimum of 45 minutes is mandatory, exceptions are possible if both participants of a run agree.
DR11.10 Records: back-ups within 1% are no more needed for records to be approved.
DR11.13.2 Minimum prize scales: amounts are raised with annual 2% increase.
DR11.17 Final placings in Junior Drag Bike: if the tie still remains then the most number one qualifier points count.
DR10.11 Protest: time to protest extended from thirty to forty five minutes after publication of the results and a protest can be handed to any official of the event in case the race director or jury president is not available.

If you have any queries then you can contact Job at jheezen1@hotmail.com.

Swift snippets.
3rd November: A big thumbs-up to our good friend and longtime Eurodragster.com supporter His Worshipful Flatulence The Very Reverend Sir Neville Mottershead ODE for coming to the aid of a mother in distress and thereby making the Manchester Evening News. You can check out the full story by clicking here. Bless you, Reverend.

All change in Crossley's 2019.
3rd November: This time last year UK Funny Bike racer Phil Crossley was making preparations for the 2019 season, blissfully unaware of how differently things were going to pan out:

With the offer in February from Bob Brooks to loan me his blown alky bike for the season and Dave Batcheler now riding my bike, it was going to be a really different and interesting year. Bob and his partner Debbie made the long trek from Norfolk to Lancashire to deliver the bike to me several weeks before the season began so I could familiarise myself with it. Having raced a nitrous bike for ten years this was a great opportunity to learn something completely different. Bob spent a day going over the bike and showing us all how to run it and how to turn it around between races. Thankfully Bob and Debbie also offered to come to the first couple of races to help out. Meanwhile Dave Batcheler had been and collected my bike and was going through the same, albeit more familiar process of learning how to run my bike.

Easter came around really quickly, and what a great event it was, mild weather and dry for the duration. We assigned all the start line tasks and tried to come up with a routine. This was new even to Bob who'd always had his brother do many of the jobs when he used to ride it. It would be fair to say I was a little daunted at the thought of riding the Yellow Metal Racing bike, it's a lot bigger and heavier than my own bike and I was completely unable to adopt my usual "Just going to the shops" riding position, as you have to lay down to ride it. But in drag racing there isn't really an opportunity to get used to things, and so, off to the start line we went for my maiden voyage.

We got the bike started, gears selected and I rode it up to the water box, the burnout was a revelation! It lights up the big 13 slick effortlessly and just make so much torque, not at all like my own bike, Iknew then that this was going to be a lot of fun. With nothing to lose, I went into stage and the lights dropped. I pinned the throttle and only managed to get one foot on the footpegs, so predictably the bike made a move to the right and I had to feather the throttle, but with both feet on the pegs I opened it up again and it behaved perfectly, it ran an 8.8/151 which was pretty good for a first go! What an awesome bike to ride, the bark as you open the throttle and way it makes power is incredible even the crazy riding position makes perfect sense once you're underway!

Meanwhile, at the back of the Funny Bike pack was Dave Batcheler, about to make his first pass on the Bopchop. But it didn't happen... instead he stepped off the bike after the burnout and went down on one knee and asked his partner Sharon Wilson if she would marry him, in a surprise but well-staged startline proposal (right)! Luckily Sharon said yes.

With the first teething run out of the way, and the focus on getting both feet on the pegs, the times over the next few runs improved steadily, with the second run into the sevens with a 7.9 then in the third round a really clean arrow straight 7.55 at 178 mph. I think I'd got the hang of it! Dave was making progress too, running an 8.5 followed by an 8.0, then a stunning 7.33, which was nearly half a second quicker than his PB and a good couple of tenths quicker than I thought it was capable of with its very soft set-up. Unfortunately our weekend ended in the first round when we were beaten, in a good race against Dave Peters who took a holeshot win, taking it with a 7.62 against my quicker 7.61.

On to the Springspeed Nationals and we made the decision that we would not make any real changes the bike, I was having great fun riding it and still getting used to it, plus it was going really well. Another 7.5 in the first session meant it was really consistent and we weren't having to fix anything - just turn it around and go out again. Once again however, we went out in the first round against Kars Van Den Belt, who was starting to show signs of how quick and consistent he was going to be for the rest of the season. In the final however, he met Dave Batcheler on my bike, neither rider had a great run, but Dave took the win with a 7.63. His first win in Funny Bike and the eighth event win for the Bopchop.

At the next two events we made small changes to the tune-up of the bike, mostly just to gather data but it proved to be very consistent, with numerous 7.5s and 7.6s not really what we wanted but we were getting down the track and not hurting anything. In fact throughout the whole season the only part we replaced was a clutch plate! In the only qualifying session of the second day of the Green Light Nationals we made some more radical changes to the fuel system, after looking at the data we knew which direction to go in. What we didn't predict was how lean it was going to become on idle, and it blew the burst panels coming out of the burnout, and sadly we didn't qualify.

This left one event remaining The National Finals. Bob was determined to try and finish the season on a high and get the bike going quicker, but another set of burst panels blew in the first round and things just weren't making sense, it should be richer but the plugs said otherwise and in the last session it melted a plug tip off. Fortunately everything was OK and it sounded good back in the pits. Race day however was a washout as we all know, and that's where the season ends.

Congratulations to Kars Van Den Belt for winning the Championship, and to Dave Batcheler for coming second on a new bike in his first season in a new class.

Bob took Yellow Metal back to Norfolk with him, to check it over and get it ready for what we all hope will be the next owner. The bike is still for sale, the price has been reduced a lot as Bob doesn't want it sat idle and it would be a real shame if it did. The price is now just Ł18k and is an absolute bargain at that price, you get a lot of bike for your money, It's fantastic to ride, super reliable, very, very stable ... and dare I say it - better behaved than my own trusty steed! Plus the noise of that supercharger as you fly down the track... I won't even attempt to describe it. The bike is now readvertised on the Eurodragster.com Swap Meet and Bobs details are on there, but enquiries can be made to Bob at ymr@btinternet.com or contact Debbie Crane or myself via Facebook and we will gladly pass on any messages.

For me personally this year of bike swaps made the whole drag racing experience really different, it brought lots people together and made it all a lot more interesting and we made great friends. I can't thank Bob and Debbie enough, they came to every single event and I think Bob actually enjoyed crewing more than he expected. Oh, and they are also good cooks, so we ate really well at every event! Also, Dave and the Plumb Crazy team did numerous barbecues for us all, despite the non BBQ friendly weather and they did a great job of racing the Bopchop this year.

Plus, the question on the commentators' lips was answered on quite a few occasions when I paired up against Dave in the other lane - who will be faster, Phil or his bike?

JBRE join Hall of Fame Gala sponsors.

3rd November: The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame is pleased to welcome Jeff Bull Race Engines and Performance Parts as an additional sponsor of the tables for the top three UK Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike Championship racers, who will be guests along with their parents at the Gala Night at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, on Saturday 23rd November.

Jeff Bull Race Engines was created in 1990 when Jeff, who had been involved in UK drag racing as a competitor for almost ten years, decided to take on building customer V8 engines. It has become a full time business in the last three years, and customers include drag racers, Formula 1 Stock Cars and other forms of motorsport . Jeff's wife Belinda races their Chevy S10 truck in Competition Eliminator.

Jeff and Belinda Bull said "We are delighted to be able to support the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame and in particular our Junior racers, who are the future of the sport."

Jeff Bull Race Engines joins Santa Pod Racers Club, Atlantic Fluid Tech, Mopar Muscle Association and US Automotive as sponsors of the Junior Drag Racing tables.

The 2018 Gala Awards Dinner is almost sold out but you can make a reservation by E-Mail at stuart@britishdragracinghof.co.uk or by telephone on 01933 279102. Tickets, which include table wine, are priced competitively at £70 each. The rates for hotel rooms are £115 for double rooms and £94 single which includes breakfast and VAT as well as parking. On receiving your reservation you will be given the procedure to book rooms.

Ongoing news about the Gala, sponsors and other events in which the BDRHoF is involved is regularly published on the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk, here on Eurodragster.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.

2020 FIM Championship calendar.
1st November: Many thanks to Darren Prentice for sending us the curret confirmed calendar for the 2020 FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships:

1st-3rd May: Kunmadaras, Hungary (Super Street Bike and Junior Drag Bike only)
22nd-25th May: FIA/FIM Main Event, Santa Pod Raceway, UK
28th-30th August: NitrOlympX, Hockenheim, Germany
10th-13th September: FIA/FIM European Finals, Santa Pod Raceway, UK

Darren tells us that if any other events are to be added to the above then this will be advised on Monday 18th November.

RWYB (Flame and Thunder Show II) gallery.
28th October: After taking a battering from rain and wind on Saturday, Santa Pod Raceway and the racers fought back yesterday with a worthy season-closer in sunny weather. Many of the racers signed up to make exhibition runs on Saturday stayed over and put on a good show for an unusually large Run What You Brung audience courtesy of a free Sunday entry offer announced on Friday.

Courtesy of Julian, Diana and Paul Lanyon you can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored RWYB gallery, as well as a small Flame and Thunder Show off-track gallery, by clicking here, or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

This was our last Event Coverage for the 2019 season; thanks to John Woolfe Racing, Webster Race Engineering and Nimbus Motorsport for their backing, to the racers for giving us so much to cover, to race officials and track management and staff for facilities and ready assistance, and to all of our readers for your support.

2020 FIA Championship regulations.
25th October: Many thanks to Technical Delegate Frans Steilberg for letting us know that the 2020 Technical Regulations, Technical Drawings and SFI Specifications for the European FIA Drag Racing Championships can now be found on the FIA web site at www.fia.com/regulation/category/101.

Nitro FM on-line this evening.
25th October: Meanwhile at Santa Pod Raceway Nitro FM are broadcasting between 18:00 and 21:00 UK time this evening (Friday).

You can tune in at the track on 96.2 FM or on-line everywhere at www.eurodragster.com/nitrofm.

Flame and Thunder Show Sunday bonus.
25th October: Santa Pod Raceway have released the following statement about tomorrow's Flame and Thunder Show and Sunday's RWYB:

Just to keep everyone up to speed, the Flame and Thunder Show IS still going ahead on Saturday. In light of the rain that is forecast (and it could be heavy at times), we probably won't be able to get much racing action on the track itself but all the other activities should take place. It's possible that the skies might clear up later in the day so our team will be watching and waiting to get that track dry and some wheels turning! Fingers crossed for the drag strip!

The Bonfire and Firework Display will also still take place together with full Live Action Arena shows and attractions as advertised. There are some covered areas but these are limited so remember to come prepared with the right clothing and footwear and bring a brolly!

In addition, we will allow all Saturday ticket holders to come back for FREE on Sunday where the weather typically looks sunny and dry! Sunday may only be a Run What Ya Brung track day but there's always a great line up and many of the demo cars will be out again in force PLUS a Top Fuel Dragster demo is on the cards and we've scheduled 3 Jet Car runs at 11:00 am with FireStorm, FireForce and Split Second!

We're also pleased to announce that Podzilla the Monster Truck will return on Sunday for an extra show at 11:30 am and the Mini Monster Trucks are staying with us too. Some of our traders and stalls will also open again together with a selection of food outlets and the Santa Pod shop.

