DON GARLITS TO VISIT THE UK FOR BDRHoF GALA DINNER
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 22nd 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.
At 82 years of age, Don continues to serve as Chief Executive of the Don Garlits Museum Of Drag Racing and the International Drag Racing Hall Of Fame, both based at Ocala, Florida. Daughter Donna is General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of the Museum. While not (currently) active in competition, Don has never ceased his on-track exploits and innovations. Within the past month he has established a new quarter-mile record for a battery-powered electric dragster (7.25sec/184mph) and is intent on breaking the 200mph barrier for the class.
Don Garlits said, “Travelling with my daughters Donna and GayLyn along with members of their families, this will be my first trip outside North America since my last visit to Santa Pod Raceway in 1977. Donna and GayLyn were with me during my visits in 1964, 1976 and 1977. We are all looking forward to visiting your country again because I have many happy memories of my earlier visits. I hope to meet up with old friends made during those trips and to celebrating those who have helped establish the sport since the early 1960s. As CEO of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame I know what it takes to organise such events and I congratulate the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame for their work over the last few years”.
Donna Garlits commented, “Of course there will be one person missing on this trip and that is my beautiful Mom Pat who we lost earlier this year. We all miss her very much. And in some ways this trip is our way of remembering what great times we had as a family following Dad round the drag strips and what a truly amazing person she was”.
Chairman of the BDRHoF Stu Bradbury said, “Apart from film footage taken at the time I did not see Don racing in 1964. But I was fortunate enough to have been Chief Starter at Santa Pod during his 1976 and 1977 visits. I remember feeling at the time what a great privilege it was to be bringing the world’s leading drag racer into stage. Now to have him and his family as guests at this year’s BDRHoF Gala Awards Dinner is unbelievable. I’m sure he will receive a fantastic welcome by all those attending and all of us at the BDRHoF feel honoured that he is going to join us. I must thank all those who have made this possible, particularly Geoff Stilwell of Beech Underwriting.”
Further news of the Gala Night and of Don Garlits’ UK visit will be released on www.eurodragster.com and tickets for the occasion may be obtained by contacting the Hall of Fame via its website on
www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk/latest-news/bdrhof-announce-2014-gala-award-dinner.
This year’s new Hall of Fame inductees will be announced during the Dragstalgia event at Santa Pod Raceway, 11th-13th July.
The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame is sponsored by many businesses and associations. Without this support it could not exist. They are Beech Underwriting; U S Automotive; Power Race Graphics; Santa Pod Racers Club; Pennine Drag Racing Club; Eurodragster.com; Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway; Santa Pod Raceway; York Raceway; Allard Motor Company, Flint Insurance Group and Lucas Oil.
