SEMA Trophy restoration
Following the BDRHoF display of the SEMA trophy at Dragstalgia, British drag racing fan Kev Roberts got in touch with a further insight into its restoration; a project Kev was involved with following its discovery in a back room of the Brighton & Hove Motor Club’s headquarters.
Kev was initially involved in the restoration of the Allard Dragster carried out by the National Motor Museum and the Allard Chrysler Action Group led by the late Brian Taylor, he recalls, “Whilst helping the dragster project at Beaulieu, I was given permission to refurbish the SEMA Trophy along with the trophies original 1963 packing case. The trophy had not seen daylight for decades and was in a poor state. So at my own expense I did a 220-mile round trip to collect it and spent many hours during the winter of 2013/14 refurbishing it.”
As you can see from Kev’s pictures various parts had been damaged, broken off or were missing completely. “Having stripped the trophy, I viewed any pictures I could find, which weren’t many. I cleaned and re-varnished the wood and adapted parts – like the missing and broken off racing car wheel. All of the brass plaques were also re-polished and screwed back in place. I even learnt the fine art of applying gold leaf,” Kev added.
Kev was also asked to do something with the original packing case so that Beaulieu could recognise which box went with which trophy as they have many in their collection. “I added the SEMA 1963 licence plate as an I.D. which Beaulieu had requested at the last minute, before its return to the museum. I had to think quickly hence my scribbles using good old Airfix model paints and spare Mooneyes stickers as an added extra.”
In fact everyone who viewed the …
British Drag Racing trinkets on show
Besides the three main trophies on display inside this year’s Dragstalgia Historic Marque several members of the BDRHoF also brought along several pieces of memorabilia and trinkets of nostalgia for fans to look at and hopefully bring back some of those golden moments in British drag racing.
Lesley Wright brought several trophies and items of interest associated with and won by BDRHoF member Allan Herridge. These included the Allan Herridge Trophy (shown above) which, back in its day, was a special memorial award presented annually at the BDR&HRA Trophy Nights in Allan’s memory; the very first prototype of the BDRHoF ‘Bootsie’ award presented to Hall of Fame inductees (note the 0000 reference instead of the inductees name) and was first presented in 2006; Allan’s 1980 Funny Car Driver of the Year trophy presented by Custom Car magazine; a Cannonball necklace which was presented to all the Funny Car drivers competing at the very first Cannonball Run held at Santa Pod on July 1981; an original H&H Race Craft sticker displayed to commemorate the years when Allan and business partner John Harrison ran their chassis building concern in the late sixties and 2 shield trophy’s for Allan’s win in Top Fuel at the Drag International May 1980 and the Speed 7 Dragraces held in Holland at Drachten August 1977.
BDRHoF’s Nigel Payne brought along his 50 year old model of Tony Nancy’s AA/FD slingshot dragster ‘The Loner’ built from a 1/16th scale Revell model kit issued in 1972 which came complete with wiring and a fully blossomed drag chute, and was acquired from founding BDHRoF chairman Stu Bradbury. The moulding’s for this model was used two years later for a Revell UK issue of BDRHoF member Dennis Priddle’s famous dragster ‘Mr Revell’. Nigel also displayed a copy Tony’s book ‘The …
HoFTalk Collectors Corner
Corgi’s Lazy Bones Customised Chevrolet Corvette Stingray #337
Inspired by a few well-known British and American television episodes, welcome to yet another new feature to HoFTalk; Collectors Corner. Since the days when drag racing first burst on to the British scene in the early sixties there had been a lot of very collectible items produced with some landmark items featuring BDRHoF members with those wild looking machines they used to race.
Corgi, Dinky, Matchbox; back in the day these were considered to be the leading British owned diecast model and toy companies producing scaled down replicas of contemporary cars, trucks, racing cars, TV legends and planes. But first we’re going to take a look at Corgi’s ‘Lazy Bones’ Customised Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (#330). Although when released this model was first marketed as a stock car! But if truth be known this would have been Corgi’s first drag car! Well in my mind anyway.