Whilst all Santa Pod tickets are non-refundable, we have decided to include this event in our ADVERSE WEATHER POLICY and therefore award a credit value to all ticket holders depending on the final outcome. Please keep hold of your tickets and check our web site after the weekend. This means that your ticket will still be worth something to use against another Santa Pod event next year. The value itself will be published after this weekend and will apply whether you actually attend the event or not!

Swift snippets.
25th October: We have quite a long birthday list today. Happy Birthday and hugs to Kirsty Giles, a manly handshake to Super Pro ET racer Joe Kellett, and back to the hugs for our good friend Deborah Marrs. Finally, Happy Birthday to Top Fuel Dragster racer Urs Erbacher. Have a great day all.

Flame and Thunder Show racer update.
23rd October: Jake Wray of Santa Pod Raceway has been in touch with an update for those racers taking part in the Drag Demos at Saturday's Flame and Thunder Show:

Gates will open at 14:00 on Friday and will close at midnight, re-opening at 08:00 on Saturday.

Signing On will be open from 08:00 on Saturday. The track will be open from 09:30 until 20:00. There will be no schedules for the Drag Demo sessions, perfect for match racing your friends from different classes! Only Top Fuel and Jets will be scheduled.

The racers' pits will be located on the circles where Pro ET are usually pitted (as shown on the map below, click for large version). Please bear in mind that space will be tight this weekend so please only take the necessary space. All entries will receive two pit passes as usual.

See you all at the weekend; here's to a good one!

Flame and Thunder Show coverage.

23rd October: Eurodragster.com will be at Santa Pod Raceway on Saturday to bring you the action from the Flame and Thunder Show in association with John Woolfe Racing.

We plan to post an end-day gallery courtesy of Julian and Diana, and the Webster Race Engineering/Nimbus Motorsport webcam will be on-line streaming live video with commentary/Nitro FM audio so long as the track is open. Thanks to M@ikel and our friends at Doyousee.me for the provision of streaming services.

We will post a direct Home Page link to our coverage as soon as it commences, but in the meantime you can check out our Flame and Thunder Show Event Index, which includes a link to the provisional timetable, by clicking on the picture at right, by clicking here, or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

If you are at Santa Pod on Friday then Nitro FM will be broadcasting between 18:00 and 21:00 on 96.2 FM at the track, and on-line everywhere at www.eurodragster.com/nitrofm.

100E Challenges 2019 and 2020.
21st October: Nigel Taylor has been in touch with the results of the inaugural Modified 100E Challenge, whose final round took place at the NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod Raceway:

Stephen Brown, winner of 1300-2000 cc
Nigel Taylor, winner of 2001-3500 cc
Robert White, winner above 3500 cc
Paul Lorne, winner of Most Improved
Sean Doyle, winner of Best Reaction
Garth Wong, winner of Fastest Car

Full credit to the organisers Scott Colin - who now has a ten-second car! - and to Sean Doyle for all of their hard work and for keeping everyone together and up to date.

The 2020 Challenge is shaping up well with a lot of new cars being built with all sorts of combinations. A new points scheme will be put in place for the new season. All of the rounds will take place at Santa Pod Raceway:

Round 1: NSRA Nostalgia Nationals, 7th-10th May
Round 2: The Retro Show, 20th-21st June
Round 3: The Ford Show, 4th-5th July
Round 4: Mopar EuroNationals, 31st July-2nd August
Round 5: NSRA Hot Rod Drags, 18th-20th September

Other events include a chill-out weekend at the excellent NSRA Supernats at Old Warden Park, and a possible invite to a drag race on the Isle of Man.

If you are interested in getting involved with a superb bunch of like-minded 100E lovers then you can contact Scott Colin or Sean Doyle on the Modified 100e Facebook page, or Scott can be contacted at modifiedford100e@gmail.com. If you haven't got the time or skills to build a 100E before the new season then check out the new Facebook site Unusual car sales UK where you can currently find five modified 100Es for sale.

Big thanks to Eurodragster.com and Colin Theobald for all of the mentions of the 100E Challenge (Thanks, you're welcome - Ed), and thanks to Callum Pudge, Monika Szilli, Kenzie Taylor and all the others for their photos.

Swift snippets.
21st October: Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street Machine magazine, including bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers. You can check it out by clicking on the images below.

Many thanks to Bianca Booij for sending us a season review from Michel Tooren and The Netherlands' Pro Dutch Racing Pro Modified team. You can check it out (PDF format) by clicking here.

Regular Eurodragster.com contributor and European Top Gas racer Herman Jolink tells us that he is already keeping himself busy in the off-season, taking his "Old lady" Ducati Bevel Mille S 2 to a meeting of the Ducati Club Netherlands and getting to grips with his new milling machine.

Editor's note: Apologies for the long break between news updates. Your News Editor has been unwell but as friends and longtime readers can attest he is not normally one for posting private business on social media; you can find plenty of career attention-seekers on Facebook if that's your bag. Many thanks to those who got in touch to express concern. Recovery is continuing, and please be assured that there is very little which could stop this Saturday's Flame and Thunder Show coverage.

Web site updates.
21st October: We were very pleased to hear from our good buddy Alan Currans of a welcome update to his excellent Acceleration Archive, namely a new photo page featuring Mark Gredzinski's unique combination of artwork, model making and photography. You can take a look via the What's New link at www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk.

Hall of Fame Bench Race line-up.
14th October: The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala, to be held on 23rd November at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey, will again be preceded by the popular Bench Racing session, starting at 12:30pm lasting for two hours, and sponsored by US Automotive and Kelsey Media, publisher of Custom Car magazine. In the four previous years, a varied panel of US and European legends entertained a packed audience with their stories and views on the sport in the afternoon prior to the main Gala dinner and presentations in the evening.

The BDRHoF is delighted to announce that the Bench Racing session will again be held in the Terrazza at Oatlands Park Hotel and will mark the presentation of the Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award to Bill Simpson, who has done so much to improve safety in drag racing. Bill's companies have introduced many innovations in the sport to safeguard racers, officials and spectators.

This year's Bench Race will contain many hair-raising tales of the exploits of members of the panel and include discussion of safety in the sport. The Bench Race panel will be chaired by broadcaster, announcer and writer Bob Beck, who has been at the mic for a wide variety of motor sport disciplines, but is best known for announcing at Famoso, Los Angeles County and Irwindale Raceways. The panel members include individuals from the US who have had a huge amount of drag racing experience over the last sixty years:

Steve Gibbs, who as Vice President, Competition, with the NHRA organised the Safety Safari and over 400 NHRA National Events;
Doug Herbert, four time IHRA Top Fuel Dragster champion and 10 time NHRA event winner;
Ron Hope, owner and driver of the Rat Trap Fuel Altered which has raced around the world;
'Waterbed' Fred Miller, one of the most respected tuners in drag racing who was a key member of Raymond Beadle's Blue Max Funny Car team;
Dan Richins, who in 1973 was the eighth Top Fuel Dragster racer to join the prestigious Cragar Five Second Club; and
Bill Simpson, founder of Simpson Performance Products and of Impact! Racing, who introduced many innovative products such as the modern fire suit, driver restraint systems and helmets, and the drag racing parachute.

BDRHoF Chairman Stuart Bradbury said "Many thanks go to our main supporter Geoff Stilwell for putting together this year's panel, which I am sure will include some tremendous stories and highlight the achievements made by Bill Simpson and others to progress safety in the sport."

Pre-booking is not necessary for the Bench Racing session is necessary, and attendance is not restricted to those coming to the Gala Awards Dinner. In view of the limited time available, we would appreciate attendees remaining in their seats for the duration of the Bench Racing session.

The 2018 Gala Awards Dinner is almost sold out but you can make a reservation by E-Mail at stuart@britishdragracinghof.co.uk or by telephone on 01933 279102. Tickets, which include table wine, are priced competitively at £70 each. The rates for hotel rooms are £115 for double rooms and £94 single which includes breakfast and VAT as well as parking. On receiving your reservation you will be given the procedure to book rooms.

Ongoing news about the Gala, sponsors and other events in which the BDRHoF is involved is regularly published on the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame web site www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk, here on Eurodragster.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.

Swift snippets.
14th October: To facilitate weekend events, Street Fighter Productions have moved their no-prep runway events from Tibenham Airfield in Norfolk to Deenthorpe Airfield in Northamptonshire, with the first event scheduled for Saturday-Sunday 2nd-3rd November. You can find out more including entry fees and how to enter on the Street Fighter Productions Facebook page.

Web site updates.
14th October: Our good friend Steve Moxley has had STP Green Light Nationals and FIA/FIM European Finals reports published on the ACU web site at www.acu.org.uk.

At their end-of-season party, Motorsport UK British Drag Racing Champion Marck Harteveld and The Netherlands' Voodoo Hemi Pro Modified team announced that they will contest the full FIA European Championship tour in 2020. You can read more courtesy of our good friend Remco Scheelings on the Drag Racing Europe Blog by clicking here.

Catch trays for VW Pro in 2020.
9th October: Thanks to Paul Jackson of the Volkswagen Drag Racing Club for letting us know of a rule change for VW Pro starting next season:

It has been decided that it will be mandatory for all cars in VW Pro to be equipped with an underbody catch tray to minimise oil downs, and speed up track clean ups. Whilst this isn't a Motorsport UK rule requirement, the VWDRC feel that we should be making all endeavours to assist Santa Pod Racers Club with the running of events, and we hope that other Clubs will follow our lead.

If you have any queries then you can contact VWDRC via their web site at www.vwdrc.com or via the Club's Facebook page.

British Junior Club formed.
9th October: Graham McDonald writes that a British Junior Dragster Club has been formed:

The main reason for existing is to bring together what was normally just thirty-plus individual teams, and that's fine if that's your preferred way, but in gauging interest forming a Club we have had discussions with different Crew Chiefs and teams in general about the possibility of group purchases of fuel and oil, setting up Club-owned race wear which could be loaned out to kids... the list goes on but in general we could do so much more as a group of like-minded racers, and the sky's the limit.

We have yet to write a mission statement but I'm sure that it will include the prospect of bringing the British Junior Dragster Club to a worldwide audience, both in the media and by racing around the world as much as possible. I personally see the British Club being just one part of a wider network which will start in England but which will encompass the surrounding countries to be part of one big Junior drag racing community: after all we are all about drag racing and we need to push the Juniors more because, as everyone rightly says, they are our future. You only have to look at our young Junior racers who have gone on to kick ass in the bigger classes - I don't mean any disrespect to the more experienced drivers out there, but I think you'll agree that good things are ahead for drag racing in general if the ex-Junior racers in the bigger classes are anything to go by. We are building our future right here, right now, and long may it succeed as we are going forward and not backwards. So it is a perfect time to create a Club for the Junior drag racers.

Already we are organising off-season events to bring the racing teams together over the winter months. Hopefully we will create mentors to help the younger teams and drivers to get through their first years in the sport.

