Sunday 14th March: A word for our sponsors.

Bennett Racing have always had a great history with their sponsors, building excellent and reliable relationships and so for 2010 we are no different, and while times are very hard as we all know, we are still attracting new sponsors and team sponsorship, testament to our reputation and our performance on the track. For the 2010 season our sponsors are as follow (in alphabetical order).

We use nothing but Autoglym on our race cars, for a full range see the Autoglym web site. Autoglyms professional and motorist's vehicle care ranges are highly respected around the world and proudly hold many important endorsements for exceptional performance and dependable quality. Manufactured to recognised international quality and environmental standards, Autoglym vehicle car products have earned international reputation for being the benchmark by which all others are judged.

Avondale Composites are a composites engineering company, amongst other things they have moulds for various altered bodies, seats, scoops, front nose cones, and they also offer a one-off service to the motor sports industry, basically you dream it and they will make it type of thing, they deal in fibreglass and more exotic materials such as carbon, aramids, pre-preg etc.

Chronos Engineering Supplies supply a huge range of engineering and model engineering supplies around the world via their speedy mail order service. Whether you are a hobbyist with a small home workshop or run a fully fledged engineering company, you are sure to find something of interest among their 8000+ products.

Cocaine Energy Drink has been huge in the States and they are keen to bring it across the Pond and what better way than with us. The drink packs 350% more caffeine than Red Bull and is by far a better working drink, it contains a natural sugar Dextrose which gives you an instant rush, other sugars make your body work and give you a crash when they run out. Not Cocaine!

CP Pistons' sales staff have over 100 years of industry experience, and as a member of Pankl Racing Systems, they share in the cutting-edge knowledge of a high-technology racing group supplying engine and drive train components to numerous racing teams in Formula 1, F3000, IRL, CART, World Rally, and to elite car manufacturers like Ferrari and Porsche. CP Pistons carry one of the most comprehensive inventories of off-the-shelf pistons in the industry. Obviously most of the pistons in drag racing are custom made which they can do to any specification using cutting edge technology and precise machining, they endeavour to provide their customers with the best forged pistons in the racing industry. Their sales staff is versatile and knowledgeable, coming from all areas of motorsports to provide you with the best possible service. They apply this experience to your benefit when you place your order, by asking the right questions and understanding your needs, CP Pistons make sure that the pistons you receive are customised to your combination and application. As with any motorsport company they attend many trade shows, recent ones include the 2008 SEMA Show Las Vegas, Professional Motorsport World Expo 2008, Performance Racing Industry Tradeshow, 2009 Dealer news International Powersports Dealer Expo and the 9th Annual V-Twin Expo. CP Pistons also sell buttons, locks, pins, rods and rings. For sales or tech support call : +1 949-567-9000 or E-Mail at sales@cppistons.com.

Darton Sleeves pioneered modular sleeve designs and speciality ductile iron material beginning with their manufacture of top fuel sleeves in 1978. Darton sleeves excel in the harsh environment of all-out racing. Their centrifugally cast nodular composition represents the highest quality of any cast material. The unique matrix of Darton's centrifugally cast nodular iron sleeves provides unexcelled surface toughness. Darton's unique casting process provides a bore finish which, while very tough, promotes quick and total piston ring seal for the most complete combustion possible from each cylinder.

Escape Design specialise in high quality, fast turn-around web site design. Maybe you have a new business. Or you are already an established company, venture or organisation. Whatever type of operation you are you will need a web site to fully reach your potential and most importantly, attract new customers. This is where Escape Design can help. They offer individual customer attention, and listen to your comments and value your feedback - ultimately producing visually stimulating solutions to your brief and requirements. With a keen eye for detail and originality, they aim to satisfy and thrive on your input, believing this delivers the best result. Asking questions about what you do and how you do it, to get to know you and your company. Tailoring their skills to suit your target market; this information allows them to excel where other companies simply cannot. Get in touch today for details or information on anything they offer. All of their web site design packages - starting from just £195 - include professional web site design, unlimited web site design revisions, web site hosting and support, domain name registration and management, search engine optimisation, multiple E-Mail accounts, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome compatible, visitor statistics.

