Lucas Oil Products UK has become the latest company to support the 2014 British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Gala Awards Dinner being held at the Savill Court Hotel, Windsor Great Park on November 22nd.

Lucas Oil Products was founded by Forrest Lucas and his wife Charlotte in 1989.
They started Lucas Oil Products with the simple philosophy of producing only the best line of lubricants and additives available anywhere. An innovative product research and development programme, along with aggressive marketing has helped to firmly establish Lucas as a prominent figure in the marketplace.

The Lucas brand has long been directly involved in the American racing industry through multiple vehicle sponsorships and racing event promotions, at all levels. Seeing a need for better lubricants in this industry, the Lucas people went to work again. The end result is a line of high performance engine oils and gear oils that are second to none in the racing industry.

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Ticket sales for the BDRHoF Celebration Gala Awards Dinner being held at the Savill Court Hotel on November 22^nd are selling fast. BDRHoF Chair Stu Bradbury reports that the 150 mark has already been passed. Obviously the recent announcement that Don Garlits and his family will be attending has increased the profile of the event considerably but many of the sport’s UK pioneers have booked their places, including those who have been inducted into the BDRHoF during the last nine years. Amongst these are Peter Crane; Glen, Tim and Robin Read; Geof Hauser; Brian Johnson; Gary Page; Barry Sheavills; John Hobbs; Roy Phelps, and Harold Bull who is 90 years old this year.

Many of today’s stars are also going to be paying tribute to those laying down the foundations of the sport in the UK. Top Fuel Dragster pilot Chris Andrews is one of them along with Fuel Altered driver Nick Davies. Melvyn Record is joining us from the USA. Nottingham lad Melvyn saw his first drag race at Santa Pod.  He went on to become Director of International Relations at the NHRA and is now Vice President Marketing and Sales for Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca, USA.

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame is delighted to announce that Keith Lee has accepted its invitation to join the Hall of Fame’s Selection Panel. The Panel’s dozen members meet annually to select the year’s new candidates for induction into the Hall of Fame. Keith replaces Brian Taylor, who has withdrawn from the Selection Panel to focus his energies on the BDRHoF’s Management Board along with his chairmanship of the Allard Chrysler Action Group.

Keith Lee’s drag racing association dates back to the original 1964 Drag Festivals at Blackbushe where, as an enthusiastic schoolboy, he watched Don Garlits headline a great day of sport. He persuaded his father to take him the 180-mile round trip to Santa Pod when it opened in 1966, the start of many long dragstrip weekends.

Keith helped promote the sport locally in the Berks/Oxon area by becoming an area representative for the BHRA, before having a go at competition himself. A Junior Dragster powered by a 500 Triumph was started, but shelved owing to lack of shed space. Instead he built his infamous Triumph scooter, which went quickly enough when it wasn’t throwing him off the back!

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) is proud to announce that the King of Drag Racing – Don Garlits – is flying in from the USA to attend the BDRHoF Celebration Gala Dinner held in the Great Hall at the Savill Court Hotel, Windsor Great Park on November 22^nd 2014.

Together with the induction of the Hall of Fame’s new members for 2014, the occasion will celebrate a landmark, half-century anniversary. In 1964, the International Drag Festival gave Britain its first full taste of the American sport of drag racing. A joint-venture between Sydney Allard and Wally Parks, president of America’s National Hot Rod Association, the ‘Dragfest’ brought a team of leading US racers of the day to race on airfield sites across England. Already the foremost star among them was ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits, who in the ensuing decades would become the true titan of the quarter-mile – not merely the greatest drag racer who has ever lived, but a touchstone figure who would define the very landscape of the sport we know today.

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame can announce more support for the Gala Dinner to be held at the Savill Court Hotel, Windsor Great Park on November 22nd 2014. As well as marking the contributions of those who have contributed substantially to the growth of drag racing in the United Kingdom, this year’s event celebrates 50 years since Sydney Allard organised the First British International Drag Festivals that sparked the development of the sport across Europe.

The new support comes from the Flint Insurance Group that is sponsoring the table wine and the Public Liability Insurance required for the function. The company is an independent broker that was established some 30 years ago. Now employing some 80 members of staff in two offices (Sidcup and Harrow), they offer a wide range of high quality, affordable insurance products to both personal and commercial insurance clients alike across the whole of the UK. These include the traditional general insurance products such as motor trade insurance and home insurance cover along with niche products; meaning that they have insurance solutions suited to just about everyone.

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At the end of April the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Management Group met at the Savill Court Hotel in Windsor Great Park – the venue for the Annual BDRHoF Gala Dinner being held on November 22nd. Chairman Stu Bradbury was joined by Robin Jackson (Press and Public Relations) and Brian Taylor (Commerce and Marketing). They were joined by Geoff Stilwell and Kaz Aston – both with extensive experience in organising prestigious events and promoting them via social media.

On the Agenda were several areas of checking progress that has been encouraging on all fronts. Already one third of available tickets have been reserved. But stand by because within the next couple of weeks the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame has some exciting news to announce.

The awards to be presented on November 22nd are;

British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Membership sponsored by the Santa Pod Racers Club (winners to be announced in July 2014)

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Early this year the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) announced the introduction of two new annual BDRHoF Awards for photographers and writers. Open to professionals and amateurs, they celebrate the importance of the media in promoting our sport along with the crucial role played by Sydney Allard as the ‘Father of British Drag Racing’. The trophies are sponsored by the Allard Motor Company operated by Sydney’s son Alan and his grandson Lloyd.

Alan Allard said, “Lloyd and I are so proud that the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame has chosen to honour my father’s role in giving birth to drag racing in Europe with these two trophies. We are naturally pleased to sponsor them. The Guv’nor’ understood how important media publicity could be in attracting interest and promoting any new motorsport activity so celebrating photography and the written word is something that would have met with his approval ”.

One will be presented to the writer of the best book, article or feature on British drag racing published in print or on-line during the 12-months ending July 2014. This is in association with the Guild of Motoring Writers and the Chief Judge is the Guild’s Chairman Guy Loveridge.

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) has announced a new operating structure to enhance its professionalism and organisational capabilities. It is in line with increased sponsorship and the need to become more involved in events and promotional activity.

Since its launch in 2006, the BDRHoF has evolved around a panel of selectors and this was suffice when its role was limited and its activities few. But it has become clear that more time, effort and expertise is now required in the area of general management, so a BDRHoF Management Group has been created to handle these functions. This group consists of;

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The Savill Court is an amazing Jacobean styled Manor near Windsor in Surrey and currently one of Southern England’s finest hotels with 140 rooms, beautiful grounds and full leisure club facilities. This is the chosen venue for the 2014 British Drag Racing Hall of Fame’s first Gala Awards Dinner in association with Beech Underwriting – an event marking fifty years since Sydney Allard organised the first British International Drag Racing Festival.

It is without doubt a fantastic venue for such a historic celebration. The first tangible evidence of the house that preceded the Manor goes back to 1815. It has developed over the years but the most dramatic change took place when German Banker Baron Schroder bought it in 1910. He extended the house and included an inner courtyard. It was sold in 1980 and work was soon started on conversion to today’s magnificent event venue that is part of the Macdonalds Hotels and Resorts Group. The courtyard was used as the base for a fabulous domed feature that is now the Great Hall used for many prestigious private and industry functions.

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