I would also like to invite all Eurodragster.com readers to come on board to help promote Junior drag racing, both cars and bikes, to a wider audience. If you have any expertise in any aspect of the media or have a skill or product which would fit into the overall promotion of Junior racing then I would ask that you contact the Club through the British Junior Dragster Club Facebook page.We have had very positive comments and we are open to any suggestions both positive or negative as we can all learn from mistakes. In the end we are going to progress and bring through this new breed of drag racers to be the future stars of tomorrow both in England,Europe and elsewhere.

Linda Miller to attend BDRHoF Gala.

9th October: The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that Linda Miller, daughter of Rocket Funny Car legend Slam'n Sammy Miller, will attend the BDRHoF Gala at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on Saturday 23rd November. Linda has been eager to make the trip for a couple of years and has at last been able to reorganise her schedule to make it possible.

Europe became the beneficiary of the NHRA clampdown on rocket-propelled vehicles and Santa Pod's fans in particular took Sammy Miller to their collective hearts. He made his UK début in the Vanishing Point Vega in 1978 and ran the first four-second and 300 mph passes outside the USA in 1978 and 1979.

Although she never saw her father race the cars which made Sammy such a legend in the UK Linda remembers him as a great father, cooking food his children loved, watching the movies they chose, and doing anything to make the ones he loved happy. And when they weren't happy he was able to bring a smile back to their faces with his inimitable Donald Duck impressions. Linda was thirteen when Sammy was taken from us and she strives to keep his memory alive, helped by his many fans. Linda is very much looking forward to meeting some of those fans first-hand in November.

Web site updates.
9th October: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr gallery with a gallery from the Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod Raceway. You can check out Mad's shots at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.

Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed a change to our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Event Coverage schedule, namely the addition of a Webster Race Engineering/Nimbus Motorsport webcast from the Flame and Thunder Show at Santa Pod Raceway on Saturday 26th October. This is in addition to the end-day gallery planned for that event.

VWDRC Heads-Up 3 result.
6th October: Congratulations to Diogo Inacio who took the win in VWDRC Heads-Up 3 at today's GTi Festival at Santa Pod Raceway:

Diogo Inacio 9.6475/139.97 def. Luis Silva 10.8597/124.76

Congratulations also to Sam Chisholm-Brown who desite being put out of competition with severe engine damage yesterday took the VWDRC Heads-Up title for 2019.

You can check out out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored VWDRC Heads-Up 3 qualifying and elimination results by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

SPRC Dinner Dance hotel update II.
5th October: Further to our news item of 20th September, Yvonne Tramm has been in touch with another update about room bookings for the Santa Pod Racers Club Dinner Dance and Trophy Night which takes place in Milton Keynes on Saturday 1st February 2020:

I understand that a lot of attendees have been experiencing problems using the web site to book rooms and some have been told that all the rooms at the preferential price have gone. We had an allocation and they have allowed us to go over that figure, however it appears that there is a big event on the same night and a number of rooms have been allocated there. If there are any rooms left they will, unfortunately, be at a higher price, I am sorry that I cannot push it further and increase our allocation. I have just been on the hotel's web site, put in the preferential code GSPRC2 and was offered double rooms at Ł109/110 so give it a try

As an alternative there are several Premier Inn hotels a couple of miles away, with rooms from £35.

If you have any queries then please get in touch with Yvonne at trammyd5@gmail.com.

2020 FIA Championship calendar.
4th October: Many thanks to Lars Pettersson of the FIA Drag Racing Commission and Drag Racing Europe AB for letting us know that the FIA's World Motor Sport Council has confirmed the 2020 FIA European Drag Racing Championship calendar. Note the change of order of rounds:

22nd-25th May: FIA/FIM Main Event, Santa Pod Raceway, UK
4th-7th June: Tierp Internationals, Tierp Arena, Sweden
13th-16th August: Summit Internationals, Tierp Arena, Sweden
28th-30th August*: NitrOlympX, Hockenheim, Germany
10th-13th September: FIA/FIM European Finals, Santa Pod Raceway, UK

Drag Racing Europe AB say that the Finnish Hot Rod Association have decided not to hold an FIA Championship round in 2020. "In 2019, the move to the new track in Kauhava took a lot of effort and we need some time to make sure we can be a successful part of the FIA Championship again in 2021", said FHRA Chairman Lasse Koskinen. "This will give us the opportunity to improve the Kauhava facilities to better meet the needs of the European Championships. We look forward to getting back to calendar on 2021." The board of Drag Racing Europe will continue to communicate with the FHRA to look towards the future and the return of Finland to the FIA European Drag Racing Championship.

*FIA have the NitrOlympX listed as a four-day event; it is in fact three days

VWDRC Heads-Up 3 coverage.
4th October: Eurodragster.com will be at Santa Pod Raceway on Sunday to bring you the results from the final round of VWDRC Heads-Up in association with John Woolfe Racing.

Our coverage will consist of reports and results updated after each qualifying and elimination round, and the Webster Race Engineering/Nimbus Motorsport webcam will be on-line broadcasting video and commentaryt/trackside audio so long as the track is open.

We will post a direct Home Page link to our coverage as soon as it commences, but you can bookmark and/or share the webcast landing page by clicking here or by clicking on the WRE/Nimbus webcam link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Hall of Fame fête Junior Champions.
4th October: This year's UK Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike Champions will be celebrated at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on Saturday, November 23rd.

Santa Pod Racers Club, Atlantic Fluid Tech, Mopar Muscle Association, US Automotive, and the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame will sponsor two tables for the top three on four wheels and two, who will be guests along with their parents. It is an occasion they all look forward to and we must thank our sponsors for supporting the event and the Junior drag racing classes in this unique way. Before the evening dinner they will be introduced to many of the drag racing legends at their own reception and later inviyed on to the stage to receive the applause of the audience attending the event. The Champions of Junior Dragster and Junior Bike will each presented with a cheque for £100 donated by the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Voodoo Hemi's Championship season.

2nd October: The Netherlands' Marck Harteveld and the Voodoo Hemi Pro Modified team took the 2019 Motorsport UK British Drag Racing Championship after a year of ups and downs. The team got in with a review of a varied but ultimately successful season:

We started the our first race at Santa Pod, the Festival of Power, with mixed feelings. After more than a year of hard work to fix the Superbird after last year's crash at the Dooslammers, it was kind of weird again to be at the start (line) of a new season. And what a season it was!

Together with Pro Dutch Racing we got in touch with Adam Lambert from the USA to help us tune the updated chassis and shocks, which gave us a good start of the season. At the Festival of Power we ran a best of a 6.07 and ended second in the Motorsport UK Pro Modified Championship after the weekend. Not a bad way to start the season after a year of working our butts off.

During the FIA Main Event we finally got our first five-second run, something we were aiming for of course. This 5.95 got us in the #8 spot for the weekend. At the SPRC Summernationals we qualifieid #1 with another five-second run, 5.97 this time. We got into the final with some good runs and won it as well with a 6.04, a good weekend for Championship points. Next on to the Mopar EuroNats where we took the #2 spot during qualifying, Sunday's elimination day was good for us taking another win in the final.

The next stop was the NitrOlympX at Hockenheim. We went there with the idea of doing some more testing with the chassis/suspension adjustments to see if we could improve again, and to see what worked best for us. All went well and got us #6 spot during qualifying with a 6.0 run. We won the first round but lost in the second round against David Vegter in a nice close run. We learned a lot that weekend which we brought along to the European Finals at Santa Pod. The European Finals went a bit differently than we expected as we couldn't get the power to the ground. Despite some changes we repeatedly hit tyre shake, whatever adjustments we madeo we couldn't beat the fantastic air and bite of the track. We couldn't manage better then #17 in qualifying so no racing for us in eliminations. That was a bummer for all of us!

Clearly something had to be changed for the STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod, and after some drastic changes in the suspension with the help of Yoeri Woudenberg we got it going again! Number one spot in qualifying so that was a good start to the weekend improving our points lead over Kev Slyfield. It would have been a thriller of a Sunday to see who became the Motorsport UK Pro Modified Champion in 2019, but during the first round of eliminations, right before it was our turn, rain started to pour down and didn't stop. After a couple of hours it became clear that the rain wouldn't stop in time, so the event got called off.

This made us the 2019 Champion, but it's a weird way to become Champion without a real race day, and without the tension and adrenaline of eliminations. In the end we had our ups and downs, and did what we could, and it was a great challenge with Kev Slyfield chasing us time after time. But we stayed ahead and this won us the 2019 trophy.

We would like to say a big Thank You to everybody who helped us out, sponsored our team and cheered for us, as well as the whole team and the ladies behind them making this year possible. We couldn't do it without you all, so thank you!

Web site updates.

2nd October: The seventh issue of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame's on-line magazine HoFTalk, and its first from new Editor Jerry Cookson, is now available. HoFTalk 7 covers this year's Hall of Fame intake, events, news and updates from inductees. You can check it out by clicking here, by clicking on the picture at right, or by clicking on the Features, Interviews, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

UK Tech Committee meeting update.
30th September: Further to last Tuesday's news item, Yvonne Tramm asks that anyone intending to attend the UK Tech Committee Meeting on Sunday 13th October let either her or Ian Marshall know by close tomorrow (Tuesday). This is to allow SPRC to organise catering.

You can E-Mail Yvonne at trammyd5@gmail.com and or Ian at ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

Buy a rig, Bloodwise benefits.
30th September: UK Pro Modified racer Wayne Nicholson is selling his race rig (Pro Mod not included, nice try though - Ed) and upon sale will be donating £500 to Bloodwise.

The details are as follow (also to be found on our Jeff Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet):

Renault Premium Rigid Box Body, 18 Tonne down plated to 15 Tonne for cheaper road tax, 30-foot box body with 1500KG tail lift, converted ten years ago for our use. 18-foot car area with shelving, separate living and sleeping area, cassette toilet, sink, cooker, fridge, lots of cupboard, wardrobe, storage, removable dining table, 240v and 12v lighting, water heater, insulated living area. Lots of outside belly lockers and storage space. Mains hook-up.

Complete with 6m x 4m awning , pit lighting, pit flooring, pit tables, compressor etc etc. Stainless wheel covers, exterior sun visor, sleeper cab. The mileage is 404,000 km which is 251,000 miles. Six-speed manual box, regular oil changes (Lucas) , recent new clutch, exhaust, front tyres, batteries, Prop joints. Removable tow bar etc etc.

Very reliable, economical and cheap to insure and tax. £356 per year insurance with agreed value and mileage, £205 year road tax. Class 2 licence is needed.

The rig is priced at £17,995 of which £500 will go to Bloodwise.

If you are interested then you can contact Wayne at waynenicholson@btinternet.com.

Swift snippets.

30th September: Robin Jackson writes that Santa Pod Raceway's recent FIA/FIM European Finals has been a productive event for coverage in the mainstream motoring media. In addition to items published in the weekly magazines Autosport and Autocar, the new November issue of Motor Sport features a report of the event's Top Fuel Dragster action headed by a group portrait of the four Top Fuel ladies photographed by Matt Woods. Those of an engineering disposition might also be interested to read the magazine's cover feature on Porsche's 'monstrous' 1973 Can-Am sportscar entry, the 917/30, which in terms of power output and outright speed capability, bore some comparison with the Fuel dragsters of the day, before the dragsters headed off to another planet. Motor Sport is available from good newsagents, price £5.50.

