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Eurodragster.com FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
As with any web site or publication, there are a number of questions which arise regularly about Eurodragster.com.
To save our readers, and ourselves, time asking or answering the same queries over and over we have addressed the
most frequently-asked questions below. Click on any question to see the answer.
If you have a query about Eurodragster.com and it is not answered below then please send an E-Mail to
faq@eurodragster.com .
About Eurodragster.com
Who are the Eurodragster.com staff?
Does anyone work on Eurodragster.com full-time?
How can I contact Eurodragster.com?
Can I become a member of the Eurodragster.com staff?
How many visitors, page views and hits does Eurodragster.com receive?
For which Browser is Eurodragster.com designed?
Where is the Eurodragster.com server physically located?
I think that your web server may be down
Why doesn't Eurodragster.com have a discussion forum?
Which awards has Eurodragster.com won?
Is EurodragsterNorth.com associated with Eurodragster.com?
Can you help me to get media access to a track or event?
I like Eurodragster.com / I don't like Eurodragster.com
The News service
How do I submit a news item to Eurodragster.com?
Can I send pictures with news items?
Can I send a news item in a language other than English?
Why are Eurodragster.com News updates sometimes posted overnight and sometimes posted during the day?
How do you decide the order of news items on a day's update?
What is the significance of a red headline on the Eurodragster.com Home Page?
Must you edit my news item?
Can I put an embargo / publication date on a news item?
I don't send news because I race in the ... class and I don't think anyone is interested in me
Can I tell you something off the record?
Is there more to this news item than you are letting on?
I clicked on the Send a News item link but it didn't work
I sent a news item to Eurodragster.com but it has not been published
I don't do E-Mail, can I phone you with a news item?
Are there any news items you won't publish?
How do I send a news item or picture anonymously?
I've got a great piece of gossip for Eurodragster.com News
I think you may have got your facts wrong
Can I ask you to amend or remove a news item after publication?
I've taken exception to the content of a news item
Can I copy a news item or picture from Eurodragster.com?
Can I send you this really great piece of news or picture I found on another web site?
Have you seen how this European racer is getting on at the NHRA race?
Have you read about, or seen this YouTube video of, the big crash at the NHRA race?
Can I say Happy Birthday, congratulations etc to someone via Eurodragster.com News?
Can I wind someone up via Eurodragster.com News?
Event Coverage
How do you decide which events are covered on Eurodragster.com?
Why are some events covered only by a photo gallery and not a report?
Why doesn't Eurodragster.com cover other European Championship events, NDRS and Toyo Series events, Nitrolympx etc?
Do you have a direct link to the timing system at the track?
Why do you track only the top fives in Sportsman qualifying but full fields in Pro qualifying?
How do you decide whose pictures to include in the end-day galleries?
Why can it be two or three hours after the track closes before you post that day's pictures?
Why doesn't the Eurodragster.com webcam run in real time?
How do you decide the refresh rate of the Eurodragster.com webcam?
I ran a Personal Best, why didn't you mention it in the race report?
I have a sponsor looking in on your coverage, can I get a mention or can I get into your photo gallery?
What is your reporting policy when there has been an accident?
Can I copy results or pictures from Eurodragster.com's Event Coverage?
How can I get a print or CD of a picture on Eurodragster.com's Event Coverage?
Links policy
How do I submit a link to Eurodragster.com?
Does it cost anything to post a link on Eurodragster.com?
Are links inserted automatically?
How long does it take for a link to be posted on Eurodragster.com?
Are links ever rejected?
I've got a new sponsor, will you place their link on your Sponsors Links page?
How often do you check your Links pages for dead or outdated links?
Sponsoring Eurodragster.com
What proportion of Eurodragster.com's operating costs is covered by sponsorship?
How much is Eurodragster.com's annual budget, and where does the money go?
I am interested in sponsoring Eurodragster.com, how much does it cost?
What do sponsors get for their money?
What is the sponsorship period?
What sponsorship slots are available?
Swap Meet policy
Coming soon
Who are the Eurodragster.com staff?
The core Eurodragster.com staff and their responsibilities are as follow. Click on any name to send an
E-Mail to that team member.
Roger Gorringe : Photo Editor (2006 - present)
Simon Groves : Blog Editor, Pit Reporter, Links Co-ordinator (2004 - present)
Andy Rogers (Tog) : News Editor, Race Reporter, Photographer (joint founder member, 1997 - present)
Kirstie Tramm : Assistant Pit Reporter, Photographer (2007 - present)
We also have a reserve photographer, who covers events which we cannot attend, a business partner who runs
Eurodragsternorth.com, and two US correspondents:
Peter Donaldson : Reserve Photographer
Theresé Hällsten (Tezzii) : EurodragsterNorth.com
Ed O'Connell and Kathy Hileman: US correspondents
Eurodragster.com also has a number of Honorary Staff Members. Honorary Staff Membership is offered to individuals
who have given us particularly solid support and/or practical assistance. Our Honorary Staff Members are as
follow:
Sharkman: Honorary staff member (Eurodragster.com Photo Editor 1999 - 2006)
Stephen Talbot: Honorary staff member
Steve Horn: Honorary staff member
Andy Marrs: Honorary staff member
Spencer Tramm: Honorary staff member
Darren Prentice: Honorary staff member
Christer Abrahamson: Honorary staff member
Erik Zettervall: Honorary staff member
John Hackney: Honorary staff member
Does anyone work on Eurodragster.com full-time?
