AMERICAN AUTOPARTS

Insight News and chewing gum for the eyes

Spring 2015

Compiled by Mike Lintern, with graphics and tech work by Wojtek Samoszuk

Race reports and Still Ramblin’ words and pix from Mike Collins, including personal views that are not necessarily those of the company… but are a must read! ______

Rent a classic for that Route 66 fly-drive dream North American tour specialists Bon Voyage Holidays triphave come up with a tempting fly-drive-motel package that offers a choice of six different American classics (plus one late model) for that once in a lifetime Route 66 road trip you‟ve so often dreamed of.

Choose from a ‟55 Bel Air, a ‟57 Chevy 150 four-door, a ‟65 Mustang GT fastback, „a ‟67 SS Camaro, a ‟70 Chevelle SS 396, a ‟71 Mach One or a 2015 Camaro to trace Route 66 all the way from Chicago to LA.

The 14-night odyssey costs from a hefty £4,395 per person for the14-nights, but remember it‟s a once in a lifetime experience.

Go to www.bon-voyage.co.uk or call them free on ______0800 980 7093 … and live the dream! Obituary

Peter Bartlett – BHRA pioneer We regret to report the death of Peter Bartlett, a UK hot rodding pioneer and founder member in 1960 of the British Hot Rod Association. He became BHRA treasurer in 1962 and two years later was owner/driver

of the ‟57 “Shovin‟ Chevvy” that push-started some of the great American drivers such as “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, “TV Tommy” Ivo and Tony “The Loner” Nancy, when they came to the UK for the 1st British International Drag Festival. Peter, together with his late wife Erica, was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2010. They retired from active club work in 1980, moving home to live in France.

______

Bitza News GM is to scale back its Chevrolet presence in Russia – in a similar move to that already announced for Western Europe – and will in future market only Corvettes, Camaros and Tahoes, along with Cadillacs. Korean -made models will be dropped. At the same time the company is closing the Opel operation in the country, with the shutting down the St Petersburg plant at the end of the year. Coming Events More events on page 45

(With thanks to Classic American and Custom Car Magazines, from where most dates have been taken) May 22-25

FIA European Drag Racing Championships Main Event (First round FIA), Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7XA (01234 782828 or www.santapod.com)

NASC 37th Gary‟s Picnic, Shakespeare County Raceway, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks CV37 8LL (01789 720180 or www.rodandcustom.co.uk)

May 23-24

National Hot Rod & Custom Car Show, East of England Showground, Peterborough, Cambs PE2 6YE (08444 151413 or www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk)

June 6

Rock ‟n‟ Rumble American Car, Truck and Bike Show, Cork Constitution Rugby Club, Temple Hill, Ballintemple, Cork City, Ireland (08310 74685 or www.gascc.ie) DDrraaggssttaalllggiiiaa iiiss jjjuusstt rroouunndd tthhee ccoorrnneerr,,, ssoo llleett’’’ss ggoo -- bbaacckk ttoo tthhee ffuuttuurree…… A couple of weeks before Dragstalgia, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits should be at Goodwood‟s Festival of Speed along with one of his legendary Swamp Rat AA/FD‟s – fired up daily for fans to experience the unique, totally awesome Cackle produced by nitro! But you don‟t have to wait that long, this is Big Daddy, at home early last year, chillin‟ an‟ reminiscing

about running a 426 hemi on nitro in 1965. That‟s a pleasure in itself, but to then see him swinging a wrench an‟ firing up Swamp Rat VIII for some mind warping cackle – wow! Click it and enjoy the real deal, the unmistakable sound of eight trunks trumpeting, blown an‟ injected, cacklin‟ on nitro - not alcohol cars at Dragstalgia just making a noise! Play this a few times and use this link to the Santa Pod Facebook page to ask if they‟re going to have nitro cars in what the Pod now call their “famous Cacklefest where cars are fired-up in unison to create a wall of exquisite noise…” A succinct response to that statement Big Daddy courtesy quartermilestones SSaannttaa PPoodd ppeeooppllee hhaavvee came from a long standing, respected

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ccaann’’tt ccaallll iitt aa Click the link at right and enjoy some nitro cackle from a single AA/FD – followed by 10minutes of nitro nirvana from the CHRR‟s legendary multi-car CackleFest! C C a a c c k k lleeFFeesstt!! Then you can phone Santa Pod Raceway at 01234 782828 or use their Facebook page to tell ‟em what a Cacklefest is https://www.facebook.com/santapodraceway NoiseFest photo courtesy or email them at [email protected] Click the link for a true Cackle and an awesome wall of NitroFire at Bakersfield Santa Pod Raceway

Back to the beach, perhaps… Okay folks, it‟s time to stop Ramblin‟ - a couple of pages down with “The last round-up” in fact! But, in truth it all starts here, with an introduction to a final epic covering 43 and a half pages with nitro fueled thunder from across the USA and Podington. And Showtime, a personal journey with outrageous cars, scantily clad babes and tales from the glory years of UK indoor shows, and big rigs in the most amazing door-handle-to-door-handle racing you‟ve never seen! But first, let‟s talk about the Main Event. It‟s the start of the FIA Championship season, with eight Top Fuel cars, a trio of Fuel Coupes, five Pro Stocks, five dragsters and three funny cars of the alcohol variety (sorry Top Methanol) – and 20 Pro Mods, all fighting for their 2015 FIA titles, along with a cast of thousands! Maybe that‟s a slight exaggeration, which is cool - that‟s drag racing! It‟s closer to 130, but teams will be giving their all to entertain us, and maybe even run some big numbers as well! So let‟s be thankful - what you see is what you get – enjoy! That‟s it folks, no more for awhile, I‟m hanging up my guns, Toyota pix until next time! Take it easy on the bends, an‟ stay lucky MC

The 1970-and-a -half SS Dave the Cab‟s „99 Camaro has a built 383 Camaro SS small-block is small block, blown with hogged-out to a 427, built a Pro Charger induction and dyno‟d to 650hp on system that puts out pump gas, plus another 800 horsepower for Alan 300hp when the nitrous Wise at the blink of an button is pushed. It‟s run eye. He‟s run a 9.5 at 9-zeros at 147mph 143mph. A planned increase in boost could

see it dip into the eights HHeeaadd ttoo hheeaadd Photos Mik e Collins

Built almost 30 years apart, this pair of 20th century SS Camaros were desirable machines at birth, and now they‟ve become 21st century street and strip supercars that still turn heads whenever they burble past Dave‟s Camaro runs an Andy-Frost-built Powerglide trans, with a Neil Chance 4,000-plus stall-speed converter. Alan‟s trans setup is a TH400 with a manual valve body and reverse-pattern shifter, together with a 3,500rpm stall-speed converter

The ‟99 Camaro was treated to a Glass-Tec cowl-induction hood, which covers a big 1050cfm Dominator, while the rest of the bodywork is stock. Alan‟s early SS packs a similar cowl -induction hood, covering its Pro Charged 383 small-block

Both these “back halved” Camaros were built by Webster Race Engineering and have modified nine-inch Ford rear ends with a four-link setup. “Back halving” – where the rear half of the chassis is modified to accept a narrowed axle and bigger

wheels and tyres – enables David to run 12x15 wheels with 315/60/15 M/T drag radials, with 3.5-to-1 gears. Alan „s 4.11-to-1 axle accommodates even-bigger 14x15 rims with 31/18.5/15 Hoosier street rubber Technical data ML

No, of course they didn‟t race, although both Camaros moved out in style, with the green machine having just a touch of chirp

to its shift as the pair set off for a cruise out to Box Hill where, so I‟ve heard, young ladies enjoy seeing muscle cars on display!

No animals were harmed in the making of this feature

A couple of weeks later, Wojtek and I stepped outside for an after-lunch smoke. When Alan suggested he too fancied a smoke, he

was naturally proffered the pack, but declined, smiling as said, “I meant in the car…” Although I prefer dancing girls for après lunch entertainment, Alan‟s low an‟ slow, rolling burnouts were quite impressive. And, as you can see, there was no cowboy style, getting‟-out-of shape, sideways sh*t, just a pair of very-straight demonstrations of churnin‟ an burnin‟ that was enjoyed by all Dave sold his black beast More than that, Alan while Alan cut a hole in the also renewed all of hood over winter! the piping - with the addition of an upright induction bowl, coupled with the ram-air being sucked in through

the mesh, adding another 30 ponies!

Sadly, when he took the car to the Pod

earlier this year, the track was cold, he lost traction at the hit, wisely clicking off and coasting through to a 12 second ET

Alan‟s quest for a street legal, eight-second elapsed time continues, stay tuned! MC

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ttuurrbbooss aann’’ aa llll--wwhheeeell ddrriivvee!! Check out the all new 2016 Cadillac CT6th on this video tour of the big beast from General Motors. It‟s filled with hi-tech gizmos, luxurious leather and as it can be had packing 400hp, 400 foot pounds of torque it sounds like the kind of car this ol‟ dude would enjoy. As they used to say, “Smoke „em if you got „em!” And it‟s kind‟ve good lookin‟ in a 21st

century way, but unfortunately my bank manager, she would say “no!” MMCC

Photos and the following words courtesy

After months of teasing, the American automaker pulled the wraps off its flagship CT6 sedan at the 2015 New York Auto Show and it was well worth the wait. Boasting a length of 204 inches, the CT6 is four inches longer than the BMW 7 Series it will contend with, while offering roughly an inch more legroom in the rear. It‟ll offer a luxurious400 ride courtesy of Cadillac‟s Magnetic Ride Control as well as a new Active Rear Steer system designed for quick lower-speed responsiveness and better high-speed stability. Powering the flagship sedan is a new twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine with 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque but other powerplants will also be available. On the small end of the spectrum is a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with 265 hp while the mid-range market has a 3.6-liter V6 with 335 hp. All engines pair to an eight-speed auto trans

If this Cadillac‟s not up your street, click the link and try something totally different. Like drag racing school buses with burnouts on the track! Below is a 200kph street racing bus with a wild paint job in Panama and re-treaded retread tyres! The camera car reported “the back left tyre looks like it could fall off…” as it passed at 160kph! The speed clip‟s about 10 minutes into a laid back look at life when you‟ve time to spend!

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Terpsichorean tactics

at 300mph! Photo courtesy nhra.com

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But first, the Real Deal…

……nnoossttaallggiiaa NNiittrrooTThhuunnddeerr!! Only a few days in and it looked like the month of March was going well. In fact, with just a couple of images left to enhance, my planned evening in front of the box watching a movie with a cold beverage or three was seemingly on the cards. And then the phone rang, with ol‟ Nitro Nostrils instructing me to “log on to BangShift Mike, they‟re calling the fuel cars to the staging lanes…” “No Andy,” I interjected, “Qualifying starts on Friday…” My words were cut off almost as quickly as he added, “Yeah, I know, but they‟ve got two test and tune sessions for nitro cars tonight!” mcPix 2010 Famoso “Far out! So why aren‟t we there Andy?” Andy mumbled something about budgets, but I was too busy multi-tasking to really listen – trying to shut down three programs I‟d been working on and also trying to get onto BangShift in response to his information that the fuel cars were getting set to run – on a Thursday! Later, I told Andy he‟d really screwed up my weekend, and he had - in the best possible way!

My intentions had been to finish the manuscript pix I was working on and chillax before tuning in to BangShift on Friday evening in time for the first nitro sessions – but with the big guns coming out to play a day early, everything was put on the back-burner! No problem, we chatted and laughed awhile, then I hung up, put a few brews in the freezer to chill and then speed dialled an evening meal, ready to do my duty in front of the computer, little realising that I was set for more than a slight case of…

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Even though Thursday was only a test and tune, 15 fuel coupes came out to play, which was AA awesome! But first the (to me), less than aesthetically pleasing, but still ground-pounding nostalgia top fuelers, did their thing just before midnight our time. 2014 NHRA Heritage series champion Tony Bartone (undefeated since winning last year‟s event!) showed us fans what we‟d been waiting for all winter, unleashing his gold car on the quickest-ever NTF pass, a blistering 5.560 - off the trailer! The AA amazing thing was he clicked it off just past the 1,000 foot mark, clearing the quarter mile speed traps at a lowly 217.42! But let‟s get back mcPix to the far better lookin‟ earth-shaking fuel coupes

Cory Lee, known to ol‟ time Santa Pod fans for running 250mph in one of Harlan Thompsons‟s unique pair of Budweiser fuel coupes, clicked off early to get a 5.98 at 206mph in the flamed GTO, and Jason Rupert, who I‟d seen win one of his CHRR titles, ran a strong 6.002 at 244.43mph in his Black Plague Camaro. But it was John Hale who thrilled us all with an off the trailer pass in his new “One Bad Texan” ‟69 Camaro, stopping the clocks at a thundering 254mph in 5.56seconds – wow!

mcSnips courtesy ba ngshift..com

No one came close to that trio, although former NHRA Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon gave us a thundering burnout, but was still having problems with the good lookin‟ California Charger, above.

Being only a test an‟ tune session, numbers didn‟t count, but with teams trying their best to run quick, for thousands watching on BangShift, side-by-side power launches made for exciting late night entertainment – and it was LIVE! The fuel coupes were back out for a second session just after one am. Once again it was wild burnouts and power launches, all trying hard to hook-up, but many were clicked off on out-of-shape passes

NHRA star Cruz Pedregon and former Pro Stock racer Marc Meadows both ran 6.3‟s and DNQ‟d as did Jon Capps with a 6, 20 at 238mph

It was much the same for a dozen AA/FA‟s - but they were all fun to see

At 1.30am, BangShift Chad said “goodnight,” leaving us with a final pass from this wild Nova

mmcccPPiiixxx ccchhrrrrrr 2 22000111000

In Nostalgia Top Fuel qualifying on Friday, Tony Bartone showed he meant business, ripping off a strong 5.573, driving it a tad deeper into the track for 241.32mph, taking the pole 0.144seconds ahead of the field. Adam Sorokin‟s small block Chevy powered streamliner was the last car in the fives, a 5.936 at a clicked off 198.76, a tic ahead of Jim Young‟s 6.004 at 220.62 in the eighth place bump spot.