Based on Corgi’s original 1/46th scale stock bodied Corvette Stingray released in August 1963 (#310) in three versions (metallic pink, silver and bronze) together with its unique focal selling point of jewelled revolving flip-up head lights, lasted for 5 years until its withdrawal in 1968.
However, the tooling and plastic mouldings for the Stingray were in 1976 treated to a full racing makeover featuring vibrant bright yellow paint, a chunky 4 branch exhaust system either side, air ‘trumpet’ intakes through the hood both dripping in chrome, red interior, spring suspension and customised spoked racing wheels and tyres. Adding extra glitz Corgi also added flashy graphics over the front wheel arches, Go-Go-Go decals over the rear arches and racing number (13) roundels on the doors. Girlie bright eyes over the front headlight apertures also featured while the Lazy Bones name in white over black across the black …
BDRHoF member Carl Olson publishes autobiography
Since starting in the sport over 60 years ago, Carl Olson has been at the top in many capacities: Top Fuel racer, Diamond P presenter, NHRA Vice President, first President of the FIA Drag Racing Commission for 13 years and Motorsports Manager for the SFI Foundation. Carl has been a familiar sight in Europe over the last 30 years and is an Overseas Member and Ambassador for the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
You can now read Carl’s story, told by him, in the book ‘Racing Through Life: The Autobiography of Carl V. Olson’, published on Tuesday and available from Amazon; by clicking HERE (available in Kindle and paperback formats). Carl’s detailed and highly readable account is accompanied by black and white photos.
This autobiography provides rare insights into this fascinating and perilous journey. Along the way, he encounters and befriends a bevy of colourful characters, typical of those similarly drawn to the attraction of high-speed motorsport competition. He is also all too often forced to deal with the reality of extreme danger, and the heartbreak that inevitably accompanies all forms of motorsport.
He eventually forges a career in motorsport management that takes him to every corner of the U.S.A. and around the world including Santa Pod and Avon Park raceways. As this career focuses on the issue of motorsport safety, he dedicates himself to preventing unnecessary injuries, and saving lives. His story also touches on his passion for deep sea sport fishing, where he finds a strong connection to nature in a maritime environment. His love of the sea stands …
GOSPORTEERS CHALLENGE TROPHY
The Gosporteers Challenge Trophy came into its own after the first of two meetings to be held at the Royal Navy Air Yard at HMS Daedalus, Lee on Solent April 25th 1971. This was the first on-tour Drag Race meeting of the year organised by the British Drag Racing & Hot Rod Association.
Above Photo: Jerry Cookson
After plenty of pre-race publicity (including TV and static display’s in local car showrooms) over 10,000 mad keen motor racing, Drag Racing and plain curious fans braved the windy conditions to see plenty of close action in all of the eliminators run; highlight being the best of three match race against the two slingshot dragsters of BDRHoF members Clive Skilton with the Castrol sponsored Revolution 2 and Dennis Priddle in the John Woolfe Racing/Radio Luxembourg dragster both smoking the rear slicks for Clive to take two 8 second wins (8.6 and 8.4s).
Also running that weekend was BDRHoF members Tony Densham and Allan Herridge; Tony was taking his first outing in the Santa Pod owned Firefly slingshot dragster while Allan was seen with the SPR owned Gloworm Capri Funny Car. BDRHoF member Roy Phelps also entertained the crowds with the wheelie Stingray.
A second meeting took place at HMS Daedalus to form part of an International series of races sponsored by Petersen Publishing; the people that gave us Hot Rod, Car Craft, Rod & Custom and other great automotive magazines. The other two races were run at Santa Pod and starred Don Shumacher, Paula Murphy, Tony Nancy and Danny Johnson.