None of the Eurodragster.com staff work on the site full-time even if it does feel like it sometimes. We
have day jobs and run the site in our spare time, and we use our annual leave from our day job to attend
races and other events.
How can I contact Eurodragster.com?
You can contact individual Eurodragster.com staff members at the following addresses:
Roger: roger@eurodragster.com
Simon: simon@eurodragster.com
Tog: tog@eurodragster.com
Kirstie: kirstie@eurodragster.com
You can contact Eurodragster.com departments at the following addresses:
Submit a news item: news@eurodragster.com
Submit a link: links@eurodragster.com
Editorial enquiries: editor@eurodragster.com
FAQs: faq@eurodragster.com
Webmaster: webmaster@eurodragster.com
Please do not post "FAO..." threads on discussion forums addressed to any of the Eurodragster.com staff, whether
about Eurodragster.com matters or not. Not all of us are members of forums; if we are members then we are still not
guaranteed to see the threads for some time; and even if we do see the threads we are not guaranteed to
respond to them. We have E-Mail addresses for queries and private conversations.
Can I become a member of the Eurodragster.com staff?
Staff turnover is all but non-existent on Eurodragster.com. Should we need replacement or additional staff
members then we will either recruit privately from those who already assist us, or we will post an item on
Eurodragster.com News. On very rare occasions, when none of us can make an event, we will ask for a volunteer
to attend on our behalf. Again we will post such a request on Eurodragster.com News.
How many visitors, page views and hits does Eurodragster.com receive?
Below are Eurodragster's monthly access statistics as provided by our ISP
Selfnet . The latest month is at the top.
The stats listed are Visits , Page Views and Hits :
Visits is the number of individual visitors which Eurodragster.com receives each month. Visits are logged on
a daily basis; if the same person visits Eurodragster.com twice or more in one day then only one visit is counted.
Eurodragster.com quotes Visits as its preferred access statistic.
Page Views is the number of individual pages which have been viewed each month. Hitting the
Browser's Refresh button - for example during live Event Coverage - will result in another Page View,
therefore the Page Views will be higher for months including Event Coverage. This statistic is not available
for all months.
Hits is a count of data requests made to the Eurodragster server each month. As loading even one
page of Eurodragster.com can result in a number of hits (one for the page itself, one each for all images loaded, etc.)
we do not quote Hits as an access statistic unless specifically requested.
Month/Year Visits Page Views Hits
April 2008 260,147 840,163 6,533,722
March 2008 244,000 1,477,771 10,362,978
February 2008 187,192 390,305 4,992,881
January 2008 195,809 425,677 4,821,273
December 2007 180,083 373,279 4,454,703
November 2007 190,457 380,730 4,377,795
October 2007 203,184 435,701 4,832,596
September 2007 244,447 1,276,273 8,630,167
August 2007 252,536 579,071 5,684,824
July 2007 309,992 1,198,694 8,037,694
June 2007 282,809 677,686 5,851,367
May 2007 264,824 1,409,817 9,185,120
April 2007 243,493 1,014,618 7,122,308
March 2007 222,171 444,628 4,968,007
February 2007 190,185 357,358 3,991,755
January 2007 200,367 401,751 3,460,115
December 2006 187,895 339,638 2,964,039
November 2006 186,322 381,440 3,117,043
October 2006 202,708 525,642 4,033,195
September 2006 228,215 1,031,170 6,335,711
August 2006 202,806 589,304 4,432,479
July 2006 212,482 738,184 5,322,628
June 2006 187,126 463,976 3,410,145
May 2006 218,486 1,168,657 6,616,032
April 2006 193,790 1,039,714 5,691,986
March 2006 187,886 458,538 3,669,438
February 2006 140,232 337,707 2,359,262
January 2006 147,245 357,160 2,146,132
December 2005 134,846 307,897 1,821,326
November 2005 138,193 478,384 2,635,241
October 2005 138,032 444,012 2,249,456
September 2005 154,471 908,148 4,009,374
August 2005 138,156 393,769 2,357,667
July 2005 140,152 512,817 2,586,468
June 2005 140,388 467,457 2,976,132
May 2005 165,986 967,254 5,294,219
April 2005 143,866 489,001 2,975,334
March 2005 146,273 626,259 3,759,678
February 2005 118,823 326,059 1,745,886
January 2005 128,157 320,503 1,704,786
December 2004 108,173 276,262 1,251,715
November 2004 100,920 335,896 1,406,253
October 2004 118,822 348,869 1,641,551
September 2004 144,476 693,304 2,898,174
August 2004 128,118 387,455 1,575,127
July 2004 116,352 275,074 1,557,109
June 2004 120,278 n/a 2,473,931
May 2004 134,876 n/a 3,157,512
April 2004 122,720 n/a 1,942,448
March 2004 107,369 n/a 1,260,360
February 2004 93,483 n/a 1,061,001
January 2004 99,806 n/a 1,022,380
December 2003 85,221 n/a 832,481
November 2003 93,330 n/a 960,973
October 2003 99,121 n/a 1,191,842
September 2003 121,763 n/a 2,407,432
August 2003 96,982 n/a 1,260,551
July 2003 94,970 n/a 868,112
June 2003 92,892 n/a 1,269,569
May 2003 122,373 n/a 2,141,327
April 2003 92,718 n/a 1,375,287
March 2003 76,481 n/a 727,916
February 2003 73,730 n/a 622,842
January 2003 79,861 n/a 769,419
For which Browser is Eurodragster.com designed?