Forge Motorsport are recognised as one of the UK's premier manufacturers of alloy aftermarket accessories. To ensure there total commitment to quality Forge have obtained the internationally recognised manufacturing standard ISO 9001 this covers them for all design and development work. All their products are produced in their own state of the art CNC workshop. All Forge products are guaranteed for life with the Forge "No Hassle" service promise. If you have a particular motor sport requirement that is not listed in there catalogue, or on the web site please call them and they will gladly assist with any queries.

As most people will know Goodridge they are the world's leading manufacturer of high performance fluid transfer systems, driving the top race cars, performance road cars and motorcycles across the globe. Goodridge products cover all fluid transfer needs including hydraulic Brake and Clutch lines, and lightweight hoses for fuel, oil cooler, gearbox and water systems. Contact them at Goodridge Silverstone, Unit 2215 Technology Park, Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northants, NN12 8TN. Phone 01327 858799 or E-Mail silverstone@goodridge.net.

Every racer is always looking for an edge. Klotz products have a long history of race testing and race proven performance. In 1959 JC Klotz Jr needed a lubricant to give him and edge over the field, in moments like these, where racers are looking for something to give them more performance, Klotz was born and still continues to develop today. For over forty five years they have focused on meeting the needs of racers, performance enthusiasts, and the consumer who cares enough to use the best product available. Regardless of which power sport is your passion; Klotz defines the highest standard in the highest grade of synthetic lubricants. It is their goal to make mastering the science of synthetic lubrication their first priority. Thousands of racers and performance enthusiasts have relied on Klotz for winning performance. They maintain their reputation by continuing to adapt to the ever-evolving needs of racers and consumers. Their line of products covers marine, SkiCraft, automotive, motorcycle, kart, snowmobile, and RC model markets. It is their goal to serve you by providing the highest quality product, with the most consistency, for exactly the application you need it for. Contact them on +1 800-242-0489.

N138 clothing are purveyors of distinctive apparel for the discerning petrolhead. Take a look around at the top-notch T-shirts we currently have on offer in the on-line catalogue. You can also see what's in the pipeline by checking out the in development section. There's loads more other products too, so you can N138 yourself silly.

NGK Spark Plugs Ltd was established in 1975 and is now located in purpose built premises in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Within the company there are two main Divisions; NGK Spark Plugs responsible for spark plugs and related products, and NTK Technical Ceramics responsible for semi conductors, electronic components, ceramic cutting tools and fine ceramics. NGK has established a world-leading reputation for quality and innovation in all its product areas and is committed to maintaining this excellence. The dramatic growth of NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd represents one of the greatest success stories in the UK automotive market over the past decade. Starting in the 1960s, initially to serve the motorcycle market, NGK entered the UK automotive market in the early 1970s. In 25 years it has advanced from a market share of under six per cent to one of over fifty per cent and increasing. NGK has become the brand leader in the UK spark plug market and the number one choice of the professional as a result of its quality, technical excellence and total commitment to Research and Development. This has led to major successes with vehicle manufacturers worldwide who are increasingly specifying bespoke plugs so as to achieve maximum efficiency from their new engines. The NGK research and development work is based in the Technical Center at Ratingen, established in 1990. Since that time it has continuously been expanding and provides technical support to the European automotive manufacturers. The NGK Technical Centre has a test facility covering an area of approx. 2,200 sqm into which approximately €15 million have been invested. It has three modern engine test rigs for endurance and application tests, together with cold-climate chambers in which engine and chassis can be cooled down to -30C for analysing cold-start performance. It also has comprehensive equipment for carrying out full exhaust gas tests, and also tests for the examination of Lambda sensors regarding their long-term quality and reaction time. Today, NGK supplies spark plugs to most vehicle manufacturers in Europe including BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Fiat and Renault as well as many Japanese manufacturers.

Raceparts UK have been in business since 1972 from their Wallingford base in the heart of the motorsport valley. They are dedicated to manufacturing and supplying proven, top quality products to all forms of motorsport worldwide. Raceparts is the first and original, one-stop warehouse for all motorsport spares and they pride ourselves on their personal, friendly and efficient service that has served them so well over the years.

