Robin Jackson, MSA British Drag Racing Championship Public Relations Officer will be joining the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Board of Selectors. BDRHoF Chairman Stu Bradbury said,

“The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame has great plans for the future but needs help in the areas of press and sponsorship communication plus event planning and management. Robin has agreed to take on this task assisting Brian Taylor and myself”.

Robin Jackson first encountered drag racing more than 50 years ago on the back-page of a children’s comic (which he now wishes he’d kept). He attended his first drag race at Santa Pod on Easter Monday, 1967 and made the first of many trips to America in 1974 for the NHRA Supernationals/World Finals at Ontario Motor Speedway, with side visits to Irwindale and Fremont – all three tracks long since gone.

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Chairman of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Stu Bradbury remembers November 6^th 1983 when Allan ‘Bootsie’ Herridge made his last ever pass down the world famous Santa Pod Raceway strip. The year 2013 marks the 30^th anniversary of Allan’s passing. The legendary ‘Bootsie’ whose image is encapsulated in the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame trophy built one of the UK’s first dragsters and in a long and glorious career proved he could turn his hand to everything from managing a race track to driving race cars and building them.

Allan Herridge’s first dragster – a straight 8 Buick rail. (photo Fred Babcock)

In 1962 when Allan started to build his first dragster, there was no rulebook, no drawings, just pictures in American Hot Rod magazines and Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler. Allan being Allan was already fully engaged in the development of the sport, helping to form an organising club, writing construction rules for participants and spectators.

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The achievements of three British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) members are being celebrated this winter and into next year.  They are Peter Billinton, the Phelps family and the late Tony Densham.

Peter Billinton gives Tony Densham the OK for a record breaking run driving Commuter at Elvington. (photo; Roger Phillips from the Densham-Billinton Archives)

October 3^rd 2013 marked the 43rd anniversary of Tony Densham successfully taking the Official Wheel Driven British Land Speed Record on October 3^rd 1970 at Elvington York, driving the Densham/Billinton/Phelps Commuter dragster, which was specially adapted for this attempt. This record had stood for 43 years, being held previously by Sir Malcolm Campbell in the Napier-Campbell Blue Bird II on Pendine sands in 1927.

Today Tony’s record of 207.6 mph (the average speed measured over a kilometer) remains unbroken. To achieve this average the terminal speed required would have been well in excess of the record figure and was also required to be repeated within 1 hour in the opposite direction to become an official record.

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The good news about the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) just keeps on coming. Bedford based American parts supplier US Automotive has announced that 2014 will see it continuing to support the BDRHoF as Primary Sponsor.

Now in its ninth year, the US Automotive sponsorship joins that of Beech Underwriting, Power Race Graphics, Eurodragster.com Santa Pod Raceway, APIRA, York Raceway, PDRC, Santa Pod Racers Club and Shakespeare County Raceway. It is the financial lubrication that enables the BDRHoF to fulfill its function of honoring those who, through personal dedication, have made a marked difference to the sport’s development over the years.

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Hard on the heels of the announcement of five figure sponsorship of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) by Beech Underwriting, BDRHoF Chairman Stu Bradbury made a further announcement about exciting changes. He said,

“Thanks to Beech Underwriting we are now in a position to expand our horizons and an early demonstration of this new approach is the introduction of two new annual BDRHoF Awards that celebrate the role played by Sydney Allard as the Father of British Drag Racing. He built Europe’s first dragster in 1961 and organised the first visits by American racers in 1963, ’64 and ’65. The new awards will follow the existing ‘Bootsie’ crystal tablet format presented to those who have made a real difference to the growth of drag racing in the UK. But they will be of a different design and contain an image of Sydney Allard rather than Allan ‘Bootsie’ Herridge. What else could we call them but Syds?”

The recipients of the new award will not enter the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as such but their achievements will be honoured and their names entered as BDRHoF Syd award winners. The ‘Syds’ pay tribute to the influence of journalists and photographers in the promotion of drag racing.

