Caring for the drag racing community

The BDRHOF Benevolent Fund was established by the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame and registered with the Charities Commission in 2016 to create a professional fund raising platform to support injured racers and the Air Ambulances that support the tracks. The registered charity number is 1167197. A bank account has been set up and a BT MyDonate internet fundraising page is now live at https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/bdrhofbenevolentfund .

The fund is run for drag racers by trustees who have had many years’ experience in the sport. Trustees are: Stu Bradbury, Simon Groves, Robin Jackson, Ian Messenger, Graham Beckwith, Ian Marshall and Phil Cottingham.

They would like to thank all those that have contributed to total contributions of £1,518 so far. Trustee and treasurer Simon Groves said ‘Many thanks to all those that have contributed through the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala last November, and for further contributions from Santa Pod Racers Club, Avon Park International Racers Association and Pennine Dragway’.

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In association with Beech Underwriting Agencies, Santa Pod Racers Club and US Automotive

The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) has gained another supporter with Straightliners Events announcing that it is joining the list of businesses sponsoring the Gala Awards Dinner being held at the historic Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on November 18th. The event will see drag racing pioneers honoured with induction into the Hall of Fame and the presentation of the Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award plus Sydney Allard Media Awards for photo journalism, written journalism and video journalism.

Straightliners Events is established over 20 years ago by Trevor Duckworth. Its ethos was to make motorsports sprint and speed events more accessible to motorcycle enthusiasts by removing much of the red tape yet retaining the safety and all other aspects of a motorsports event that enforced rider and spectator safety. It has opened doors to thousands of motorsports enthusiasts and spawned a cult following of not only motorcycle fanatics but also the car tuning fraternity.

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) is pleased to confirm that DialAFlight has renewed its support of the Annual Gala Awards Dinner – this year being held at the historic Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge Surrey on November 18th. Part of the multi-million pound Lotus Group and protected by both ATOL and ABTA, DialAFlight is in its 36th year of trading. They organise travel for over 450,000 people every year and the business has become the BDRHoF Official Travel Partner during 2016/17, helping to fly in the many drag racing legends who now attend the event.

DialAFlight has 300 travel managers. Working closely with their major travel partners in all airlines, car hires and hotels, they can tailor-make itineraries suiting individual needs to virtually any destination in the world; from a first-class round-the-world ticket, a European city break or maybe arrangements to get you to the USA for a major drag race meeting. And, as the name suggests, DalAFlight does not believe in operating an online transactional service but instead offers customers the opportunity to book over the phone which is a more efficient, friendly and customer focussed experience. Full details about the company can be found by visiting www.dialaflight.com or why not telephone Travel Manager Bobby Tuggey on 01732 592997. His e-mail is bobby.tuggey@dialaflight.co.uk

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) has announced details of the 2017 Sydney Allard Media Awards

for Written and Photographic Journalism that will be presented for the fourth consecutive year at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner, this year being held on Saturday 18th November at the Historic Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey. And the good news is that 2017 sees a third award for Best Video.

Established in 2014 in memory of the founding father of British drag racing, the Sydney Allard Media Awards celebrate the best of the past year’s written, video and photographic drag racing journalism and salutes the vital contribution the media makes to the sport’s wellbeing and success. Entries are now invited from writers, photographers and those producing videos that are posted on You Tube, amateur or professional, to reflect coverage of British drag racing and associated activities during the 12-months ending July 2017. This means that anything taken or written since August 2016 is eligible so you can start sending entries in now.

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The International Organisation of Professional Drivers (IOPD) will once again be supporting the 2017 British Drag

Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Annual Awards Dinner being held this year at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge on November 18th. And we are pleased to announce that Ron Hope of Rat Trap Racing has confirmed that he too is renewing his sponsorship of the event.

The IOPD was formed in 1990 to regulate and support the driving experience sector of recreational motor sport in the UK. It was brought about by the MSA/RAC refusal to recognise and permit ‘Run What You Brung’ events and track driving activities thereby denying participants and organisers a route to legitimisation and parity with main stream motor sports.

The IOPD soon grew, facilitating events for some 70,000 to 100,000 participants each year – not only for driving experiences but for full competition and Drag Racing. The IOPD also permits many of the world’s international motor manufactures driving experience programs and track days. A visit to their website www.iopd.org.uk will explain all.

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Once again the Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike Champions will be celebrated at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Gala Awards Dinner, this year being held at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on November 18th. As at last year’s event, the Santa Pod Racers Club, Lucas Oil Products UK, Atlantic Fluid Tech and US Automotive will sponsor two tables of ten for the top three on four wheels and two, who will be guests along with their parents. It is an occasion they all look forward to and we must thank our sponsors for supporting the event and the junior drag racing classes in this unique way.

During the evening they will be introduced to many of the drag racing legends attending and asked on stage to receive the applause of the audience attending the event. Photos show last year’s champions and Paige Wheeler in her Junior Dragster. (Photo credits Darren Skidmore and Andy Willsheer)

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Lucas Oil Products UK has announced that it is renewing its sponsorship of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Gala Awards Dinner – this year being held at the Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey on November 18th.

It will be joined by Kelsey Media as joint hosts of the pre-dinner drinks reception – welcoming guests to an evening celebrating those who have helped the sport grow since its beginning in the late 1950s.

Lucas Oil also sponsors the BDRHoF Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award. In 2016 this was presented to the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) for the crucial role played by NHRA and its employees in organising, governing and growing the sport of drag racing throughout its 65 years of existence – including the establishment of the FIA Drag Racing Commission that organises championships in Europe and Australia.

NHRA President Peter Clifford sent a photo and message saying how thrilled they were with the award and that they are proudly displaying it in their Glendora Head Quarter’s conference room. 

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Annual Gala Awards Dinner is moving to a new venue for the 2017 event – the luxurious 4-star Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey where the magnificent grounds were originally the site of a grand Tudor palace built by Henry VIII in 1538 for Anne of Cleves. The hotel website is www.oatlandsparkhotel.com.

Other monarchs, including Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I, also resided at Oatlands during their reigns. It opened as a hotel for the first time in 1856 and has played host to a number of world-famous guests including writer Emile Zola, novelist Anthony Trollope and artist and poet Edward Lear. Now some of the great names from drag racing will join this list on Saturday, November 18th as the sport celebrates its British pioneers.

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) has seen a seismic shift in its international profile since it decided to hold its Annual Awards Induction Ceremony as a stand-alone event. Celebrating the pioneers of British drag racing it is now recognised as one of the most prestigious motor sport social events in the world, attracting guests from across the globe.

In 2016 these included Tom Hoover, Joe Schubeck, GiGi Carleton, Steve Gibbs, Ed Iskenderian, Harry Hibler, Bob McClurg, Eileen Daniels, Ed ‘The Ace’ McCulloch, Ron Hope, Paula Murphy, Don Schumacher, Fred Miller, Traci Hrudka, Tony Thacker, Bob Muravez, Carl Olson and David Marks of The Beach Boys. Also attending from the world of music were Dave Lee Travis and Mike Read.

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Don and Donna Garlits of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala Florida have donated $1000 to help keep Europe’s first dragster maintained in fire-up and parade condition during 2017. Owned by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, the dragster is available for static display or fire-up shows and parades having been restored during the past 9 years by the Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) headed by Brian Taylor. It is permanently on display at the museum.

The link between the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Sydney Allard and the Garlits family goes back to 1976 when Don was racing at Santa Pod Raceway. It was a visit to the museum with Peter Billinton at that time that gave Don and his late wife Pat the idea of opening their own museum of drag racing.

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