My main interest is Drag Racing, the world’s fastest motorsport – these 8,000 bhp Top Fuel Dragsters/Funny Cars accelerate from zero to 100 mph in less than one second from a standing start and cover the straight 1/4 mile in less than 4.5 secs at over 330 mph.
While serving as a Medic with the Royal Air Force in Libya from ’65 to ’67. At the Red Shield club in Tobruk, l was looking for something to read and on the front of a magazine titled “Hot Rod,” was a funny looking car with skinny pram wheels on the front and big fat slicks on the back, which was a typical front-engined dragster, after reading the mag l was hooked. In 1971 l began working as a track official for the National Drag Racing Club (the NDRC didn’t have a permanent drag-strip), at Blackbushe airport, RAF North Luffenham & Elvington when Dennis Priddle & Clive Skilton were the big names in drag racing.
On leaving the RAF in 1971 l joined the North East Hot Rod Association (NEHRA) in Newcastle Upon Tyne, we held monthly eighth mile drag races at Felton, Northumberland. They were Run What Ya Brung events for cars and motorcycles http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/Eshott.html from http://content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/
Then l started going to events at Santa Pod Raceway in 1972 http://www.santapod.co.uk/ Dennis Priddle achieved the first six-second run outside the U.S. with a 6.995sec et/185mph.
l’ve been friends with an American family since 1977, they live in Youngstown, Ohio. l’ve stayed with them several times on my holidays to America. Buddy qualified his dragster for the 1960 Detroit Nationals, he’s a member of the Road Knights Of Ohio, there 50th Anniversary was in 2005. There club garage is in a predominantly black area of town, but they’ve never been burgled in 50 years. l’m still very enthusiastic about drag racing, in 2005 l spent approx £2000 on an American holiday to visit my friends in Ohio. l also attended the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway, Columbus, Ohio where Tony Schumacher driving the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster set a new national speed record of 336.15 mph http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wo3ohXG_-c
On Wednesday 17 November at 10:30am watch/record Channel ESPN/ESPN HD. It’s the final race of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series held at the Automobile Club of Southern California Pomona Raceway.
During Funny Car racing watch out for Ashley Force Hood, this gorgeous 28 yr old drives these monsters http://www.nhra.com/drivers/funny-car/Ashley-Force%20Hood/ courtesy of http://www.nhra.com
Attached are:
National Drag Racing Club Decal.
Clive Skilton racing his rear-engined dragster in America.
NEHRA Logo.
By: PeeDee - 22nd November 2010 at 03:42
Spare a thought for a poor 17year old lad who was quoted £5,750 insurance on a 1.0L VW Polo, with 0-60mph in 18.2secs, when your hitting your 112mphs 😡 🙁
That’s bludy outrageous.
18.2 seconds!
By: Scott Marlee - 21st November 2010 at 23:21
must be doing something wrong then lol
i got quoted less than that on a 1.2 when i was 17
By: SpockXL319 - 21st November 2010 at 23:18
Spare a thought for a poor 17year old lad who was quoted £5,750 insurance on a 1.0L VW Polo, with 0-60mph in 18.2secs, when your hitting your 112mphs 😡 🙁
By: PeeDee - 20th November 2010 at 23:37
Outside of the kids/house/bills I assume you mean….
My main interests are always trying to take a better photo……and then trying to get a perfect A3 Print of it! (Yes, printer / screen etc. is profiled regularly with the Spyder).
And, learning more and more about keeping my lovely V8, 4 litre 2 tonne Hotel room in good condition and out of the garage!
By: Arabella-Cox - 18th November 2010 at 18:38
Thanks for that info mate.
By: Dog House Ldr. - 18th November 2010 at 05:14
For those who follow the NHRA here in the states, Austin Coil longtime crew chief for John Force during his run of championships, has resigned from the team immediatly after John had clinched his 15th funny car championship.
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th November 2010 at 20:16
The only one that has a strict CoC 15 as well :diablo::diablo::diablo:
By: Nashio966 - 17th November 2010 at 19:39
Mod Edit: No embedded video, please. C’mon Nashio966, you know this!
Sorry GA – I always forget with this forum 🙁 Its the only one I go on that doesnt allow embedded videos 🙁
Cheers for the reminder though 🙂
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th November 2010 at 19:34
I like these :
By: nitromaniac - 17th November 2010 at 06:44
I would edit your post there chap – Posting up your email address like that is never a good idea
Nashio966 Thanks for the kick :):)
By: Nashio966 - 16th November 2010 at 22:40
I would edit your post there chap – Posting up your email address like that is never a good idea 
By: nitromaniac - 16th November 2010 at 22:29
For the folks that are interested in drag racing & American cars please send me a private message with your email address. l’LL ONLY SEND YOU DRAG RACING/AMERICAN CARS STUFF.
By: nitromaniac - 14th November 2010 at 20:40
On display at Don Garlit’s Museum of Drag Racing, Ocala, Florida. Built in 1976 a rocket powered go-kart which set a world speed record of 248 mph in a quarter mile, driven by Pat Best.
By: Nashio966 - 14th November 2010 at 20:17
That was the same driver and kart (in an earlier guise) Shed a tyre at silly speed
http://www.youtube.com/v/j3lPlm8GjCI?fs=1&hl=en_GB
Im being REALLY meticulous in the design of mine, its been done in solidworks CAD first – Stress analysed the whole frame weight distribution worked out on the computer, with the option to adjust the weight as I want it to go round corners and do drag racing.
It will be EPIC once its built
This is where im at at the moment
By: Dr Strangelove - 14th November 2010 at 20:14
very good:cool:
However…….
The last cart I saw at Santa Pod, powered by some kind of 4 cyl bike engine almost came a right cropper, good power to weight but very very unstable,couldn’t get traction & ended up in the other lane, coming a gnats tadger to hitting the wall.
Shame really, if it hooked up I’m positive it would’ve run outstanding times.
By: Nashio966 - 14th November 2010 at 20:00
Mod Edit: No embedded video, please. C’mon Nashio966, you know this!
http://www.youtube.com/v/P-6iw8kvFTg?fs=1&hl=en_GB
Pardon?
:diablo:
By: Dr Strangelove - 14th November 2010 at 19:50
Probably would…..
If you could get the power onto the track;)
By: Nashio966 - 14th November 2010 at 19:48
Lol i reckon my gokart will run sub 10 sec quarter miles 😀
By: D.Healey - 14th November 2010 at 19:46
this is my previous car. in standard form at 1775kg in wieght at a modest 17 year old 280 bhp which is now demineshed to maybe 250bhp, it cleared the 1/4 mile at santa pod at 13.129 secs 112mph
this is a vid of the first run. the skyline didn’t stand a chance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-QjS74TC1I
By: Dr Strangelove - 14th November 2010 at 19:37
I was a member of the now defunct NDRC.
my old enamel badge-
Still race now, in my 73 Mach1, mainly at Santa Pod & Shakey (Long Marston)
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November 14, 2010 at 7:22 pm