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28th April: Swiss Top Fuel racer Peter Beck's web site has been updated with an account of Top Fuel Team Switzerland's debut at last weekend's Thunderball.
The News page features the weekend run-down, and the Pictures page contains some photos of Peter and the car in action. The Top Fuel Team Switzerland web site is at www.topfuel.ch.
Shell Racing launch web site.
28th April: UK Top Methanol Dragster and Junior Dragster team Shell Racing have launched a web site at www.eurodragster.com/shellracing. The web site contains a news page updated by the team themselves (already updated with details of how Doug and Joe Bond fared at the Thunderball), an exhaustive team history, Photo Gallery from the team's beginnings to the present day, a run-down of the crew through the years, race calendar, sponsor page, guest book and more.
Super Series begins.
27th April: This weekend sees the first round of the Super Series at Shakespeare County Raceway (formerly Avon Park Raceway). The Super Series is run over five rounds and forms part of the UK National Championships as well as the Super Series Championship.
Headlining this weekend's event are the Duel of Fuel Fuel Funny Car match race between John Spuffard in the Showtime FC and Gordon Smith in the Shockwave car, and the second round of the MSA British Top Alcohol Championship.
The race also features a strong supporting cast of sportsman classes, the ever-popular Wild Bunch, the Supertwin bike classes, and of course Junior Dragster.
Qualifying commences at 10:00 on Saturday and 11:00 on Sunday, and racing commences at 11:00 on Sunday. Entry is £12 for one day, £20 for two days, and £24 for the entire weekend. For more details including a map of Shakespeare County Raceway's location, visit the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries, and for news from the Avon Park International Racers Association visit the APIRA web site at www.eurodragster.com/apira.
We will of course be posting live updates from Shakespeare County Raceway, but there is no substitute for being there yourself!
Mercy flight aids Nemesis.
27th April: On the subject of Super Series 1, the Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster team had their participation in this weekend's MSA Championship round thrown into jeopardy by severe damage sustained during last weekend's Thunderball.
The worst tyre shake many of us have ever seen broke the steering wheel off its column, split the windscreen, broke the reverser and tore the computer off its mounting. Luckily the team were able to fix all of these problems, but one other breakage threatened to be insurmountable: the gear on the rear axle was broken and the team didn't have a spare. Prospects were bleak for the Lucas-sponsored team.
Team member Andy Bissett takes up the story: "After the damage we sustained at Santa Pod on Monday it looked as if we'd be sidelined from the competition at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend" he says. "However, thanks to the great efforts of Andy Robinson of Andy Robinson Race Cars in sourcing us a new gear for the rear axle and Malcolm Francis, of sponsor Express Freight Services, in importing the gear in time for the race, we'll be back in the hunt for the Top Methanol Championship".
Thanks Andy, the many fans of Team Nemesis will be relieved to hear that.
Beck's records confirmed.
27th April: Thanks to ACU Championship co-ordinator Ian King for confirming that Dave Beck officially set new Pro Stock Bike records of 7.464 seconds and 178.13 mph at last weekend's Thunderball (see below). Congratulations Dave!
Van Driel does a Van Driel.
27th April: Not quite having such a good weekend in Pro Stock Bike at the Thunderball was Holland's Herman Van Driel who blew an engine to pieces at the Top End.
Funny Bike rider Stephen French writes: "The engine has split from the rear of 3 and 4 and pushed the motor forward to break the frame tube and rearward enough to break off the engine mounting. The side plate is bent out on the left and the crank web on number 4 is pointing downwards. The data log trace shows the motor on an 8.06 pass and Herman only knew the motor had died when he tried to clutch it after the finish. The clutch would not move and smoke, oil and the fire truck followed him.
"Those of us who viewed the destruction found it hard to believe so much damage could be possible. The last mess of this type was when Peter Bossert pushed the cases down and the head up in a spectacular explosion a few years back. Engine destruction of a similar nature is now know as a 'Full Bossert' or a 'Half Bossert', depending on the number of cylinders destroyed. I think for Herman's motor we need a new category for spreading the crank: a 'Van Driel'.
"I asked Herman what the cost of repairs could be. About £8000 he said, or about £1000 per second."
Thanks for writing, Stephen, and commiserations to Herman, whom we look forward to seeing back out on the track very soon.
European kick-off at Chambley.
27th April: The European continent sees its first sizeable race of the year this weekend at Chambley in France. The eleventh Drag Power Show is being held at the airfield near Metz from Saturday to Monday.
Sportsman ET racer, Belgium's David Dony, tells us that the race covers both cars and bikes, with the biggest entry in what we would imagine is a straight production car class ("Mainly hatchbacks", says David). Other classes include Street, Super Street, Super Gas, Super Comp, and Competition Car. There are usually around one hundred and fifty competitors from France, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland.
The event also features jet cars, a rocket car (Howl! - rocket car-loving Ed), a rocket bike, and other attractions such as tractor pulling. David promises a report next week - thanks David.
Web site updates.
27th April: Our good buddies at Svensk Dragracing have updated their web site with a sneak preview of TMFC Champion Micke Kågered's new paintjob, important news about the Drag Internats at Mantorp Park in May, and news of a new entry into Pro Stock. Check it out at www.dragracing.se.
The UK1320 site has a very informative report from last weekend's Thunderball, and webmaster Gareth Evans has also snuck on a couple of photographs of racers in action at Santa Pod. UK1320 is at www.uk1320.com.
The official web site of the Fireforce Jet Funny Car team has been updated with a batch of new photographs including shots of the new Fireforce 2 Jet FC on its first test runs. The Fireforce site can be found at www.fireforce.co.uk.
Beck's unfinished business.
26th April: UK Pro Stock Bike racer Dave Beck heads back to the USA this weekend for the next round of the AMA/Prostar Series, after setting the Pro Stock Bike class alight here in the UK at last weekend's Easter Thunderball.