The Gosporteers Challenge Trophy was presented to the highest placed driver in the BDR & HRA Points series with the first recipient being the late …
A trophy that keeps on giving…
…1980 Hot Rod & Custom UK Funny Car Eliminator
The wild and sometimes unpredictable world of nitro Funny Car racing has been a particular fan favourite here in the UK since the days of Petersen Publishing Internationals of 1973 when touring pro American racers Don ‘The Shoe’ Schumacher at the wheel of his Cuda based ‘Stardust’ and Paula Murphy with her ‘Miss STP’ Duster put down some stunning side-by-side passes that’s still talked about today.
Above: The 1980 Hot Rod & Custom UK Eliminator trophy with it’s ‘saviour’ Matt Seamarks
However, that said one of the greatest British, and possibly European Funny Car races of all time took place in September 1980 at Santa Pod Raceway’s International World Series Finals where no less than 20 nitro burning Funny Cars populated the premises coming from America, Sweden, Norway and the UK, ready to qualify for a 16-car eliminator sponsored by Hot Rod & Custom UK magazine. Months leading up to the big occasion the magazine adverts read ‘More nitro will be used this weekend than in all of last season…’, and they weren’t far wrong.
After three gruelling days of blood, sweat and oil, the final came down to what turned into an anti-climactic affair when Gene Snow’s ‘Snowman’ Plymouth Arrow lost all of its might and fell silent after backing up from the first burnout; a bitter blow for Snow’s tired crew. With one car left and sounding strong, American racer Harlan Thompson at the wheel of the ‘Tre Kroner’ Plymouth Arrow, stood on the loud pedal hard to please his European fans and cruised into the sunset for a 6.32/196 mph uncontested win, kisses from the SCCA show girls and the 1980 Hot Rod & Custom Funny Car Eliminator trophy.
SEMA Challenge Trophy On Tour
Attracting plenty of interest from all walks of life at Santa Pod’s Dragstalgia was the display of historical drag racing trophies and memorabilia assembled in association with the BDRHoF, National Motor Museum, Beaulieu and Santa Pod Raceway.
Above: The SEMA trophy, not seen outside of the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu since its days at the Brighton & Hove Motor Club. Photo Jerry Cookson.
Taking pride of place inside Dragstalgia’s Historical Marquee was the SEMA Challenge Trophy, dedicated in 1963 by America’s then ‘Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association’ to the winner of the first AA/Fuel Dragster race series to be held on UK soil involving Americans Dante Duce and Mickey Thompson and ‘the father of British drag racing’, Sydney Allard.
Various automobile organisations in America and England had been trying to bring American dragsters over to England since 1958 (one of them being the nitro burning dragster of Calvin Rice to run at the Brighton Speed Trials), but without success. Things, however, changed when Dante Duce, a young Las Vegas Speed Shop owner who had read an article about Sydney Allard’s dragster, managed to break through the red tape and took things into his own hands. He simply placed an overseas phone call to Allard himself on July 23rd 1963 challenging him to a match race in England whereupon an invitation followed.
Duce was planning to use his own dragster until he mentioned the challenge to his friend and parts supplier Dean Moon who offered the use of his Mooneyes supercharged petrol burning Chevy powered dragster. Not only that but Dean and his team would come along too. Moon mentioned the deal at a SEMA meeting held in California and Wally Parks suggested they put up a trophy for the winner, the SEMA Trophy.
One Final Ride
In what was a very poignant moment for the Norman family at this year’s Dragstalgia, 6.35 pm late Saturday afternoon will forever be remembered for BDRHoF member Dennis Norman’s final ride down the Santa Pod quarter mile courtesy of his son Gary and grandson Matthew; two generations of the Norman dynasty in this fitting final tribute to one of our British drag racing and sprint super stars.
As the two double-engine bikes approached the start line; Gary on board the 1700cc Norton ‘Conquest 2’ and Matthew with the original 1300cc Triumph ‘Conquest’ in the other lane, it became quite an emotional moment even for announcer and BDRHoF selector Keith Lee, as he described to the viewing audience what was about to happen – and what a character of both disciplines Dennis was back in the day over the crackle of two double-engine bikes leaving the start line.