Bloodlines season wrap.
29th September: Turboville Racing once again completed the whole 2019 UK National Super Pro ET Championship with the Bad Blood dragster for Bloodlines Racing. Ian Turburville writes:

Laura did well in all seven rounds and ended up a very creditable fifth out of fifty four cars, a great achievement in the most competitive class. Ian and Chris kept the car running well all year against the odds and on a minimal budget. No racing would have taken place without our team partners and friends who stepped up to the plate and supported our efforts so a massive thanks to Nottingham College, USAutomotive, Nefarious (RIP), DASH Racing (Sarah and Darryl), Trouble Racing (Marcus and Brigitte), Rosita Trucking (Shaun and Rachel), RS safety Consulting (Rob Smith), Hi Speed Gas Racing (Stevie and Babs Saunders), G-Max Racing Fuels, Voodoo Hemi Racing, Cristiann Carlo, Nick Good, Crunch, Syd, Terry, Brum, Janne, Derek and everyone who lent a hand, bought a T shirt or contributed a couple of quid to keep us going. Much appreciated all!

Ian also made a last-ditch attempt to help to save the Super Twin Top Gas class from relegation and it was a success but a one-off. He won the Saturday event at the Green Light Nationals after not having ridden since 2010.

The famous True Blood slingshot once again wowed the crowds at Dragstalgia with its cackles and push start giving the fans a taste of what nitro was like in the golden years of drag racing, when Dennis Priddle was king.

2020 is in question right now as most of the above were just one-off gestures so we need a new sponsor and more partners for next season. The engine in Bad Blood suffered some damage at the final race and will need a complete re-build over winter as will the transmission.

Please contact Laura or Ian via the web site or the Facebook racing page if you are interested, thanks.

STP UK National Finals numbers.
29th September: Thanks to Andy Marrs for forwarding us the official STP UK National Finals timing data which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Courtesy of Marrs' timing data we can confirm that Lucas Oil Junior Dragster racers Frankie Taylor and Thomas Cook-Abbott were the winners of the Bob's Photo Finish Award posted by longtime Eurodragster.com supporter Bob Roberts at the STP UK National Finals. Frankie and Thomas will each receive £50 from Bob for the 0.0006-second finish line margin, which equated to 0.78 inches, in their race in round one of eliminations. Many thanks to Bob for his support.

Many thanks to Ian King for letting us know that the final points standings in the 2019 ACU UK Drag Bike Championships are now showing on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com.

Swift snippets.
26th September: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the words "Spotted outside a body/paint shop". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.

Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street Machine magazine, including bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers. Sammy Miller fans will find Mike's update particularly interesting. You can check it out by clicking on the images above.

Editor's note: It has been a bit of a struggle this week, but three days at home beckon which will give us the chance for some rest and also to catch up with the outstanding news and classified ads.

UK Tech Committee meeting.
24th September: Thanks to Yvonne Tramm for letting us know that the next meeting of the UK Tech Committee will take place at 11:00 on Sunday 13th October at the Hilton Hotel in Northampton.

If you wish to attend can you please E-Mail either Yvonne at trammyd5@gmail.com or Ian Marshall on ir.marshall@btconnect.com so that catering arrangements can be made.

If you have any items for the agenda then please E-Mail either Yvonne or Ian as above.

Final Championship points.
24th September: Many thanks also to Yvonne Tramm and to our own Simon for forwarding us the final points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships and SPRC Club Championships.

You can check out the UK and SPRC points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

2019 UK Champions.
23rd September: Congratulations to the 2019 UK Champions:

Motorsport UK Pro Modified: Marck Harteveld
Comp Eliminator sponsored by Secret Worx: Andy Hone
Super Pro ET sponsored at the STP UK National Finals by Windscreen Wizards/Bloodwise: Brad Jackson
Pro ET sponsored by Modurstang: Team Dark Horse
Sportsman ET sponsored by Hutchinson & Dibley: Dan Holloway
Super Comp sponsored by Phoenix Personnel: Leah Kellett
Super Gas sponsored by the Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout: Simon Fulton
Junior Dragster sponsored by Lucas Oil Products UK: Matthew Dowdy
Street Eliminator sponsored by Topspeed Automotive: Andy Bond
Nostalgia Super Stock sponsored by NEM Plant Ltd: Neill Watkins
Wild Bunch: Callum Swinchatt
VW Pro: Paul Bargate
VW Sportsman: Jon Crawford
Outlaw Anglia: Scott Crookston
Outlaw Flat Four: Ian Clark

ACU Top Fuel Bike: sponsored by Banks Night Club: Steve Woollatt
ACU Funny Bike: Kars van den Belt
ACU Super Street Bike sponsored by Taylor's Trophy: Steve Venables
ACU Comp Bike: Louis Davies
ACU Junior Drag Bike sponsored by In Posterum: Liam Holgate
8.50 Bike sponsored by NMCN: Jay Roe
9.50 Bike: Richard Sawatzki
Supertwin Top Gas sponsored by Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure: Michael Gooding
ET Bike sponsored by Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure: Phil Pratt

2019 SPRC Club Bike Champions.
23rd September: Congratulations to the 2019 Santa Pod Racers Club Bike Champions. Please note that these are separate Championships from the ACU UK Drag Bike Championships, with a different points scoring system (also note that the Club standings posted yesterday were going in to the STP UK National Finals, not after - Ed).

Top Fuel Bike: Neil Midgley
Funny Bike: Kars van den Belt
Super Street Bike: Steve Venables
Comp Bike: Louis Davies
Junior Drag Bike: Liam Holgate

You can check out the final points standings in these Championships on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

The full points standings in the UK Championships are awaiting final ratification and will be posted shortly.

STP UK National Finals rained out.
23rd September: Yesterday's eliminations were rained out at the STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway. Fifty minutes after a rain-enforced late start, only possible through the tireless efforts of the track crew, racing was stopped by more heavy rain during Motorsport UK Pro Modified eliminations.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 UK Championships, and also to Junior Dragster racer Liam McDonald and Nostalgis Super Stock racer James Oliver who won this year's final Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award sponsored by the Twister Race Team respectively. The winners of the Bob's Photo Finish Award posted by Bob Roberts will be confirmed when we receive the official timing data, but it seems likely that the winners are Frankie Taylor and Thomas Cook-Abbott whose Lucas Oil Junior Dragster E1 race was decided by 0.0005 seconds or 0.78 inches.

You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored STP UK National Finals reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Swift snippets.
23rd September: We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to the fragrant Andy Marrs. Have a great day Marrs. A big Happy Birthday also to bike scrutineer and Steward Steve Johnson. Have a good day Steve.

2019 SPRC Bike Championships.
22nd September: Message from the Santa Pod Racers Club Executive Commitee:

It has been brought to our attention that due to an oversight the points for the 2019 SPRC Bike Championships have not been published on Eurodragster.com. This has now been rectified and we look forward to welcoming the winners and runners-up to the Annual Trophy Night in February 2020 to collect their trophies and jackets.

2020 SPRC Dinner Dance.
20th September: Santa Pod Racers Club are pleased to announce that their 2020 Dinner Dance and Trophy Evening will take place on Saturday 1st February 2020 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Stadium MK (map).

The arrangements are as follow:

Proceedings will start prompt at 7:00 pm; please be seated by 6.45 pm. There will be trophy presentations to the 2019 Club Champions and runners-up.

Dinner will be served at 7.15 pm.

After dinner, the 2019 UK National Champions and runners-up will be presented with their trophies, followed by the 2019 MSA British Drag Racing Championship top three, and finally the 2019 SPRC Perpetual Award winners.

Tickets for the Dinner Dance are £37.50 per adult and £20 for under-twelves, which includes a three course meal plus tea/coffee and mints. The main meal for children will be chicken nuggets and chips followed by ice cream.

For bookings of more than two people please write each guest's name and their menu choices on the back of the form.

If you have any special dietary requirements then please inform Yvonne at trammyd5@gmail.com and she will include them on the menu selection list for the hotel. Please do not approach the hotel yourself regarding special dietary requests.

You can download the booking form (PDF) by clicking here. If you wish to pay direct to the SPRC bank account please contact Yvonne Tramm for bank details at trammyd5@gmail.com. Please note that SPRC are unable to take payments using American Express cards. Booking forms should be sent to Yvonne Tramm at the address specified on the form and not to the SPRC office.

SPRC have negotiated a preferential rate for rooms in the hotel. These are £85 for a single room and £95 for a double or a twin room, including breakfast on Sunday morning. To book your room, please click here. SPRC have block-booked fifty rooms which will be available until 31st December after which date any rooms not taken up will be put into general availability and the preferential rate will cease.

If you have any queries about the Dinner Dance then please contact Yvonne Tramm, not the SPRC office, at trammyd5@gmail.com.

A Super Pro ET nail-biter.
19th September: Our good buddy Markus Münch writes that having clinched the French ATD Super Pro ET Championship, the UK's Billy Gane has a shot at the Drag Race Union Super Pro ET Challenge:

Oliver Petzold of Team Schumann Motorsports has a 70 point lead over Billy, who can score more points at the UK National Finals. When there is a 32-car field, there are 136 points up for grabs. Considering the 56 points which Billy earned at the European Finals, which will not count if he wins more points at the National Finals, he can gain 80 points in total. So if Billy wins the race he can catch Oliver. If not, then Oliver is the Champ. Or he needs to qualify eleventh or better. So it is still exciting.

All the action is brought to you by twenty one great drivers and teams, and of course the Drag Race Union.

If you want to be part of the Pro ET or Super Pro Challenge then be there in 2020... we will be, that's for sure.

Grumpy's latest last ride.

19th September: Paul Watson's latest retirement may be off after an enjoyable ride in Mick Taylor's Outlaw Anglia van at the NSRA Hot Rod Drags last Friday. Grumps writes:

This story started last year when my altered Grumpy's T blew its motor. Mick Taylor came up to me knowing my love for Pops and offered me a ride. Unfortunately it didn't come off last year but it was mentioned again this year. I mean who in their right mind does this (Me - Ed)? As most people know altereds and pops are notoriously unpredictable, so not something you offer or take on lightly.

The plan was to pop up on Friday, have the run then go back home. Although it was a squeeze I managed to get in and familiarise myself with everything. So, apprehensively, I started the burnout but everything was easy just a good car. The run was a non-gas run so no big dramas, I ran 9.6 short shifting.

I really felt at home with Mick's son Joe and Rob Chilton looking after me, so much so that I stayed all weekend! I can't say Thank You enough to Mick.

Rounding off in style.
19th September: The Supercharged Outlaws had a fantastic weekend at the NSRA Hot Rod Drags after a year featuring new teams and everyone pushing themselves to the limit:

There were many more tears and triumphant cheers at the season ender. Everyone should give themselves a pat on the back. A big thanks to Andy Fadster for being a great organiser and total supporter of the group, also to Jim Maher from Good Vibrations Motorsport for their consistent support.