At the Thunderball, Dave put in a run of 7.464 and backed it up with a 7.524. This is quicker than both the ACU and FIM official records which are listed on the web site of ACU Championship co-ordinator Ian King (see below). Dave also clocked a speed of 180.07 mph, but failed by a fraction to back it up. He did however put in a run of 178.13 mph - which could be a new ACU record again according to Ian King's official stats. Obviously records have to be confirmed by the relevant authorities; we are currently investigating and will report back.
"We were running our second motor, and running it safe", says Dave. "We will run at least 7.3 this year!".
Dave's last AMA/Prostar race in the USA, in Atlanta, was rained out and so the held-over eliminations will be run on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. He was qualified in Pro Mod Bike, but was grateful for the delay after suffering engine damage. "When I get to Ohio I have got to put the motor in the bike ready for the race on Friday", says Dave. "Before we qualify on Saturday we will have to have two motors ready and a lot of spare pistons, because we expect to run 6.8s but might see a bit of the dreaded death smoke!"
You will be able to stay in touch with this weekend's events in Columbus via the dragbike.com web site. Good luck, Dave!
Deuchar seeks head.
26th April: No, not a Worzel Gummidge reference! UK Top Methanol Dragster racer and five-second club inductee Lindsay Deuchar has appealed to us for help in locating a head to enable him to compete in the next round of the MSA British Top Methanol Championship at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend. Lindsay is looking for a "Dart/Early Brad head"; if you can help then please e-mail Lindsay as soon as possible on laracer@laracing.co.uk.
Meanwhile, Lindsay has updated his web site with a story of his exploits at Santa Pod Raceway last weekend, including the utter blowing away of his personal best ET. Check it out at www.laracing.co.uk/page7.html.
King for a weekend.
26th April: Another racer to publish his weekend experiences is Top Fuel Bike rider and ACU Championship co-ordinator Ian King, who has updated the Pitlane Gossip page with the story of how he got to the finals of TFB on Monday.
The King Racing web site is a real mine of information on the ACU and FIM classes, including rules, contact details, official records and much more, and the entertaining gossip page is second to none if you are into two-wheeled drag racing. The site can be found at www.kingracing.com.
Thunderball stats.
26th April: The European Drag Racing Database has been updated with qualifying and elimination details from last weekend's Easter Thunderball. The information covers all car classes and Top Fuel Bike.
Webmsater Tommy Nilsson compiled this information from a painstaking analysis of the official timing data supplied by our good friends at TSI Timers and is to be congratulated on posting it so quickly. We will be posting the weekend's timing data in its entirety here on Eurodragster within the next day or so.
Top Methanol stats.
26th April: The official web site of the European Top Methanol Racers Association has been updated with race details and Top Methanol timing data from the Thunderball. You can get to it by clicking on the 2000 race results link on the ETMRA web site at www.etmra.com.
On the subject of the Thunderball, thanks to everyone who has contacted us here at Eurodragster with complimentary remarks on our raceday coverage over the weekend. We very much appreciate your taking the time and trouble to write.
Spuffard wins Shootout.
25th April: The Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway was plagued by bad weather. The weather seemed to have a particularly wicked sense of humour this time around, with several occurrences of rain returning just as track drying was complete. John Spuffard in the Showtime Fuel FC was the winner of the inaugural Pro Fuel Shootout between Top Fuel Dragsters and Fuel Funny Cars: Peter Beck should have been in the final in his Top Fuel Dragster after an astounding debut, but broke in the final qualifying round and could not make the call.
Even though the weather did its best to ruin the weekend, there were several other highlights, with some new records set and several personal bests beaten, and controversy in MSA Top Methanol. Our live coverage is still available by clicking here, and will be kept on our archive server for access throughout this year: check the menu down the left hand side of each page for the new Race coverage link.
Web site updates.
25th April: The Swedish Top Fuel Tour web site has had an update for the 2000 season. It gives full details of this year's Tour, from dates through teams to an all-new photo gallery and fast facts on Top Fuel Dragsters. The site is currently Swedish-language with English to be added soon, but the site is easy enough to read even if you don't understand Swedish. You can find the Top Fuel Tour web site at www.topfueltour.com.
Santa Pod Raceway now has its own URL at www.santapod.com. The site is still maintained by Eurodragster and so is identical to the previous version containing a race calendar, race preview, ticketing information, raceday updates, Run What You Brung details and more.
The Swedish Pro Street News Magazine is currently running a vote on who you think will be the winner in Super SB class. Webmaster Hasse tells us that the new issue of the magazine is due on April 29th: "My work takes up too much time", he sayd, "but there are twenty four hours in a day so I must only sleep for six!". The Pro Street News magazine can be found at www.dunderklumpenracing.com/prostreetnews
Rösta vem som ni tror vinner i sommar. Nu även Super SB klassen. Mitt jobb tar för mycket tid just nu. Men va fan dygnet har ju 24 h och det räcker man sover 6 h. www.dunderklumpenracing.com/prostreetnews.
Activ8 continue King sponsorship.
20th April: Active 8 Networks of Royston, Herts UK, have confirmed the take up of their primary sponsorship option with King Racing for the 2000 season. Active 8 began their association with the Top Fuel Bike program of King Racing at the beginning of 1999, and have been impressed by the exposure and interest generated through this agreement in the IT markets they serve. Roy Tucker, Managing Director of Active 8 Networks, said "We have been greatly impressed by the return on our investment in King Racing. The professionalism shown by their team, and the enormous amount of interest shown in them clearly demonstrates that their profile is synonymous with quality. This complements the image of Active 8 with our customers and enables us to further our market position". Active 8 Networks are a leading supplier of IT Networking Solutions in Europe, and are authorised distributors for Cisco, 3Com, Nortel, Extreme and Equiinet. Further information can be found at www.a8.co.uk and www.kingracing.com.