When qualifying ended Saturday, Bartone had run another strong 5.59 at 233.16, while the bump spot was now Adam Sorokin‟s 5.93.

The Fuel Altereds were also gunning for an eight-car field, but I didn‟t know they were running on a 6.00 index - with a 6.012 pole ahead of a 6.136, and with only pass above 200mph (212.13), you knew the AA/FA‟s were struggling – but they were still entertaining

In the 21st century sponsors can really have a ball, posting the exploits of their clients on Facebook, Twitter and other global communication devices. Hedman Hedders, a legendary name form back in the day, lauded T -bone‟s stunning Q passes here, but the man from New York marched on through eliminations with more than a little style

The top qualifying fuel cars all got through Saturday‟s first round, with T-bone storming down track to take low elapsed time again, with a 5.58 at 232.55mph – more than two-tenths ahead of the field! The closest race was between Jim Murphy and Rick McGee – the pair left locked together, with Murphy thundering to top speed thus far of 257.97and a 5.964, too much for McGee‟s troubled 6.042 at 213.67mph. Bartone had a bye run - yet another strong pass, 5.597 at 233.16, again shut off early! Adam Sorokin took his round by a tenth with a 5.705 and a faster 238mph. The finals was another an easy single for T-bone, a 5.66 at 231mph. Sorokin‟s team had to replace the engine wiring after a huge fireball in the previous round, but their driver still cut a 0.037 holeshot over Denver Schultz‟s 0.144, taking the stripe first with a 5.77, 230 ahead of a quicker and faster 5.76 at 235.97mph. Sorokin had almost half a tenth advantage off the line in the final, the red Chevy „liner more than a car ahead, but T-bone was comin‟ on strong. Sorokin‟s mighty mouse motor let go about three-quarter track, then fireballed, slowing the red car and allowing T-bone to drive by - then his motor also let go!

mcSnips courtesy Greg Reagan YouTube More than just win, T-bone set a new, all-time Nostalgia Top Fuel record of 5.531 at a booming 270.81mph – wow! Sorokin trailed with a 5.79 at 192. After the race, All American Fuel Dragster reported that T-bone said, “I just hope we can re-use the block.” And why not – until the last lap, it‟d performed flawlessly! If you‟re a fan of Nostalgia Top Fuel, click the link and enjoy AAFD‟s Top Fuel Chronicles a blow-by-blow look at the NTF eliminations at the Good Vibrations March Meet Jeff Burghardt photo courtesy Drag Racing Online

This shot was taken as the sun was going down behind a passle of genuine, good looking AA/FD‟s with period push-cars preparing for the pre-CackleFest cruise down the track, an awesome experience you‟ll never forget. And as a full credentials for a weekend of non-stop nitro fueled action at the CHRR costs the same as four days at the Pod, it‟s well worth saving for. Yeah I know, what about the flight? But what about the cost of fuel in the UK, and food, hotels, all of which are far less expensive in sunny California, a great place to holiday - anytime!

mmcccPPiiixxx ccchhrrrrrr 2 22000111000 The real deal as a pair of the best looking floppers on the planet, Roger Garten‟s Warhorse and Stephen Densham‟s Teachers‟ Pet

go head-to-head in a classic Chevy versus Ford duel at Bakersfield‟s NHRA California Hot Rod reunion a couple of years back, and they‟re still knocking heads to this day. A cherry picker at the start or finish line gives unbeatable action shots Friday‟s first fuel coupe Q session saw Dan Horan‟s „66 Mustang (supporting the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles), leading the pack with a stout 5.71 at 257mph ahead of Stephen Densham‟s 5.792 at 242. Cory Lee was the last of six cars in the five second zone with a 5.98 at 239 ahead of a 6.021, with Mike Lewis on the bump in a Jungle Jim tribute car at 6.64.Roger Garten‟s War Horse Mustang was DQ‟d in 28th place. Although Horan did not improve in Q2, he was still on pole ahead of Densham‟s getting quicker 5.739 with a string of five second players, down to Cory Lee‟s 5.98 James Day ran a stout 5.77 to put Pedaler second, but it was negated as he oiled the track!

Just to reiterate how difficult it is to climb into a car with a blown and injected engine fueled by nitro methane and drive it down track to achieve mmcccPPiiixxx the numbers which are required to qualify for the ccchhrrrrrr 2 22000111000 parameters of a given field – of the 31 fuel coupes which staged in an attempt to qualify for the March Meet at Famoso, 15 ran in the five second bracket ahead of the bump spot of 6.008 at 234,57mph from Chris Davies‟ 72 Vega. Rick Roger‟s 28th place 6.583 at 134mph was the last in the six second zone ahead of a 7.200 and an 8.57. The 31st car, a 77 Monza driven by Dale Van Gundy was DQ‟d on every pass it made for centre line infringements or hitting the wall – and on one occasion he ended up “on the beach,” as the top end desert at Famoso is known! Tim Marshall photo courtesy dragracingonline.com

Bakersfield Beach mcSnips courtesy ComPlusYouTube

John Hale‟s “One Bad Texan” Camaro is without a doubt one of the best looking and performing new Nostalgia fuel coupes in town, which sadly never repeated its 5.66 off the trailer pass, going down in the first round. Rian Konno, whose fine looking Mustang blew me away when I first saw it thundering towards me at Famoso, was another first round loser at the March Meet, going down to Stephen Densham‟s strong 5.78 at 248mph

Tim Marshall photo courtesy Drag Racing Online

James Weaver‟s 5.75 at 254 was the best of the first round, but Densham stepped up in the second to a 5.72 at 247.66 with Weaver‟s 5.76 at 246 second best. Weaver had problems in the semi finals, losing to James Day‟s 5.80 at 239 while a very late Densham (.216 to a .072!), came from behind to blast past Kris Krabil‟s 5.88, 248 with a strong 5.71 at 251mph. In the final Densham was late leaving again (.095 to a .019!), but ran down Day‟s 5.87, 242 with low elapsed time of the event, a stunning mmcccPPiiixxx 5.694 at 249mph to win his first March Meet. And yes his father, ccchhrrrrrr 2 22000111000 long-time NHRA big show funny far pilot, and previous owner/driver of the Teachers Pet Camaro was over the moon

Click the link to enjoy 87 seconds of non-stop nostalgia nitro thunder from the fuel coupes at this year‟s March Meet courtesy of the Bakersfield Californian. With 10 pairs and two singles it truly is nitro nirvana!

Okay, that‟s all folks, I‟m outta here! Didn‟t mean for the March Meet to be truncated, but there‟s plenty of NitroFire from five action-packed NHRA Mello Yello races after the Showtime pages below - and even some from the Pod! They were all finished earlier, but it seems those four nights of NitroThunder at my computer back in March were far more tiring that the real deal. In fact it was NitroOverload, even though all my AA/Fuel Zippos refused to fire! A few weeks later and they‟re still not functioning, so this ol‟ dude‟s taking a break. Yep, I‟ve done Ramblin‟ - hope you there aren‟t too many typos (I‟m tired), and that you enjoy what you see. mmcccPPiiixxx There‟ll probably be something else, sometime, but not for awhile ccchhrrrrrr 2 22000111000 mmcc

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Showtime blues? Not really, just had a couple of little “but‟s” in a book filled with a huge amount of well-researched

information, and more than eight hundred photos that provide a colourful look at our home-grown customising scene from back in the day. Sat in the afternoon sun while scanning its pages was a delight, evoking many magic memories It‟s almost six years since my Show „n Go down memory lane feature told of Rodger Attaway‟s plans for a book covering the history of our indoor custom car shows, now it‟s finally here and I loved it – but… ML received his contributors copy at the start of the

March an‟ told me it was “Mega!” I‟d already suggested he wrote a review, but he‟s been too busy cuttin‟ wood,

playing with his „64 Scooby-doo Econoline project or whatever hard-workin‟ old dudes do when they‟ve got spare time. But as the boss, that‟s his prerogative!

So I‟ve been busy enjoying Rodger Attaway‟s Street Rod & Custom Showtime and it‟s a great book. But… Naturally I speed scanned the book‟s 300 pages when it was finally opened, so I‟ll get my bitchin‟ out of the way first. There are too many very small mages with too much empty white space around „em, as you can see from the scan at bottom left of a full page,

which features some great shots from a show held during the ‟64 DragFest. They‟d have been great to see cropped and filling slightly more of that vast white emptiness, especially as most are Brian Sparrow pix, which are generally exceptional quality.

Unfortunately, there are bigger pix which should‟ve been smaller due to their lack of quality, and a couple that should not have been used at all in my humble opinion „cos they‟re out of focus an‟ blurry – and a full page bleed covering the complete page is just naff! But none of those gripes fall on the author‟s shoulders – they belong to the art editor/design team. A few of my colleagues were shown the book, and without prompting agreed with my complaints, but apart from that we all agreed it‟s a really good lookin‟ book. Although I haven‟t yet finished it (remember it‟s 300 pages – and they‟re all packed with historic show-style information!), what I have read has been far more than just informative about an amazing part of customising history; it‟s also kept me entertained and has been a fun read. And yes, there are amusing and entertaining anecdotes aplenty, with a couple that made me laugh out loud concerning Rodger‟s pal and partner Graham Kelsey, a pair of then nicest guys on the show circuit, even if they did talk funny. My first belly laugh came during my original speed scan, and shortly after I‟d seen the name of my ol‟ Street Machine Editor, George Hinton, and read his quote about a Canadian company, Show Associates, which ended with a line about the Canadians only sending over “a few key personnel to oversee the (show) judging and carry away the cash.” This put a smile on my face… So I read the next para concerning US shows and discovered that during discussions Had to leave Rodger and Graham had with Bruce Robertson in 1979 (boss of Show Associates), he some of that was “expounding the virtues of using (Playboy) Playmates” when Graham asked vast white “Does the Playmate get her tits out?” Apparently “Bruce was shocked," and answered space empty in the negative, to which Graham responded, “What‟s the f*cking point then?” so you can see I‟m still laughing out loud, so this photo is especially for Graham! But let‟s not forget the waste… all those who helped make the Belle Vue Shows so magically memorable…

…and the small images I was talking about! But it‟s a good place to put these captions, and the famed Belle Vue Hot Rod & Custom Show logo at about the same size as larger images at left are in the book!

Party time for Belle Vue brigade at the Post House and the wet T shirt contest had just been won by Tina, a pal‟s girl who didn‟t drink. No problem, she got a champagne shower instead! Street Machine‟s ace lensman Steve Saunders took the shot at just the right moment, and then a few happy fans were given a chug, before greedy ol‟ me emptied the bottle. It was a wild night indeed, the win recorded in the magazine (a few pages down), just before Tina made our day. But here, for the first time ever, in all her glory, it‟s Showtime! …and here’s the sales pitch

will be launched at the NSRA‟s Billing Fun Run over the last weekend in May, supported by a fleet of wild custom Showtime rides from back in the day, including Nick Butler‟s supercharged hot rod T “Revenge,” voted the Hot Rod of the 20th century by NSRA members. This limited edition book can be pre-ordered at £29.00 plus P&P, but copies will not be dispatched until the week after the official launch. The 1,000 copies will all be numbered, and copy No.1 will be auctioned, with all proceeds to the Starlight Children‟s Foundation. Bids can be made via [email protected] or in person at the NSRA Billing Fun Run, with copies numbered 2-to-100 on sale there in the American Automags/Showtime marquees On the cover of Rodger Attaway‟s Showtime is the subtitle, “The story of Britain‟s indoor custom shows from 1963-82. From the origins to victory in America,” and the book does a fine job. In its telling, the tale that‟s more than entertaining, it‟s a colourful journey that will give old motor heads and show car fans a kick. It also shows the young „uns why we sometimes get misty eyed when talking about the good ol‟ days! The opening chapter, titled Roots, is a look at the birth of the scene in the USA, with the lead page words, “Speed was essential,” and the book gathers momentum from there. But first there was Hot Rod Magazine, launched at the SCTA‟s original hot rod show by Robert E Bob Petersen with his partner Robert Lindsay and long time SCTA Official Wally Parks. This I‟ve known for ever, but then I read Showtime and discover that Mr Petersen “was forced to sell copies - in the show‟s entrance way…” as the show associates felt he‟d taken advantage of the situation (by launching the mag at the show), and denied him access to the trade stands…” So I guess, politics ruled from day one! This crisp, clean image of Carl Casper‟s legendary Ghost is arguably the best in the book. And the story of its “triple-Crown” winning achievement in taking

the NHRA‟s Winternationals and US Nationals Best Rod award along with the Oakland Roadster Show‟s coveted America‟s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy makes for more than an entertaining read. Can you imagine such a machine being fired up and then driven into a show hall back in 1964? Wow! It still looks outrageous today! Talking of which, a few pages down you‟ll see Andy Willsheer‟s shots of a 21st century hot rod outrage - a 1927 T Ford with Scanned from Showtime side-by-side engines and quad blowers! Scanned from Showtime It seems that British rodding roots were in the fifties, and the pages on our home grown scene make for even more fascinating reading, especially, if like me, you joined the scene in the mid-sixties. Yeah, okay, folk‟s have often suggested maybe I should‟ve been put out to pasture years ago, but thankfully there‟s a big part of me which still burns with that desire to keep on keeping on, often at speed! Looking through Rodger‟s book re-kindled some gleaming show style memories which‟d long lain dormant, buried beneath a haze of nitro fueled thunder. With spring well and truly on its way, I can‟t wait to take a break, sit out in the evening sun with a cold brew and devour this 304 page homage to gleaming chrome and glitter fueled dreams from cover to cover. In the section on our home-grown roots, there‟s a wonderful piece written back in 1962 about the legendary first gathering of British hot rodding spirits, penned by a British Hot Rod Association pioneer, the late Vic Outen, who actually used a compass to lead this band of intrepid hot rodders to their meeting point. It‟s a real trip back to a time, with Vic “convinced that the majority of our members – myself included – couldn‟t even find their way down a drag strip!” I first saw these early 1960s images on the UKDRN site in 2009. Thanks to modern technology, one click lets you enjoy pages of pioneering rods and race cars Photos courtesy

Links to pages from the first Kool Kams! ukrdn.co.uk

Rick Goodale supplied his photos to UKDRN, and the flame painted, cycle fendered Morris 8 above is his. The radical custom pick-up at far left was built by John Bennett – Showtime gives details of it and all the other machines! And as you can see from the photos below, John Bennett was still customising, this time a fifties Olds, but still with his original “taxi-cab” style sign on the roof! The signs advertise our first show, held at John‟s Spa Engineering work shop. It was at this show that Bob Phelps learned of his nephew‟s passion for Hot Rodding. Yeah right, and although I lived just round the corner from John‟s office, it was many years later before I learned of this as, at that time, I was busy running the first ever Euro-Austral-Asian tour by a British rock an‟ roll band. And we really had a lot of fun - seen here in Malta at the time of JB‟s show, and later up on the roof during a wild pool party in Singapore!

you

Love the fins, the continental kit - and the Trade plate!

