British Drag Racing Hall of Fame
‘Waterbed’ Fred Miller to return to British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala
The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame has announced that ‘Waterbed’ Fred Miller, part of the team behind Raymond 
Beadle’s three consecutive NHRA Funny Car championships in the legendary Blue Max Mustang, will be attending the BDRHoF Gala to be held at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel, Heathrow, on 19th November 2016. Along with many drag racing personalities from the UK, he joins a growing band of BDRHoF supporters from the USA including Don Schumacher, Paula Murphy, Eileen Daniels, Traci Hrudka, Donna Garlits, Ron Hope, Harry Hibler, Carl Olson and Bob Muravez.
‘Waterbed’ Fred Miller is one of the most respected tuners in drag racing. During his time in the sport, he and the Blue Max driver Raymond Beadle raced over 100 dates a year including both US championship tours. He travelled with Raymond Beadle and the Blue Max Funny Car Team during the visits made to Santa Pod Raceway in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Now retired, he served four years as Motorsports Manager for Zantrex and StriVectin – sponsors of Dave Grubnic’s dragster.
US Hot Rod publishing legend to appear at British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala
Whilst there is no substitute for being at the track and witnessing drag racing first hand, a crucial role in its history 
has been played by publishing, in spreading the word about the sport and promoting it. So the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame is excited to announce that the former publisher of Hot Rod magazine Harry Hibler will be attending the BDRHoF Gala to be held on 19th November 2016.
Harry (pictured left with Don Garlits) started by building and racing dragsters and jet cars in the early 1950s, becoming known as ‘Hand Grenade Harry’ after a number of on and off-track incidents. He was manager of San Fernando Raceway for over 15 years and then spent almost 30 years with Petersen Publishing, becoming publisher for numerous automotive publications culminating with Hot Rod. He sat on the Board of Directors of SEMA and was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame.
ANDY WHEELER JOINS BRITISH DRAG RACING HALL OF FAME MANAGEMENT BOARD
Former Junior Dragster team principal and Europcar UK Group Business Services Director Andy Wheeler has joined 
the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Management Board as Social Media Director.
Andy has over 20 years experience in the highly competitive global car rental industry. He ran a multi-car Junior Dragster team with daughters Paige and Belle from 2009 to 2015. The team raced in the US and attended events at several venues including the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, Gainesville Raceway, Bristol Dragway and The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. During their time in the US Andy, Paige and Belle met and networked with many stars of the sport including Melanie Troxel whose team at the time, R2B2 Racing, recruited Paige as her Junior Dragster team-mate.
RESTORING EUROPE’S FIRST DRAGSTER WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS
More friends have come on board with support for restoring Europe’s first Dragster – Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard 
Chrysler owned by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.
During a recent Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) work session in the museum workshop the team removed the exhaust headers to check how much they had warped at the block end flanges and both sides looked pretty bad. They were taken to Andy Robinson Race Cars for advice on building up the metal because there wasn’t enough existing metal to machine back the worst distortion. His advice was to replace the flanges with stainless steel units.
Paul Garston at Whengparts.com came to the rescue and kindly donated two custom-made stainless steel exhaust flanges using the existing exhaust gaskets to locate the port openings. Whengparts is based in Derby and their website is www.whengparts.com. They do a range of parts and other items – mostly hot rod related and they know their stuff.
Junior Drag Racers to be honoured again at British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala 2016
The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame is delighted to announce that Junior Drag Racers will again be honoured when 
the Gala Awards Dinner takes place on Saturday 19th November at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel, Heathrow Airport.
The Hall of Fame Gala is the most prestigious night of the year for Britain’s drag racing community. Last year, for the first time, the top three Junior Dragster and Junior Drag Bike finishers in the UK National Championship were invited, with their parents, to attend the occasion for their accomplishments to be recognised before the gathering of distinguished guests from Europe and America. 2016’s young drivers and bikers will share the evening with the new Hall of Fame inductees along with leading figures from the States such as Don Schumacher and Paula Murphy, who brought the first American Funny Cars to Santa Pod in 1973, and the founding president of the FIA Drag Racing Commission, Carl Olson.