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) is pleased to announce a five figure sponsorship deal with Beech Underwriting. The support also covers the use of back-office functions at the company’s head office. This is the biggest BDRHoF sponsorship programme yet negotiated. As well as supporting the efforts of Stu Bradbury and his BDRHoF team so they can continue their celebration of the sport’s history, it is a reflection of the increased interest in the nostalgia drag racing scene as a whole. Suddenly a new energy has entered (or should we say re-entered) the arena and the role of the BDRHoF has been driven to the fore.

But the BDRHoF and Beech Underwriting? Strange bedfellows you might think! How come an underwriting business wants to sponsor the BDRHoF? Well that comes down to Beech Underwriting’s Managing Director Geoff Stilwell who was one of many drag racing fanatics attracted to the sport when Sydney Allard organised the first British International Drag Racing Festival is 1964.

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Saturday evening on September 7^th at Santa Pod Raceway, during the FIA European Drag Racing Championship Finals, marked an important change for the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) Annual Awards Event. Since its launch in 2006 the awards have been part of the joint club Championship Trophy presentations held during the winter. But the BDRHoF Board felt that their event needed to be a stand-alone occasion during which more time could be given to celebrating the achievements of those who have played such crucial roles in the development of drag racing in the UK. They also wanted an event to which existing members could be invited along as important guests.

That’s why in 2013 seventy-six invited guests assembled in the Santa Pod VIP Marquee for a sit down dinner. These included existing BDRHoF members, sponsors and supporters along with the new inductees being celebrated this year. There was plenty of time for old friends to catch up with the gossip; many having not seen each other for over 20 years or more. A bonus was that, thanks to Santa Pod Raceway, they could also experience a modern day drag race meeting.

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In association with US Automotive, this year’s FIA European Drag Racing Championship Finals is the venue for welcoming the 2013 inductees into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF). Around 70 invited guests will assemble at a reception that will be held in the VIP Marquee starting at 8.00pm on Saturday evening.

Many existing BDRHoF members will be attending; people who have played key roles in forwarding the sport of drag racing in the UK that started during the late 1950s. They will be celebrating the new inductees – motorcycle drag racer Brian Chapman and NDRC pioneers Keith and Frances Parker. Most will be attending the race meeting during the day so those of you collecting autographs keep an eye out.

Brian Taylor will compere the event, John Price will introduce existing members of the BDRHoF, Keith Lee will read out the citation for Brian Chapman and Phil Evans will read the citation for Keith and Frances Parker. Kaz Aston will be interviewing people for Nitro FM so those not invited can catch up via the Internet.

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The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in association with US Automotive continues into its eighth successful year and is pleased to announce the 2013 intake. Nominees are eligible by dint of having raced, owned, designed, built, maintained, prepared, promoted, officiated, supported or taken part in British drag racing, having been involved for at least twenty years, or having made a significant and recognisable contribution to the sport.

British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Chair Stu Bradbury says, “This is another important year in the development of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. We have not only moved the announcement of the inductions, but we will also be having our own banquet to formally present the awards. The contributions that these members have made to the development of drag racing in the UK and Europe have been immense. It true to say that without their dedication and hard work in the early days of the sport there is no doubt that drag racing would not have achieved the popularity it enjoys today.”

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Courtesy of British Drag Racing Hall of Fame

Birmingham, UK – Hot new stickers have just been released by the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame – now available as inside suction stickers as well as in outside adhesive decal format. Designed and produced by Darren West at Power Race Graphics, the inside stickers can also be used as tax disc or pass holders.

The price for either is just £2.25 including UK postage. Overseas postage charges are available on request. Order via the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame website www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk or BDRHoF Chairman Stuart Bradbury via e-mail at   BritishDRHOF@aol.com. All profits support the operation of the Hall of Fame and its efforts to promote and maintain the sport’s history and log the stories of its pioneers.

To assist them in this task the BDRHoF is currently looking for volunteers to help with media/sponsor communications and event organising. E-mail Stuart on BritishDRHOF@aol.com if you think you would like to help. Gaining experience this way can help expand your career opportunities.