Strange, but during the time we worked together out of the DragRod office at his Spa premises, not once did JB mention either of

these two machines! In Showtime, Roy Phelps writes; “John Bennett (owner with Ted Peddle of Spa Engineering), is my cousin…and Fibreglass Repairs was owned and run by Bob Phelps, my father. All were involved with American cars…. John Bennett and Ted Peddle were interested and played an active part with an involvement in the British Hot Rod Club (sic), with the likes of Allan Herridge and Brian Coole (founder of Kool Kams MC) from West Drayton.” Further down he adds, “The few square miles in south

London – Croydon, Bromley, Thornton Heath was undoubtedly the birthplace of it all.” Things grew slowly but surely as you‟ll discover in Rodger Attaway‟s Rod & Custom Showtime, with

insight from folks like hot rod guru Nick Butler, long-time show DJ Mike Matthews and of course Rodger himself, all adding to its depth. Others who were there also help provide a unique look at a golden era of wild, often radical rides inside the books colourful pages. Showtime covers an almost magical time in British hot rodding history, from its roots through to the magic moment when John Reed, bike builder supreme, lived the dream, winning the top award at the famed Oakland Roadster Show…. Read all about it - in the book!

What follows is my take on a some of those classic events, illustrated with images of wild machines, more scantily clad babes than

you ever dreamt of an‟ personal memories from inside that magical era of customising in which I was so happily involved. My second car, “Half-a-Min,” was well known in south London, a quite radical ride built by my pal John Bravery, who turned a Mini van into a bobtail pick-up with a wood covered bed, twin rear windows, Cortina taillights and a back door in-between. So well known in fact, that the local fuzz were stopping me constantly after I bought it as they didn‟t recognise the driver! Sadly, it was wrecked when it flipped and rolled in the back road “marbles” when returning from the Pod‟s famed Easter meet in 1968! David Cooper photo courtesy www.ukdrn.co.uk By the time Drag Racing ‟69 rolled around, I was riding high on a drag racing buzz, happy to be involved in organising this ground-breaking show. As PR person it was hard work, but we got a whole lot of ink in local and national media, with a two page spread by Patrick Blake titled “Follow the bullet!” in Parade, a girly magazine published just before our show opened The advert at far left was run in Motoring News, while the paper decal above was distributed by ML and his cohorts, cruising around our area towing The Commuter. They both look good today, but the decal was to cause a little controversy as nowhere did it have the word “Show,” and some folks turned up expecting to see real drag racing! Actually I did ask a member of the local constabulary if we could use Croydon‟s underpass to maybe stretch the legs of some of our heavy horsepower entrants… “Sure,” he said with a smile, “just come over and see us before you do it.” His look belied his words, suggesting perhaps it would be best if we did not exercise our right legs! However, when drag racing pal Peter Bennett turned up in a convertible 427 Sting Ray, he was happy to let me take her round the back where, with my friend Jenny sat between us, I made a slow rolling burnout from the underground car park, producing a wall of completely obliterating smoke that blew across the Law Courts next door. Peter yelled at me to change gear and I recall the red beauty rocketing out from the smoke towards our photographer, who stood his ground while Jenny screamed with delight. Shortly later we were visited by a local constable, but he was all smiles, enjoyed the cars and was pleased to see we were packed with happy customers The front cover art of our programme was by Rick Goodale, remember him? Rick went on to become a huge success in the commercial art field. At left there‟s the Show Organisers; yours truly, the late Bernie Davey (Show Director) and John Bennett (Chairman of the organising committee), seen assisting Miss Croydon, April Scarborough, to cut the ribbon, with our own Mike Lintern at right who was Press Officer. Following the official opening we all had to pose for the local media, including my daughter Sarah who‟d presented a bouquet of flowers to Miss Croydon. Who said drag racers weren‟t civilised? As you can see in the Croydon Advertiser image at left, we‟re all just enjoying the moment. And rightly so as the show was a huge success with a record number of close to 10,000 ten thousand tickets sold – making all our efforts worthwhile in raising funds for the club. And we all did it for love! Rodger wrote in his book that the late Dick Lawrence was one of the show organisers of Drag Racing ‟69, which is not true. However Dick produced our sporty looking jackets and Drag Racing ‟69 sweat shirts, and this rare classic tee shirt. He also did the carpentry work on our show stand, raising much money in support of the BDR&HRA through sales thanks to his charm! At left, it‟s our first flip-top racer, Johnson and Mullens‟ Chevy powered Invader

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John Bennett Drag Rod photo

Another error was Rodger writing that the Allard-Skilton fueler was a star car, heck it wasn„t even there! Our star fuelers were The Commuter and the super-long Tudor Rose. Showtime’s full length shot has both wheels in the frame, but it‟s one of the book‟s tiny images. Here‟s that beauty (scanned from a Photostat!), with only one wheel in the frame. And JB‟s Drag Rod shot of a young lady being given the tour of its Keith Black hemi

John Bennett Talking of Drag Rod photos which, another major attraction for visitors was Hemini - with its wild paint job and an injected hemi in the pick- up bed it was outrageous!

John Bennett Drag Rod photos

Ken Robbins photo

courtesy Nick Pettitt But the big draws were obviously our pair of World Record holding, blown and injected nitro burning fuelers, the Ford powered Commuter and an‟ the awesome Keith Black hemi powered Tudor Rose, here graced by young Sarah. More than present flowers, she was a genuine drag racing pioneer who made her first pass down the drag strip a couple of months earlier! She‟d sat on my lap holding the wheel as I put the pedal to the metal in an Olds powered beast put together by Drag Control (here driven by Stu Bradbury). Sarah loved it as I never touched the steering wheel and a babe sat on the floor just screamed as we slithered most of the way down Santa Pod‟s hallowed quarter mile! Oh the joys of life before „elf an‟ safetee! This is also a rare

John Bennett Drag Rod photo shot of The Commuter, taken when my friend Jenny wanted her photo taken with the rail It‟s sad there‟s not more of the fine lookin‟ bodywork in that colour shot, but that‟s an excuse to show it boilin‟ the hides a couple of months earlier when it was the star car at a gig I organised for Player‟s Gold Leaf cigarettes at Silverstone

Photographer unknown AA Archives And on the next page you‟ll see the swoopy slingshot in full colour – and in action again! We provided the lunch time entertainment with flags starts, a few wild rides, including US serviceman Don Davis‟ street legal Pontiac-powered Ford, The Bandit, a fully-loaded go-go showboat (engine balanced by Jack Brabham!), and the Pod‟s Sting Ray, shot by Hot Car magazine for a major feature the following January But it was the late Tony Densham who really wowed Silverstone‟s circuit race fans that day, trailing rooster tales of smoke as he thundered down the straight leaving the scent of NitroPower in the air. In fact the Player‟s Gold Leaf head honcho was so impressed we were asked to bring the fueler out again! With minimum turn-around time to fit it in before the major race of the afternoon, Tony, Peter Billinton and the Phelps family busted their balls to get the swoopy AA/FD out on track. Tony fired her up and made „em proud, the Ford smoking its slicks all the way down the straight - the fans went bananas! Photographer unknown AA Archives Roy Phelps writes in Showtime about winning an award at Drag Racing „69 with his freshly built wheelie Sting Ray out of the FGR shop, but couldn‟t recall what it was for. Well folks, the car won Best of Show, something it did more than a few times thanks to the absolutely outrageous paint job applied by FGR‟s ace spray man Vic Smith, complete with 30 coats of hand rubber lacquer to obtain its show winning finish. The car also featured on the cover of the January 1969 Hot Car, nose high at the Pod, with yours truly ensconced in the driver‟s seat! Inside they wrote of the Sting Ray that it was “about the finest piece of customising that Hot Car has ever seen.” And that‟s a good excuse to show a large scan of this iconic machine from that cover- enjoy. Now let‟s use those power shots to accelerate to 1972, and Custom Car‟s Crystal Palace show

My previous winter had been buried in a rock an‟ roll haze, and although I recall visiting the show, I‟m still not sure about this photo - it‟s dark, but there‟s enough detail to warrant its use. Thing is, it wasn‟t until reading Showtime that I found out it was the Houndog AA/FD. Check out that wild trike in the background. At the tail end of that year I hopped on a 747, heading down under for a couple of years. Custom Car magazine, launched at the start of the seventies (after much prodding by our own Mike Lintern, then a journalist with Link House), was going great guns by 1973, holding successful shows in Manchester and Crystal Palace. Showtime tells us the Belle Vue gig saw 30,000 visitors, almost double the previous record of 16,000 held by a tropical fish show! In London, almost 28,000 fans saw over 100 cars and bikes. One amazing discovery I gleaned from reading Rodger‟s book was that the UK had been struck by a “winter of discontent” in 1974, with the lights going out and work cut down to three days a week! Wow, it seemed I‟d done the right thing for a change and was happily basking on the golden beaches of West Australia, blissfully unaware of the chaos going on back at home! I also learned that Santa Pod‟s Bob Phelps was a show saviour in providing the track‟s generator to give lighting for shows! Maybe the lack of light is the reason for this shot at right (used over a full page in the book), not being up to quality – even when seen this small! The image is a totally untouched scan, and I‟ve just seen what appears to be the original on the internet and it is just as bad! Shame about that as Ed Wimble deserves better! Returning to the UK late in ‟75, I recall a couple of car shows in „76, but was busy making and mixing Soul Tracking, a nitro fueled album which we‟re hoping to re-release for nostalgia fans on CD, with Scanned from additional, unique power tracks including the Showtime legendary Blue Max and Snowman fuel coupes from 1978! But that‟s by the by, let‟s fast forward to my

first major gig, the National Custom Car show at Alexander Palace in 1979

I‟d joined Mercury House as Features Editor of at the tail-end of Street Machine …who was I to say no! ‟78 and although the mag wasn‟t set to be launched until May, we were obviously going there to put the word out about our forthcoming publication. Someone suggested it‟d be a good idea to have a couple of models to escort me...

To say we had fun would be an understatement, starting before the journey over when the diminutive blonde babe on my right suggested she drove us to the show in her Cherokee Jeep. The fact she turned out to be a dynamite driver got our first “Street Machine on location” assignment off to a fabulous start… Street Machine photos by Steve Saunders

Steve insisted on taking the shot at right, just to show that, at Street Machine, we did things in style! One of our first shots in the show at left shows the girls obviously enjoying my brief to “just have fun!”

Seeing the shot now, I wonder why we‟re hanging round the rear end and not the beautiful blown 426 hemi at the front of the Nick Butler built Andromeda. Oh well! Later in Showtime, Rodger mentions noticing “tyre treads being cleaned with cotton buds” on X-E-CUTE-R, Ed Papac‟s Best Think Pink - not of Show winner from Belle Vue 1981. Maybe Andromeda talking about owner Geoff Heald‟s drive was muddy that morning! More outrageous likely, such things were unheard of down in south London! fins either!

Heard tell there were some nefarious dealings with the Olds at right!

It was, as they say, “A great day in the morning,” although I can‟t for the life of me recall ever using these shots! Either way, it was definitely a good experience to start to my show-going years with Street Machine, one that was sadly never duplicated! One thing I do recall writing on my Hot Gossip page after this show is the clip below. No names, no pack drill, but it still makes me smile to this day!