This meeting was sponsored by Dave Two Lanes Armstrong in the memory of Pete Thomas; his daughter presented the trophies at the end. I personally look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Bob's Finals Photo Finish Award.
19th September: We are pleased to announce that longtime Eurodragster.com supporter Bob Roberts will again be posting the Bob's Photo Finish Award at this weekend's STP UK National Finals.

The Bob's Photo Finish Award presents £50 each to the racers involved in the closest race of eliminations at this weekend's event. The closest race will be decided upon distance rather than time since, for example, 0.001 seconds at 230 mph is further than 0.002 seconds at 110 mph. For this reason the official timing data will need to be consulted so the winners will be announced here on Eurodragster.com as soon as possible after the event and the winners will then be contacted for their preferred method of payment.

Bob's Photo Finish Award is open to all classes during eliminations only, and although Eurodragster.com decals are not mandatory we would appreciate if it they are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.

Web site updates.
19th September: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr gallery with a gallery from the recent Straightliners/No Prep event at Lancaster Raceway, East Kirkby. You can check out Mad's shots at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.

STP UK National Finals racer update.
18th September: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding details of the arrangements for this weekend's STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway:

Friday 20th September
08:00 Gates open for the duration of the event
10:00 Signing On office opens
10:00 Car scrutineering commences, no specific order (details)
17:00 Bike scrutineering commences, no specific order (details)

Saturday 21st September
07:00 Signing On office opens
07:00 Car scrutineering commences (details)
07:00 Bike scrutineering commences (details)
09:30 Track opens for qualifying

Sunday 22nd September
07:30 Signing On office opens
07:30 Car scrutineering commences
07:30 Bike scrutineering commences
09:30 Track opens for eliminations

The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other reason deemed necessary by race officials.

No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event, which in this context includes Friday. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.

Junior racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside Scrutineering.

Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary who is based in Signing On.

Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes, to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.

At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards. Please, no casual visitors during racing hours even if racing is on hold for clean-up or on other down time.

Two days at Tibenham.
18th September: Street Fighter Productions will hold their first weekend event at Tibenham Airfield in Norfolk on Friday-Saturday 18th-19th October. Previous events have been Friday only. Paul Marston writes that in addition to Street Fighter Productions' Run What You Brung, No Prep will be running two sixteen-car heads-up doorslammer races at the event:

Our doorslammer races will be heads-up, flashlight start with random pairings. There will be no rules other than safety, Run What You Brung and hope you brung enough. Tibenham is an eighth-mile no-prep track and is one of the very few remaining tracks that has no noise restrictions. This is a grass-roots deal and everyone is welcome for RWYB, cars or bikes.

Gate entry is £10 for spectators or crew, track fees for cars or bikes including driver/rider entry is £40 per day. Entry into any of the competitions organised by Tibenham themselves can be done on the day, at a small extra cost. Entry into the No Prep sixteen-car event is at a special price of £60, and the prize fund is £600 plus very nice and large trophies sponsored by Drag Race Engineering.

Gates open at 16:00 on Thursday 17th, overnight camping is available at £5 per night. There is a licenced bar and café on-site, and there will be a barbecue on the Friday evening to create a nice social atmosphere after a hard day's racing on the track. The track is open between 10:00 and 17:00 both days.

You can also purchase 108 octane race gas on-site at a very reasonable £1.95 a litre.

Tibenham Airfield is not far off the A140, postcode NR16 1NT (map).

For more details of how to register or how to enter, please E-Mail pmdragracing@gmail.com, call me on 07831 650230, or Like and follow No Prep Drag Racing on Facebook. For more information regarding events at Tibenham Airfield please Like and follow Street Fighter Productions on Facebook. Our thanks go to Street Fighter Productions for hosting us.

Support your local drag strip!

Cars sought for air show.
18th September: The organisers of Jet Fest, a vintage air show to be held at North Weald Airfield on Saturday-Sunday 28th-29th September, are seeking street or race cars from the 1950s-1990s to complement the jets which will be flying in for the biggest vintage show in the country.

Free entry tickets are on offer to those who bring a car, and lunch will also be provided. As notice is relatively short the aim is to hold the main car day on the Sunday but if exhibitors want to attend both days then the organisers would be delighted to accommodate in any way they can. In addition, there is a plan to light the aircraft and cars for a dusk photo shoot. There will also be Spitfires and other WW2 planes on display.

You can find out more information about the event by searhing Jet Fest 2019 on Facebook. If you are interested in bringing your car for a day out with a difference then call Paul on 07831 650230 or E-Mail pmdragracing@gmail.com.

Swift snippets.

18th September: Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Robinson and the whole Anger Management Pro Mod team would like to thank everyone who bid on the various items of the Camaro body recently. "We raised a good chunk of money which will go towards the new race car and getting back on to the track as soon as we can", says Stefani Fisher. "Andy was very humbled by how many people were interested in winning memorabilia from the race car, he and the entire team are beyond grateful. When we decided to do the auction for the body we also chose to keep back two pieces. These pieces have been donated to this weekend's charity auction for Bloodwise, and although we won't disclose what these pieces are just yet, one piece in particular is pretty special and has a lot of history with it - we really hope these can raise a good chunk of money for a very good cause."

Comp Bike racer Dave Batcheler tells us that his two crew Rhys and Tyler Batcheler will be playing in the charity football match for Bloodwise at Santa Pod Raceway on Saturday evening. "Please come down and support them and watch these two stars play for this great charity", says Dave. "They have helped me for many a year and now it's their turn to shine. So please come down to watch and donate for a good cause."

Thanks to Andy Marrs for forwarding us the official NSRA Hot Rod Drags timing data which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Marrs has also updated his table of UK and European Bests with those UK and track records set at the weekend. You can take a look by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

STP UK National Finals Perfect Awards.
18th September: £100 is up for grabs at this weekend's STP UK National Finals courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors.

This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by Super Pro ET racer Joe Kellett at the FIA/FIM European Finals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available in all classes during both qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing.

Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.

The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has been reset to £50 after it was won by Pro ET racer Gino Bernadine at the FIA/FIM European Finals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to run +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available in Windscreen Wizards/Bloodwise Super Pro ET, Modurstang Pro ET, Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, Phoenix Personnel Super Comp, Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only), VW Pro, SW Sportsman, the Wild Bunch, NEM Plant Lts Nostalgis Super Stock, NMCN 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, In Posterum Junior Drag Bike, Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Supertwin Top Gas, and Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect ET Award is presented in association with Andy Hadfield aka Fadster of the Twister Race Team.

Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.

Web site updates.
18th September: Paul Lister has updated his DragCarAnon photo site with pictures from the FIA/FIM European Finals. You can take a look at www.paullister.zenfolio.com.

2019 UK Championship outcomes.
17th September: The 2019 UK National Drag Racing Championships and ACU UK Drag Bike Championships, both of which complete at this weekend's STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway, have been more diverse and more substantial than in 2018. Additional Championships have been held at meetings with Motorsport UK permits for classes which previously only had their own series and, thankfully, fewer races have been marred by rain this season. Our own Simon, who with Yvonne Tramm co-ordinates the UK Championships, writes:

Marck Harteveld leads the Motorsport UK Pro Modified going into this weekend's final round, after wins at the STP Summernationals and Mopar Euronationals and a runner-up at the Festival of Power. His closest competition is Kev Slyfield, who couldn't capitalise on Marck's DNQ at the FIA/FIM European Finals and who lies just 16 points, or less than one round win, behind him. Every point will be precious, so undoubtedly both will try for five-second performance as well as round wins.

Secret Worx Competition Eliminator, with expanded numbers this year, is a close battle between multiple Champion Andy 'Fred' Hone, Jordan Payne and Kev Perkins with 100 points between the first two, and Kev a further 30 behind Jordan. Qualifying positions as well as round wins will make a difference.

Congratulations to Leah Kellett for winning the Phoenix Personnel Super Comp Championship. Leah has had three UK wins this season and added to them with a triumph at the NitrOlympX. The Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout has four main contenders: Simon Fulton who is 180 points ahead of Collin Morrice, David Fulton a further 170 points back, and Andy Harrison, who missed out on the all-rounds bonus, a further 170 points in arrears. With 670 points available, Simon will need to qualify better and go two rounds further than his rivals.

In Windscreen Wizards/Bloodwise Super Pro ET, Eurodragster.com brother-in-law Tom Atkinson in the Time is Money Cortina made a big move at the European Finals, winning the event and becoming Brad Jackson's only rival for this year's title. The gap is 410 points, a not-insurmountable hurdle but both racers will need to be on their game to capitalise on the other having problems. In Modurstang Pro ET the Huxleys' Team Dark Horse are closing in on their sixth Championship in the class, by way of wins at the Springspeed Nationals and Summernationals. Newcomer Ben Newsome has been in contention ever since he won the Festival of Power and he had another big win at the European Finals. Ben is just over a round, 120 points, in arrears, and a further 210 points back is Will Clark. Behind these are other racers who could garner a runner-up position if more than one of the top three stumble.

Dan Holloway leads Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET, with our own Kirstie Tramm in second place in the 50 Shades of Green Racing Camaro, 420 points behind Dan and 430 points ahead of Gary Lake in third. With a large field competing, it is possible for any of the top three to swap adjacent places if one wins four more rounds and qualifies much better than the other.

Matthew Dowdy is within 20 points of securing the Lucas Oil Junior Dragster Championship; 990 points are available and Matthew is 970 points ahead of Frankie Fordham. Qualifying above the bottom of the field will be enough for Matthew, whereas Frankie is 700 points clear of Tom Kaye and Kai Cooper who occupy joint third place.

Andy Bond has won the the Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator Championship: congratulations to Andy and team. Joe Stevens, who has withdrawn, is 500 points ahead of Ashley Cooper with 750 points available.

A couple of bike titles are already decided so congratulations to ACU Comp Bike Champion Louis Davies and Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Super Twin Top Gas Champion Michael Gooding for accumulating sufficient points in their respective classes.

ACU Top Fuel Bike, sponsored by Banks Nightclub, has a field of five bikes. Steve Woollatt is once again leading the Championship, however Neil Midgley is only 15 points behind, less than one round of racing and equivalent to two qualifying places or the 25 points for quickest ET or fastest speed. 290 race points are available so this could go down to the wire.

ACU Funny Bike is led by Kars van den Belt, and with 520 points available and second-placed Dave Batcheler 445 points behind, a win of one round of racing will secure Kars his first ACU Championship. ACU Super Street Bike, sponsored by Taylor's Trophy, is led by recently-crowned FIM Europe Champion Steve Venables. Steve leads Garry Bowe by 420 points with Graham Balchin a further 20 points back and Dave Smith another 15 points in arrears. Eleven bikes are entered, meaning that, excluding records, there are 460 points available with three rounds of racing. Qualifying above eighth place, or one round win regardless of where he qualifies, will secure Steve the Championship.

ACU Junior Drag Bike, sponsored by In Posterum, is led by Liam Holgate who is close to securing the Championship as he is 440 points ahead of FIM Europe Champion Blade Dummer with 450 points available. So signing on will secure Liam the Championship.