Web site updates.
20th April: UK Super Street team Top Banana have moved their web site to www.topbanana.home-page.org. The site has had a facelift and is bang up-to-date with a report on the team's testing at Shakespeare County Raceway last weekend.
Hoover lending a hand.
19th April: USA Funny Car legend Tom Hoover will be working with the Showtime Fuel Funny Car team at this weekend's Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway, and at Super Series 1 at Shakespeare County Raceway at the end of next week. Tom, a good friend and mentor of Showtime Crew Chief Bob Jarrett, has made several trips to the UK both to race and to assist with tuning.
"All the pieces are now in position for Showtime", says Bob. "Tom Hoover and his wife Betten are arriving in the UK on Saturday, and will be at Santa Pod on Sunday and Monday. All I have to do is to get the car set up to run in the mid 5.50s. It's not easy to run that slow when Tom is around!"
Spider on the Web.
19th April: UK racer Jim Seward has launched a web site featuring his new Fuel Altered operation. Jim previously ran the Harry the Spider slingshot dragster in Super Pro ET, and the web site tells the history of the slingshot and Jim's subsequent move to a Fuel Altered. We particularly liked "Jim couldn't bring himself to run a rear-engined dragster"!. You can find the HTS Racing web site at www.geocities.com/hts_racing.
Web site updates.
19th April: The UK1320 web site has been updated as promised with pictures from Sunday's Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway. Check it out at www.uk1320.com.
Ellul joins MSA Championship.
18th April: John Ellul becomes the first ever Maltese competitor in Top Methanol in the UK
this weekend, when he takes part in the first round of the MSA British Top Methanol Championship at
Santa Pod Raceway's Easter Thunderball. Crew member Paul Galea tells us that John's Top
Methanol Dragster is Fontana-powered with a Whipple supercharger. John should be competitive immediately, since he has
already recorded a best of 6.108/233.89: "Remember that that was in Malta", says Paul.
We understand that John and maybe one other Maltese racer will be taking part in the first FIA Championship round, Santa Pod's Main Event in May.
Thunderball entry online.
18th April: The entry list for this weekend's Thunderball is now online, courtesy of Santa Pod Racers Club (particular thanks to Spencer Tramm). You can view the entry list by clicking on the Next Event button on Santa Pod's web site.
New PB for Malmgren.
17th April: Congratulations to Michael Malmgren and his crew on a new Personal Best ET in qualifying for this weekend's NHRA National event in Houson, USA. Michael clocked 7.059 against a previous best of 7.061, but unfortunately did not qualify for the race. A quick check with the European Drag Racing Database confirms that this pass would also have been a new European record had it been run (and backed up) at a European event. The team must however be very confident about the European season, having stolen a march with their extended testing in the USA.
Shakespeare improvements.
17th April: Whilst Tog tried to think of paraphrases for "It's raining" at Shakespeare County Raceway on Saturday, Sharkman braved the precipitation and took a look at the site of the new return road which will be finished in time for Super Series 1 at the end of April. A picture of the new return road is available on our weekend reports and pictures index.
The new return road is on the right hand side of the track. APIRA Press Officer Jerry Cookson confirmed that the return road was put in to enable racers to get back to the pits without having to wait to cross the shutdown area, and that the new work also includes a paved area for parachute recovery and emergency use. Jerry added that it is also planned to add extra pit parking at Shakespeare County Raceway later in the year.
Svensk Dragracing update.
17th April: Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing have updated their web site with a review of the Bilsalong in Stockholm, an interview with Håakan Nilsson, notes from Houston, and a slightly-amended interview with George Marnell's Crew Chief Markus Svensson. The Svensk Dragracing site is at www.dragracing.se.
UK1320 updated, moving.
17th April: The UK1320 web site has been updated with a brief report of yesterday's events at Shakespeare County Raceway, with pictures expected to be posted tomorrow.
Webmaster Gareth Evans tells us that UK1320 is to move servers very shortly, and that while he expects the move to go off without a break of service, there is an outside chance that the site will become unavailable for a short while.
We don't do corners!
17th April: We don't do corners is the name of an excellent new UK fan site, featuring spectator-side photography by one Motor Psycho 57. MP's photographs cover both Santa Pod Raceway and Shakespeare County Raceway; check out the great picture of John Ellis' nitrous burp at what was then Avon Park. We don't do corners can be found at http://www.motorpsycho57.co.uk/drag.html.
New addresses abound.
17th April: It must be the week for new web addresses since a couple of web sites have moved to their own domain names. First up is the Fang drag bike team who have moved their web site to www.thefang.co.uk. Fangmeister Carl has done a lot of work recently to redesign the site, and the makeover really works. The site features the latest on the new Fang, a team history, gallery, links, and much more, and is a real haven for drag bike fans.
Martin Hill unveiled his new Fireforce Jet Funny Car and web site last weekend, and this week the web site has moved to its own URL. The Fireforce web site is now at www.fireforce.co.uk.
Test Weekend reports and pictures.
16th April: We're now back from a long and exhausting weekend attending the test sessions at Shakespeare County Raceway and Santa Pod Raceway. We posted a rain commentary and pictures from Shakespeare County Raceway yesterday, and a report and pictures from a rather more successful test day at Santa Pod Raceway today. We are indebted to Jerry Cookson, APIRA's Press Officer, and Simon Day of Shakespeare County Raceway's Tech Crew for providing a detailed report of what was a very eventful day at Shakespeare County today.
Click here to see the weekend reports and pictures.
Thunderball: not on a Friday.