RPM Performance Products was established in 1994. It's sole business is the development of quality electronics for racing. After ten years of developing products for other companies, RPM is redirecting its efforts in order to bring newly developed products directly to the racer. The staff and associates at RPM bring over twenty years of experience in Data Acquisition in control electronics and software, as well as over sixty years of experience in drag racing, with first hand experience in almost all classes from Super Street to Top Fuel. We have worked with and developed products for several of the top racers, and are striving to provide quality instruments to help our customers achieve success in their racing programs. First and foremost, RPM promises integrity. We will deal with all customers fairly and honestly. We will not mislead our customers with hype or false promises. We believe it is possible to have satisfied customers only when our products truly do provide the advantages they claim to offer.

SiliconeHoses.com are a new name in silicon hoses, but with a thirty year history in the development of engineered components and performance engine applications. If it's automotive, marine or an industrial piece of equipment and requires silicon hoses, we can help! Our hoses are suitable for cooling systems, charge air systems, induction systems and negative / positive pressure signal lines.

Slick Attire was established in 2008 with the aim of offering stylish apparel for the discerning petrolhead. The label's philosophy is to create high-quality garments with designs inspired by the whole spectrum of motor sport and car culture, from 1920s Bentley Le Mans racers to wild Fuel Altered Dragsters such as Relentless. They have been involved with Bennett Racing since 2007, producing two designs, Severely Altered and Relentless. The design of the new shirt has been heavily influenced by the livery of the updated and more outrageous than ever 2009 spec car.

Smiths High Performance is a leading stockholder and supplier of high performance engineering materials to high technology industries such as motor sport and aerospace. Choose from a wide variety of commercial and speciality alloys and benefit from complete supply solutions including full inventory and logistics management. When you purchase high performance materials from Smiths High Performance you will be joining some of the biggest and best world class engineering companies from civil aviation, through to marine and Formula 1 motorsport. Telephone 01767 604708 or fax 01767 312885.

Sparkplugs.com stocks an incredible array of just about every spark plug and spark plug wire made in the world. They stock every spark plug made by Denso, NGK, Champion, Autolite, Pulstar, E-3 and Bosch. More than great spark plugs, they also carry oxygen sensors, high performance lighting, filters, shocks, wire sets, and the tools you need for installation. SparkPlugs.com is your source for hard to find parts. They have all those hard to find high performance spark plugs that you are looking for. They especially pride theirselves on providing complete spark plug cross reference and spark plug gap information. Sparkplugs.com and its parent company Monarch Products have been around since the 1960s delivering first class service and same day shipping on most orders. Give them a call on (+1) 888 800 9629 or visit Sparkplugs.com whenever you need high performance sparkplugs or ignition wires.

SuperPower Unlimited are no strangers to the drag racing scene, having been involved since the concept of the U.K. NFAA, they offer a truly American flavour for 'Big Inch Engines' and have built up a reputation for value and reliability within a diverse range of motor sports ranging from fast road cars to nitro burning dragsters!

Top Film Posters is an online-only company which specialises in the best online choice of iconic film posters. You can buy iconic film posters and television posters. Secure on-line ordering is available on their fully illustrated web site. Film posters include Sin City, Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Back To The Future, Star Wars, Reservoir Dogs, Trainspotting, The Godfather, King Kong, Scarface, Quadrophenia, Jaws, Goodfellas, Saw, James Bond, Jackie Brown, E.T, Alien, Raging Bull, LA Confidential, Superman, Batman, Wall-E, The Terminator, The Goonies, Teenwolf, Halloween, Harry Potter, The Shining, Slumdog Millionaire. TV posters include The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, American Dad, The A Team, Knight Rider, Friends, Only Fools and Horses. They can also print any poster you require on their fully commercial printers. So get in touch for a superb print of your racecar or bike!

A huge thank you to all our sponsors, we really couldn't do it without you. Visit our web site for details on all of our sponsors. Any other companies wanting to sponsor us please E-Mail sponsorship@bennettracing.co.uk.

