1981 Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway
Photos © original photographer, and reports © Keith Lee and Custom Car

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Programme cover

The first Cannonball Funny Car race took place on 4th-5th July 1981 at Santa Pod Raceway. The idea was to draw on the popularity of the 20th Century Fox movie The Cannonball Run and there was plenty of promotion of the movie going on. Also the track saw the popularity of Funny Cars from the Internationals held in previous years and wanted to capitalise on this.

In the movie the eponymous Cannonball Run road race started from a shopping centre in Connecticut and ended in a parking lot in Redondo Beach, California, over 3000 miles and less than 36 hours, away.

The Santa Pod version of the race, obviously, was rather different. Funny Cars had to run a mile in the quickest time, a mile meaning four quarter mile heats. The pairings for the first round were made by draw an hour before the race started, and from there on, the pairings were decided by ETs with the quickest running first in the second round and the aggregate slowest pair starting the third round. Time allowed between rounds would be strictly limited. The final round would consist of the two quickest cars from the preceding three rounds.


Bill Sherratt's Cannonball, the ex Don Prudhomme Arrow
Nick Pettitt photo

Cannonball v Gladiator
Nick Pettitt photo

In the first edition of the Cannonball, a system of bonuses were awarded depending on wins, fastest speed, coming in as a substitute. Penalties were also deducted for a red light, crossing the centre line, and taking out the finish line centre mirrors.


Houndog v Stardust
Nick Pettitt photo

Paul Manders' Time and Motion Mustang
Nick Pettitt photo

The Cannonball was run alongside a normal event with the usual sportsman classes. Here is a summary of what happened:

Funny Car Cannonball

Round One

Allan Herridge (Gladiator Trans Am 426ci) 7.07/203 def. Owen Hayward (SLDO Houndog Challenger 484ci) 7.04/207
Lee Anders Hasselstrom (SWE, Red Baron Nissan 280ZX 482ci) 8.54/89 def Chris Filsell (Satan's Sledge Arrow, 481ci) 10.75
Dave Stone (Stardust Mustang II) 7.25/183 def. Alan Bates 7.59/128
Bill Sherratt (Cannonball Arrow) 6.88/211 def. Paul Manders 8.75/163

Round Two

Allan Herridge 6.73/215 def. Bill Sherratt 7.08/202
Owen Hayward 6.96 def. Dave Stone 8.68
Lee Anders Hasselstrom 6.76/204 def. Paul Manders 9.25/131
Chris Filsell 8.93/162 v Andrew Hurdle (Scorpion Jet) 8.15/209

Aggregate times after two rounds were: Allan Herridge 13.5, Bill Sherratt 13.76 and Owen Hayward 13.9.

Round Three

Allan Herridge 6.46/218 def. Bill Sherratt 6.47
Owen Hayward 6.56/212 def. Paul Manders 11.34 Andrew Hurdle 9.91/201 red def. Chris Filsell DQ crossed centre line 9.39/129

Final

Bill Sherratt 6.60/218 def. Owen Hayward 8.26/172 (Allan Herridge broke)


Lee Anders Hasselström's Flygvapnet Nissan
Nick Pettitt photo

The un-named car of Chris Filsell, later Satan's Sledge
Nick Pettitt photo

In practice, Houndog's oil pipe split during the burnout and Bill Sherratt was unable to make his run as a result. Later, Bill's Cannonball entry broke a rod on the burnout putting even more oil down in the spectator lane. On a second pass, Houndog suffered a broken brake caliper and on reversing after the burnout the car, without brakes, hit the cars parked behind the start line, Owen Hayward desperately trying to stop the errant flopper. Gladiator also suffered major engine damage in practice and the crew worked to 3am to repair it.

Bootsie’s engine in Gladiator exploded in the burnout for the final race and a fire had to be doused. Owen Hayward, in third place on aggregate times, was ready to substitute, however the oil-down from Bootsie’s explosion had not been cleared, and Owen was forced to race on the edge of the track – and went up in smoke. Video of this dramatic race by announcer Keith Lee is on Keith's Youtube channel. The final aggregate times were Bill Sherratt who became the first Cannonball champion with 26.73 to Owen Hayward's 28.42. With all the excitement, close racing and controversy, Roy Phelps announced the Cannonball would be an annual event.


Stardust
Dick Parnham photo

Gladiator
Dick Parnham photo

Top Fuel/Top Alcohol combo

Qualifying

  1. Tony Boden (Shazam TF dragster KB 484ci) 6.96/204
  2. Brian Hazelton (Thunderbird Topolino Donovan 440ci) 7.21/186
  3. Gerry Andrews (Hemi Hunter II TA dragster Chevy 481ci) 7.40/181
  4. Jim Read (Le Patron TA dragster Donovan 428ci) Broke

Eliminations

Semi final Brian Hazelton 7.15/186 bye
Tony Boden 6.75/210 def. Gerry Andrews 6.98/197

Final

Tony Boden 6.75/209 def. Brian Hazelton 7.48/187

Third Place run

Gerry Andrews 6.80/199


Tony Boden's car which was the ex-Dennis Priddle Mr Six, winner in TF/TA combo. Dennis was in attendance overseeing Tony's operation.
Nick Pettitt photo

Gerry Andrews in Hemi Hunter II
Nick Pettitt photo

Top Modified (Rained-off final from Big Go)

Sylvia Hauser (Sunoco Dodge Challenger 440ci) 10.55/127 def Barry Potter (Palladin Lotus Elan 1898cc)


Super Comp

Eliminations (excerpts)

Round one

Sue Coles (Helzapoppin 23T Chevy 292) 9.04/152 def. Ray Feltell (Penetration dragster British Leyland 1293cc) 10.98/113