16th April: Those of you who have already snuck a look at the Raceday Updates page of Santa Pod's web site will have noticed a Report and Pictures entry for Friday on the Thunderball coverage index. We understand that this has caused some confusion since it could conceivably be taken to mean that a day's racing is taking place on Friday. This is, of course, not the case: Friday is set-up day and we are planning to post a brief report and pictures from SPR that day. We have now changed the wording on the Raceday Updates page to make it a little clearer.
Last call for testing.
14th April: Martin and David Curbishley have confirmed that they will be testing in the Money Hungry 2 Super Gassser at Shakespeare County Raceway on Sunday. "Let's hope the weather holds out!" says Martin, and so say all of us.
Eurodragster is planning a limited live update service from Shakespeare County Raceway tomorrow (Saturday), and from Santa Pod Raceway on Sunday. The updates will include pictures which will, as usual, be posted in the evenings. Our comprehensive live-update service will commence at next weekend's Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway. If you see Tog or Sharkman at either track this weekend then be sure to say "Hello".
Click here to go to this weekend's update page, which includes local weather reports for both tracks.
Apologies to Pro ET racer Steve Wells for a typo in yesterday's news. Steve will be at Santa Pod Raceway on Sunday, not Shakespeare County Raceway.
JD sponsorship.
14th April: Thanks to Peter Hewitt for writing with the latest on the sponsorship of Jack Hewitt and Holley Glassup's Junior Dragsters. Peter tells us that the deal has not yet been closed with Pro Blend, and that J and W Automotive of Bridgewater is the JDs' new sponsor. A deal is also in the works with Rapid Orange, who produce a citrus-based hand cleaner, which will be on sale at the track from the JDs' trailer.
Web site updates.
14th April: The official web site of the European Top Methanol Racers Association has been updated with a preview of next weekend's Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway, which is the first round of the MSA British Top Methanol Championship. The ETMRA web site can be found at www.etmra.com.
Custom Car Street Elminator competitor Allen Curtis has updated the No Manners Racing web site, which is devoted to his street-legal ten-second Chevy-powered Thames 300E van. The update includes new pictures, links and more. Check out the No Manners Racing site at ourworld.cs.com/ACurtis9/street.htm.
Testing latest.
13th April: Super Series promoter Terry Gibbs will be stepping back into the seat of the Obsession Super Gasser on the first day of the APIRA Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend. Usual driver, Terry's son Craig, is unavailable on Saturday so Terry is no doubt having his arm forced up his back to take the ride until Craig arrives on Sunday, "hopefully to show his dad the way" says Tina Gibbs.
Pro ET racer Steve Wells will be heading to Santa Pod Raceway on Sunday to continue testing a new clutch on his Ford Pop pick-up.
Web site updates.
13th April: Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing have updated their web site with an interview with Sweden's Markus Svensson, who is US Pro Stock racer George Marnell's Crew Chief, a report on the progress of European racers at last weekend's NHRA race in Las Vegas, and some photographs from Las Vagas taken by Håkan Mattsson. Check it out at www.dragracing.se.
Swedish Top Fuel Tour Champion Peter Lantz has updated his web site with a birthday tribute to crew member (and Norsk Dragracing big shot) Vidar Engh. Vidar's birthday present has to be seen to be believed! The PLR Motorsports web site is at www.plr.nu.
Current MSA British Top Methanol Champions Turner Racing have moved their web site to its own domain name at www.turnerracing.com. The Netcall Telecom-sponsored TMD team's site features news, illustrated history, photo gallery, links and much more.
Nilsson reveals Vette paint, plans.
12th April: European Pro Mod record holder, Sweden's Håkan Nilsson, has revealed the new paintscheme on his recently-acquired (from the UK's Al Cook) '63 Vette Pro Mod. Eagle-eyed observers will also notice a new rear wing on the car. "We're keeping the motor and transmission from the Mustang" says Håkan. "We're fitting a new wing, which we believe is more aerodynamic and easier to adjust when we need downforce. The car is a bit lighter and seems to react well, so we think we've got a good chance to stay on top of things this year as well."
Test rolls lengthen.
12th April: More news has reached us of racers planning to test at one or the other of this weekend's test sessions.
Dave Grabham and Terry Carter have confirmed that they will be testing their Freddy's Revenge blown-alcohol small block Altered at the APIRA Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway on Saturday and Sunday. They will be joined by Holley Glassup and Jack Hewitt in their Pro Blend-sponsored Junior Dragsters. This will be the first time that the cars will be seen in their new paint jobs", says Peter Hewitt. "We have made a few modifications over the winter break, and the Test and Tune weekend will give both teams some much-needed track time before the season starts. Fellow Junior Dragster competitor Paul Lindley-Allen also plans to attend the APIRA test, but mysteriously promises us "a surprise".
Jon Webster (Super Comp/Super Gas), Paula Marshall (Super Gas), Nigel Payne (Super Gas), Andy Kirk (Super Comp), Andy Frost (Top Methanol Dragster) and members of the Team Cooperized drag bike operation are expected to attend Santa Pod's test on Sunday. Unfortunately Smax Smith has written to warn us that he may not be able to attend to make his licencing runs. "I'm gutted because I can't wait to get in the thing", says Smax, "but I will definitely be at the Thunderball". Smax has promised more news as soon as he knows one way or the other - stay tuned.
Race fans - don't forget that both the Shakespeare County Raceway and Santa Pod Raceway test sessions are open to spectators, and that they are also Run What You Brung events. So if you fancy sharing the fire-up road with your favourite racers, then you know what to do.
Smax confirms SPR test.
11th April: Smax Smith has confirmed that he will be
making licencing passes in his Fuel Funny Car Mainline Menace 5 (right) at this Sunday's test day at Santa Pod
Raceway. Smax, who unveiled the FC at the Doncaster Custom Car Show last weekend, will be accompanied by Top Fuel
pilot Alan Jackson, from whom he bought the FC turn-key with two engines.