Monday 22nd February: Blowing the Bantam.

Obviously during the off season, every team are hard at work and we are no exception. The workshop extension is coming along nicely but, as ever, it's holding work back on the cars, however Kenny at SuperPower Unlimited has been working hard on the supercharger and manifold for the SuperPower Unlimited Bantam altered.

Having taken on the task of providing Bennett Racing with a rebuilt 8-71 blower setup, we decided to start with an ex-fuel BDS Manifold that had worked well with a 14-71 in its previous life. The manifold had been adapted for the bigger blower by cutting out the front of the base and extending it to accommodate the larger discharge opening on the 14-71.

While this works for the bigger blower, it wouldn't work for the 8-71 that we wanted, and rather than supply a new manifold we agreed due to budget restraints that Kenny could re-adapt the manifold to suit the 8-71 and also have the necessary SFI Burst panel & cage.

The next step was the Blower itself. Kenny had a used Ed Pink 8-71 that had not seen action for many years which, once rebuilt, would fit the deal and he set about checking the rotors for run out. They measured up and received restriping of the teflon, new bearings, seals and gears. Once everything has been set and clearanced, it will be fitted with a new front cover then it will be ready to go to work! As I have said before, the Bantam will be run soft and easier than the Relentless NFAA altered, for both parts and also the workload. As soon as the supercharger and manifold are finished I will get a photo on here. Thanks to Kenny for his help with this and if anyone reading has a need for a blower or your current one freshened up then get in touch with him on 07967 728175 or visit www.superpowerunlimited.co.uk.

Thursday 18th February: Going to the Gators.

Well, a bit of a turn up for the books but I will soon be doing something I have wanted to do for long time and that's going to the Gatornationals in the USA. It was a proper last minute thing and I didn't really plan to go this year, but we just thought sod it! I am going to do the whole event, but thought I might as well go for the Top Eliminator tickets as they tend to look after you a bit more and get drinks etc through the day; also a visit to Florida cannot be done without going to the Garlits Museum, which is the part I am really looking forward to, just to see that many cars and how they have developed in terms of speed and safety. I can't wait, especially if he is there and I can meet him; that would make the trip for me.

I am also going to go to the Kennedy Space Centre which should be great. Seeing anything that size is amazing. There will also be visits to Speedworld, maybe Daytona, some go-karting, shooting ranges, a classic car show...

It's going to be a busy time but I can't wait for it. Watching it on Channel 5 (although they have wrongly stopped this) was good, but seeing it all in the flesh will be a whole other level. We went to California a few years ago to watch the Hot Rod Reunion and that blew me away. There were over 70 blown altereds there; it was a cracking event.

I am going to do my best to keep a diary type thing with many photos of our time over there so I can update our web site and also this Eurodragster blog. I hope that it's of some interest to the thousands who read this blog and visit our site.

Thanks all for reading.

Wednesday 10th February: Iris Page Memorial Trophy.

Firstly I would just like to say a massive thank you to every single person who voted for me to win the APIRA Iris Page Memorial Trophy. I was very honoured indeed...

Winning any trophy is obviously nice but to be awarded it for what I did is really great and means a lot.

Building a race car from the ground up is hard enough but building it while spewing your insides up in a bucket is even harder believe me, I have never really gone into this side of cancer and chemotherapy at great length as I don't want people to break out the violins, but it's absolute agony. The only thing that got me through it other than my family (who are the best in the world) was rebuilding the Topolino; it kept my mind busy, it kept me right in the head, gave me a goal to aim for and kept me busy. Also a huge huge help was the fact that my old man quit his job to look after me; this meant a lot and he knows how much, and again it kept me right. If I started to moan he would tell me to shut up and get on with it, which sounds harsh but one thing I always kept first in my mind was that there were kids going through cancer and chemo. If they can do it then I can.

