Barry Sheavills

Barry first got the drag racing bug over 27 years ago in 1971 after witnessing the Commuter front engined top fuel dragster. From that day on he wanted to drive in the premier class of the sport, but at the time he stuck to racing his street car, a Ford Cortina GT no less.

In 1972 Barry debuted his first purpose built race car, a Jaguar powered Austin Ruby competition altered named 'Stagecoach', the name to be used for all his race cars. After racing various incarnations of this car until 1982, Barry then built the first purpose built Super Gas car in England followed by an 8 second, 180mph competition altered.

1988 saw Barry campaign his first Stagecoach dragster in Top Alcohol which gave him his first 6-second, 200mph ride. Another car followed, but with the urge to go quicker ever increasing, in 1993 a brand new state of the art dragster was unveiled. This was to be Barry's most successful car to date as in 1994 he had a banner year. He was not defeated on a green light start all season, culminating in a terrific victory at the European Finals over the newly crowned European Champion Anita Makela, with the first 5 second E.T. ever at Santa Pod by an Alcohol car, a 5.97. That year he won the British Championship, as he would for the following two years, and finished 4th in Europe.

For 1997 Barry realised his long term goal of driving a Top Fuel Dragster. He teamed up with championship winning owner and crew chief Rune Fjeld from Norway to campaign the car that Rune had tuned to many a quick run.

In his first season in drag racing's top flight, Top Fuel's newest driver hit his stride at only the second race of the year in Finland and won the event, beating seasoned regulars Tommi Happanen and Viveca Averstedt along the way and set his personal best speed at over 287mph. The year also finished on a high with Barry recording his personal best ET of 5.08 at the European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway.

For his and the team's efforts, Barry won the Top Fuel Rookie of the Year award and finished 4th in the F.I.A. European Top Fuel Championship in only his first season.

In 1998 Barry acheived the lifetime goal he set himself back in 1971, by winning his first European F.I.A. Top Fuel Championship. In doing so he also fulfilled his dream of being the first driver to break the four second barrier at his home track, Santa Pod Raceway, UK. Having acheived these remarkable goals the first thing on Barrys mind as he toured back to the pits following the third four second pass and 297MPH run was to run 300MPH in 1999, and times, well who knows how low the team will go this season!

Hence, Barrys main goals for 1999 are to retain the FIA European Top Fuel Championship in style and to be the first driver outside the USA to run 300MPH. On his results to date it would be a brave man to bet against him and the formidable team.

Never far from Barry's mind is the crucial role of the team and crew members, both past and present, as such he would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their dedication, hard work and effort. Without which none of the acheivments would have been possible.

Finally a very special thanks to Rune Fjeld for a fantastic car in 1998 and congratulations to a deserving winner of "European Crew Chief of the Year"

info@topfuel.co.uk