Henk Vink
Dutch racer Henk Vink first made his name as a multi-time national trials champion, Henk became interested in sprinting in the late 1960s, and raced an early 500cc Kawasaki triple. There was no Drag Racing in Holland until 1975, but with the sport enjoying growth in the UK, Henk made his first appearance at Santa Pod in 1972. It would mark the start of a whirlwind journey for him, following that first time out on a Kawasaki 750cc triple. He had a full-time mechanic, Jan Smit, and his outfit would become well known as Team Big Spender! A move was soon made to a supercharged four-stroke Kawasaki nitro-burner, with help from sprinting legend Phil Manzano. The successful businessman wanted to mix it with the very best of the UK riders, and his team would cross the channel as often as they were allowed to compete over here – and the amiable crew would make many friends during their numerous trips.
There was a seemingly non-stop series of Kawasaki race bikes built for Henk to race, with technical advice sought from some of the best in the world. Henk’s fearless riding style was unlike any other rider, and he was quite happy to put a foot down at high speed, if his bike was not behaving. The man spent a lot of money on racing, but the team enjoyed themselves at the races, and became well-liked by so many race fans over here. Their hospitality was legendary among both bike and car racers.
Back home, he worked behind the scenes to try and establish a permanent race facility. Henk even brought over a Dutch Minister of State to one of the races at Santa Pod – and made him part of the team for the weekend! Henk was a determined racer, …
The Stones Racing Team
The Dagenham based Stones drag racing team included BDRHoF member Dennis “Daddy” Stone, Dave Stone, Gerry Andrews and BDRHoF member Dave Lee Travis. The Stones Drag Racing Team induction into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame reflects the driving and engineering skills of all involved as they took some of the most iconic dragsters, funny cars and altereds down UK tracks in the 1970s and 1980s, pushing the boundaries of the sport and spreading the word to the continent.
The starting point was Dennis purchasing and racing a Ford Lotus Cortina in 1968. Two years later, the opportunity came at Martlesham Heath for Dennis to acquire the Opus One altered from Cliff Jones, and thus started a whirlwind of car development and honing of engineering skills by the team.
Once Dennis started racing and winning with Opus One, Dave was doing the same with the Lotus Cortina. In their first full season’s racing the Stones finished the year at the top of their respective NDRC classes. Dennis in Top Comp and Dave in Junior Street. The following year Opus One had an aluminium ex Can Am Chevy 427 fitted.
It was 1972 that Dave became the principal team driver after buying a Ford Model T altered, named Turtle T and eventually becoming Tee Rat, into which was transplanted the ex-Can Am engine, becoming the first UK altered into the eights and then, with nitro as the fuel, running a pair of 8.0s on their first overseas trip to Mantorp Park in Sweden in 1973. Dave also won the Castrol Top Comp Championship that year, whilst Opus One was exchanged for a Ford Escort that was named Rudolph and later Tender Trap, driven by Dennis and occasionally by Radio One DJ Dave Lee Travis.
Gerry Andrews, who Dave had worked …
NSRA
Before the formation of the National Street Rod Association in 1972 there was a band of people who loved to drag race, but also built and drove street rods. The association grew out of the National Drag Racing Club [NDRC] Roadster Register thanks to NDRC chairman and BDRHoF member Alan Wigmore who, way back in 1971, invited brothers Chris & Pat Church to form the Register. Previously, the brothers had drag briefly raced a Ford Popular called ‘Gold Rush’ at Santa Pod.
Seeing the need for a more specific club for hot rodders, rather than being a part of a Drag Racing club, the Roadster Register gave way in late 1971 by the formation of the National Street Rod Association in February 1972 after its inaugural meeting at the Wheatsheaf Pub, Surrey.
By then Chris Church (who had been given the distinction of being member No.1 status) had already built a Chevrolet powered Jago Model T bucket ‘ROD 5’ and Mickey Bray, creator of the legendary ‘Pinball Wizard’ Ford Pop was member No.2. Although the first proper rod run organised by the Southern Roadsters and the NSRA (a run from Oxford to Beaulieu Abbey) was in 1972, the association’s first national event was their inaugural ‘Fun Run’ in 1973 to Northants Billing Aquadrome. By 1975, and with a rising membership of some 500 members, the NSRA had well and truly established itself in the UK.
With the association’s link to Drag Racing lying dormant for years, four self-conscious Midlands based enthusiasts; Mark Fullard, Martyn Payne, Steve Tristrim and Alan Martin, had the bright idea for a Rod Run to be held at a drag strip. Not just any drag strip though, it had to be their local drag strip. In part, due to an introduction by BDRHoF member John Wright, …
Mark Flavell
Drag Racing made an instant impact on Mark Flavell. A chance visit to Santa Pod with a group of college friends in the late 1970s sparked a lifetime’s involvement in the sport which would see him working and racing at tracks across Britain and Europe and, for several years in the 1980s, as an emigrant, with his wife Ann, to Canada. He is particularly associated with York Raceway and its successor, the new Melbourne Raceway.
There is no doubt that Drag Racing’s success in the North of England has depended on the hard work of dedicated club members who supplied the infrastructure essential for racing to take place.
Mark has been one of the Melbourne site’s outstanding workers from the 1980s through to the 21st Century. Racing with his brother Allen, Mark came to then-York Raceway in the late ‘70s campaigning a Modified Ford Pop, Pop-Draggin’, which they had built together. During the 1980s and early ‘90s it was usual to find Mark and several others at York Raceway during the week before a race meeting, sweeping clean the track and shutdown area of all the accumulated debris produced by a working farm’s heavy machinery
Mark freely gave his expertise and labour to the project of upgrading the existing safety barriers – thanks to a contact for sourcing Armco fencing being replaced along a stretch of A-road nearby – as well as helping improve crowd safety. During this time Mark fabricated and donated a new Christmas Tree and metal covers to shield the staging lights on the start line. He gathered a racers’ group to organise fund-raising activities to provide fire extinguishers and other safety equipment for the track.
Mark also helped organise and participate in G-Force, the sponsored Super Gas racers’ class which competed at venues across …
Jon Morton
Jon’s love of Drag Racing spans back to 1966, when he first persuaded an older cousin to take him to Santa Pod. He is someone who has been through the wringer a few times along the way, but it has not stopped him. In earlier days he helped out a fair number of racers, by crewing for them. First was Robin Wilby, who needed assistance with his junior dragster. Jon was then involved in a horrific life-threatening motorcycling accident, when he was on the pillion. If that was not enough, he would then break his neck in another serious incident! After helping Steve Woollatt in his early days, he crewed for Rod Pallant. Jon has encouraged many bikers to get into Drag Racing over the years – and he himself rates persuading his friend Brian Johnson to ride at a Blackbushe drag race as the best thing he ever did for the sport. Jon would crew for BJ at home and abroad.
Jon’s own first step into regular Drag Racing competition was in 1985, in the Pro Stock bike class. Aided by Tyne Blight, he won some national events, and was voted BDRA best newcomer. In 1986 Jon won the first international event at Zandvoort, and in 1988 won the World Finals at Santa Pod. A new Kawasaki was built for the following year. This did not prove to be a match for the Suzuki-powered entries, and Jon dropped it at North Weald – but was quickly back out. After two years racing a Suzuki, Jon moved up into the Funny Bike class with Mike Beaumont. This was raced for four years and was champion in 1993. The pinnacle for Jon, as a bike person, was to compete in Top Fuel Bike. Over the next 6 years a top-class machine …