All pages on Eurodragster.com including the webcam are designed for Microsoft Internet Explorer and a screen resolution
of 1024x768. The site has also been tested on Firefox, AOL, Safari, and some mobile phone browsers.
Where is the Eurodragster.com web server physically located?
Since its inception and registration in late 1997, Eurodragster.com has been hosted by US company Selfnet .
Selfnet's operation, which includes the Eurodragster.com web server, is physically located in Cleveland, Ohio.
I think that your web server may be down
Our web server is not down if you are reading this FAQ. However, that aside, like all computers our web server
has problems very occasionally and Eurodragster.com will not be available for the duration of the failure but that
is usually no more than a minute or two. Obviously if there are problems then if we can let our readers know we will.
If you think that our web server is down then you can always drop an E-Mail to
webmaster@eurodragster.com to enquire, which is
not as illogical as it sounds because the web server and mail server are separate. It is pointless posting "Is
Eurodragster.com down?" threads on discussion forums since no-one apart from the Eurodragster.com staff will know
what is actually happening, and no-one else is authorised to speak on our behalf. In any case, if we have web server
problems then answering forum postings will be the last thing on our minds.
Why doesn't Eurodragster.com have a discussion forum?
The main reason we do not have a discussion forum is that the site keeps us busy enough already without piling
on more work moderating a forum. In addition, Eurodragster.com is widely known as the source of unbiased
European drag racing news and Event Coverage and given how contentious discussion forums can get we would not be
comfortable watching people argue over news items we have worked hard to procure and post. Nor would we wish to
get a name as the place to go for a good argument. It's not what our sponsors are supporting us to do. Finally,
we don't have the stomach for slapping down those who think they know everything, for asking those with axes
to grind to desist, or for mollifying those with fragile egos.
Which awards has Eurodragster.com won?
Eurodragster.com has been privileged to be presented with the following awards:
2000: Super Series Special Award
2001: SPRC Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy
2004: Svensk Dragracing Eagle Award
2004: Wild Bunch Award for Services to Drag Racing
2005: APIRA Iris Page Memorial Trophy
Is EurodragsterNorth.com associated with Eurodragster.com?
EurodragsterNorth.com serves northern Europe and is run independently by Tezzii. The Eurodragster name is used
with our approval as Tezzii is providing a similar service, and we work together closely.
Can you help me to get media access to a track or an event?
Eurodragster.com frequently receives requests for assistance in securing media access to tracks or events.
Whatever anyone may think, we have absolutely no influence in such matters with any track, Club or promoter,
and even if we did you would still be wasting your time asking us. If you do send us an E-Mail asking for
help in securing media access it will neither be acknowledged nor answered since we've just advised you
not to bother.
I like Eurodragster.com / I don't like Eurodragster.com
If you enjoy Eurodragster.com and would like to write to tell us so, then please drop an E-Mail either to
editor@eurodragster.com or to the
individual staff member whom you would like to compliment (see above
for individual staff members' E-Mail addresses).
If there is anything you don't like about Eurodragster.com, if you have constructive criticism or
suggestions for improvement or new features, or if you would like to comment on something we have
published, then please drop an E-Mail to
editor@eurodragster.com . We
reserve the right to explain ourselves and possibly disagree with or contradict you, but so long
as you keep a civil tongue in your head then you will receive a fair hearing and a polite reply.
How do I submit a news item to Eurodragster.com?
If you would like to send a news item to Eurodragster.com then please E-Mail
news@eurodragster.com . Alternately you
can click on the Send a News item link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
You may send your news item either as a standard E-Mail, or as a Word etc. attachment to an E-Mail.
Please see note below about embedding pictures within Word
documents .
Can I send pictures with news items?