Scanned from Street Machine photo by Steve Saunders Vive la Différence! Gary Belcher‟s unique V-12 and Jeff Beck classy Model B chop-top at

Alexander Palace, with the 33-foot long American Autoparts stand over in the background mcPix

And now the legendary

Be lle Vue Rod & Custom shows The Rod & Custom Shows at Belle Vue, oop north in Manchester, were the best gigs we ever had in the UK, bar none! For one thing, although it was always a good time at the Custom Car après show parties, nothing could match the wild goings on at the Post House Hotel. Packed to the gunnels with hot rodders all under the same roof along with frequent transport to and from the show meant the only boundaries at parties were those imposed by one‟s body and mind – and we were a tough bunch oop there! This shot is obviously not from any of the shows, but the French Connection Mustang, with its Ray Mumford was, and so was Street Machine‟s Steve Saunders, whose images in the book were scanned from magazines. The Mustang won Best Custom Paint at the original Rod & Custom Show, with a different mural, and appeared in this guise at the Last Great Rod & Custom Show in 1982

Actually we were doing a shoot for a new range of John Woolfe Racing custom paints, and they provided the model we called her Mustang Sally for obvious reasons! It was a cold but sunny morning in Sussex, so she and I both enjoyed the chilled champagne (Steve was driving), which may even have been paid for by JWR! mcPix Let‟s say the pix are for lovers of murals and scantily clad babes, many of which gave much pleasure to all at the Belle Vue shows Some of the most famous babes where those with the Ant Hill Mob‟s Pop, but as there are no pix of the famed Ant Hill Trinian‟s type school girls, here‟s another look at our champagne presentation for the wet tee shirt winner from 1981, before and after, j‟st in case you forgot what they looked like! Images from the 1981 show (at left and Menace scanned from Street Machine) with the champagne, still in its ice bucket! “The two best known gnomes in the north west, Rodger and Graham…”

A great action shot from mcPix Steve as yours truly gets Show dee-jay Mike Matthews pins the the wind in his air and brain on a Steve Stringer look-a-like! bugs in this teeth while giving the awesome Sonic its first high-speed workout at our test track

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Car builder Nick Butler looks none too sure about me accelerating hard with our camera in front! Street Machine photo Steve Saunders Street Machine photo Sonic was a no-go-showboat first time at Belle Vue - here it‟s a real haul-arse space ship! Steve Saunders

As the camera car moved over, Sonic‟s computer controlled, twin V-eight power plants responded instantly to my straightened right leg and it did indeed rocket past, with Nick now enjoying the awesome acceleration of his incredible creation

Amongst many amusing anecdotes in Rodger Attaway‟s Showtime, Nick Butler tells of driving Sonic on ice-covered roads in Denmark, before the computer controls for his twin-engines were fully sorted! Love to see the TV footage! Street Machine photo Steve Saunders Written after my first visit to Belle Vue for the 1979 Hot Rod & Custom Show, this original

copy from Street Machine will give you an idea of the fun we all had back in the day, including the damage done by our all-new, tres potent Street Machine cocktail!

But our trip to Manchester had nothing on our journey to the far north of England, and beyond - for almost alien adventures in getting to WHEELS 79 in Glasgow… It was a fun show, as you can read in my original report at right – but there‟s no mention of our high speed thunder run after the sun came out on scenic Scottish vistas more than a little enjoyable for us city dwellers. The high point if you‟ll pardon the pun was a close encounter

with an almost four-figure interception speed atop the Beattock Summit, just over 1,000 feet above sea level. Our speed was about 130mph when, out of nowhere, and not more than ten feet above the highway, a pair of jet fighter planes blasted over head so close I could almost smell the after shave on the first pilot! Then we were rocked by the thundering power wave from the jets with an awesome sound - K-boooooom! Oh boy, what a meeting! To say we continued at a slightly more sedate pace is an understatement! Steve took over driving when we reached the city as I relaxed with a smoke and a cold Bud. It was a late Saturday night, and we were kinda lost, but as England had beaten Scotland doon sooth in London, we had little desire to use our southern accents to ask directions until we saw four policemen standing together outside a club. And that‟s when things got weird! As one they answered - all four speaking with totally different dialects – it was like I‟d landed on another planet! Mumbling my thanks I climbed back into the car and just said, “Drive,” the car filling with laughter as I explained my predicament

Wheels ‟79 photos by Steve Saunders - scanned from Street Machine TTrruucckkiiinn’’’ ffuunn iiinn BBiiirrmmiiinngghhaamm –– SSccaannddiiinnaavviiiaann ssttyylllee!!! In a piece on Ron Clark‟s 3rd Midland Custom Show, a caption mentions an amazing Scania wrecker from Sweden which “came over complete with a fleet of young ladies,” adding, “Mike Collins knows the details.” Indeed I do, and these images show how the Swedes conducted their wet T- shirt competitions! First thing you‟ll notice is the babes are generally kind‟ve petite, with none of the big knockers preferred by Pod fans! Also, there was no hosing or buckets of water, just a gentle tipping of the cup slowly over the appropriate area! Here are the Swedish babes in all their glory. And yes, they were a great bunch of gals – and the show fans just loved „em. Earlier in Showtime there‟s a quote from Drag Racing News about a display at the 1972 Custom Car Show which “reflected the popularity of Swedish morals. Agra 1 being parked beside a tent, protruding from the end of which were two pairs of feet, vertically opposed.” I wonder what that writer would‟ve made of this truckin‟ display of Svenska flickor having fun! That‟s “Swedish girls” for none-travel types!

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Svenska flickor

mcPix Hot Rod & Custom scan from Showtime

The shows at Belle Vue were head and shoulders But the biggest buzz came shortly later, from a above the rest thank to the ambience imbued by meeting with rock queen Suzi Quatro that was Rodger and Graham, the Rainy City Cruisers – in more than a tad memorable for us both! fact everyone who was part of the shows added Having always had a good relationship with the Custom Car team, I‟d sped round the show something to make them such amazing and totally memorable weekends. However, there were a floor and then, just before reaching the Press couple of shows in London that offered slightly Office, squatted down on my heels, much like different types of fun, and also great memories… in the shot at left, but instead of taking snaps, I blasted into the room like a mad man from There‟d been a fire at Ally Pally, and Custom Car put outer space carrying Steve‟s tripod like a their show inside a marquee on the grounds, which rocket launcher! some folks bemoaned. For me the show was pretty No problem ordinarily, but Suzi Quatro was cool, for one thing I skated straight into an interview sat at the back of the small office, opposite the on TV - it might even have been live! door, and got the full force of my wild entry, sort of! Happily my skates carried California back-stops which acted like disc brakes, stopping me instantly as I stood tall, offering my sincere apologies, and that I wasn‟t really crazy! Then I was introduced - happily she was cool and my apology was well received…

Photos by Steve Saunders

Photo by Steve Saunders

mcPix Shortly later Suzi Q took part in a photo shoot inside the John Baldachino built Austin Ruby, Small Fry (owned now by John Toft). When she climbed out onto terra firma, my apology for our earlier encounter was more personal – in return I was gifted with this almost enigmatic smile. It‟s a cool rock an‟ roll memory that stays with me to this day – how lucky can a guy get! In truth, our roller skate meeting and Suzi Q‟s smile ruined the rest of the day – after all what could top that! I even forgot about the dancing girls, until I searched for “show” images, when I also found this classic example of Americana from that event As you can see from the image at far right, Suzi Q celebrated her Golden Jubilee as the Queen of Rock . You know the drill - click it and enjoy the original black and mcPix white clip of Devil Gate Drive!

Or you can see her having fun with Devil Gate Drive on tour in Australia earlier this year Click and enjoy some rock an‟ roll magic. As mcPix Andy Willsheer told me the other day, age is a number old is an attitude! Rock on Suzi Q John Price plays DJ and CC‟s Roger Philips enjoys the babes struttin‟ their stuff

Custom Car‟s Super CC‟s girlfriend CCuussttoomm CCaarr SShhooww,, OOllyymmppiiaa 11998811 Super Cecilia was played by a genuine Bond babe Tula, except the guys in the press room told me she wasn‟t – a babe! Who cares, Tula was more fun to talk with than any of „em, had the longest legs in town and far more curves than that Auburn, which was also a replica! On the other hand, our Art Editor Sue was all women, and we had a much fun with my robot pal Huggy. His personal line of chat had her totally bemused, especially when he said, “You told me Sue was good lookin‟ Mike, but these legs are a real stairway to heaven!” Sue and I laughed long and loud

Hot Gossip

Street Machine après Belle Vue 1979

To this day, I‟ve never had a wilder roller skate ride than this buckin‟ bronco – with the extra weight of the skates pulling my legs down I knew what the gals meant when they said they‟d been ridden hard! Actually, there was one wilder, when AAP‟s mega motored Pro Street Chevette flipped at our World of Wheels show at the NEC. It was said I‟d been driving - wearing skates! With no Street Machine photos by seat, let alone a belt, I Steve Saunders was sat on the floor - we landed upside down and I fell onto the roof, ouch!

Skating into A&E later was a real blast - Matron couldn‟t believe what she saw! Jack Daniels and cold Bud more than eased my headache! MMeeaannwwhhiiilllee,,, bbaacckk aattt BBeelllllee VVuuee iiinn „„„7799

Paradise Road shots scanned from Showtime Meeting the late Dave Grady on my first visit to Mike Key photos, enhanced Belle Vue is a truly lasting memory. We became good friends over the years, but I never forgot his response to my Hot Gossip copy when we met next time… “It‟s like I‟m listening to our conversation again!” Maybe I‟ve lost the accent, but recall that we talked of those rubber tracks laid under his car on Paradise Road! And I‟ll not forget the sparkle in his eyes and voice as he spoke of the fun we‟d had. “That story wuz real,” with a chuckle, one I miss to this day along with his ever-present smile

Photos by Steve Saunders scanned from Street Machine SShhooww ccaarrss ffrroomm mmiilldd ttoo ww iilldd

Ray‟s superb brush work saw the car win Best Mural at Belle Vue in 1979

Here‟s a pair of totally different Rolls Royce custom creations; Ray Mumford‟s super-subtle beauty and John Dodds‟ the Beast which won Best of Show at the 1972 Custom Car show. After a fire in Sweden, it was rebuilt by FGR, making our cover in this guise in 1981 and was a star exhibit at Belle Vue that year. With its 27 litre Rolls Royce engine, said to produce 700hp at only 2,500rpm, the mainstream media loved it. In the Daily Express prior to SPR‟s 1981 Milton Keynes show, Roy Phelps said, “It‟s got enough torque to pull down a tree…” The Beast is still turning heads to this day, especially when it was driven down the track at Santa Pod in 2014

Anything but subtle, Ian Etheridge‟s Celestial always drew huge crowds,

and rightly so as it was a stunning piece of modern customising. The body of this 1973 Trans Am was heavily modified before being given one of the most outrageous paint jobs in town along with a cool, deep buttoned interior. A wild creation, Celestial graced our front cover in April of 1980 and won Best Use of Colour and Best Graphics at Rodger and Graham‟s Last Great Rod & Custom Show in 1982

Al Fishwick‟s shot at left captures some of the detail that won Richard Wale‟s Best of Show, Participants‟ Choice and Best Engineering at the 1980 National Custom Car Show. After our World of Wheels show in 1981, this superb build quality took Richard and his amazing machine to the ISCA‟s Grand Finale in Al Fishwick photo Las Vegas along with John Reed and his Triumph scanned from bike, Old Dan Blacksidge. Showtime tells us that had Showtime theAl Herald been judged as an entry at this prestigious To me Richard Wale‟s creation was one of the most event, it would‟ve placed third! stunning works of customising art ever built in the UK, especially as it was Triumph Herald! The car won many awards during the era covered in Showtime, including Best of Show at Custom Car‟s 1982 Alexander Palace event

Scanned from Showtime Roger wrote that Terry Gibbs‟ Camaro won Best Competition at Ally Pally „82, which I wasn‟t aware of! It was the car‟s debut – as the American Autoparts Camaro! Oops, but no problem, Terry Mike Key photo and Tony, gone but not scanned from Showtime - forgotten, were more into image enhanced racing! God bless „em Photographer unknown AA Archives Tony Gransden, the original “messer” and

his “messketeers” Chris Mead, Tony, Mel Wooding‟s „70s Pro Stock racer Blue Rose is seen a few times in Showtime, but always too small to enjoy – see colour scan! As Steve Thompson and Terry Gibbs pose with the “Bottomless Pit,” now red “Woody” is a long time pal of ML and American Autoparts, here it (scanned from a creased ol‟ newspaper) is lookin‟ good and slightly more visible at Crystal Palace

RRaannddoomm rraammbbllliiinn’’’ss fffoorr As one of our first custom jobs, I couldn‟t understand why FGR‟s pick-up fffuunn!!! never made the book – it looked good, and push started Mooneyes in 1963! There again it was a workhorse, not a show car

Loved these Duckhams‟ Possibly there‟s a slight exaggeration in the Pod Show‟s promotional exclamation! ads, the one above is from the first issue of Street Machine. If nothing else they showed a commercial interest in customising and horsepower. The Humbrol wheelbarrow is still kinda cool today

Gary Belcher‟s unique V-12 T is amongst a host of hot rods from the day featured on Nick Pettitt‟s Time Travel 49 DVD

Some of the best radical rides from the era made classic Custom Car Showtime and Street Machine covers. For such a simple lookin‟ machine the beauty of John Baldachino‟s Small Fry is timeless, and it‟s still way cool today. Ol‟ Nitro Nostrils knew of it, and even that it was built for Matt Matheou! It won Best Radical Rod award at the final Belle Vue show for new owner John Toft The most amazing work of customising art I saw ever back in the day was while skating towards the bar at our World of Wheels show at the NEC when an absolutely stunning motorcycle stopped me in my tracks – simply put, it was… …the best of the best Gobsmacked is a word that‟s never done much for me, Courtesy trendhunter.com but it‟ll work here. The bike was totally awesome, unlike any I‟d ever seen, everything seemed to be engraved and it all fit in one tight golden package, a sign telling folks it was John Reed‟s Yamaha. While, unlike crouched down on my skates, in awe of the quality of work on the bike, I noticed John and his wife Genny who, with no one seemingly around, paused and their faces lit with pure pleasure at seeing the results of their work on display. Standing tall, I told them just how beautiful it was, walking over and renewing our friendship which‟d come from us both driving six-pot Chevies! After winning Best Overall Bike at this 1982 World of Wheels show, the Gold Yamaha won Best Radical Bike, Best Engineering (bike), and Best Overall Bike at Belle Vue‟s Last Great Rod & Custom Show. John and Jenny went to the USA, and in January 1983 their Gold Yamaha won the coveted Best of Show Bike award at the famed Oakland Roadster Show, the dream of a lifetime fulfilled – to win big in America! TThhee eenndd oofff aann eerrraa –– bbiiirrrttthh oofff aa llleeggeenndd!!!