Super Comp racer Paula Atkin is expected to be at Santa Pod on Sunday, both testing and giving ride-alongs to journalists since Sunday is also being treated by SPR as a Press Day for the Thunderball.
Super Street racers Anne and Stuart Peck have also let us know that they will be at Santa Pod on Sunday, testing their Rat Rage Camaro.
Santa Pod: check your route.
11th April: Santa Pod have asked us to advise racers and fans attending the SPR test session on Sunday that Junction 15 of the M1 motorway is to be severely disrupted by a bridge demolition on both Saturday and Sunday of this weekend. Having looked at the information leaflet supplied by the Highways Agency, we would recommend that you consider Junction 15 and the A508 closed, and take one of the alternative routes to SPR from Junctions 14 or 16.
You can get full details of this weekend's closure at the Highways Agency web site.
Meanwhile, in the West...
11th April: The latest racers to sign up for this weekend's APIRA Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway are Super Street contenders Bob Lees and Neil Grant. "Most of the rest of us will be there just to get our first breath of rubber and check out the scene. Look out for .5000 reaction times and 10.9000 runs from the 'Boys to Beat in Superstreet'" says team-mate Zane Llewellyn.
On two wheels, we hear that Supertwin Top Gas racer Ric Naylor is planning to attend the APIRA test on Sunday, and APIRA Press Officer Jerry Cookson tells us that he expects that a number of Ric's fellow Supertwin racers will also attend.
Web site updates.
11th April: Speaking of Ric Naylor, the Team RNR Racing web site has now moved to its own domain name at www.teamrnr.co.uk. All of the previous features are there including the highly-enjoyable 14 easy steps to building a Drag Bike.
Sweden's Leif Andreasson is packing up and heading for home after his US tour which took in three qualifications in three NHRA national events and saw his personal bests blasted to the wind. Leif's web site has been updated with his experiences at Las Vegas, and you can find these at www.andreassonmotorsports.com.
Our very good friend Peter Calwer of European Super Street Bike Challenge and dragsterracing.de fame has set up a Who's who in German Drag Racing page. This is an excellent idea and very well-executed, featuring links and e-mail contacts for German drag racers. Check it out at www.dragsterracing.de/gerlinks. OK then, Peter, what about the rest of Europe...
Thanks to track commentator and Volkswagen drag racing leading light Paul Venners for letting us know that the Volkswagen Drag Racing Club web site has now been launched. The VWDRC site features information about the Club, a run-down on members' cars, a very active message board, links and more. You can find the VWDRC site at www.vwdrc.com.
Jarmo goes far!
10th April: Congratulations to Finland's Jarmo Markkanen for making it all the way to the semi-finals of a huge Stock field at the Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas. Jarmo eventually exited the field on a red-light, but he can be very proud of the way he scythed through the field.
More names line up for testing.
10th April: Thanks to Jerry Cookson, APIRA's Press Officer, for sharing the latest news of attendees at the Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend. Now expected are both Doug Bond and Derek Annable in Top Methanol Dragsters, Jim Seward in his newly-acquired Fuel Altered, Roy Wilding's new nostalgia slingshot (ex-Hemi Hunter), and a new car from nostalgia Team Rainbow. You can get full details from the News page of the APIRA web site.
If you are attending either Shakespeare County Raceway or Santa Pod Raceway's test sessions this weekend, then be sure to let us know at news@eurodragster.com and we'll post details here, since both test sessions are open to your fans!
Hill Jet FC, web site unveiled.
10th April: Martin Hill's new Fireforce Chevy Lumina Jet Funny Car was unveiled at the Doncaster Custom Car Show this past weekend, coinciding with the launch of the Fireforce web site.
The new Jet FC is powered by a Pratt and Whitney J60 engine, more usually seen in Sikorsky Skycrane helicopters. With this power plant, Martin estimates that the new car will be capable of high fives at 270 mph. The Chevy Lumina body is very low and swoopy, and has a totally different paintjob to Fireforce 1, which is to be driven by Tony Baker this season. The cars will not be racing since Jet vehicles are no longer allowed to run in pairs, but no doubt Martin and Tony will want to outdo one another on their bye runs, and fellow Jet drivers Roger Goring, Colin Fallows and Mark Newby will want to outdo the pair of them - jet car fans are in for a real treat this season.
The Fireforce web site at www.geocities.com/fireforce_jet and clik.to/fireforce has the first photographs of the new car. The web site also features news, technical run-downs of both cars, team biographies, photo galleries, claendar of appearances throughout Europe, and much more. As Martin says, "Go and take a look at the new car on my site, and see what you think!".
It's Showtime, again.
10th April: The official web site of UK Fuel Funny Car team Showtime Racing has been updated with the very latest from the team, new Photo Galleries including pictures from driver John Spuffard's pre-Showtime rides, more parts for sale, and a paragraph from Crew Chief Bob Jarrett making it clear that the team's European best of 5.46 seconds will be wiped out as soon as possible. Check out the Showtime Racing site at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.
SHRA announce new drag strip.
9th April: Leif Andreasson's crew member Anders Magnusson has written to us wearing his other hat as a representative of the Swedish Hot Rod Association's Örnsköldsvik branch.
"I have the pleasure of announcing that there is a new quarter-mile drag strip in Sweden, sixty kilometres from my hometown of Örnsköldsvik, three hundred kilometres south of Piteå and three hundred kilometres north of Stockholm. The Swedish Air Force have been cutting down on their expenditure, and this has included getting rid of prime airfield sites. This one is 2300 meters long, thirty meters wide, and has difference in elevation of of half a metre. It had new high-quality pavement laid on it a few years ago, a separate paved return straight, service areas, hangars and almost no neighbours to disturb!