NMCN 8.50 Bike is led by Jay Roe with a 160-point lead over Alan Morrison. 780 points are available including Perfect ET points. Ian Chrichlow is a further 30 points back. Jay will need to win the event to secure the Championship, whereas Alan or Ian will need to qualify and win the event and rely on Jay qualifying poorly and going out early to take the lead. 9.50 Bike is led by multiple Champion Richard Sawatzki by a margin of 180 points over Craig Wright, and 280 points over Alan Morrison Jr, both of whom are in their first season in the class. 780 points are available and so Richard will need to win to secure the Championship, and Craig or Alan will have to rely on each of the others having problems to gain the title.

Double Champion Phil Pratt leads triple runner-up Gary Hester in Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike. Phil leads by 480 points with 760 available. Phil will need to qualify in the top four and win one round of racing to secure the Championship.

In the SPRC Club Championships, Scotty Crookston has won the Outlaw Anglia Championship so congratulations to Scotty and team; the SPRC Championship tie-breaker was decided on who had the most round win points. In UK Nostalgia Super Stock, Neill Watkins is leading Eurodragster.com sponsor Nic Williams by 220 points with 770 points available. Nic will need to go a couple of rounds further than Neill to take the Championship, and Neill needs to win, or qualify first and go to the final to be sure of the title. In the Wild Bunch, Callum Swinchatt is 530 points ahead of Philip James with 620 points available, so to secure the Championship Callum must either qualify first or win one round of racing.

In VW Pro, Paul Bargate leads Carl Goldmith by 80 points with 780 points available, so to win the Championship Carl needs to qualify better than fifth and to win the event. Jon Crawford has a 590-point lead over Holly Sanders in VW Sportsman with 770 points available, so Jon needs to win one round to secure the title. In Outlaw Flat Four, what was already a three-round Championship was effectively reduced to just two by the rain-out at Bug Jam, and so the Championship is still very open. Ian Clark, who is leading, can secure the Championship by qualifying in the top two and getting to the final, or by winning the event regardless of qualifying position.

You will be able to stay in touch with all the Championship developments at the STP UK National Finals via our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Event Coverage.

Passenger ride GoPro loan sought.
17th September: Race fan and Eurodragster.com reader Steve Evett is seeking the loan of a GoPro camera to record his passenger ride in Santa Pod Raceway's Two Seat Dragster this Saturday (21st).

If anyone would be willing to loan Steve a GoPro for his passenger ride then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com and we'll put you in touch. The Two Seat Dragster has GoPro Mounts so please be assured that we are talking neither string and sealing wax nor a wing and a prayer.

NSRA Hot Rod Drags results.
16th September: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod Raceway:

Outlaw Anglia: Simon Barlow 7.9547/174.40 bye, Scotty Crookston shut off
Wild Bunch: Pete/Rob Brown, average dial-in variance 0.0409 seconds
Gasser Circus: John Grant (11.44) 11.4680/110.13 def. Sean Milsom (9.98) 10.0640/131.35
Outlaw Anglia Bracket: Shane Bird (12.10) 13.0323/81.71 def. Rob Turrington (12.85) 14.0636/89.62
Tri Chevy Shootout: John Dewey 9.6153/136.87 def. Ben Smith 13.0365/104.72

The following records were set, congratulations to:

Outlaw Anglia ET: 7.243 seconds, Colin Millar
Outlaw Anglia speed: 193.72 mph, Simon Barlow

Congratulations also to Scott Crookston and to Sean Milsom who won the 2019 Outlaw Anglia and Gasser Circus Championships respectively.

You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored NSRA Hot Rod Drags results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Ady Randle's funeral.
15th September: Thanks to Mike Lacey for forwarding details of Ady Randle's funeral, which will take place at 15:00 on Monday 30th September at the North Wiltshire Crematorium:

Swindon Road
Royal Wootton Bassett
Swindon
SN4 8ET

Map

All are welcome. Dress to be race-oriented, please. No flowers but if you would like to make a donation in Ady's memory then please donate to the British Heart Foundation.

If you plan to attend then please let Mike know at modurstang@yahoo.co.uk so that he has a rough idea of how many are coming.

Bloodwise support National Finals.
15th September: Donna Fninegan of Santa Pod Raceway writes that for the fifth consecutive year Bloodwise will be supporting the STP UK National Finals in the drive to raise awareness and money for blood cancer. In an appropriate coincidence, September is also Blood Cancer Awareness Month:

I have again been in touch with the Regional Relationships Manager, Michael Clarke, and they are delighted that we continue to support them at National Finals. Michael will be sending me some promotional material for use during the event, so here is where I ask a favour. Whilst the charity football match and the auction are great fundraisers, let's not forget what makes us special and that is drag racing. I would love to send Michael photos after the event which showcase our wonderful sport so please feel free to E-Mail any photos to donna@santapod.com.

Likewise, if you upload any photos to social media, please tag Bloodwise using the following handles:

Twitter: @bloodwise_uk
Facebook: facebook.com/bloodwise.uk
Instagram: Bloodwise_UK
Google+: Bloodwise

Swift snippets.
15th September: UK Comp Eliminator racer Chris Orthodoxou asked us to say a big Thank You to Kev Slyfield for helping out several times over the FIA/FIM European Finals with obscure bits and pieces, Martyn Jones for the loan of expensive tools, Marcus Hilt for providing rocker parts, John Tebenham's team for the loan of a dial gauge, and Andy Robinson who helped out greatly several times, even staying in the trailer to nearly 01:30 on Sunday helping rebuild the B&J transmission. "Many, many thanks to all, top blokes all of you!", says Chris.

Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two FIA/FIM European Finals reports on the Autosport.nl web site. As ever there is a race report which you can check out by clicking here and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by clicking here.

A big Thank You to everyone who has sent best wishes to Mrs Tog after she broke a bone in her foot tripping up at home. Kay is as comfortable as she can be in the circumstances and is taking it easy, under protest.

Twelve to Five.

15th September: UK Pro Modified racer John Tebenham has made twelve full passes this season, with his first five-second run on the twelfth pass. "Amazing that the only damage was two valve springs", says JT.

"Hockenheim was a bit of a disaster, so we changed our game plan for the Finals and we were ready. I changed lanes on the Test Day, through tyre shake, but I had managed to run a 6.34 earlier in the day, so we were pretty much set.

"Two runs of 6.15 on the Friday and then a massive 6.03. The next pass was a 6.02, but it slipped the clutch in third gear. I was really disappointed in the 6.02 as the 6.03 was such a bad run! The car went up in the air, shook, and missed both shifts, so I knew that if we got our shit together it would do a five.

"I approach everything as a business, so I wasn't surprised when we ran a five - I bought a 6.03 car off Marco Maurischat and have got probably the best tuner in the UK (Luke Robinson) to tune it. I'm not into thanking everyone but we were all great!

"On the first night of the start of Finals weekend we went for a full crew curry - even Andy Robinson came with us as there were no cars there for him to play with, and that surprised me more than the five!

"On a serious note I'd like to dedicate the five-second pass to Tim Mugridge, who is fighting hard. I say this from everyone in UK drag racing: we are all with you mate - keep fighting!"

Malmgren happy at three.
15th September: Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren says that he is happy enough with his number three spot in this year's FIA European Championship:

We came to the European Finals second in points but it was very tight as Robin Norén was only half a round behind us and Bengt Ljungdahl a round and three points behind us; those three points turned out to be a key factor.

As you all know we hurt our fast Gray engine at Hockenheim, and with two races left back-to-back we couldn't see an opportunity to get it fixed and back for the Finals, so we decided to run the rest of season with our back-up engine built by Bob Ingles in 2016. We managed to run faster than we could hoped for in qualifying with four solid runs in the 6.6 zone with best run at 6.60/209. Considering that we never got the clutch right for this engine, it slipped way too much on every run, we were very pleased with the performance of this engine; only Jimmy Ålund with Robin went quicker.

We earned more points than Bengt in qualifying, which we didn't expect, which meant that going into race day we had one round on him. We also raced Bengt in the first round but due to an oil spill on rear tire our run was over before it started. It's too bad as I cut a two hundredths better light so it could have gone either way. In the next round Bengt lost to Jimmy in a tight race which was good for usas we would stay in the top three in the Championship. Robin had a bye first in the first round when Simon Gustafsson broke on the start line, he also had a bye run in the second round as only five cars showed up, and in the final he beat Jimmy on a holeshot. I think I can say that Robin earned his runner-up spot in the Championship, Team Norén. Bottom line was a good and exciting race with three cars fighting for second, third and fourth spots.

It has been a learning year and we really got our black devil to run consistently in the second half of season with the changes we made at the mid point. This has given us some good momentum for 2020 and I am already looking forward to the Main Event at Santa Pod in 2020.

I couldn't do this without my sponsors Diamond Pistons, PAC Valve Springs, Trend Performance, VP Racing Fuels, MSD Performance, Motive/Richmond Gear, Strange Enginering, Victory Titanium Valves, ARP Fasteners, Auto Verdi Dry Sump System, Speed Pro, Fel Pro, Dynotech Driveshafts and Braswell Carburettors. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again at the PRI Show, thank you all.

Willinger on Drag Week.
15th September: Max Croot writes that Austria's Robert Willinger competed in this year's Hot Rod Drag Week with his '66 Nova:

The car runs a blown 572 motor with some key changes a modest exhaust, air filters, tow hitch and a vital cup holder. The car was shipped late in July via Amsterdam to New Jersey: The team faced some issues with hiring a suitable trailer to collect the car but eventually got what was needed and set up base. A suitable U-Haul trailer was also hired to tow behind the car to carry the week's parts. Amusingly the logo on the back of the trailer said Tow with any car! The team went through tech inspection on Sunday and had a long episode to replace a cracked brake rotor an amazing ten-hour trip to collect parts. They then faced the first meeting at Virginia Motorsports Park, day one of fice consecutive days' racing and 1,000 miles of driving between venues.

Monday started wet and racing was delayed until the afternoon. Robert ran a steady 9.55/142 then hitched up and drove 215 miles, via specified checkpoints, to a hotel near the next venue at Cecil County Dragway. The car ran hot with the heat and traffic, but was all ready for the next day's action. They were running on the road with the bonnet off to help manage the cooling.

Tuesday's runs at Cecil Dragway produced a 9.57, though Robert had to run twice due a timing system fault the first run resulted in a very good Top Fuel time!

It was then straight on to Atco Raceway, some 156 miles and a tortuous route around Philadelphia. This produced more heating issues as well as electrical gremlins and a tyre issue, though thankfully a spectator came to the rescue to enable Robert to make the strip for Wednesday's run the last one of the day just five minutes before the track closed. The team promptly hitched up and left for Thursday's venue - Maryland International Raceway around 190 miles away. At least there were some interesting sights on the way (above left).

Stay tuned for the final instalment.

European Top Gas Round 5 report.
15th September: Herman Jolink writes that the fifth round of the European Super Twin Top Gas Championship took place at the 26th Mosten Race Days at Allingaboro, Denmark, on the last weekend in August.