Rodger Attaway 30 years on - John Reed‟s Gold Yamaha Rod & Custom Courtesy Avon Motorcycle Tyres North America Thanks for the memories MC Showtime

DDoouubbllee TTrroouubbllee ggooeess ffrroomm oouuttrraaggeeoouuss ttoo ttrruucckkiinn’’ When Double Trouble was first shown at

the 2010 SEMA Show, it caught much attention with its pair of blowers on twin, side-by-side 4.6 Ford engines When Andy Willsheer saw it sometime later, it was love at first sight and he talked with Gordon Tronson, the rod‟s owner/builder about bringing it over to the annual Essen Motor Show, but the car already had a vast number of bookings. The amiable Kiwi suggested they wait until he finished it, “with four blowers on top.” Andy‟s eye lit bright as he responded “Yes please!”

With almost 350,000 visitors during the Show‟s 10 days, those who saw the incredible machine would probably agree that he was right to wait! Andy shot Gordon‟s quad blown, 9.2 litre, Ford powered beauty while visiting his home-workshop in Henderson, Nevada. Often asked how fast does Double Trouble go, how much power does it have, what does it do through the quarter mile? Gordon answers in a great interview from a short 15minute show Photo courtesy Frank Breuer on BIG MUSCLE TV, “To be really, really honest, I really don‟t wanna really find out,” he chuckled, “right now it makes so much power it does not get any traction whatsoever. So it‟s 30, 40, 50 mile an hour, if you hit the throttle it‟ll j‟st light the tyres up and go sideways, so there‟s really no point,” adding with a slight smile, “that‟s why we have a Lamborghini Diablo, if I want to go 200 miles an hour I take the Lamborghini out,” his smile lighting up large into chuckles and laughter. Can you imagine looking out of your car window at the sound of a blower whine and catching sight of this amazing view of four blowers on side-by-side engines - wow! Click the link to enjoy this, and much more about Gordon‟s scratch built beauty, created at home from his dreams – it‟s a great show that more than does justice to this magnificent 21st century hot rod

While in Henderson, the ever smiling Kiwi showed Andy his latest creation, a motorcycle with four engines side-by-side! PPhhoottooss bbyy AAnnddyy WWiiillllllsshheeeerr

What a sight, but to see and hear it - wow! With 1,000horsepower, you just know that folks smile when Gordon Tronson rumbles Andy saw only the backs of the blowers as they by in his incredible hot rod rode into the hill, but said it was an awesome ride mmiiikkkeee cccooolllllliiinnsss

TTrree KKrroon noorr

Swedish drivers dominate NHRA‟s Top Alcohol Funny Car with three crowns in three straight races!

At Pomona, FIA TAFC champion Jonnie Lindberg qualified his Lindberg Bros Motorsports Monte Carlo on the pole from the get-go, improving from a first round 5.522 /252.47 to a final session‟s 5.451 at 255.87. Fellow Swede Ulf Leanders was second in Q1, but ended up fourth with his Haas Automation Monte Carlo‟s 5.539 at 260.61

In Eliminations Leanders won his first round, but got loose in the second, while Limdberg just plain thundered, laying down another 5.445 at 263.00mph before slowing to a 5.511 at 252.33 to advance. In the semi‟s Lindberg had to drive around a holeshot from Jay Payne (who‟d taken out Leanders), but he did it in fine style - his Monte Carlo taking the stripe with 5.486 at a faster still 265.38mph!

The finals saw Lindberg taking on defending event champion Brian Hough, and once again an American racer took the lead at the green light – but not for long. Lindberg ran him down, thundering to top speed of the event, 267.27mph with a consistent 5.458 over Hough‟s 5.608 at 260. Johnnie Lindberg became NHRA‟s 100th different driver to win Alcohol Funny Car

The Lindberg Brothers put their Monte Carlo on the pole at the Gators with a 5.48 at 267, and then in Q3 Jonnie Lindberg thundered to a new NHRA Speed Record of 268.71 mph. Ulf Leanders was fifth with his Haas Monte Carlo at 5.578 and 260.61. In the second round, severe tyre shack put an end to Lindberg‟s quest for two straight wins, but Leanders marched all the way to his second National finals, taking out the NHRA‟s reigning TAFC champion Steve Harker with a holeshot and better numbers. Leanders took

the crown with a 5.541 at 261.47 mph over Aussie Harker's 5.626 at 256.80

The Top Alcohol cars didn‟t race in Arizona, but when they went to Charlotte, Jonnie Lindberg truly thundered, setting NHRA ET and speed records en route to winning his second NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car title at that weekend's NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Lindberg truly dominated at Charlotte, where the alcohol cars only run two-wide, en route to re-setting both nationa l records with a first-ever sub-5.4 elapsed time, a 5.361 with a thundering top end charge of 272.01! In the second round the smiling Swedish driver won with a 5.381 at 270.64, the numbers backing his record up. Alcohol funny car legend Frank Manzo had held the previous mark of 5.411 seconds since 2011, while Lindberg beat his own speed record of 268.71 from the Gators! In the final Lindberg ran a 5.406 at 269.94 to the reigning TAFC champion Steve Harker who clicked his motor off with severe tyre shake

Snabba Jonnie Lindberg, far lane, set both ends of the NHRA records, and don‟t you just love the front cover they gave the team on National Dragster! It‟s really cool as they‟ve even got brother Johan running out front ready to guide the car back after his winning burn out at ZMAX Meanwhile, back in the UK, things hadn‟t been going quite so smoothly...

FFaarrtt FFeess tt’’

22001155 The main problem with today‟s AA fuelers and fuel coupes is that the amount of power they produce is so great the razor‟s edge they walk between just right and K‟boom is almost infinitesimal. More than that, the volume of nitro consumed is so strong some team members wear gas masks when warming up, especially when they‟re “indoors.” This not only protects the sensitive from the fumes, but also keeps punters at bay, as you can see from this shot of a Andy Willsheer photo fuel coupe doing its thing inside a marquee.

For a change, it‟s the type of fart most of us enjoy being around as the aroma is almost as delightful as the sound of eight trunks trumpeting! Sadly, that sound was heard all too briefly over the Pod‟s Easter meet due to unfriendly weather, especially for the blown an‟ injected “big show” nitro warriors, whose cars had far too much power for the cold surface. Witness Ol‟ Nitro Nostril‟s shot of Birgitte Bremnes Top Fuel ride goin‟ up in smoke at the hit. Car owner Rune Fjeld‟s directly behind, having a reason not to smile, knowing it‟d be a tough weekend for his fuelers and teams

Andy Willsheer photo

Birgitte Bremnes was at the helm of one of Rune Fjeld‟s stable of four Top Fuel dragsters at the Pod, although she, along with Liam “Bomber” Jones, was chasing her licence, while Jari Hanilan and Duncan Micallef were due to Match Race - maybe! All the drivers were really trying hard, but found it really trying because of the cold! But they were generally lucky in being able to catch things in time and get out of it and off the power before something let loose and k'boom'd the motor! Thing were better for the nostalgia fuel car teams who, with less power, could use the cool air, and much to the delight of the many nitro fans amongst the crowd they did just that with stellar side-by-side racing. The first Nostalgia Fuel Cup final was taken by Nick Davies‟ thundering 230mph with a 6.12 to put Lawrie Gatehouse‟s AA/Fuel Altered Chaos across the stripe first while the Apache AA/Fuel Coupe ran a 6.29 at 209, according to Andy Marrs TSI times, while Eurodragster reported that Tim Garlick was DQ‟d as his fuel coupe hit the finish line reflectors. Earlier Chaos‟ 6.24 at 221 took out the Apache‟s 6.26 which was clicked early for 193mph

Andy Willsheer photos

Santa Pod’s Thursday Facebook page mcSnip courtesy Santa Pod Raceway Shortly after last year‟s event when some racer‟s complained about their lack Highlights Show of track time, Santa Pod CEO Keith Bartlett, said the event had been losing

money as a race and, through an unedited open letter in Eurodragster told us he‟d decided to launch “a more family oriented event with a wider appeal,” adding that, “The main theme was the Jet Cars including side by side Jet Car racing, which is always a real crowd and family favourite at Santa Pod Raceway.” With additional, “Hovercraft rides, Live Action Arena shows (stunt shows, monster trucks, human cannonball) a circus, all of which operated several times a day come rain or shine.” Adding, in passing perhaps that, “we also had Top Fuel Dragsters (4) and Fuel Funny cars (2) plus a good entry of Pro Modified and all the other Sportsman classes.” Like a character in a Tom Cruise movie once said, “Show me the money!” But judging by the comments on Santa Pod‟s Facebook page, he‟s done something right as the image above got “86 likes” – although for some reason, the seemingly, side-by-side jet funny car race was not featured in the Pod‟s highlight film! Although fire eating babes were never mentioned last year, and Andy never saw them, they look kinda cool in the clip My favourite from the Pod‟s Facebook page (with 1,139 likes), posted on Thursday's test day at 2:17am from a young lady read, “We‟re on our way but it‟s raining.” At 6:07am she received this response from Official Santa Pod Raceway “Hi, we're racing here.” Racing - at that time of day? I don‟t think so! The only Top Fuel car I saw in the Highlights clip was Jari Halinen‟s – with the crew working in the pits! mcSnip Highlights Show

mcSnip Highlights Show The favourite shot from Thursday‟s test and tune was the one below of Birgitte

Bremnes‟ NitroFire which got 136 likes along with “Go girl!!!” Photos courtesy Santa Pod Raceway Facebook

Sunday Birgitte Bremnes hit an 8.01 and Liam Jones an 8.49 Photo courtesy Santa Pod Raceway Facebook

Although it‟s my eXtreme crop, this b-a-d blown Volvo got 72 likes

This Peugeot Jet Cop Car (again cropped), also had 72 likes - with Herve Franquin and “Flambante neuve" si je puis dire, allez bon soleil...” This translates, loosely as “Flaming, new, so to speak, go good sun...”

Photo courtesy Photo courtesy Santa Pod Raceway Facebook Santa Pod Raceway Facebook

As you can see, all three of these Top Fuel cars lit the day with NitroFire giving fans a very brief taste of NitroThunder, with Liam “Bomber” Jones (above), apparently running low ET of the event with a “very competent 4.80 half-pass” according to our friends at Eurodragster. Jari Halinen (right) clicked off with tyre shake, his motor went pop, the chutes deployed, and he lost a side-by-side race to Duncan Micallef‟s 4.97 – whose motor also went k‟boom. Like I said earlier, Rune Fjeld knew his cars would have a tough time - and so did the Top Fuel drivers and crews! But that‟s drag racing – especially here in the UK - in the “spring”! Photo courtesy Santa Pod Raceway Facebook

NNeeeeddss mmuusstt aass tthhee ssaayy…… mcSnips Dress code for Pod fans at the Easter mcPix Highlights Show meeting was slightly different to that at Famoso Famoso – no matter what time of year! Ca

mmcccSSSnniiippsss

One posting stated the “Jet cars were amazing! – but added, “Chaos & Apaches side by side, 230mph run stole the show for me though, would love to see more of

those two!” We all would Mr Bartlett - preferably at the big show events, if only so we can all enjoy some nostalgic Nitro Cackle from these ol‟ school fuel coupes (and fuel altered) which we don‟t get from modern day Nitro cars

Gordon Smith (above left), won the first round of the Euro Funny Car Series with a 4.93, 257 ahead of Kevin Kent‟s troubled 5.38. Loved this shot of Kevin Kent‟s NitroFire, letting fans feel the noise and

smell the thunder on Thursday - albeit extremely briefly! Photo courtesy Santa Pod Raceway Facebook Not sure about this tank - but it‟s a tad over the top for

crowd control don‟t you think Sir! Click the links and you can see moving images in Santa Pod‟s Highlights show

Other comments (as posted), on the Pod‟s Facebook page that caught my eye were… “We had a lovely day today. The monster truck ride was brilliant...we loved it! x” “Wish I lived closer! I'm in Florida.” This was kinda weird! Photo courtesy Santa Pod Raceway Fac ebook “Awesome weekend - too much to see so loud and unbelievable speed. Favourite this

time was the bikes some bottle those guys and gals.” Hence the shot at right Even the historic Santa Pod loos came up! “Despite the rain and mud the crew looking after the toilet facilities were doing a fantastic job, thank you.” And one probably pinned to the Pod office wall… “Cold today but Santa Pod always awesome. Thank you Mr Bartlett!” With the silly season that is Santa Pod‟s nitro drag racing just around the corner, I found myself wondering just how sad this year‟s Nitro Circus could be given that we‟ve lost Andersen Racing and Batman, who generally gave us nitro fans the quickest, fastest and best Top Fuel drag racing we could wish for. The only sadness was that often their efforts were made on solo passes – yet they still gave us demonstrations of pure NitroThunder down the short-track which others could not match. But let‟s think positive and look to the future, hoping everyone has better luck at the Main Event! Like the fans with the weather, the nitro racers with their traction and even the Kaiser with his gate takings „cos drag racing costs money! But BS is free - and there‟s no chance of a fuel bike racing a fuel car - especially one with Andersen Racing‟s Batman logo! Unless “they” knows something we don‟t! After ending last year with 4-zero consistency, my money‟s on Talking of which, anyone know what‟s happening with the Lucas Oil fueler? Duncan Micallef to make it the year that the lion roars in victory!