DRAPER TOOLS SUPPORT ALLARD CHRYSLER DRAGSTER RESTORATION
The Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) is pleased to announce that Draper Tools has joined the list of those 
businesses supporting the restoration of Europe’s first dragster – Sydney Allards 1961 Allard Chrysler owned by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.
Draper Tools was established in 1919 and is now based in Chandlers Ford – not far from the National Motor Museum. It is a hugely respected and much used automotive industry trade supplier being a one-stop-shop for professional mechanics, motor factors, MoT garages and automotive repair workshops.
The focus is always on quality and their range includes hand service tools, diagnostics and workshop equipment. As well as the Draper branded products the company also supplies Knipex, Elora and Kapro Tools. Their website address is www.drapertools.com and Mark Smith of Draper Tools can usually be found in the drag racing pits at race meetings.
SUPPORT FOR RESTORING EUROPE’S FIRST DRAGSTER FROM LAS AEROSPACE
The Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) is pleased to announce support for restoring Europe’s first dragster – 
Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler – from LAS Aerospace. The group was looking for a timing buzz box for the 354 Chrysler Hemi engine. Chris Eames identified a unit offered by LAS Aerospace Limited in Okehampton with a part number LED51. After we checked with Ray Howe at LAS that it was suitable, Managing Director Scott Powell agreed to donate the unit to the project.
LAS Aerospace was originally founded by owner Stephen Saywell in 1982 and has been at the forefront of supporting the Sport and General Aviation market since then. Day to day running of the company is overseen by MD Scott Powell
National Hot Rod Association to be presented with Lucas Oil Global Achievement award at British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala
It is a well known fact that the National Hot Rod Association, founded in 1951 by Wally Parks, is the largest promoter 
of drag racing on the planet, with 70,000 members and 40,000 competitors. What is not well known – until now – is that NHRA is receiving its first-ever Global Achievement Award, sponsored by Lucas Oil, at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala to be held on Saturday 19th November 2016 at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel, near London’s Heathrow Airport.
The Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award was inaugurated in 2014 in memory of Pat Garlits, the late wife of legendary drag racer Don Garlits. This year it marks the role played by all people at the NHRA as without their support in developing drag racing, it could not happen at the level it does today.
Sydney Allard Media Awards to be presented again at 2016 BDRHoF Gala
The Sydney Allard Media Awards for Written and Photographic Journalism will be presented for the third 
consecutive year at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday 19th November at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel, Heathrow Airport.
The Hall of Fame is delighted to announce that this year’s Allard Awards will be sponsored by Mintex, manufacturers of brake pads since 1908 and one of the sponsors of the 1964 Dragfests. Lawrence Bleasdale from Mintex said “Having been ‘in at the start’ supporting Sydney Allard from his very beginnings as a manufacturer?, Mintex are delighted to support these awards given by BDRHoF in his name”.
The Shoe and Miss STP are back
To any UK drag racing enthusiast of a certain age, the names Don Schumacher and Paula Murphy conjure a special 
moment in time: Summer of ’73. Heading a band of American racers attending that year’s July Internationals at Santa Pod Raceway, the pair unleashed the first full-tilt American Fuel Funny Cars seen on these shores and seared the occasion into the minds of all who witnessed it. The spectacular, ground-shaking Funnies – essentially nitro-burning dragsters cloaked by lightweight, saloon-car-replica bodyshells – were all the rage across the Atlantic, drawing huge crowds to America’s dragstrips. Schumacher and Murphy together created a seminal moment in the sport’s British history.
The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame is therefore proud to announce that Don Schumacher and Paula Murphy will be reunited on UK soil for the first time as honoured guests at its 2016 Gala Awards Dinner, to be held on Saturday 19th November at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel at London’s Heathrow Airport.