Semi finals

Sue Coles 8.73/151 def. Jean Tidswell (Jeans T 23T Chevy 362ci) 10.10/134

Final

Sue Coles 8.63/147 def. John Mills (Plymouth Roadrunner 440ci) 11.17/118


Sue Coles in Helzapoppin won Super Comp
Nick Pettitt photo

John Mills' Roadrunner, finalist in Super Comp
Nick Pettitt photo

Comp 1

Eliminations (excerpts)

Round 1

Keith Potter (The Devil ’33 Plymouth coupe Chevy 427ci)9.44/137
Alan Loten def. Dave Gibbons (Rough Diamond 23T Chevy 331ci)
Russ Carpenter (Glacier Grenade Dragster Daimler 155ci) 8.77 def. John Tebbutt (Moonlight Bandit 23T Chrysler 383ci)
John Jeffries (Anarchy Chevy 350ci) def. Robert Harman (Lo-Litre dragster Puma Weslake 926cc)

Semi-finals

Keith Potter 9.40/138 def. Alan Loten (Paranoia Austin Ruby Jaguar 231ci) 10.41/127
Russ Carpenter 8.32/158

Final

Russ Carpenter 8.34/158 def. Keith Potter 9.52/134


Keith Potter's Devil 427ci, reappearing in white after a crash in 1980
Nick Pettitt photo

John Whitmore in the Daimler Hemi Nolan Drag-N-Fly
Nick Pettitt photo

Comp 2

Eliminations (excerpts)

Semi-final

Rick Fielding 11.36/109 def Phil Herrick

Final

Rick Fielding (Imagination dragster Triumph 1998cc) 11.77/102 def. Ray Watson (Torq Ot’ North Anglia Chevy 327ci) 13.39/104


Top Modified

Qualifying Al O’Connor (Al’s Gasser Pop Chevy 305ci) 10.13/131 Dave Collis (Frenzy Firenza Chevy 427ci) 10.22/134

Eliminations (excerpts)

Al O’Connor won first two rounds with times of 10.53/130 and 10.33/132

Semi-final

Sylvia Hauser 10.55/126 def Dave Collis

Final

Al O’Connor 10.24/132 def. Sylvia Hauser (broke)


Al O'Connor won Top Modified
Nick Pettitt photo

Sylvia Hauser against Dave Collis in Frenzy
Nick Pettitt photo

Bikes

Pro Fuel Bike

Qualifying (excerpts)

  1. Jeff Byne (Hurricane JBS 1614cc) 8.61/165
  2. Brian Chapman (Super Mouse Vincent 1100cc) 8.76/163
  3. Jonny Munn (Hobbs’s Hobbit Weslake 1698cc) 8.84/157
  4. Pip Higham (Suzuperbike Suzuki 1190cc) 8.84/153

Eliminations (excerpts)

Semi final

Jeff Byne 8.59/156 def. Pip Higham 8.76/153 Jonny Munn 8.71/155 def. Brian Chapman 8.78/162

Final

Jonny Munn 8.76/158 v Jeff Byne 8.84/154



Eddy Lloyd's Freight Train triple Kawasaki
Paul Stubbings photo

Top Bike

Qualifying (excerpts)

  1. John Clift (The Co-respondent Puma 844cc) 8.98/151
  2. Mick Butler (Cyclops Weslake 996cc) 8.99/149

Eliminations (excerpts)

Round One

John Clift 8.82/156 def. Eddy Lloyd (Freight Train Kawasaki 2250cc) 9.25/149
Mick Butler 8.88/154 def. Steve Woollatt (The Dealer Kawasaki 1075cc) N/A

Semi-finals

John Clift 8.80/155 def. Peter Wood (Capella Triumph 498cc) N/A
Mick Butler 8.85/154 def. Terry Sidebottom (The Phantom Morgo-Triumph 750cc)

Final

John Clift 8.78/159 def. Mick Butler 9.49/106


Senior Bike

Eliminations (excerpts)

Semi final

Eamon Hurley 8.84/152 def. Phil Whiteley (The Candidate Triumph 650cc) 9.19/151

Final

Eamon Hurley (Concorde Rotary 1980cc) 9.18/150 def. Dave Houghton (Scouse Power Triumph 498cc) 9.70/145


Middle Bike

Eliminations (excerpts)

Final

Rod Pallant (Heavy Metal Buick 3500cc) 9.94/139 def. Tony Lewis (Pro Street Triumph 689cc) 10.30/132


Junior Bike

Eliminations (excerpts)

Final

Brian Simpson (Engineuity Kawasaki 1100cc) 11.93/122 def. Dave Knowler (Wild Dream Triumph 650cc) 11.85/111



Brian Johnson Imperial Wizard
Paul Stubbings photo

Pro Stock Bike

Eliminations (excerpts)

Round one

Pip Higham (The Deuce Suzuki 1190cc) 9.57 bye

Semi final

Pip Higham 9.67 def Paul Andrews (Crusader MkII Kawasaki 1197cc) 9.47

Final

Pip Higham 9.60/138 def. Brian Johnson (Imperial Wizard Kawasaki 1265cc) 9.38/141 DQ red


Street Bike

Eliminations (excerpts)

Final

Martin Hill (Instyle Kawasaki 1085cc) 10.72/127 def. Peter Harrison (Kawasaki 1200cc) 12.33/105


We thank drag racing historian and British Drag Racing Hall of Fame director Jerry Cookson who has kindly provided copies of the material used in this feature.

Event programme (4 Mb pdf file)
Custom Car Report (8 Mb pdf file)
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