Please feel free send pictures with news items (but see note below about pictures in Word documents). We
reserve the right to crop and resize pictures submitted
with news items. If sending large pictures (more than 250K) then please send the news item and pictures
to eurodragster.com@btinternet.com
rather than the usual news address, since the BT Internet address has a much larger mailbox.
If at all possible please do not embed pictures within Word documents. This is because the first thing
we will have to do will be to extract the picture from the Word document, and the extracted copy is not
always of usable quality. If using Word for a news item, then please send the text in the document and
attach the pictures to the same E-Mail.
Can I send a news item in a language other than English?
We are happy to publish news items in languages other than English, although we reserve the right
to send foreign-language submissions to an interpreter for content checking before publication, just
to make sure that no-one is saying "Eurodragster.com is crap" in a language they know we can't read
Why are the Eurodragster.com News updates sometimes posted overnight and sometimes posted during the day?
We run Eurodragster.com in our spare time. Sometimes personal, home or family commitments have to come
first, and sometimes work commitments have to come first. However the usual reason for a switch from
overnight updates to daytime updates is simply to have a break from constant late nights and loss of
sleep.
How do you decide the order of news items on a day's update?
Deciding the order of news items is quite complex as there are severable variables. Some of the deciding
factors are:
Updates for racers' attention (rule changes, event closing dates etc) are placed first on a news update;
News or previews come before reviews;
Depending upon the content of the news item, class hierarchy is often observed;
The order of news items is sometimes decided by the number of pictures in that day's update - pictures have
to be spread evenly through the update so that they do not collide or so that we do not have to leave big gaps
in the text;
Long and short news items will be alternated;
An obituary will always be placed first on a news update. In some circumstances an obituary will run on its
own and all other news will be held to the next day;
News items which are blatant advertisements for someone's products or services, although welcome, will always
be placed towards the bottom of a news update;
After all other considerations, news is published in the order in which it is received.
What is the significance of a red headline on the Eurodragster.com Home Page?
A headline in red means that the news item concerned has been added since that day's news update was
originally posted. A red headline effectively denotes Stop Press .
Direct links to Event Coverage will also appear in red since they are clickable.
Must you edit my news item?
We reserve the the right to edit all submissions for clarity, factual accuracy, grammar or spelling, length,
decency (we assume a family readership), or for any other reason deemed necessary. Please take the time to
give submissions at least elementary punctuation.
If you do not wish your news item to be edited then please mention this when you submit it. We are amenable to
such requests and would then only edit the news item if absolutely necessary (factual accuracy, decency etc).
Can I put an embargo / publication date on a news item?
We are happy to observe embargoes on news items or press releases. We prefer to receive news items or
press releases in advance because it gives us more time to code up the text. If you want a news item
published on a certain day, even at a certain time on a certain day, then we can do that: please ask when
you submit it.
I don't send news because I race in the ... class and I don't think anyone is interested in me
We beg to differ. Every class has fans, and thousands of those fans read Eurodragster.com every day.
Eurodragster.com is a drag racing web site, and that means every class: the day we become a "Big classes
only" web site then we'll tell you although you may have a very long wait.
We are grateful for every news item received. It doesn't matter to us or to our readers and your fans who
you are, how many wheels your race vehicle has, whether you do the quarter mile in nineteen seconds or four
seconds. We have thousands of readers every day who like us love drag racing regardless of which class you
contest. So they, and we, are interested!
Even if you think no-one is interested in you (and sorry, but you're wrong), think of your sponsors or potential
sponsors. Check out our access statistics above to see how
many readers around the planet could be reading your sponsor's name.
Can I tell you something off the record?
We are quite often given information off the record, either to help us to understand what is really going
on, or to help us prepare the background for a news item some time in the future. We appreciate being taken into
confidence and you can be assured that every member of the Eurodragster.com team can be trusted not to pass on
anything said off the record to anyone, except to fellow Eurodragster.com team members. All we ask is that you
make it clear to us that you are speaking off the record rather than for publication.
Is there more to this news item than you are letting on?
We are often asked if there is more to a news item than we are actually saying. Most of the time that is not
the case. But if there is more than we are letting on, then the contributor obviously wants it kept private
or it would be included in the news item. Therefore there is no point in asking us the question, since
even if the answer is "Yes" we won't tell you.
One particular instance in which we are asked this question is when we post an obituary. If we do not state
"...after an illness" or "...in an accident" but just "has died" then it seems pretty obvious to us, and
it should be obvious to anyone with a brain, that the family of the deceased wish the details of the death to
be private and that it is no-one else's business. However, we still receive E-Mails and phone calls asking how
the person died. We find this practice abhorrent and reprehensible and we reserve the right to be rude in
our reply. Similarly when we use the phrase "For personal reasons" in a news item - don't even bother asking
unless the next time you have a personal problem you would be cool with several thousand people reading about
it the next day.