While building the car we must have had about 345,545 arguments, mostly due to me being a little bit moody, but five minutes later we would be back to normal, and I don't like to be big headed but I am VERY proud of what we built and what we achieved. We didn't just slap a new body on the car, we replaced/changed/improved every single component. It was not a rebuild, it was a new car. Then we got nominated for best appearing car, which I knew we wouldn't win but I was over the moon to just be in the mix. Not bad, considering the garage size and circumstances we built the car in.

Then the cars debut, think it was at the Open Sport Nationals; everyone commented on how good the car looked and more importantly they asked how I was (thanks all). One thing I didn't let on was I had only had the chemo a few days before the event, I was dead on my feet, so so tired after only one day, but the desire I had to get the car on the track completely took over, and another thing which I am very proud to have done was a sub one second 60 foot (0.991) on our first launch with the new combo; I was chuffed.

Then, on the next run, a lifter bar broke (credit to my old man for hearing it and getting out of it) but we then went home, in all honesty we could have pulled the cam and de-burred it and replaced the lifter but due to it being the first event and we knew we couldn't win, we went home and I was glad; I could barely walk without tripping ove;, quite funny now but I was tired and glad to get home.

Anyway back on point, thanks for the trophy, I have again just had the all clear so very happy and got the news about the trophy two days later so it was icing on the cake really.

Thanks all and thanks for reading.

Wednesday 3rd February: Joe's memorable year

This blog entry was written by Joe Riley who became member of the Relentless NFAA team in 2009.

It is roughly a year ago now that I posted an ad on Eurodragster and got the text from Luke. Little could I guess how our year would go. After being a spectator for several years I became part of the team, a chance that I couldn’t wait to take up. The first time I ever saw the car and met the Bennetts couldn’t have fired me up anymore for the season ahead, and so I remember the first day of the Easter Thunderball when finally it could all begin.

One thing you cannot expect when you join a team is the hours and workload you have. It would be unusual not to be up at 7.30 to 8 in the morning starting with the checking of the rear end and getting rid of overnight dirt, and to continue working till often long through the night. This was especially noticeable at the Thunderball, although, with a fortunate lack of snow as opposed to 2008, it still felt pretty cold. During the days, as well, there’s no time for a breather. If there was an issue and we would only have an hour and a bit to turn the car round ready for a deciding run, I would often think how are we going to do this? Yet we would all click into the jobs we had and somehow find a five minute tea break before the run, with the car readier than ever. That certainly made all the hard work and long hours well worth it, especially when that deciding run resulted in a trophy.

When I’ve explained drag racing to people not in-the-know, especially those who have no idea whatsoever, I am often told that ‘all they do is go in a straight line’. This last year has taught me even more how so wrong they are. The buzz I get when standing on the line watching Frank roar up the strip grappling with the car is amazing, and then, when a good time comes up with a win, it's incredible. This is to the point of being incapable of filming the run well due to shaking far too much, Lisa doing a much better job!

I’ve learnt as much in my first year in the team about mechanics and dragsters than I had done in my whole life. It definitely makes studying engineering at university this winter seem more straightforward! I couldn’t have guessed that so many factors could affect the car’s performance. Drag cars might look like just a massive engine and big wheels to some, now I know there’s a lot more than that.

It all built up to the final championship round. We were still leading Joe Bond, but we couldn’t take the weekend putting half the effort in, we still had to win. There have not been many times when I’ve felt as on edge as during that weekend. Everything had to go well, every job to be done right but on time. There were a few times I would talk to Alan before the car was getting ready to fire up for a run and we’d both agree that it was getting serious. Every part of me wanted us to win, it mattered so much after the hard work we’d all put in. So when we did win the championship, I couldn’t have been more relieved. In 2008 I couldn’t have guessed that by the end of the 2009 season I’d be part of a championship winning team. No better way to finish off a very busy and very exciting year.

It has now been roughly four months since we won the championship, and I cannot wait any more for the new season. With a year of experience working together behind us and a championship to come with it, this year has the prospect of being even more memorable. Now I know what it’s like working on a car (and never to look for skyhooks...) the weeks leading up to the Thunderball can’t count down quick enough. Many many thanks go out to the whole team for the chance they’ve given me. I couldn’t have asked for a better first year in drag racing. I’m sure this year will be another great one.