The track is a single-lane eighth mile so this round was held as a sprint. We had three qualifying rounds on the Friday then a fourth on Saturday morning. Qualifying:

Jorg Lymant De 4.728/237 kmh
Cord Albers De 4.797/240
Martin Buhler CH 5.196/226
Torbjorn Strom Swe 5.300/210
Anders Jensen DK 5.322/213
Fredrik Schack DK 5.605/200, still problems finding the right set-up
Lars Wahlqvist Swe 5.705/201
Chris van Nimmen Be 5.886/189
Jaakko Miettinen Fin 5.997/185, Personal Best
Gerd Caspari De 6.011/172
Andreas Herr De 6.045/193
Horst Petersen De 6.135/180
Carsten Hormann De 6.167/182
Sven Ole Schleichert De 6.243/182
Mats Larsson Swe 6.380/179
Christian Bruhn De 6.453/183
Jens Peter Hoffmeister De 6.454/174
Peter Jonas Junkergard Swe 6.587/173
Malte Foit De 6.869/158 kmh
Jorgen Godske DK 6.949/164
John Hansen De 7.528/161
Peter Niklas De 10.680/86

Final result:

Jorg Lymant De 4.710/236
Cord Albers De 4.746/240
Torbjorn Strom Swe 5.357/211
Martin Buhler CH 6.056/218

European Super Twin Top Gas Championship after five rounds:

Jorg Lymant De 3160
Cord Albers De 2610
Frederik Schack DK 2495
Martin Buhler CH 1850
Torbjorn Strom Swe 1820
Anders Jensen DK 1580
Janne Malmberg Swe 1140
Carsten Hormann De 1080
Olaf Menzi CH 990
Herman Jolink NL 990
Sven Ole Schleichert De 960
Andreas Herr De 940
Jaakko Miettinen Fin 810
Christian Bruhn De 740
Gerd Caspari De 670
Peter Niklas De 640
Mats Larsson Swe 530
Maik Kruger De 500
Jorgen Godske DK 440
Tim Kruger De 370
Jens Peter Hoffmeister 280
Horst Petersen De 250

Juniors fêted at Hall of Fame Gala.
15th September: Once again, the 2019 UK Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike Champions will be celebrated at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner, to be held at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on 23rd November.

Atlantic Fluid Tech, US Automotive, Santa Pod Racers Club and Mopar Muscle Association will sponsor two tables of ten for the top three Junior Dragster and Junior Bike with their parents. During the evening they will be introduced to many of the drag racing legends attending and asked on stage. The winners of each category will be presented with a BDRHoF cheque for one hundred pounds.

We thank our sponsors for supporting the junior classes and allowing the drag racing community to recognise the stars of the future.

Back to the Field of Dreams.
13th September: We were very pleased to hear courtesy of Sam Lewis that the annual Racers v SPR/SPRC Staff Charity Football Match is to return at next week's STP UK National Finals at Santa Pod Raceway. As ever the match will be the centrepiece of the annual drive to raise funds for Bloodwise.

The match will be played after qualifying finishes next Saturday evening. Collections will be held over the weekend and during the match, and the traditional auction will take place at half time. If you would like to donate items for the auction then please get in touch with Craig Wright via Facebook.

Swift snippets.
13th September: Many thanks to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for forwarding us updated points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships and SPRC Club Championships after the FIA/FIM European Finals. You can check out the UK and SPRC points on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

The Supercharged Outlaws have no less than nineteen cars entered for this weekend's Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod Raceway. The last event of their calander is sponsored by Good Vibrations Motorsport for the Quick Reaction award, and by Dave Twolanes in memory of a fellow racer from the past, Pete Thomas. A lot of teams have suffered damage this year and had been struggling to make it back to the track, but they have moved heaven and earth to come back with a vengeance. This should be a fantastic race meeting with the Championship open to several competitors.

Outlaw Anglias wrap up 2019.
13th September: Colin Millar writes that this weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags is the fnial round of the Outlaw Anglia Championship:

It has been such a great season, with thirty two cars running in the class with more new cars coming out next year. Outlaw Anglia is going from strength to strength and the numbers on the boards have been fast to say the least; who would have thought that an Anglia could run sub 7.5 seconds - unthinkable even five years ago but now it's a fact, and on a regular basis.

This weekend there are twenty seven cars entered fromstreet cars to full-blown race cars. The main point of the meeting to have as much fun as you can, which is guaranteed if you're around the Outlaw Anglia pits.

It's looking like a sixteen-car field this weekend. At least three teams have the ability to win the Championship, it's been a very long time since we went into the last round without somebody having a lead which was unreachable, so it's all to play for.

Its being the last round does make you turn up the power, and the weather looks favourable so we could potentially see some real quick rounds. Fingers crossed for Mick Taylor, I so want him to run his first seven, the same goes for Jeff Meads so close with an 8.0. Rob Stone is back on form and I think we will see him fly. Kim Harrison has some new tuning parts and a new parachute so has got to be fast, the Nixons are mixing it up with brother Rob in the driving seat so good luck to Rob, Mat Cooper (come on the Benders) is back fighting and as always chasing that number seven, who's driving The Gasser? Barry Crookston is sporting a new blue bottle in his car against his mother's wishes, fingers crossed for that low nine. Can Gary Bird propel Lucky Penny any quicker than the insane speeds and times he has run so far. Such a shame that Paul Hensher is not out there pushing us to the limit. Simon and Scotty will be battling it out and I can hopefully hang on in there, these young boys are hard to keep up with but as always we will all be trying our very hardest as it is what we do and why we do it. Is there a six out there? Who knows!

The Outlaw Anglia Bracket class will be back on the cards this weekend. I am looking forward to this as I actually get to see some OA racing which I never do, it's a great event to race in and to watch as there is often a very unlikely winner. Wait and see who comes through!

Good luck to all the Outlaw Anglia racers and good luck to all of the other invited classes as well as all the RWYB racers. Thanks to the NSRA, still pushing it forward, and I'm sure that as always Santa Pod will give us the best track and marshals they can. Have fun, be fast, and be safe... see you all real soon.

A legend returns.
13th September: This weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags marks the competitive return of someone whom Brian Nixon is considered a legend in Outlaw Anglia:

Without Rob Nixon, there might not be an Outlaw Anglia class.

Some of you may know that Rob is building a new race car with an anticipated return in 2020. Rob purchased a Chevy Blazer from Tony Betts as a parts car for Rob's new Anglia race car, and took advantage of an opportunity to race the Blazer in France. One pass and the passion was well and truly back. On his return, a long standing agreement to go through his brother Brian's (Brin's) Prefect race car got underway. The thirty-year-old year old race car was in need of some more current thinking as well as safety upgrades.

Work progressed and over a working weekend/family lunch Brian, having mulled over an idea, asked Rob whether instead of the planned Test Day drive how would Rob like to enter the event as the named driver? Brian's thinking behind this offer was two-fold. Not only as a thank you for the help, but it would be neat to see the brothers' names in the same Championship in the same year. Something which has never happened in the history of Outlaw Anglia.

Of course, none of this can happen without the help and understanding of the women in the brothers' lives, so a big thank you to Alison and Donna.

See you at the track.

Lacey's tribute to Ady Randle.

11th September: UK Modurstang Pro ET racer Mike Lacey writes that we lost a friend and racing colleague in Ady Randle at the weekend:

Saturday morning, unfortunately, Ady had a massive heart attack which took him from us all way too early. Ady was 49 years old and looking forward to his 50th birthday on 12th March next year, which he was going to celebrate at the Gatornationals. His first time to America and thus his first time to an NHRA event. He was so looking forward to the whole holiday, birthday and all the excitement of Florida and NHRA. He'd heard so many of our stories from US events and was going to bring back plenty of his own stories. He was good for that, telling stories.

Ady's laughter, loud mannerisms and plain stupidity, that made us all crease up with laughter all the time will sadly be missed. He was loved by all. A true lover of this sport. A home for him for too many years to count. If there was ever a place for him to go it would be at the Pod. As said so many times by so many of his friends on Facebook his heart and soul will be there forever.

As soon as I hear of any funeral plans I will let you all know.

Our thoughts are with Liam, Sue and Ady's family. Goodbye my friend. Ride with me forever. RIP.

FIA European Finals numbers.
10th September: Thanks to Huw Button for forwarding us the final points standings in the FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships, which you can check out on our OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Thanks also to Andy Marrs for forwarding us the official FIA/FIM European Finals timing data which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. As well as the European records listed yesterday, Marrs tells us that the following bests were set over the weekend:

European side-by-sides
Pro Modified ET: Jan Ericsson 5.8049 seconds v Dmitry Samorukov 5.8465 seconds
Super Street Bike ET: Steve Venables 6.8265 seconds v Garry Bowe 6.9734 seconds
Super Street Bike speed: Mogens Lund 208.17 mph v Steve Venables 216.85 mph

Santa Pod Raceway track records
Top Fuel Dragster ET: Maja Udtian 3.8068 seconds
Pro Modified ET: Jimmy Alund 5.7806 seconds
Top Fuel Bike ET: Filippos Papafilippou 5.6629 seconds
Super Twin Top Fuel ET: Marcus Christiansen 6.2338 seconds
Pro Stock Bike ET: Fredrik Fredlund 7.0289 seconds
Super Street Bike ET: Steve Venables 6.8042 seconds
Street Eliminator ET: Andy Bond 6.9035 seconds
Street Eliminator speed: Andy Bond 212.81 mph

In addition:

Jimmy Ålund is the first driver qualify #1 in two different FIA classes at the same event, and is also the first driver to set Low ET in two different FIA classes at the same event
Anita Mäkelä won the highest ever number of Top Fuel rounds in a single season, 14
David Vegter reached 50 round wins in Pro Modified
Mark Hope became the fiftieth Super Street Bike rider to win a round

Marrs has updated his table of UK and European Bests which you can check out by clicking here or by clicking on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Swift snippets.

10th September: Thanks to Lena Perés for letting us know that the 2019 EDRS Awards Banquet takes place at the Aronsborgs Konferenshotell at Bålsta in Sweden on Saturday 23rd November. You can find out more and place your booking at www.dragracingeurope.eu/banquet-2019. Bookings close on 23rd October.

If any UK racer should need a base at Pomona then Geoff Stilwell of BUA Motorsport has premises within ten minutes of the race track and within easy reach of all the main freeways going to all points of the compass. "I have a total of 4000 sq feet which I am looking to share", says Geoff. It has two double height roller shutters, is alarmed and on a secure site. It is a modern unit with office and shower. Fully equipped with storage, airlines and power. I can drive my whole rig in with ease and shut the roller doors. Loads of other racers or car people are on this site so if you need anything it can be done, from aluminium welding to painting. We are really near most of the main suppliers such as BAE, ISKY, Schott Wheels, Stage V, Pinks, Donovan etc etc. It will be a straight rent with no extras. For any budding UK racer who would like to race in the US this could be your chance". You can contact Geoff at geoff@beechunderwriting.co.uk.