I clicked on the Send a News item link but it didn't work
The Send a News item link does not work for AOL users because that link contains multiple E-Mail
addresses in a format which AOL E-Mail does not like. If the Send a News item link does not work,
then please E-Mail news@eurodragster.com
directly.
I submitted a news item to Eurodragster.com but it has not been published
If you submit a news item and it is not published within a couple of days then the most likely explanation
is that we did not receive it. Sometimes E-Mails do not reach their destinations. Try resubmitting the
news item to our backup address which is
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com .
The most likely reasons for not immediately publishing a news item which we have received are as follow:
We are low on news and we are spreading what we have across days to keep the service going;
We ran out of time to code up all of the news that day, so it will be published on the next update;
The news item is very long and requires editing, or it requires special formatting, both of which take time;
The news item is not about European drag racing;
We consider the news item inappropriate for a family audience;
We consider that the news item is not factually accurate.
Should we have an issue with any news item submitted to us then we will contact its contributor.
If you have any enquiries about a non-appearing news item then please E-Mail
editor@eurodragster.com .
I don't do E-Mail, can I phone you with a news item?
Yes, we will accept news items by phone. You will however have to send one E-Mail, to
editor@eurodragster.com , to let us know that
you would rather phone through a news item. Please either give your phone number in the E-Mail or ask us
to give you our phone number so that you can call us.
If you do phone through news items please respect the 10:00 pm cut-off for calling us at home.
Are there any news items you won't publish?
We are happy to publish news items about any subject to do with European drag racing, in whichever class
and on however many wheels (contrary to what you may have heard Eurodragster.com is not "Just a car
site", we are a drag racing site). However we do have our limits:
Eurodragster.com covers European drag racing. That's what the "Euro" bit is about. With the exception of
obituaries, only in special circumstances do we publish drag racing news from outside Europe and even then
usually with a European connection. Race series, Clubs, promoters and racers in the USA, Canada, Australia,
the Middle East and several other countries have their own official, magazine and fan sites which should be
visited for their news.
We will either edit or refuse to publish news items criticising or attacking any individual by name, whoever
they may be and whatever they are meant to have done. You would not want anyone to slag you off in public, would
you? Because Eurodragster.com is not a discussion forum, in the case of disputes we will give each side one say
on the News page and then close the matter.
We will either edit or refuse to publish news items containing accusations of cheating, incompetence, bias
etc or other attacks on racers, promoters, tracks, race officials, clubs, or any other party. We will
publish constructive criticism or suggestions for improvement, but it's our call what constitutes an attack and
what constitutes constructive criticism. Quite often such news items are sent in the heat of the moment and the
contributor will have calmed down by the time the piece would have been published, so our refusal to publish will
save that contributor embarrassment. Because Eurodragster.com is not a discussion forum, in the case of disputes
we will give each side one say on the News page and then close the matter.
We will not publish news items about illegal street racing since we do not approve of it, there is nothing
at all clever about it, and (duh) it's illegal.
We will either edit or refuse to publish news items which either promote or appear to promote the drinking
of alcohol at races or in any other situation which involves the driving of, or crewing for, race or road
vehicles. One of the Eurodragster.com staff was almost killed by a drunken driver several years ago and we
all feel very strongly about this subject.
Please note that it is our call whether we publish contentious pieces on Eurodragster.com in the
first place. If you're one of those very few but very sad individuals who goes around telling people that
Eurodragster.com doesn't publish controversial stuff because we've been suborned by organisers, or in order
to keep our media access, then (a) You really don't get what we're about do you, and (b) Go away and make up
stories about someone else and come back and talk to us when you have several thousand readers a day.
How do I send a news item or picture anonymously?
We will not publish news items submitted anonymously: that is to say that if you do not tell us who you are
when you submit the news item. If you do identify yourself, then you can ask us to keep your
name out of it when we publish the news item.
We will publish spy pictures anonymously if asked, but even then we would prefer to know who you are - we
just won't publish your details.
I've got a great piece of gossip for Eurodragster.com News
We do not do unsubstantiated rumour or gossip, at least in public. All published news is authorised
by the racer, Club, official, promoter, track or other party involved. Like everyone else we enjoy
off-the-record rumour and gossip; just make sure you tell us that it is not for publication.
I think you may have got your facts wrong
All material submitted to Eurodragster.com is accepted and published in good faith. We check what we
can, and we have pretty good bullshit detectors, but we are not about to call our contributors liars and
we assume that no-one is going to try to mislead us deliberately. If a news item turns out to be incorrect
then it is highly unlikely to be our fault, and it won't have been deliberate. If you have a problem with
the content of a news item then in the first instance please talk to the contributor, if named. If the
news item is not credited then please get in touch with us at
editor@eurodragster.com .
Can I ask you to amend or remove a news item after publication?