"The Community of Örnsköldsvik (Ö-vik) had the task of finding new uses for the airfield. The SHRA suggested drag racing, and so far we are the only one whose idea could be realised. At Christmas last year, the Community of Ö-vik asked us to arrange a drag race as soon as possible! They wanted an event there as did the traders' association in the nearby village of Bredbyn: they want to reverse the trend of people moving away to the cities.
Svensk Dragracing and other racing clubs in the north of Sweden are willing to help. The result is the inaugural race at "Kubbe Raceway" on 20th-21st May, the first event in the "North Race Division ET-Racing Series". This will feature Super Pro Street, Super Street, Super Comp, Super Mod, Super Gas and ET Bracket. It will also be a test weekend for Snowmobiles and - hold on to your hats - Pro Mod! Well, Kjell Håkan Moström is from Ö-vik, and we know that many more teams are keen on trying their cars out.
"Will the track hold? Yes, we think so. We've got eight barrels of trackbite here, and the track has an excellent surface. On top of that we've got expert hands-on help and advice from people who know their game. But this is our maiden race on this track and the intention is to get things going for the future."
Thanks very much for this great news, Anders, and the very best of luck to everyone involved in this new venture. SHRA Ö-vik have a home page at http://hem.netlink.se/~sbe21881/SHRA/shra_home.htm which will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.
Las Vegas latest.
9th April: Finland's Jarmo Markkanen is storming through the Stock field at the Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas. He has come through four rounds, making it into today's quarter-finals. Good luck Jarmo!
Sweden's Michael Malmgren put in qualifying runs of 7.221/192.06 and 7.228/192.14, to end up qualified twenty eighth in Pro Stock. Leif Andreasson qualified eleventh in Federal Mogul Funny Car with a best of 5.877/245.40. In round one of FMFC eliminations Leif came up against Steve Gasparrelli, and a pitched blower belt at one hundred feet ended his weekend.
Leif Andreasson's web site at www.andreasonmotorsports.com has been updated over the race weekend, and you can stay in touch with events in Las Vegas on NHRA Online and Drag Race Central, and our good friends at Svensk Dragracing are also posting news in both Swedish and English.
Las Vegas qualifying.
8th April: Sweden's Leif Andreasson is currently qualified seventh in Federal Mogul Funny Car at the Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, with runs of 5.956/245.76 and 5.989/243.41. Leif has one more round of qualifying and then eliminations start this afternoon.
Sweden's Michael Malmgren lies twenty seventh after runs of 7.374/176.84 and 7.207/191.40. He suffered tyre shake on the new, un-raced surface yesterday but has two qualifying sessions today to get up to speed.
Leif's web site at www.andreasonmotorsports.com is being updated over the race weekend, and you can stay in touch with events in Las Vegas on NHRA Online and Drag Race Central. We're all behind you, guys!
Johnson first up for test.
8th April: UK National Pro ET Champion Chris Johnson has confirmed his attendance at the APIRA Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway next weekend.
"We'd like to say well done to both tracks for recognising that a prepped track would finally drag the racers from their winter hideaways" says Chris' Crew Chief, Paul Somerville of Viking Rover. "Chris was hoping to have a new body on the car for this year but the unfortunately no one crashed their new 45 saloon over the winter! Probably just as well, the way Rover's fortunes are at this point. So the winter has been spent looking at fine details around the car and the addition of some new engine parts."
"We have looked at the areas where the car was weak or inconsistent last year and made adjustments and mods", says Chris Johnson. "We have also looked outside the sport for some new ideas, and although the car's outward appearance will look the same, hopefully more consistent time will be the order of the day. There is still no Nitrous kit on board but look out for some impressive 1.20 sec sixty-foot times, and hopefully a drop into the eights."
Chris' Pro ET colleagues are eager to know in which class Chris will run this season, but the team are not saying. Southampton's new Pro ET runner Mark Ramplee, in a Ford Sierra, will be assisted by Chris and his team this season and expects to be a consistent runner. "The two cars are totally different in chassis design and power units, so unfortunately sharing data will not help either team", says Chris.
Hill to unveil new Jet FC...
8th April: It is certainly a good week for jet car fans. Only a few days ago, Roger Goring was telling us about his new Jet Funny Car, and now we understand that Martin Hill of Fireforce Jet FC fame is to unveil a new Jet FC at this weekend's Doncaster Custom Car Show. We will bring you more information as we receive it.
...Woollatt shows 'em a real bike.
8th April: We also hear that Steve Woollatt's Top Fuel Bike is on display at the London Arena Motorcycle Show in London's Docklands this weekend. We wonder whether Steve will resist the temptation to fire it up, and there are a number of arrow-straight roads around Canary Wharf...
Prepped tracks for test weekend.
7th April: The weekend of 15th-16th April promises to be a huge unofficial season opener in the UK with two test sessions taking place on prepped tracks, and both are open to spectators.
Shakespeare County Raceway at Avon Park is hosting the Avon Park International Racers Association Test and Tune. This is a two-day affair, running from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday 15th and from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday 16th. "The track will be prepped just as good as we can make it", says APIRA's Press Officer Jerry Cookson. Entry to the track is £10 and the event will be on a Run What You Brung basis. We understand that at least one Top Methanol competitor is already signed up; Derek Annable will be taking a turn in the Shell Racing Top Methanol Dragster usually driven by Doug Bond, whilst Doug is all set to debut in the ex-Barry Sheavills TMD at the Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod. For more details of the APIRA Test and Tune please contact APIRA's Wendy Talbot on 01986 788114. You can also keep in touch with the latest on the News page of the APIRA web site.