PPhhootttooss ccoouurrrttteessyy nnhhrrraa...ccoomm

FFuueell ccoouuppeess rruullee aatt The fuel coupes at right gave us the closest race I‟d ever seen with 1/10,000 of a second MOV! GGaaiinneessvviillllee And it‟s still got me buzzing a month down the road! But that‟s later, first it was Cruz Pedregon stepping up to the plate in his Snap-On Toyota, ripping off a booming 4.022 at 312.13 to lead five cars in the 4-zeros, eclipsing the big buck DSR/JFR teams. Cruz also reset his of track record of 4.026 – it took him "Nitro Nellie" Goins, the first female three years to knock off that African-American Funny Car racer was at four thousandth of a second! the track with her 1970s Mustang fuel coupe And you thought it was easy! On Saturday Cruz Pedregon and arch rival John Force gave fans the best numbers, with the Cruzer‟s Snap-On Toyota taking it via a strong 4.059 ahead of Papa John‟s thundering 315.194 with a 4.068. Chad Head had the bump, at 4.704, while the Surfer‟s long haul from California still had no reward as his Jeff Diehl Racing Solara had a problem, and again in the final session. Perhaps NHRA‟s payment for his 17 place car helped ease his pain. There was no pain for Tim Wilkerson, who drove his LSR Shelby to a third consistent 4.08 with low ET of the final Q session, a 4.082 at 312.64. Don Schumacher obviously had a word with his tuners, as both Tommy Johnson Jr and Mat Hagan moved into the top half of the field. Big Jim Dunn opted to save parts, with John Hale and the USD Charger sitting out the session –being in 14th this meant facing John Force for breakfast on Sunday, not any fuel coupe racer‟s idea of a great way to start race day! But a flame and thunder display from side-by-side jet funny cars is a great way to end a day at the races Sunday morning got off to a great start with a pretty good side-by-side race, Tim Wilkerson‟s 4.088 at 311.20 took the first win of the day over Tony Pedregon‟s 4.094 at 306.26, and then the fun began! John Hale was the 138th different driver to face John Force – his Peak Camaro had almost a tenth off the line and we thought it was over. But both cars lost traction, Force‟s Camaro smoked „em big time then dropped a cylinder while the USD Charger hazed the tyres down track, but sped on to tumultuous cheers from the fans as Hale ate John Force for breakfast , his 4.541 at 203.16 way ahead of John Force‟s 5.899, 122.27mph. Seeing Force go up in smoke, Kalitta Racing had Del Worsham change lanes, but his DHL Toyota had problems off the line as Blake Alexander‟s Monroe Shocks Charger sped to his best numbers of the event, a 4.151 at 303.43 over Worsham „s 4.689! The upsets continued in the next round - Tommy Johnson Jr never made it down track, the motor in DSR‟s Make‐A‐Wish Charger dying at the hit leaving Blake Alexander (right) to pedal his Monroe Shocks Charger to another win! Alexis DeJoria‟s Patrón Toyota had problems before it was even staged, but she left first only to haze the tyres at the top end, allowing John Hale to drive on by to take a 4.196 win. Having made it to the semi finals after only five races, NHRA quoted car owner Jim Dunn as saying, “It has to be luck, he's brand new at this."The grin on Big Jim‟s face would‟ve have been a delight to behold! John Hale then took Dunn‟s USD/Alo Charger to the finals, 4.203 at 301.20mph (his best speed of the event), over Blake Alexander who smoked the tyres. Next came a true classic between Ron Capps‟ mega-buck DSR/ NAPA Auto Parts Charger and the LSR Shelby driven by owner/tuner Tim Wilkerson. Even though the quarter mile is long gone for big show cars, it was the type of drag race we dream of with side-by-side fuel coupes thundering from green lights to the 1,000foot stripe - in a race won by an inch!

To the naked eye, the

cars left together, but Ron Capps, in the left lane had a 0.008seconds hole shot, and by the Upsets - and the lane changing blues… 60foor clocks he‟d extended that lead to 0.009seconds

By the 330 foot clocks Capps‟ lead was back down to 0.008

And then Tim Wilkerson took the lead! Happily for us, ol‟ Nitro Nostrils was on hand to capture this magic moment in

time from a unique view point…

Andy Willsheer Skybox photos courtesy of the obliging folks in the Amalie Motor Oil suite

To see this amazing fuel coupe, click the link and fast forward 12 minutes and enjoy!

After his recent surgery, Don Schumacher j‟st loved this dose of AA awesome good medicine, punching the air with a “Yes!” And there y‟have it folks, the race comes down to four digits, with Ron Capps taking the win by an unbelievable 0.0001seconds! “Holy close-calls Batman, that‟s one inch! “Yes Robin, and a bast‟rd good drag race!” WWOOWW!!

The finals began close, but Ron Capps NAPA Charger took the lead to win with a 4.115 at 311.05, and more than half-a-car over Hale‟s 4.208, 289.32, and Don Schumacher was even happier! Hale was also over the moon, with only a single

round win previous to this, his fifth NHRA national event - and he had made it to the finals, and Big Jim Dunn would‟ve been ecstatic!

Although there was a 20-car field in Top Fuel, fans had little in the way of big numbers to get excited about on Friday, with only a trio of cars running in the 3.80s, led by Tony Schumacher‟s US Army dragster (3.851 / 320.89), with Larry Dixon‟s 3.851 at 317.49 and Richie Crampton‟s 3.853 at a clicked-off 271.35. The day ended with Tony Schumacher taking a firm grip on lead with the Army car‟s 3.796 at 323.43 ahead of JFR‟s Brittany Force (still without a sponsor) at 3.817/ 318.09. Also still hunting sponsors was Shawn Langdon driving AJR‟s Knuckle Sandwich car to 3.875 / 316.97, while Antron Brown‟s 3.854 at 310.63 was behind DSR teammate Spencer Massey‟s 3.841 at 323.66. Two more drivers ran under 3.80 in Saturday‟s first session; Shawn Langdon‟s 3.765 (low ET of the race) at 325.45 moving him into number one and Spencer Massey‟s 3.793 good enough for second, with his 329.02mph also taking top speed of the meet. Talking of speed, the Golden Greek made his fastest ever 1,000 foot pass at 313.51mph on a 3.904 to move up the ladder.

But the run which took everyone‟s breath away came from Larry Dixon in Bob Vandergriff‟s C&J Energy fueler, which hooked up, was accelerating hard down track and really on a pass until just before just before the finish line when the car‟s chassis broke. Dixon‟s world went topsy-turvy – to say the least!

The front half of the car whipped away sky-high, leaving the rear half spinning up in the air behind –Fox News put its height at 20 feet, and ESPN‟s Mike Dunn giving close to 500 feet as its flight distance! When it smashed back down to earth, the big Goodyear slicks cushioned Dixon‟s touchdown, but bounced the cockpit bounced across the track and onto the safety barrier! Meanwhile, Kalitta, DQ‟d for crossing the centerline just before the finish stripe, was threading his way through the debris. Dixon‟s time was also disallowed as the car‟s spinning front end took out the finish line cones, but he was already sixth in the field with a 3.851. Dixon stunned one of the Fox TV guys when he said, “And that wasn‟t my worst accident,” in reference to his far more violent high speed crash, linked here. Following which, as he remarked to Mike Dunn on race day at the Gators, “I had a helicopter ride and didn‟t wake up until I got to the hospital!” Here‟s a link to an NHRA media interview shortly after his wild ride at Gainesville, the results of which he puts down to today‟s safety equipment, including the HAN‟s device that he began wearing shortly after that horrific crash

Mark Rebilas‟ amazing photos were already winging their way

around the planet ( and on Facebook too – see below), with

major TV networks picking up the stunning film from ESPN when

the final Q session began and racers went about their business, trying to repeat or even improve. Obviously I‟d seen it during ESPN‟s Q show, but was amazed to see in on the BBC Global evening news in an item taken

from ITV‟s early morning show!

When the car hit the top of the wall, the back half stayed inside rolling down onto terra firma and sliding a long way before stopping. NHRA‟s Safety Safari was soon on the scene, and within moments Dixon climbed out under his own steam, raising his arm in salute to the now cheering fans standing tall in the stands. This stunning Mark J Rebilas photo was the number one choice for CNN‟s morning report – you can see why!

Morgan Lucas did improve, his 3.963 at 300.40 getting him in the field on the bump while Leah Pritchett„s 3.809 at 321.81 ended up fifth behind original pole sitter Tony Schumacher, moved down a notch by Doug Kalitta‟s 3.796 at 323.58. Shawn Langdon was the first to run a number on race day, his 3.781 taking out Morgan Lucas‟ smoked-in car, and then DSR‟s

Spencer Massey‟s Red Fuel car ran the second best time of the event, a 3.768, matching his top speed exactly with another 329.02 to move on. Tony Schumacher gave his US Army car it‟s best run of the weekend, a 3.775 at 325.45, followed by Brittany Force‟s best, a 3.792 / 323.12 pass and Richie Crampton, who also ran his quickest of the race, a 3.783 at 320.05.

Don Schumacher, making his first visit to a race since undergoing major surgery, loved to see three of his drivers win in the second round, but low ET went to AJR‟s Knuckle Sandwich, a 3.830 giving Shawn Langdon lane choice over Tony Schumacher‟s 3.887 and Antron Brown‟s 3.850 giving him the pick over Spencer Massey‟s 3.911. However, it seemed lane choice didn‟t mean much to the long skinny cars as Massey not only left first, but his 3.858 took an easy win as Brown went up in smoke in the favoured lane. And then Tony Schumacher ran low ET of the round, 3.838 at 320.58 in beating Shawn Langdon who smoked the tyres down track to a losing 4.323. Race fans got to see a good final round race, with Massey‟s Red Oil car taking a 0.020 holeshot win with a 3.882 at 320.74 by almost four hundredths of a second over Tony Schumacher„s 0.065 light and a 3.873 at 313.29 Not what you‟d call really close, but Massey was happy to win one for the boss, and Don Schumacher was over the moon, being almost overcome with emotion during a start line interview

DDoouubbllee tthhee pplleeaassuurree,, NitroThunder NitroThunder ffoo uu rr ttiimmeess tthhee ttrroouubbllee!! When the troops arrived at Z Max Dragway it was a case of good news,

bad news in that the track was completely repaved, but rain washed out the first day of qualifying! During the shortened event, the ultra powerful nitro cars put on quite a display of how not to win a race, as you can see from NHRA‟s image at right of a second round of race on Sunday! I wonder if that photographer managed to fill his frame with Dave Connolly‟s explosive k‟boom – talk about a face full of NitroFire!

Former Pro Stock champion Dave Connolly took his first round as a Top

Fuel driver in the previous round, cutting a good light in his Energy Services car, just a tick ahead of defending event champ Antron Brown

who drove on to win with a 3.771 at 313.58 ahead of Connolly‟s second place 3.944. In the quad above, Connolly was second off the line, and

then he fireballed big-time! Brown, seen smokin‟ the tyres in DSR‟s Matco Tools machine above, won this fan-pleasing pedal-fest, smokin‟ to a 5.817 at 185.00 with Steve Torrence‟s Capco car second with a faster Photos courtesy nhra.com 200.95mph in 6.019 seconds to also move onto the semi-finals But that‟s getting ahead of the game - Pat Dakin‟s last NHRA national event victory came in 1973, but the veteran owner/driver shook the

troops when his Commercial Metal Fabricators fueler took the pole

with career best numbers and a track-record-setting-ET of 3.715 at 318.84 in the first set on Saturday. Golden oldie Chris Karamesines ran

second with a 4.343 while Terry McMillen and Dave Connolly Runs smoked „em – so let‟s hear it for the ol‟ dudes! Clay Millican took the

next quad and third spot with a 3.768 at 315.05 ahead of JR Todd„s 3.841 ahead of Leah Pritchett who lost a blower belt and the Capco car which smoked „em at the hit. Fans saw a close race with Brittany Force‟s 3.826 at 318.32 leading a trio of .82s ahead of Richie Crampton‟s 3.827/ 312.28 and Larry Dixon 3.829 / 314.75 with Doug Kalitta up in smoke at the hit.

The final qualifying quad featured three Top Fuel champions, with Tony Schumacher thundering to second spot with a 3.729 at 323.58, ahead of DSR

teammate Spencer Massey‟s 3.782 while the other pair went instantly up in smoke. Antron Brown‟s 10.277 at 68.74 was ahead of Shawn Langdon„s 10.819 at 76.38! Pat Dakin‟s glory was stolen by a couple of inches when JR Todd put his Red Line car on pole with a 3.713 in the second Q session. It was the

fourth time Dakin had qualified second (1971, 1976 & 1996), so he was no doubt a happy camper – even though he smoked „em in his first round quad

(Brittany Force won with a 5.041at 184.85!), but then so did most drivers! Only one quad of the first round featured a side-by-side „70s race, won by Tony Schumacher‟s US Army car, his 3.720 (the quickest of eliminations), over

Clay Millican‟s 3.755. Only two other fuelers had clean winning passes - Steve Torrence‟s 3.799, 314.24 and Antron Brown‟s 3.771 at 313.58 – the rest of the other smoked or broke! The only power-race in the second round saw Richie Crampton set top speed of eliminations, 324.12mph with a 3.741 over Clay

Millican‟s 3.801 at 310.77 - ahead of a pair of smokers! As you saw in the photo above, the other quad was a smoke and real k‟boom fest! Seeing these mega-buck teams having such a hard time getting their cars down track made me think, it‟s pity some of us don‟t go easier on our hard working, but much lower funded Top Fuel teams at Santa Pod when they have problems! Things were just as tough for the coupes, with John Force‟s Peak Anti‐Freeze Camaro (second from top), took the first pole with a 4.040, 309.98 ahead of Chad Head‟s Toyota‟s 4.077. Jack Beckman‟s Infinite Hero Charger qualified second with a 4.059

Papa John was bumped to second in the final Q session by his daughter Courtney, who drove her Traxxas Camaro to a blistering 4.011 at 312.35 (top right), and Matt Hagan‟s Mopar Express Charger moved up to fourth with a 4.055 (bottom right), as both Del Worsham‟s DHL Toyota and Tommy Johnson Jr‟s Make-A-Wish Charger went up in smoke. Ron Capps put DSR‟s NAPA Charger in third with a 4.051 and Cruz Pedregon‟s Snap‐on Toyota took fifth (ahead of Beckman‟s 4.059), with a 4.055. JFR‟s Robert Hight moved his Auto Club Camaro to seventh with a 4.061, pushing Chad Head‟s 4.077 down to eighth