If you submitted the news item, then you can ask us to amend or remove it. If you are named in the news
item, then you can ask us to amend the part which mentions you. Otherwise we would not normally amend or
remove a news item once it has been published. However, you should feel free to get in touch with us at
editor@eurodragster.com and
we will give you a fair hearing.
I've taken exception to the content of a news item
If you feel you've been hard done by, then your first assumption should be that it is not deliberate
because we do not allow anyone to be insulted deliberately on Eurodragster.com. So if anything
gets through then it will not have been done on purpose. Get in touch with us at
editor@eurodragster.com and if
we see your point then we can quickly remove or amend the item at issue.
Because Eurodragster.com is not a discussion forum, in the case of disputes we will give each side one
say on the News page and then close the matter.
Can I copy a news item or picture from Eurodragster.com?
The quick answer is "No", but read on because there are exceptions.
All material on this web site is ©Eurodragster.com. The copy-protect on the News and Event Coverage isn't
there for nothing. In addition our sponsors pay good money for our news items and Event Coverage to be
published on our pages bearing their logos. Copying news items, pictures or other material from Eurodragster.com
without permission is a breach of copyright, we view it as theft, and it upsets us a lot since we work very hard
on it. We reserve the right to take the appropriate action - up to and including legal action - against any party
stealing our work or that of our contributors.
If you wish to use our material - text or pictures - then please write with your enquiry to
editor@eurodragster.com and we should be
able to work something out. We are amenable to standing arrangements with serious web sites and paper publications
to use our material without having to ask every time - again please get in touch. If you copy our material first
and ask afterwards, not only will the answer be "No", but we will demand its removal.
Can I send you this really great piece of news or picture I found on another web site?
As a matter of principle, we do not copy news items from other web sites or discussion forums. So
although you might think you are being helpful, and although we do appreciate your thinking of us, we
cannot accept news items or pictures copied from other web sites or discussion forums.
We expect the same courtesy towards Eurodragster.com from other web sites and discussion forums but do not
always receive it because some of these sites have no principles at all.
Have you seen how this European racer is getting on at the NHRA race?
Yes! When European racers are competing in the USA or elsewhere, please do not copy results from the local
web site and send them to us. We do actually read web sites other than Eurodragster.com and we are just as
capable as anyone else of reading race results. In any case we quite often have a direct line to a team
when they are abroad.
Have you read about, or seen this YouTube video of, the big crash at the NHRA race?
Yes! But Eurodragster.com publishes European drag racing news and we have to draw the line somewhere.
So if an American or other foreign racer does have a spectacular crash or is injured or heaven forbid
dies then please don't send us a link to a news report or YouTube video because we will already have seen it,
and we will not publish it on our European News page unless there is a European connection or special
circumstance.
Can I say Happy Birthday, congratulations etc to someone via Eurodragster.com News?
We are more than happy to publish birthday and other greetings on the News page but please do not leave
it until the last minute: you do after all have 364 days to tell us about birthdays for example, and we
will not add late greetings to that day's news update. Do you like receiving belated birthday cards?
Can I wind someone up via Eurodragster.com News?
We are happy to take part in wind-ups, friendly rivalries between racers etc so long as you tell us
that you are doing so, so that we are covered.
How do you decide which events are covered on Eurodragster.com?
Eurodragster.com is a UK-based web site. Thus we cover all UK National Championship events at Santa Pod and
Shakespeare County Raceways and both of the European Championship events at Santa Pod. We also cover certain
test days such as the Peak Performance Days at Santa Pod, usually before Easter and the FIA events, and
certain Run What You Brungs and Test and Tunes at Santa Pod and Shakespeare County Raceways.
We also traditionally cover the Veidec Festival at Mantorp Park, the drag racing content of shows such as
Autosport International, pre-European Championship event Press Days, and various other events. We are also
able to offer photo coverage of events which the core team does not attend courtesy of our Reserve Photographer.
You can check out our Event Coverage schedule by clicking
here or by clicking on the Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Why are some events covered only by a photo gallery and not a report?
At certain events covered by Eurodragster.com, such as some Run What You Brungs, there are few racers present
and so their performances can be reported upon via captions in the photo gallery. Those Eurodragster.com staff
who usually sit up in Race Control reporting tend to photograph these events to stay in practice.
Why doesn't Eurodragster.com cover other European Championship events, NDRS and Toyo Series events, Nitrolympx etc?
As we have day jobs, we only have a certain amount of time off work and just about all of that is taken
up by those events which we already cover. Like anyone else, we also have occasional family or personal
commitments. And just like everyone else we are not made of money so jetting around Europe is just not an
option.
Our colleagues at EurodragsterNorth.com cover a large number of events in Northern Europe including the
FHRA Nitro Nationals and NDRS and Toyo Series rounds.
Do you have a direct link to the timing system at the track?