Santa Pod Raceway's Run What You Brung on Sunday 16th April has been upgraded to a full-blown racer test session. SPR have announced that they are to prep the track surface with VHT. This will be the last opportunity to test at Santa Pod before the first UK National Championship round held over the Easter weekend, 22th-24th April. Kjell Pettersson, Santa Pod's Event Manager, says "We feel that we had a great support from the racers both in the Sportsman and Professional categories last year and we hope that by investing the extra money it costs to prepare the track on this day that we can help the racers that supported Santa Pod Raceway and the National Drag Racing Championship in 1999 in their preparation for the 2000 Season. Our aim is to get the Santa Pod surface as close to National Event standard as possible and we hope that by doing this we can make a small contribution to making the UK National Championship even more exciting than what is was in 1999."
Entry to Santa Pod on 16th April is £8; a further £10 and the production of a valid DVLC licence allows you to participate in the test session. For more details, check out the Run What You Brung page of Santa Pod's web site or call Santa Pod on 08700 782828.
Both tracks have promised to keep us informed of declared participants in next weeks tests, and we will bring you news as we get it. Alternately, if you are planning to test at one of these sessions then you can drop us a line yourself on news@eurodragster.com, and we will let your fans know!
Hold-over policy explained.
6th April: In our news item of April 4th, Dave Beck raised the question of the holding over of postponed eliminations to a following race. We remarked that it used to happen at least in the UK, but that this was no longer the case, and we also asked if anyone could give us the official policy.
ACU Championship co-ordinator Ian King wrote with an explanation on the two-wheeled front. "An ACU round cannot be held over to the next race if rained off. All points earned at the meeting up to the point at which it was rained off are kept (e.g. qualifying points, round wins etc). This is due to time scheduling problems, unavailability of riders at all rounds, and when the last meet of the year is rained off you cannot wait to resolve the final Championship positions until the first round of the new season."
Former Santa Pod Racers Club Championship co-ordinator Spencer Tramm agreed. "In the event of a rain-out the points are given to the round of eliminations reached", he said. "For example, if in an eight car/bike field it rains just before the final then the round one losers get one hundred points (plus qualifying points), the semi-finalists get two hundred points (plus qualifying points), and the two finalists get three hundred points (plus qualifying points) - effectively making them both runner up. Where qualifying is completed but no eliminations are run then qualifying points are awarded. Where no qualifying or eliminations are possible then ten points are awarded to each person who has signed on and scrutineered. No eliminations are held over to future meetings."
Thanks very much to Ian King and Spencer Tramm for responding so quickly and fully.
Andreasson ready for Vegas gamble.
5th April: Sweden's Leif Andreasson attends his third NHRA event of the season this weekend in Las Vegas, where he will be competing in Federal Mogul Funny Car at the inaugural race at the new track. Crew member Magnus Andersson writes:
"Now it's time to hit the trackbite again. Leif Andreasson and the Team are on their way to Las Vegas and the NHRA National held there this weekend. Leif's been running fast in qualifications and eliminations during the previous two races at Pomona and Phoenix. He actually had three out of eight runs in the 5.7s and pretty high speeds to (twice over 400 km/h).
"Well, Las Vegas is the city of gambling and the goal is set high this time. With the encouraging close first round race in Phoenix in mind, they know it's possible to make it far into the eliminations if you get into the right groove. 5.6-second passes are within reach with this car. It's all about going for it, and seeing if things come out the way we want - just like in the casinos."
Leif's web site at www.andreasonmotorsports.com will be continuously updated over the race weekend.
Sweden's Michael Malmgren (Pro Stock) will also be competing at Las Vegas this weekend. We will bring you information as we get it, and you can stay in touch with events in Las Vegas on NHRA Online and Drag Race Central. Good luck guys!
Eurodragster interviews Roger Goring.
5th April: The latest in our occasional series of interviews is with UK Jet Funny Car driver Roger Goring, who will shortly be unveiling a new Jet FC which was already under construction when his Northern Flame car was very badly damaged in a Top End crash at Santa Pod Raceway in 1998. We asked Roger about the demise of Northern Flame and about his new car, and we subjected him to the cliché question about how it feels to drive a jet car.
Click here to read the interview with Roger Goring.
Smax confirms show date.
5th April: UK Fuel Funny Car racer Smax Smith has confirmed his attendance at this weekend's Doncaster Custom Car Show. "I have a stand at the Show", says Smax, "where the new Nitro car Mainline Menace 5 will be on display. We'll be promoting the Easter Thunderball for Santa Pod and showing the the Hot Hatches what real cars are!".
The Shockwave Fuel FC is also slated to appear at the Doncaster Show.
Smax's web site at www.smax.co.uk is to be updated with pictures of the Fuel FC, and you can now find the official web site of Smax's Hardcore Race Parts at www.fastco.uk.com.
Web site updates.
5th April: The official web site of the Team Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster operation has been updated with the latest news from the Nemesis camp. Check it out at www.eurodragster.com/nemesisracing.
The UK1320 web site has undergone a facelift for the 2000 season, and very good it looks too. The site at www.uk1320.com features news, photographs and extensive links from both the UK and Europe.
The Fantasy Drag Racing web site has been updated with the addition of a discussion forum. Webmaster Ian Highfield also tells us that he has plenty of room for more entries into his Fantasy League before the season starts, so check out the site at www.fantasy-sports-web.com.
US web site Competition Plus, which has a fine reputation for telling it like it is in the world of US drag racing, has been kind enough to give Eurodragster a great review in its regular feature Rob's web ramblings. This site is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in drag racing, and is updated on a regular basis - visit the site once and you'll be back weekly. Competition Plus can be found at www.competitionplus.com.
Eurodragster staffers Tog and Sharkman have both updated their personal web sites with photographs from Sunday's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway, including pictures of Paulas Atkin and Marshall's new paint jobs. You can find Tog's pictures at www.togsdragracing.com and Sharkman's pictures at www.btinternet.com/~sharkman.
