Bob Keith
Although perhaps not so well known as some American drag racers, semi-professional Bob Keith played an instrumental role in establishing the sport in Great Britain. But his drag racing exploits started like many Californians back in the day when his father gave him a cherry 1940 Ford as his 1955 graduation present. That led to the next 20 years of his life being spent at drag strips across the USA driving a variety of vehicles.
His influence on drag racing across the globe leaped to a different level when in the early 1960s he became one of the first American drag racers to contact Sydney Allard in the UK after reading about his exploits in developing the Allard Chrysler in American magazines.
Regular correspondence (hand written letters in those days) resulted in Sydney insisting that Bob be included in the National Hot Rod Association team that launched the sport in the UK during the 1964 Allard-promoted six-race Drag Festival. Still just semi-professional, but now with a blown small block Chevy dragster in a Tommy Ivo chassis and called Dos Palmas, he found himself in the company of America’s top drag racing stars of the era. What a thrill.
He sold his car to a UK team, helping them learn the techniques to get the power to the ground. The machine went on to play an important role in establishing drag racing in the UK during the next few years under the name Asmodeus, then in the hands of American Bill Weichelt who took the dragster back to the USA. Bob managed to track down this car in later years and Ray Evernham financed its restoration to original condition.
Bob captained the American team that raced at Blackbushe and Woodvale in the 1965 Drag Festival. By this time the small block …
Santa Pod Raceway
The history of Santa Pod Raceway began when John Bennett announced plans to establish a permanent drag strip on Podington airfield, near Wellingborough at the British Hot Rod Association’s 1965 annual meeting.
A new company, National Dragways Ltd., leased part of the airfield and operated it as Santa Pod Raceway – ‘Santa’ to evoke visions of Santa Ana, scene of California’s first commercial Drag Race in 1950, and ‘Pod’ for Podington. The founding directors were Bennett, Bob and Roy Phelps, Ted Peddle and landowner Ernie Braddick.
Staging its first event on Easter Monday, 11th April 1966, it was the first permanent drag strip sited anywhere in Europe and for the first two seasons, the start line stood close to where today’s finish line is located, the current track layout being completed at the start of 1968.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of Santa Pod to the history of British Drag Racing, and arguably European Drag Racing as well. To every UK legend of the sport, Santa Pod has been the cradle. And visitors from the homeland of Drag Racing have been in evidence from the beginning. In June 1966 a team billed as the ‘American Commandos’ headlined one of the earliest meetings.
Led by Al Eckstrand, it included the Ultra-Sonic AA/Fuel Dragster driven by Bud Barnes plus the eccentric biker EJ Potter, ‘The Michigan Madman’. Bud returned in 1967. Since then, the numerous American luminaries to have graced the track have included Don Schumacher and Paula Murphy, who together gave Britain its first, thrilling experience of full-tilt US Funny Cars in 1973. Don Garlits raced at Santa Pod in 1976 and …
Rob Loaring
Rob Loaring is one of the most versatile and accomplished engineers in European drag racing. Working as I.C.E. Automotive from premises at Silverstone, he has won six UK Pro Modified Championships as crew chief or tuner, created a highly respected engine building business, fostered the introduction of new class regulations into the sport in the UK and built and run some of the sport’s best performing and spectacular race cars.
He was in his late teens, when he first ventured to Santa Pod with the Draper Brothers, carrying out minor roles on their first few cars. He then acquired a dragster from them which became his grounding as a crew chief and tuner.
In the mid-eighties Rob made the momentous decision to work in drag racing for a living. The name I.C.E. Automotive was coined as it was a suitable length to place on his customers’ hood scoops and fenders. The initials stand for Internal Combustion Engine. Pro Modified had just started by 1988 and Rob had an opportunity to work with Tim Cook on his ’56 Chevy and, later, a smaller ’55 Chevy, The class technology was growing quickly, albeit solely with nitrous engines, and the pair won winning the championship in 1990 and 1991. Rob then joined with Tony Rose for two years, who ran the first six second pass by a European doorslammer in July 1993. Subsequently, they both took the 1994 Pro Mod Championship. A further collaboration, with Dave Mingay in 1995, gave Rob his fourth Pro Mod title.
Rob teamed up with current business partner Nick Davies in 1997, the pair winning the Championship in 1999 and 2000 with Nick driving. He drew up plans for a heads-up doorslammer class which would be more affordable and yet be highly competitive – Super Modified. The class …
Paula Marshall
Paula Marshall became interested in drag racing in 1986, attending races with a group of family and friends including then-boyfriend Ian Marshall whom she later married. Paula and Ian soon volunteered to work at events at Santa Pod Raceway and starting in 1989 Paula filled almost every possible role at the track, from working in the Signing On office at both race events and Run What You Brungs, to marshalling in the pairing lanes and collection area, to working on the fire crew. She started to race at the 1996 Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway, making test runs in Jon Webster’s Comet before driving her own car, the Highlander Camaro, in Super Gas.
In 1998 Paula became Secretary of Santa Pod Racers Club. At that point she had no experience of the organisation of UK and European Championship events but she was a quick learner and equally quickly earned the respect of racers and authorities both for her efficiency and for a no-nonsense approach which became legendary. In a sport in which many people think that they know everything, Paula genuinely did know everything. Whether obscure questions about rules, or queries from UK racers wishing to compete overseas or overseas racers wishing to compete here, Paula knew the form and was always ready to inform, to assist, and to deliver.
Paula played a leading role in the formation of the current UK National Drag Racing Championship, whose first season was contested in 1999, forging links between Clubs whose relationship had historically been uneasy. The UK National Championship is administered by Santa Pod Racers Club and as well as working on regulations and paperwork on behalf of both SPRC and APIRA, she also organised the annual UK National Championships Dinner Dance. She was one of the first to realise the potential …