Will McKenzie tells us that Dave 'Fuzzie' McKenzie will be back at the track at this weekend's NSRA Hot Rod Drags having been very poorly after a motorbike accident in July. "I would like to thank everyone for all of the good wishes, I know it put a smile on his face", says Will. "Mark, Aaron, Eddie, Lauren and I would like to say welcome back. And to all of the Supercharged Outlaws, thank you as always for the support."

Enter EFEst.
10th September: So when you have this idea, that has spanned years, and then mention it to an idiot with the enthusiasm to promote it a bit, to see if it can work, plus the total co-operation from some rather brilliant and enthusiastic people from Santa Pod Raceway. A plan was hatched, the word was spread, and interest was generated.

So what is Efest? Lizz Charman explains:

The idea was to see how many Suzuki EFEs we could gather in one place, and have a meet up of like-minded individuals. A tentative "Just putting it out there" enquiry on various forums met with so much interest that it had to be done. So after chatting to Donna Finnegan, who advised "The more the merrier", we made a club, got a date and now we wait!

The date is Saturday-Sunday 28th-29th September which is the Saturday night Special and The Jap Show Finale on the Sunday.

As it is the first ever EFE gathering in the UK, we decided it was to be predominantly a static display and a get-together, but there is also a RWYB on the Saturday for anyone wanting to get their EFE on the track. To put it mildly, it's gone mental! The interest has been huge, and to date we have a hundred EFEs booked and entered! The most that we have seen assembled was nine, unless anyone can contest this. This is going to be awesome!

It is not too late to be a part of it! But you need to be quick: call Santa Pod Raceway's ticket line on 01234 782828 andbook and pay for your tickets, quoting "Jap Show Finale EFEST", pay for weekend or the day, then message me at lizz@nitrousjunkie.com advising how many EFEs you are bringing, so that we can organise a vehicle pass for you.

The lovely Ian and Paula Blackett of Blackett Photography, resident photographers at Santa Pod, are on board and will be taking a group photo. They will also be on the track taking photos all weekend.

And with more generated interest, it could be huge... possibly the biggest EFE meeting ever!

Simpson's BDRHoF Achievement Award.

10th September: The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame has presented this year's Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award to Bill Simpson, founder of Simpson Performance Products and Impact! Racing.

The award was made in recognition of Simpson's pivotal role in raising safety standards and creating a safe environment throughout motorsport in general, and drag racing in particular. A former racing driver, Bill founded Simpson Performance Products and Impact! Racing. Safety innovations attributed to him include the modern fire suit, driver restraint systems and helmets, and the drag racing parachute.

The award was created in 2014 to recognize a person, team, company, institution/organisation or any other body that, in the opinion of the judges, has increased the awareness and stature of drag racing on a global basis or contributed to the technical development of the sport that has resulted in advances on a worldwide basis. Previous recipients of the award were, in 2014, Don Garlits, and then in 2015, the Mopar brand itself received it for its work in developing the Chrysler HEMI engine. In 2016, the National Hot Rod Association was honoured and in 2017, Steve Gibbs, former NHRA vice president and founder of the NHRA's Hot Rod Reunions, received the award. In 2018, the SFI Foundation, a non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for the quality assurance of speciality performance and racing equipment, became the fifth recipient of the award.

This year, FCA US LLC's Mopar brand becomes the new title sponsor of this award. Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) is the service, parts and customer-care brand for FCA vehicles around the globe. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of anti-freeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than eighty years to represent both complete care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Stuart Bradbury, Chairman of the BDRHoF, said "We are delighted to welcome the Mopar brand as our new title sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement Award, after remaining close to us since winning the award in 2015. The winner of this year's award, Bill Simpson, has done more than any other parts supplier to innovate the products that help save racers' lives."

Pietro Gorlier, Global Head of Parts & Service (MOPAR) said "We are proud to support an award that highlights the people or organisations that have helped develop the sport to the level it is today. The Mopar brand continues to be closely involved with drag racing in terms of vehicle development, technical support and competing in the National Hot Rod Association races. In the last year, more than 1.6 million spectators have attended the NHRA races in the US and over 80 million viewers have watched on TV showcasing its popularity."

Bill Simpson, member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, said "I am deeply honoured to be the recipient of the Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award. It's now fifty eight years since I first started experimenting using parachutes to stop cars from high speed, and over half a century since I first made a fire-resistant suit for drivers to wear. I didn't set out to make safety equipment, I just wanted to come up with something that would save lives. I was in the right place at the right time and I made a good quality product.

Attending this year's Gala and flying in from the USA is one-time Vice President of the National Hot Rod Association, Steve Gibbs. Steve, who has over fifty years' association with the sport, forty eight of those with the NHRA, will have the honour of presenting the Mopar Performance Lifetime Achievement Award to Bill Simpson.

2019 European Champions.
9th September: Congratulations to the 2019 European Champions, decided at the FIA/FIM European Finals with the exception of Jimmy Ålund who had won FIA Pro Stock after the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals:

FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Anita Mäkelä
FIA Top Methanol: Sandro Bellio
FIA Pro Modified: Jan Ericsson
FIA Pro Stock: Jimmy Ålund
European Nitro Funny Car Series: Kevin Chapman

FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike: Filippos Papafilippou
FIM Europe Supertwin: Marcus Christiansen
FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike: Fredrik Fredlund
FIM Europe Super Street Bike: Steve Venables
FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike: Blade Dummer

FIA/FIM European Finals results.
9th September: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's FIA/FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway:

FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Anita Mäkelä 3.8507/297.01 def. Liam Jones 4.9793/159.06
FIA Top Methanol: Manty Bugeja 5.3032/268.28 def. Sandro Bellio 5.6307/261.15
FIA Pro Modified: Jan Ericsson 8.1717/114.36 def. Jean Dulamon 8.2609/116.53 DQ red
FIA Pro Stock: Robin Norén 6.5860/209.04 def. Jimmy Ålund 6.5500/210.82
European Nitro Funny Car Series: Kevin Kent 4.9638/173.06 bye, Kevin Chapman no show
Nostalgia Funny Car: Tony Betts 6.4382/228.92 bye

FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike: Filippos Papafilippou 16.8865/55.967 bye, Al Smith no show
FIM Europe Supertwin: Marcus Christiansen 6.3380/218.97 def. Neil Midgley 8.4473/97.77
FIM Europe Pro Stock Bike: Martin Newbury 7.0537/189.91 def. Fredrik Fredlund 7.0479/186.61
FIM Europe Super Street Bike: Steve Venables 6.8042/216.85 def. Mogens Lund 7.0297/208.17
FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike Cup: Blade Dummer (8.41) 8.7331/75.581 def. Liam Holgate (8.22) 8.5647/78.97

Secret Worx Comp Eliminator: Robin Sattler (9.58) 8.9641/123.04 def. Andy Hone (7.95) 7.3663/185.70
Hauser Race Cars/CG Composites Super Pro ET: Tom Atkinson (8.73) 8.7646/154.13 bye, Brad Jackson (7.66) shut off
Modurstang Pro ET: Ben Newsome (11.60) 11.8752/114.06 def. Gino Bernadine (9.40) 10.1417/101.39 DQ red
Phoenix Personnel Super Comp: Leah Kellett 8.9449/159.62 def. Phil Bennett 9.0356/132.17
Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout: Collin Morrice 9.9053/135.22 def. Andy Harrison 9.9370/138.67
Lucas Oil Junior Dragster: Matthew Dowdy (8.29) 8.3386/77.09 def. Frankie Fordham (7.90) 7.9707/75.02
Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator: Andy Bond 7.1992/204.25 def. Mark Todd 14.8330/64.98 DQ red

Subject to official ratification the following records were set. Congratulations to:

FIA Top Fuel Dragster ET: 3.806 seconds, Maja Udtian
FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike ET: 5.662 seconds, Filippos Papafilippou
FIM Europe Supertwin ET: 6.299 seconds, Marcus Christiansen
FIM Europe Super Street Bike ET: 6.804 seconds, Steve Venables
FIM Europe Super Street Bike speed: 216.99 mph, Steve Venables
Street Eliminator ET: 6.998 seconds, Andy Bond
Street Eliminator speed: 212.81 mph, Andy Bond

We will bring you other records such as quickest side-by-sides once we have been through the official timing data.

Congratulations also to Super Pro ET racer Joe Kellett and Pro ET racer Gino Bernadine who won the Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and the Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team respectively. Both Awards have been reset to £50 for the STP UK National Finals.

You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored FIA/FIM European Finals reports, results, pit notes and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please join Tog in thanking Simon, Julian, Kirstie, Diana Macrae and Thaliah Gibb for their hard work over the race weekend.

Print media attend European Finals.

3rd September: Robin Jackson writes that journalists from three leading UK automotive magazines will attend the FIA/FIM European Finals on Saturday:

Not content with publishing a rare drag racing feature (on Anita Mäkelä) in its 22nd August issue, Autosport is going a unique step further by sending a staff outing to the race editor Kevin Turner, writers Matt Kew and Steven Lickorish. They will be joined in the grandstand by the Managing Editor of Autocar, Damien Smith, while the distinguished journalist Simon Arron will be on media duty representing Motor Sport magazine.

The group is sure to visit the pits, giving racers an opportunity to explain the dynamics of the straight-line sport to correspondents professionally versed in the corner-turning variety.

Swift snippets.
3rd September: Thanks to Gaute Lindskog for letting us know that Norway's Julia Wagner has become the world's youngest licenced Supertwin Fuel racer at eighteen years of age after completing her observed runs at the weekend. Congratulations Julia and best wishes for a long and successful career.

Many thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding us the final version of the official entry list for the STP UK National Finals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 21st-22nd September. You can check it out by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

FIA/FIM European Finals Perfect Awards.
3rd September: £100 is up for grabs at this weekend's FIA/FIM European Finals courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors.

This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been reset to £50 after it was won by NEM Plant Ltd Nostalgia Super Stock racer Tom Wakins at the Green Light Nationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available in all classes during both qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing.

Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.

The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has been reset to £50 after it was won by Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racer Holley Walters at the Green Light Nationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to run +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available in Modurstang Pro ET, Hauser Racing/CG Composites Super Pro ET, Secret Worx Comp Eliminator, Jon Morton Super Gas Shootout, Lucas Oil Junior Dragster (eliminations only) and FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect ET Award is presented in association with Andy Hadfield aka Fadster of the Twister Race Team.

Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.

Web site updates.
3rd September: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr gallery with three galleries from the Mopar EuroNationals. You can check out Mad's shots at www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.

VW Action galleries.
1st September: We have posted two end-day galleries from the weekend's VW Action at Santa Pod Raceway in association with John Woolfe Racing.

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

Grand response to Ugly shirt auction.
1st September: We are very pleased to announce that Bloodwise will be better off to the tune of £1125.99 thanks to the generosity of Eurodragster.com readers bidding for the six T-Shirts put up by Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator racer Andy Bond. Congratulations and thanks to our successful bidders (in alphabetical order):

Steve Matthews
Colin Millar
Nev Mottershead
Anais Shepherd
John Tebenham
James Webber

A huge Thank You to everyone who submitted bids.

Andy will be in touch with the winning bidders very shortly.

Earlier news