Drag racer "glad for rain"!
4th April: Thanks to Dave Beck for e-mailing us with details of his weekend at the AMA/Prostar Star Racing Nationals in Atlanta, USA.
"The first pass was a 7.12, set real real soft" says Dave. "We then had gearbox problems on the second pass, and an electrical problem on the third which ended up costing us a blown motor. This left us in a lowly 14th" (but you still qualified, Dave! - Ed). The race was rained out and Dave appears relieved. "Boy, were we glad. It gives us a full three weeks to check the bike out, and to get ready for the first qualifying in Columbus, which will also be first round of Atlanta's eliminations. That's something which should be implemented over here."
The running of held-over races during qualifying is certainly something which used to happen here, and not so long ago. If any race association or official would like to write us with the current policy on held-over races then please contact us at news@eurodragster.com and we'll post it here.
Rain mars AMA/Prostar race...
3rd April: The UK's Dave Beck qualified 14th at the AMA/Prostar Star Nationals at Atlanta, USA with a 7.123/177.18 before the race was rained out. The outstanding eliminations will be run on the first day of the next AMA/Prostar race.
...whilst BJ manages #1 from home.
3rd April: The many fans of UK Top Fuel Bike racer Brian Johnson will not have been surprised to have seen that he was qualified number one in TFB at Atlanta this weekend. BJ himself, however, was very surprised since he was at home in Sunningdale, UK. We can't decide whether this was a database problem or an April Fool on the part of the reporters, but apologies to BJ for the lateral displacement.
BJ also had some news for us: at the end of this season his bike, trailer, spares and motor home will all be for sale. If you would be interested in purchasing some or all of BJ's 6.1-second Top Fuel Bike operation then you can call him on 01344 625182 (from outside the UK +44 1344 625182) or 0370 425441.
Comp Eliminator change.
3rd April: Thanks to Tommy Nilsson of the European Drag Racing Database for letting us know that the Competition Index Control, which applies for the Competition Eliminator class, has been changed slightly. CIC now only applies in eliminations and not during qualifying. Full details and all current indexes can be found on the European Drag Racing Database at www.eurodrag.com.
RWYB report.
3rd April: Yesterday's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway was affected by the weather. The track crew did a sterling job drying the track after overnight rain, and a few hours' running was possible before the rains returned.
A number of racers made the trip to Santa Pod, and they fell into two distinct classes: those trying out new parts, and those just making sure that it all still worked. Some new liveries were on show: Paula Atkin's Super Comp 100E looking very smart indeed in this year's Ford Rapid Fit colours, and Paula Marshall's Highlander Super Gasser sporting a colourful new paintjob which many remarked would not have looked out of place on a Pro Stock car. Both Paulas put in passes, Paula Atkin running 8.95, and Paula Marshall a best in the 9.5s. Super Pro ET racer Nigel Payne also put in a pass in the Highlander car, recording 9.51.
Nick Davies put in a gentle Nitrous-free pass in his Pro Mod, after pulling a huge burnout which got a cheer from all present and completely fogged-out the start line. Other racers "taking it gently" in different degrees were Paul Marston (Super Gas), Sarah Day (Super Gas/Super Comp), Dave Potter (Pro ET), Brendan Clancy (Super Gas), Alan Didwell (Pro ET), Tim Garlick (Pro ET) and Tony Smith of the Wild Bunch, making a rare visit to SPR in his Cunning Plan altered sans Minivan body. It was great to see another addition to the Junior Dragster ranks in the person of Johnny Walker, suffering a few problems with the brakes on the car but looking promising. There were also some cars new to us, which we hope to see in competition this year.
On two wheels, Jerry Collier of Jade Racing had several new features on test on his world record-holding Supertwin Top Gas Bike. He was accompanied by Comp Bike's Steve French, who when he wrote to us the other day modestly omitted to mention that he was behind the new electronics of Jerry's bike. Andy Haley also represented the Supertwin ranks, and a number of members of Team Breakout were in attendance, together with the Paul Rose Racing Comp Bike. The racer attendance was filled out by a number of 9.90 Bike and 10.90 Bike regulars.
Did you buy it?
2nd April: Yesterday's story about a Y2K problem with delay boxes and throttle stops was of course an April Fool. Thanks to Spencer Tramm who had the idea, and Zane Llewellyn who made it sound so convincing! We hope you enjoyed it, and apologies to anyone we panicked!
If you missed the April Fool then click here to read it.
Svensk Dragracing update.
2nd April: Zane Llewellyn features in the latest update on the Svensk Dragracing web site. The Super Comp racer and erstwhile Eurodragster practical joker takes part in a very interesting interview about his plans to repeat his participation in the Nordic Drag Race Series. The web site has also had a minor facelift. Check it out at www.dragracing.se.
Atkin tests, reveals new livery.
1st April: Staying with UK Super Comp, Paula Atkin will be revealing the 2000-season paint job on her fan-favourite Ford Rapid Fit-sponsored 100E at tomorrow's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway. The new livery is identical to that carried by the British Touring Car Championship Ford Mondeos, also sponsored by Ford Rapid Fit. Paula was a regular visitor to the eight-second zone last season and will be looking to use tomorrow's test to steal a march on her competitors in the increasingly-popular Super Comp class.
Jade Racing in rare SPR visit.
1st April: Thanks to UK National Comp Bike Champion Steve French for letting us know that among the two-wheeled contingent testing at SPR tomorrow will be Supertwin Top Gas world record holder Jerry Collier, whose latest team news we featured on 27th March. Jerry will be testing a new gearbox, electronics and "other goodies", and if all goes well then he will be attending the Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway on 15th-16th April. This is a rare visit to Santa Pod for the Jade Racing operation since the Supertwin Championships do not have any rounds at SPR during the season.
Earlier news
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