No. Unlike race reporters in the USA we do not have a hard-wired link to the timing system at any track, so
all of our race reports are produced and typed up manually. However we get a huge amount of help from the
timing crews everywhere we go. At most tracks we are provided with our own timing system repeater console, and
we have access to the qualifying sheets as soon as they are printed.
Once qualifying commences we produce race reports and qualifying standings manually in real time, watching
the changes in placings on the timing console and then using pen and paper and a calculator (or brain) to calculate
performance against dial-in etc and then typing up, referring to the timing sheets only for confirmation of our reports.
Working manually gives us the advantage of being able to report upon the changes in standings during each session. If
we did not work in real time but waited for the timing sheets then we would quickly get behind, and we would not have
the time to spot the changes in the standings.
Why do you track only the top fives in Sportsman qualifying but full fields in Pro qualifying?
We track only the top five in Sportsman classes because they run through so quickly that it is very difficult to
keep up especially when performance against index or dial-in has to be calculated before typing up. The extra time
taken by Pro classes, for example in burning out and backing up, gives the reporting team the extra time to type
up the results and a brief commentary on the runs and also work out the qualifying standings manually.
How do you decide whose pictures to include in the end-day galleries?
We try to give our readers as much variety and interest as we possible in our galleries. Therefore we will
not necessarily post pictures of, for example, the number one qualifier every day since that becomes a bit
predictable. As well as posting the pictures one would expect we also try to look for stories: for example if someone
moves from #23 to #4 in a qualifying session then that is a story and that racer is likely to get into that
day's gallery. Or there may be a good story from the pits which we can illustrate with a picture of the racer
involved. New vehicles, new paintjobs, new riders or drivers, new sponsors are all candidates for a gallery
as are European or National records, Personal Bests ( see below ),
spectacular wheelies, out of shape launches, engine explosions (unfortunately, sorry) and so on. As a general
rule the same racer will not be featured in a photo gallery more than once per event.
Why can it be two or three hours after the track closes before you post that day's pictures?
We usually publish thirty pictures at the end of each day of an event. We cannot start work on the
pictures until the track has closed, and this can be quite late in the day. We then have to decide which
thirty, often out of three hundred or more, racers are to be featured in that day's gallery
( see above ) although we try to keep a note during the day,
and then our photographer has to find those thirty racers from hundreds of photographs taken that day. The
pictures then have to be resized and maybe retouched, the thumbnails generated, and captions written. We also
need to have dinner at some point although we usually eat whilst working.
Why doesn't the Eurodragster.com webcam run in real time?
The main reason for not running the webcam in real time is that we would not wish to do, or to be seen to do,
anything to dissuade fans from actually attending an event. This is an issue with some organisers in Europe.
There is also a grey area about broadcast rights if a Championship event were to be broadcast in real time
on the web. Finally we cannot hog the broadband connection at the track since it is also used by race
officials, media etc.
How do you decide the refresh rate of the Eurodragster.com webcam?
On the broadband at Santa Pod and Shakespeare County Raceways, a 640 x 480 picture takes between three and
eight seconds to upload to the server. A refresh rate quicker than sixty seconds would result in a high
incidence of "blank" frames whilst the picture uploads.
Mantorp Park is on dial-up and upload can take twenty seconds, so the refresh rate at this track is reduced
to two minutes.
I ran a Personal Best, why didn't you mention it in the race report?
Because we didn't know, and we didn't know because you didn't tell us! With upwards of three hundred racers at some
events it is impossible for us to carry around a database of racers' Personal Bests in our heads although it sometimes
seems expected of us. If you run a Personal Best at an event, or if anything else of interest or significance
happens to you, then be sure to grab one of our Pit Reporters and tell them, or come to see us in Race Control.
It's what we are there for and we will be very happy to mention it in our race report.
I have a sponsor looking in on your coverage, can I get a mention or can I get into your photo gallery?
We will move mountains to help a racer promote a sponsor so long as we know in advance. If you want to ensure
that you feature in our Event Coverage then please send an E-Mail to
editor@eurodragster.com preferably in
advance of the event. We will then do everything we can to give you coverage at that event.
What is your reporting policy when there has been an accident?
If there is a minor spill, such as a racer tagging the guardrail or a bike racer coming off the back
of their bike on the start line, then so long as the racer is not injured then we will report it at the
time.
In the case of more serious accidents we will say nothing on the race report until the Race Director has
briefed us and given us permission to mention it in the report, or until the track announcers have been
given the go-ahead to say something on the PA. If the aftermath of a serious accident is within view of
the webcam then we will stop the webcam.
When there has been a serious accident we always receive E-Mails demanding to know what happened and/or how.
It is no-one's business but those involved, and it puts us in an awkward position, so please do not do it.
Such E-Mails will neither be acknowledged nor answered. Similarly, if asked verbally about a serious accident,
every member of the Eurodragster.com staff will always reply that they do not know anything about it. Please
accept that answer and do not press us.
Can I copy results or pictures from Eurodragster.com's Event Coverage?