“My biggest concern was getting both bikes from one end to the other over”, commented Gary afterwards. ”It was a massive honour to have been able to do that. The pressure was really on for both of us; father and son, son and grandson, side-by-side with dad on both bikes. Bloody fantastic,”
“When we got to the other end we were both choked and teary eyed. Matt had a miniature bottle of Scotch in his leathers!! sshh. So we drank his health, and said our final goodbyes in proper fashion – in the return road”, Gary said afterwards.
Later that evening, Dennis’ ashes were laid to rest in a private family moment at the end of the famous British drag strip. “Scattering his ashes later when the family turned up, along with his many friends and fellow riders, was a very difficult thing. Both mum and I wobbled a bit. Everyone was applauding after …
Awarded In Spirit
In addition to the Dragstalgia Showmanship Trophies presented by Santa Pod Raceway, BDRHoF member Pete Crane presented his dedicated ‘Spirit of ‘76’ award for outstanding contributions to nostalgia drag racing in the UK which this year was awarded to the Original Hot Rod Drags team: Alan Martin, Steve Tristrim and Martyn Payne – members of the National Street Rod Association.
The trophy was devised and founded in 2016 by Pete, who is a legend of UK drag racing for his own outstanding achievements at the 1976 10th anniversary Internationals at Santa Pod (hence the name). He ran the first 5 second pass (5.97s) outside of America with the Crane & Edmondson Top Fuel Dragster ‘Stormbringer’ an beat visiting American legend ‘King Rat’ Don Garlits during eliminations. The Spirit of ’76 Award is to acknowledge those involved in any aspect of Nostalgia racing from racers to admin staff, crew members and anyone else involved in running or shaping the nostalgia racing scene. The award is also in association with Santa Pod Raceway.
Born from an idea put to Long Marston track and airfield owner Anthony Hodges by Alan, Steve, Martyn, and along with the fourth member of the group Mark Fullard, the ‘Gang of Four’ as they were later to be known, also enticed one of the largest hot rodding groups in the UK – National Street Rod Association to be involved with the idea of a nostalgia drag meeting, something the NSRA hadn’t been involved with since the early seventies National Drag Racing Club Roadster Register, which later morphed into the NSRA in 1972.
The first, and billed as the ‘Original’ Hot Rod Drags, took place at the renamed Avon Park Raceway (formerly Long Marston) in 1989. That first meeting was so popular with the hot rodders and drag …
The ‘Pom’ Returns to Top Fuel
‘Pommie’ Steve Read, one of Australian drag racing’s most experienced racers, is set to make a comeback to the Top Fuel category in late 2023. Read, who last competed in 2016, has joined forces with Fuel Funny Car driver, Tim McCarthy and long-time friend, Nick Packer to form RPM Top Fuel Racing.
“I can’t wait to be back out there,” Read said. “Tim, Nick, and I have talked about joining forces in a fuel dragster program for a while. An opportunity to acquire a chassis came about, and now we’re busy putting the car together.”
McCarthy and Packer are equally excited about the partnership. “Nitro is where it’s at,” said McCarthy who drives the nitro burning Valvoline Chevy Monte Carlo Funny Car. “All the nitro guys have been helping me (with my Funny Car) the past few years. When the opportunity came along to buy a fuel dragster, we jumped at the chance. We just want to get in on the fun and keep the big teams honest!” Packer added.
The five time European Pro Comp/Top Alcohol Champion has kept his eye on the sport, encouraged by the success of the Burson Top Fuel Series and the recent NDRC [National Drag Racing Championship] Series announcement.
“A lot has changed since I last competed (in 2016),” said Read. “Top Fuel is racing to 1000ft, and the Burson Top Fuel Championship has been a huge success. Adding to that, the announcement of the NDRC series is very encouraging for drag racing’s future in Australia,” Read enthused.
Read, McCarthy and Packer are currently assembling the dragster and crew, promising fans an up-close experience. “We’ll be documenting our progress on YouTube and Facebook, giving race fans a behind-the-scenes look at the dragster and our race program,” McCarthy said. “Then things will really heat up …