Race day opened with Del Worsham‟s 4.040 and Chad Head‟s 4.464 227.96 winning the first quad over a pair of smoker‟s, as did JFR‟s Robert Hight‟s 4.027 and bossman John Force‟s 4.250, the pair making the second round for the first time this season! Next up we saw Jack Beckman take an easy win as DSR‟s Infinite Hero Charger sped to a 4.051 ahead of teammate TJ, who‟s Make‐A‐Wish Charger, almost four seconds behind! Meanwhile,

DSR‟s Ron Capps was DQ‟d as lost a battle to control his out-of- shape NAPA Charger and tagged the wall as Paul Lee‟s McLeod

Racing Charger took third – even though he‟s barely in the shot! But the final quad was even weirder, to put it mildly as defending Mello Yello Funny Car champion Matt Hagan was DQ‟d for failing to stage and Tim Wilkerson was asleep at the wheel with a 4.096 reaction time! The round won by a 4.12 form Cruz Pedregon‟s exploding Snap-on car ahead of John Hale‟s 4.21

Sunday 04

In his second round quad, Jack Beckman (top lane right) was the last car to leave the line, but he won with a blistering 4.000 ahead of TJ‟s 4.132 in the Make‐A‐Wish Charger while John Force‟s white Camaro went up in smoke and son-in-law Robert Hight red lit in the Auto Club Camaro! The second semi was all Toyota - Del Worsham click off a 4.067 to win in Connie Kalitta‟s DHL car ahead of Chad Head‟s 4.080 and Cruz Pedregon Snap‐on machine

which broke. Big show rookie John Hale two-stepped the throttle and red lit by two-tenths in Big Jim Dunn‟s Alo Drink Charger

In the final TJ put DSR‟s Make‐A‐Wish Charger off the line first but went up in smoke early, and going badly out of shape to finish in double digits behind a tyre smoking Chad Head‟s 7.455. But enough about the losers - Del Worsham left first in Connie Kalitta‟s DHL Toyota only to have his early lead eaten by “Fast Jack” Beckman, far lane, who drove DSR‟s Infinite Hero Charger to a blistering 3.983 at 308.78, taking the win ahead of Worsham‟s

4.012, 314.24 in the DHL Toyota. Click the link to see that run

The Top Fuel finals were more of the same, Antron Brown‟s Matco Tools Dragster left first and led all the way to give the DSR driver his second straight 4-Wide win with a strong 3.749 at 319.90 over Steve Torrence‟s Capco car which trailed by a tenth and about 70feet with a 3.847 at 317.5. Richie Crampton‟s put Lucas Oil third with a 4.030 ahead of Clay Millican‟s, whose Parts Plus car was second of the line, but went up in smoke, and in NHRA‟s shot is about to be overtaken by Torrence.

In claiming his second 4-Wide victory, “Fast Jack” ended a 54-race winless streak, and gave veteran crew chief Jimmy Prock his first win at DSR.

Antron Brown‟s win gave him the points lead over his teammate, defending Mello Yello champion Tony

Schumacher, and with Jack Beckman they gave team owner Don Schumacher his 44th multiple title event. Here‟s a link to the Top Fuel final, click it and enjoy a brief blast of 4-wide NitroThunder!

Sunday 22 Alternatively, if you need a mega –dose of ground pounding action, click here and

you‟ll be spoilt for choice, with full ESPN race coverage from this year, and more at KMan's Ultimate Drag Racing Channel

TTiimmee oouu tt ffoorr ssoommee ttrruucckkiinn’’ aawweessoommee iimmaaggeess

From four wide on a big fat track, to side-by-side battles between black smokin‟ behemoths of the tractor trailer variety with less room that you‟ve ever seen at any drag race – and they thunder off the line into a curve!

Wouldn‟t you just love a launch like this with your street car!

Catching up time!

Awesome image of

truckin‟ power

Way too close Leroy!

Click one of the links to enjoy some truly crazy action on a short, skinny track which I believe is somewhere in Canada. From Russia with love, it‟s Дальнобой наваливает! AKA Semi Trucks Drag Racing! Posted by a dude called Sergey322 on YouTube, it‟s had 1,066,884 hits – maybe it‟s crazy, but it‟s popular too! Awesome images, but diesel fumes give me grief, and I can‟t hold my breath much longer, so let‟s get back to the sweet taste of NitroThunder!

VViivvaaAAgg aaLLiinnaasstt tstshhee V Vooddeeddssg!g! aass This race was won by just 0.0021seconds!

With 15 out of 20 NHRA titles (eight Top Fuel & seven Funny Car), since last year‟s US Nats won by Don Schumacher Racing, you‟d have got pretty good odds at that streak continuing in Las Vegas… (Data courtesy dragracingonline.com) When the Mello Yello tour rolled into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was hot on the track, 113 degree, but DSR‟s Matt Hagan led the way from Q1, driving his Mopar Express Dodge to the first pole with a 4.067 at 313.88 ahead of John Force‟s 4.109 at 315.78. Later in the afternoon, it was down to 95 degree, and in Q2 the numbers started to fall as well. DSR‟s Ron Capps‟ NAPA Charger ran a 4.075 at 316.15, Chad Head ran his dad‟s Toyota to a 4.090 and John Hale got in on the act with a 4.091 at 311.92 in Big Jim Dunn‟s Charger. Then came JFR‟s Robert Hight with a 4.091 at 314.97, Tim Wilkerson ran a 4.065 at 314.31, but a pair of DSR cars gave us what we‟d wanted to see, side-by-side nitro thunder with Tommy Johnson Jr‟s Make-A-Wish Charger running 4.020 and 313.07 alongside Jack Beckman‟s Infinite Hero Charger with a better 4.014 at 315.64 to leap frog over everyone. Kalitta Racing‟s Del Worsham ran his DHL car to a 4.048 and 316.52 and team mate Alexis DeJoria‟s Patrón XO Cafe Incendio hit a 4.037 at 308.78 The top pair from Q1, DSR‟s Matt Hagan and JFR head honcho John Force ended the session in style. Force ran a 4.086 at 317.19, but Matt Hagan stole his glory, DSR‟s Mopar Express charging to a blistering 4.007 at a 318.02 to take the pole, a position he never relinquished. There were now 11 fuel coupes in the 4-zeros

Photo courtesy nhra.com

Photo courtesy nhra.com DSR‟s US Army car hit the Strip at Las Vegas and a

3.828 at 323.74 put Tony Schumacher on top after Q1. Shawn Langdon was close behind with a 3.835 at 314.31 in the Knuckle Sandwich fueler

Photo courtesy nhra.com

Photo courtesy nhra.com

Super-tuner Dom Lagana (right) led Q2 and took his first pole with a 3.805, but he didn‟t hold it for long as JR Todd was up next, a 3.758 at 324.83 owning Photo courtesy nhra.com the pole for the race Tony Schumacher improved to a 3.779 at 325.45 as did Shawn Langdon with a 3.782. Steve Torrence‟s Capco car was a tick behind with a 3.783, 323.89 followed by Lucas Oil‟s Richie Crampton at 3.787 and Doug Kalitta with a 3.793 317 for Kalitta Racing. Brittany Force almost hit the „70‟s with 3.801 and Dom Lagana‟s 3.805 in the Australian Rapisarda fueler now anchored the top half o the field. Saturday gave racers a tricky track, with Tony Schumacher‟s 3.856 leading Q3 while Richie Crampton‟s 3.833 topped Q4 Photo courtesy nhra.com

Things were much the same for the fuel coupes with only five running in the teens during Q3 – quickest was John Force‟s 4.136, with the session‟s top speed of 312.42, and fans only saw one pair of side-by-side teens between DSR‟s top qualifiers. Matt Hagan ran a 4.181 at 300.33 alongside Jack Beckman‟s 4.140, 304.67. But flopper fans got a few 4-zeros in Q4 and a great side-by-side duel when Kalitta Racing‟s Alexis DeJoria put her Patrón Toyota on the line against DSR‟s Ron Capps. Alexis couldn‟t improve on an earlier 4.037, but her 4.059 was ahead of the NAPA Charger‟s 4.082 (and even Capps‟ best of 4.075), so you knew she was ready to rumble. Her teammate Del Worsham ran a 4.085 at 314.09, but DSR‟s Matt Hagan was quicker and faster with a 4.075 at 315.71. The only other cars under 4.2seconds were JFR‟s Robert Hight at 4.123 at 310.70 And Papa John with a 4.108 at 301.47

Photo courtesy nhra.com High -five indeed, all of John Force Q runs were full pulls, the Photo courtesy nhra.com slowest a 4.13, with two 4.10‟s and a 4.086 – lookin‟ strong! nndd EE rriiccaa ddoouubblleess uupp ffoorr tthhee 22 ssttrraaiigg hhtt yyeeaarr!! Al l the way with Chevrolet!

In the Pro Stock qualifying session, eight teams raced for glory in the prestigious K&N Horsepower Challenge and its $50,000 prize money! Defending her K&N and Las Vegas titles from 2014, Mello Yello Pro Stock champion Erica Enders-Stevens took it to the bank once again, doubling up on her double up from last year! On Saturday she beat the best, winning her second-straight K&N Challenge in an all-Chevy duel with a hole shot on Vincent Nobile

Photo courtesy nhra.com

With the unique K&N trophy and $50,000 cheque resting in her pit, she tore through the Mello Yello Pro Stock field on Sunday. Erica‟s ace 0.001 light gave her a semi final hole shot win, 6.673 at 207.53 over Greg Anderson's 6.671 at 208.71

The final, another all-Chevrolet race, saw Erica‟s Elite Camaro leading all the way to complete an ultra-rare, second-straight Photo courtesy nhra.com double. Her 0.024 light and a 6.674 at 207.24 put the Elite Camaro across the stripe 0.016 seconds ahead of Vincent Nobile‟s identical ET of 6.674 at 207.91 in his Mountain View Camaro. Erica is the first Pro Stock driver to sweep both events back-to-back since the legendary Bob Glidden won the Mr Gasket Pro Stock Challenge in 1987 and 1988 - she also won an extra $25,000 for doubling up! Photo courtesy nhra.com

Jet dragsters closed the day with some flame and thunder

Top Fuel led the way on race day with Richie Crampton opening eliminations in his Lucas Oil car, a 3.821 at 322.27 taking care of a troubled Troy Buff. DSR‟s Spencer Massey drove his Red Fuel car to victory in the first close race with a 3.796 at a huge 328.78 over Doug Kalitta‟s 3.807. Larry Dixon advanced with his C&J Energy car with a 3.795 at 318.09 to take out Tony Schumacher‟s 3.828, 319.29

Photo courtesy nhra.com Photo courtesy nhra.com

Top Fuel owner driver Steve Faria gave it his best shot (right), running his first three-second, 300-mph pass, a 3.957 at 307.02 in his System One fueler, and he even cut the better light. But pole-sitter JR Todd put an end to Steve‟s dream, his Red Line/Kalitta Air fueler winning with a 3.825 `at 320.81mph. Of the other cars in the 3.80s, Clay Millican was quickest, his Parts Plus fueler running a 3.815 at 315.12 to take out Brittany Force‟s 3.846 at 323.66 in her JFR car. The second round saw Richie Crampton move on with a 3.838 at 315.78 along with Spencer Massey‟s 3.858 at 324.98, Larry Dixon‟s 3.889 at 318.77 and JR Todd‟s troubled 3.916 at 308.64. Semi final action showed both sides of the sport as Larry Dixon „s 4.402 at 247.93 won a pedal fest over Spencer Massey‟s 5.496 at 126.23 before Richie Crampton won a close race with his Lucas Oil car running a 3.828 at 318.32 to reach the stripe about five feet ahead of JR Todd‟s 3.837 at 321.73. In the final Richie Crampton led all the way to take his third title in his Lucas Oil fueler with 3.902 at a slowing 301.33mph when Larry Dixon went up in smoke early, coasting through with a 4.46, 201.73 in his C&J Energy Services car

Photo courtesy nhra.com Photo courtesy nhra.com

BBeeaattiinngg tthhee ooddddss iinn VVeeggaa ss!! AAllll tthhee wwaayy wwiitthh CChheevvrroolleett -- ssppoorrttssmmaann ssttyyllee In Top Alcohol Funny Car Annie Whiteley qualified her Y-Not Racing Camaro third with a 5.608 at 263.67mph (top speed of the meet), ran a 5.627 at 262.49 to beat Steve Gasparrelli„s way out of shape

9.119 127.52, ran her slowest pass, a 5.674 at 257.87 when her opponent was DQ‟d for crossing the centre line in the second round. She flat out-ran her opponent with a 5.614 at 261.62 to reach the finals where she ran a consistent 5.617 at 261.98mph to win when Doug Gordon red lit. Annie Whiteley‟s TAFC victory made her the 200th female winner overall in Mello Yello and Lucas Oil competition, less than a year after Courtney Force became the 100th female Pro driver to win a national event

Photo courtesy nhra.com

Photo courtesy nhra.com Winning on the NHRA national event trail is tough in any class, but to win a pair of eliminators is rare. Yet at Las Vegas, Jimmy DeFrank beat the odds and doubled-up in Stock and Super Stock – for the second time! All the way with Chevrolet indeed...

