UK DRAG RACING

[coppice]

I’m starting this thread because drag racing deserves it. Motor sport is a broad church encompassing many disciplines and drag racing is one of them. Some motor racing enthusiasts dislike drag racing because of its short duration and obvious lack of corners. But that’s missing the point of a complex and hugely spectacular sport which enjoys a small but fanatical following in the UK.

I fell in love with drag racing in 1973 and it has given me a lot of pleasure over the years. Circuit racing is my main passion, but no motor sport year is complete without a trip to Santa Pod, and to my local strip at Melbourne near York.

If you haven't tried drag racing here's why you will enjoy it –

-spec formulae are the curse of modern motor sport. Except in drag racing, where every car is unique. They don’t even have numbers, but names - often very funny ones.

-the rule framework has the lightest of touches, meaning there's immense room for innovation in power units, chassis and aerodynamics. Standards of preparation are astonishing and the liveries often eye searing.

- drag racing has an innate sense of humour – where else would you find a road legal garden shed with a mid -mounted V8, a big block V8 powered rat rod looking like a rusty barn find or a Ford Anglia whose acceleration makes Max’s Red Bull look pedestrian ?

-drag race meetings are access all areas, including the paddock. There's no corporate hospitality bull**** and everyone is made equally welcome. The crowd is hugely diverse in age, ethnicity and social class, more so than any other branch of motorsport.

-Everyone knows that Top Fuellers have immense performance – 300 mph plus in 1000 feet. But there’s much more to enjoy – how about Fraudster, the Mark1 Escort which hits 180 mph at the end of a quarter mile? Or the groundshaking Pro Mods, using their 3000bhp to accelerate to 250mph in 5 seconds . A Red Bull takes the same time to hit 125mph.

If you love motor sport your life is incomplete if you have never experienced the sound and fury of drag racing. Try it out but don't forget you ear defenders. It is LOUD.

I will post updates on events - feel free to do the same