The quick answer is "No", but read on because there are exceptions.
All material on this web site is ©Eurodragster.com. The copy-protect on the News and Event Coverage isn't
there for nothing. In addition our sponsors pay good money for our news items and Event Coverage to be
published on our pages bearing their logos. Copying results, pictures or other material from Eurodragster.com
without permission is a breach of copyright, we view it as theft, and it upsets us a lot since we work very hard
on it. We reserve the right to take the appropriate action - up to and including legal action - against any party
stealing our work or that of our contributors.
If you wish to use our material - results or pictures - then please write with your enquiry to
editor@eurodragster.com and we should be
able to work something out. We are amenable to standing arrangements with serious web sites and paper publications
to use our material without having to ask every time - again please get in touch. If you copy our material first
and ask afterwards, not only will the answer be "No", but we will demand its removal.
How can I get a print or CD of a picture on Eurodragster.com's Event Coverage?
If you would like a copy of a picture from our Event Coverage then check out the photographer's name
at the bottom of the page showing the picture, then E-Mail that staff member. If you are in any doubt
about the photographer then drop an E-Mail with details of the shot to
editor@eurodragster.com and we will
be in touch, with a price if appropriate.
How do I submit a link to Eurodragster.com?
Links should be E-Mailed to links@eurodragster.com .
Include the web site address and a brief description, a logo if you like, and state on which Links page you would
like your link to go.
Does it cost anything to post a link on Eurodragster.com?
Links to web sites on our Links pages are free. This is not to be confused with banner advertising, which is not free
(see the Sponsoring Eurodragster.com FAQ section).
Are links inserted automatically?
No. Link requests are forwarded automatically to our Links Co-ordinator who will check the site and then post
the link on the relevant Links page.
How long does it take for a link to be posted on Eurodragster.com?
We run Eurodragster.com in our spare time so Links will not necessarily be posted immediately. However,
links are usually placed within twenty four hours of submission.
Are links ever rejected?
We will not reject links so long as they have a connection with European drag racing. This also means that we
allow links to performance part manufacturers, Speed Shops etc outside Europe, seeing as most performance
parts come from the USA, and to racers' sponsors should they be outside Europe.
If the link has no connection to European drag racing then it will not be posted. Since Eurodragster.com is a
family site we reserve the right not to post a link to a site which has adult language or content even if it is
relevant to European drag racing.
I've got a new sponsor, will you place their link on your Sponsors Links page?
We will place your sponsor's link so long as you submit a link to us. We will not post a link without
being asked, and we are not psychic although quite often expected to be.
How often do you check your Links pages for dead or outdated links?
As well as ongoing checks or tips from readers we undertake a major exercise once a year to check for
dead or outdated links.
If you find a dead or outdated link then please send details in an E-Mail to
links@eurodragster.com .
What proportion of Eurodragster.com's operating costs is covered by sponsorship?
If we do our sums properly then Eurodragster.com's entire budget is covered by sponsorship. We try to
run Eurodragster.com as a non profit making concern to keep costs and sponsorship rates to a minimum, but
when setting the budget at the start of the year it is difficult to foresee everything which may happen. So
in some years the sponsorship funds have run out and we have had to put in some of our own money.
How much is Eurodragster.com's annual budget, and where does the money go?
We are happy to give our sponsors a budget breakdown on demand, but we do not believe that it is
anyone else's business. However a lot of it is pretty easily worked out by anyone with eyes in
their head.
I am interested in sponsoring Eurodragster.com, how much does it cost?
Our sponsorship rates are confidential between our sponsors and ourselves. If you are interested in
sponsoring Eurodragster.com then please drop an E-Mail to
webmaster@eurodragster.com .
What do sponsors get for their money?
Sponsors get their logo on Eurodragster.com, linkable to their own web site. They also receive mentions on
the News page and in Event Coverage at the least excuse, and we are pleased to run blatant advertisements
for their products and services as news items so long as they have a drag racing connection however tenuous.
We also encourage our readers to use our sponsors' services and our sponsors tell us that this does indeed
happen. We also hope that those of our sponsors who race, or who support race teams, would give Eurodragster.com
their news first, although this is not mandatory.
What is the sponsorship period?
Sponsorships normally run for twelve months, from 1st March to 28th or 29th February. New sponsorships and
renewals are negotiated in February with payment due by 28th or 29th. Sponsors can however join Eurodragster.com
during the sponsorship year and will pay for however many months are left to the end of the following February.
What sponsorship slots are available?
Advertising is available at any time on the left- and right-hand columns of the News page. Other
slots such as the Main Sponsorships, Event Coverage sponsorships, and logos on both sides of the Home
Page may (but probably won't) become available in February of each year when renewals are negotiated.
We are also amenable to suggestions for sponsorship slots or award schemes. If you are interested in
sponsoring Eurodragster.com then please drop an E-Mail to
webmaster@eurodragster.com .