AAllll tthhee wwaayy wwiitthh CChheevvrroolleett –– iinn aa ffuueell ccoouuppee!! DSR cars led the way on race day as Matt Hagan‟s Mopar Express won with a 4.114 and Tommy Johnson Jr‟s Make‐A‐Wish Charger a 4.106. Team mate Jack Beckman looked to be joining the gang when his Infinite Hero Charger left the line almost half a tenth ahead of Cruz Pedregon‟s Snap‐on Tools Toyota, but the Dodge began hazing the tyres, something mechanical went awry and the car slowed with Pedregon laying down his best pass thus far, a 4.093 at 305.01 to beat Beckman‟s 4.138, 299.00 by 0.0021 seconds. The classes‟ babes did battle next and Alexis DeJoria‟s Patrón Toyota drove around Courtney Force‟s slight hole shot, pulling away with her 4.115 taking down the Traxxas Camaro‟s 4.165 Tim Wilkerson ran the best ET of the day, 4.080 with a strong 314.53 mph in his Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang to beat an up in smoke John Hale. DSR‟s fourth fuel coupe, the NAPA Auto Parts Charger driven by Ron Capps was a tad late of the line while JFR‟s Robert Hight ran low elapsed time of the event, his Auto Club Camaro taking the win with a 4.087 at 312.50. In the final pair, bossman John Force cut a better light, taking an easy win with a 4.138 at 312.57 when Chad Head crossed the centre line and was DQ‟d. ESPN‟s Marquee Match-up opened the second round, with John Force‟s Peak Camaro leaving a tick before Matt Hagan, whose Mopar Express moved quickly ahead, but then smoked the tyres early as Force ran a consistent 4.158 at 314.17 to advance over Hagan‟s 4.436 at 296.89. Fans got another great pedal fest next as Alexis DeJoria showed just how good a driver she‟s become with her Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota alongside veteran nitro warrior Del Worsham, both driver pedalling, with Worsham‟s DHL car leading until Alexis blasted by past in the lights, her Photo courtesy nhra.com 5.852 at 239.06 about half-a-car ahead of Worsham‟s 5.885 160.61 – I‟ve replayed that race more than a few times, „cos it was kinda awesome to watch! Cruz Pedregon went up in smoke and Robert Hight‟s JFR Camaro won with a 4.102 311.99, then Tommy Johnson Jr ran low of the round, a 4.093 as Tim Wilkerson crossed the center line and was DQ‟d. Semi final time saw the temperature back up to 130 degrees, and problems for John Force meant the teams had to rally round when the boss‟ car required a last-minute, complete engine swap – with no time for a warm-up! More problems came when their tow rope broke and the car had to hand-hustled to the staging lanes to make the call. But then it was smooth sailing, and more consistency for Force, his 4.165 312.35 taking an easy win when Alexis DeJoria‟s Patrón car went up in smoke at the hit. Seeing that happen, DSR „s Make‐A‐Wish Charger team swapped lanes, but to no avail as Robert Hight made it an all-JFR final, his 4.145 310.34 ahead all the way over Tommy Johnson JR‟s 4.164. John Force racing had more than just beaten the odds – they‟d done it with Chevrolets - and what a great race they gave us. Robert Hight had 0.004 seconds at the hit, his Auto Club Camaro taking the striped with a 4.154 just 0.0021 seconds behind the Peak Camaro, John Force winning his 142nd NHRA title with a 4.148 at 312.35mph

Photo courtesy nhra.com

mcSnips It would‟ve and could‟ve been Hight‟s race – if the track was courtesy NHRA YouTube 950foot long! And should‟ve – had there been team orders,

but there weren‟t and we got a truly great side-by-side race to welcome John Force Racing back to the winners circle - and then some! John said he was lucky – could be that‟s right as Hight lost a spark plus just before the lights! Click the link and see just how close the race was

As you can see in this Snip from NHRA‟s YouTube clip, there‟s NitroFire as Papa John Force drove it out the back door to get his first win since making the switch back to his Chevrolet roots

If you don‟t have cable or satellite TV, you can use your computer to watch all this year‟s Mello Yello action at KMan's Ultimate Drag Racing Channel – in fact you can catch up with many of ESPN‟s great Photo courtesy nhra.com NHRA shows from the past few seasons…

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aannd d

DDeeeepp iinn tthhee hhee aarrtt ooff TTeexxaass Alexis DeJoria‟s Patrón Toyota

(left), ran the first big fuel coupe

numbers on Friday afternoon, 4.041, 310.77 only to be knocked of pole by her Kalitta Racing teammate Del Worsham‟s 4.023 at 314.97. Top speed went to JFR‟s Robert Hight, third with a 4.058 at 317.05mph. Both Photos courtesy the Kalitta cars smoked „em big time in the Q2 evening session, along with nhra.com half-a-dozen others. DSR‟s Tommy Johnson went 4.064 at 310.05 and Ron Capps (below) ran a 4.038, with a new track speed record of 319.67mph. Reigning Mello Yello Matt Hagan also joined the party with a 4.051 at 314.61 alongside a “fishtailing” John Force who clicked off early

But it was DSR‟s Jack Beckman who really shook the troops, thundering to a track record of 3.988 at 318.17mph in the Terry Chandler backed Infinite Hero

Foundation Charger – the first three at Houston‟s Royal Purple Raceway

mcSnips courtesy NHRA YouTube In car aafd action

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=-NtHvWnU-c4

Tim Wilkerson‟s LSR Shelby stayed close, moving to fifth with a stout4.041 Photos courtesy nhra.com Along with the Infinite Hero Foundation that helps “former soldiers and their families with physical or mental challenges,” Terry Chandler also promotes Make-A-Wish, a foundation that “grants the wish of a child diagnosed with a grave or life-threatening illness.” A long-time race fan Click the link to enjoy this side-by-side Live Broathroughdc hera brother,st Sretiredp DSRo nfunnys caro driverre Johnnyd bGray,y she now display of NitroFire Liv ande Thunder B roadcast Sponsored by sponsors “Fast Jack” and TJ, their DSR fuel coupes doing much to help raise funds for these two charities. The race cars are funded by Mrs Chandler herself! Click the link and read the inspiring story in Autoweek of how Terry Chandler is “living a dream while helping others”

Top Fuel‟s first session was led by Larry Dixon and Shawn Langdon, bath running 3.793, but pole went to Dixon‟s C&J car with the better speed of 328.46 over Langdon‟s 319.45, his car now TToo cchheecckk oouuttt ttthhee carrying sponsorship from Toyota and Bass Pro Shops. Spencer Massey‟s Red Fuel DSR car was aacctttiiioonn,,, ccllliiicckk ttthhiiiss llliiinnkk close with a 3.807 at 327.03. In Q2 the pole fell rapidly to JR Todd‟s 3.78, Brittany Force‟s 3.779, Gary Nastase photo Richie Crampton‟shttp://dragracingonline.com/raceresults/2015/xvii_3 3.758 and Tony Schumacher‟s 3.754 - and the fans loved it -marchmeetcourtesy Autoweek.com-11.html Ten drivers ran in the .70s dro pix flickincluding Shawn Langdon‟s 3.760 at 320.81, but it was … …tthheerree rreeaallllyy iiss localnn herooo Spencer ss Masseyuu bbssttiittuuttee (left) who blew the roof of, or would‟ve if they had one!

Photos courtesy nhra.com Photos courtesy nhra.com The DSR driver decimated the pole, thundering to new track records of 3.734 at 330.07mph – wow! This was a gentle reminder to folks that he‟s still the King of Speed behind his 332mph NHRA record! Leah Pritchett‟s Gumout car was 11th with a 3.811 318.84

In Saturday‟s Q3 none of the front runners improved, but there was a great fight for sixth spot. Leah Pritchett took it with a 3.775 at 318.77, only to be knocked back by Dave Connolly‟s quickest and fastest pass of his short career, a 3.771 at

323.97 (right), in the next pair followed by JR Todd‟s 3.770 at 321.50. Q4 was hot and generally a smoke fest - with Richie Crampton's 3.800 at 320.58, the quickest pass of the session with Kebin Kinsley putting the Gas Monkey Garage fueler on the bump first time out with a 4.019 at 302.41. Clay Millican ran a 3.916 at 268.22 to push Jenna Haddock‟s Patriot Grading fueler down a spot to 15th - once again set to race Tony Schumacher! In the third session for fuel coupes Cruz Pedregon made the field with a 4.083, Del Worsham ran a 4.097 and Tim Wilkerson a 4.076. Q4 saw most drivers struggle with the heat, but Courtney Force improved Photos courtesy nhra.com to a 4.137 for 12th. Matt Hagan hit a 4.081 and Tim Wilkerson in the mix with a 4.087. Jack Beckman closed the session with a 4.062 at 311.56, retaining the pole, his 11th, but first since Brainerd in 201. On race day the stands were again kinda full, and cloud cover gave fans some great side-by-side racing from the fuelers and the fuel coupes. The first round saw 11 runs in the 3.70‟s including Tony Schumacher who re-set the track record with a 3.726 at 328.70 over Jenna Haddock‟s 3.966 at 300.86mph. Doug Kalitta‟s Mac Tools ran its best numbers of the race, a 3.732 at 325.77, but his team mate JR Todd‟s 3.755 at 326.40mph lost to a holeshot aided 3.759 at 325.14 from Steve Photos courtesy nhra.com Torrence‟s Capco car, one of a trio of side-by-side 3.7second duels that had fans on their feet. Clay Millican‟ 3.751, 312.78 just beat Richie Crampton„s 3.756 at 320.51 and Larry Dixon cut a better light to keep his 3.779 at 323.89 ahead of Shawn Langdon‟s 3.765 at 321.73. Eight fuel coupes ran in the 4- zeros, but only two pair ran side-by-side; Courtney Force had a slight holeshot to keep her 4.056 at 318.69 ahead of Tim Wilkerson‟s 4.046 at 314.46. JFR‟s Robert Hight ran quickest with a rapid 4.012 at 319.75 while DSR‟s Matt Hagan was close, his 4.017 at 320.81mph setting for top speed of the meeting. Engine problems slowed Hagan to 4.130 303.57. In the second round, losing to team mate Ron Capps‟ 4.054 at 316.82. DSR‟s Jack Beckman was quickest, Photos courtesy nhra.com 4.047 at 315.12 over an up in smoke TJ, and “Fast Jack” also ran low of the semi finals, his 4.066 eating a 4.173 by JFR‟s Courtney Force, but the second semi provided the best race. Ron Capps squared off with JFR‟s Robert Hight, the NAPA Charger moving first by a thousandth of a second! Both cars ran identical 4.084‟s, Capps at 308.35 with Hight charging like a freight train to 318.39mph, yet falling short by just 0.0013seconds! After that great race, the final was a tad anti-climatic as both DSR cars hazed the tyres down track with Capps‟ 4.244 at 258.32 gaining a second win o the season ahead of Jack Beckman‟s 4.480, but you can almost see Don Schumacher red shirted smile on the start line as his cars gave him another event win Four close races made up the next round of Top Fuel led by Spencer Massey‟s 3.807 holeshot win at 324.83 over Brittany Force‟ s 3.786 at 320.13 and Clay Millican also led all the way with a 3.765, 320.36 over Steve Torrence‟s 3.798 at 323.89mph. Low of the round went to Doug Kalitta‟s 3.751 at 323.50, winning over Larry Dixon‟s 3.788 and 316.97mph. Antron Brown got a slight hole shot, but was soon caught by DSR teammate Tony Schumacher who won with a 3.774 at 326.48 to Brown‟s 3.808 at 318.99

Photos courtesy nhra.com

After that, the semi finals were a mess, although Tony Schumacher made a full pull, 3.855 at 319.37 as Clay Millican went up in smoke early and clicked it off. DSR‟s Spencer Massey had a slight lead over Doug Kalitta until both cars went up in smoke, Massey‟s blower let loose and his chutes deployed while Kalitta pedaled his way to another final round

Photos courtesy nhra.com

mcSnips courtesy NHRA YouTube

Tony Schumacher cut a psychic 0.009 light and DSR‟s US Army Dragster looked set to take his 11th straight win over Doug Kalitta‟s Mac Tools car… Photos courtesy nhra.com

Then he hazed the tyres, the engine went pop, nothing dramatic, enough to pop his chutes and allow Doug Kalitta to take it with a 3.820 at 324.98. It was his 46th NHRA title, one more than the legendary Big Daddy – party time in the Kalitta camp, and the sixth different winner in six races! fuel coupes forever…

Awesome Auto Imagery of the

Infinite Hero Foundation DSR

Charger‟s 3.98 AAuutttoo I IImmaaggeerrryyy p phhootttoo taking Springnats courtesy Jack Beckman Facebook pole at Royal

Purple Raceway

Dale Pulde‟s War Eagle long time favourite fuel coupe and driver

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Leah Pruett - first 250mph Nostalgia Fuel Coupe driver + 2010 Triple Crown winner March Meet, CHRR & NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series Champion Coming Events

June 7

Brands Hatch American Speedfest, Euro NASCAR and American classic racing, rod and custom display, plus music etc, Brands Hatch, Fawkham, Kent DA3 8NG (0843 4539000 or www.speedfest.co.uk)

June 19-21

NSRA Nostalgia Nationals drag racing, Shakespeare County Raceway, near Stratford-on-Avon, Warks CV37 8LL (01789 720180 or www.shakespearecountyraceway.com)

June 25-28

Festival of Speed, with appearances by “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and his Swamp Rat 1 dragster and NASCAR “King” Richard Petty Goodwood, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0PX (For tickets 01243 755055 or www.goodwood.com – advance purchase by )

June 27-28

Summer Nationals drag racing, Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7XA (01234 782828 or www.santapod.com)

July 10-12

Dragstalgia nostalgia drag racing, Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7XA (01234 782828 or www.santapod.com)

July 25-26

Pre-50 American Auto Club 50th Rally of the Giants, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, near Oxford O20 1PP (07798 818533 or www.pre50aac.com)

August 28-21

41st National Association of Street Clubs Street Rod Nationals, Trinity Park, Ipswich IP3 8UH (www.rodandcustom.co.uk)

August 29-31

Open Sport Nationals sportsman drag racing, Shakespeare County Raceway, near Stratford-on-Avon, Warks CV37 8LL (01789 720180 or www.shakespearecountyraceway.com)

August 31

Cars & Stripes American Auto-fest, pick-up truck racing, street rods, air displays etc and free entry for US show car owners, Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northants NN17 5AF (Also enter Mitchell Road if using a sat-nav in order to find main entrance) www.cars-and-stripes.co.uk

Buster Lang Classic Car Show, Morden Park, Morden, Surrey SM4 5PR (020 7998 6364 or www.busterlang.com)