What's new
By:
Filters

For history buffs - NHRA comes to UK, 1964 - Garlits, Ivo, etc. (1 Viewer)

R

robinjackson

Nitro Member
It's the 60th anniversary of NHRA's visit to Britain for the 1964 International Drag Festival and Eurodragster.com has published the story of how it all came about:

Sydney Allard was a manufacturer of sports cars powered by American V8s. He raced at Le Mans 24 Hours and twice won the Monte Carlo rally, the only driver to achieve victory in a car of his own creation.

The money references are shown in our pre-decimal currency, pounds, shillings and pence.

Note the fateful date of Wally Parks' first letter.
 
Very good article, thanks for posting.
I watched the video (Pathe film) and the motorcycle, if you want to call it that, looks like something E.J. Poter would have made.
 
Thank you, Jimi. Glad you enjoyed it. Great full-quarter smoker by Garlits.

EJ Potter actually ran at Santa Pod in its opening season two years later.

There is info on the Drag Waye motorcycle here:
thevintagent.com

Motorcycle Specials: Drag Waye | The Vintagent

A radical drag-racing motorcycle with a Volkswagen engine and the rider sat behind the rear wheel became World Champion in 1972
thevintagent.com thevintagent.com

After decades out of sight, the bike was revived by Terry Homan. Here he is riding it at Santa Pod's Dragstalgia meet in 2019:
1704133556991.png
 
Anybody else wondering about how much alcohol was consumed in order to come up with that project?
 
Another chapter in the International Drag Fest story, this time through the eyes of Wally Parks himself as recounted by his son, Richard Parks, and courtesy of Eurodragster.com


I think Mr. Parks rather exaggerates the "socialist Britain" theme. At the time of the festival, we'd had 13 years of Conservative Party government. It wasn't exactly East Germany we were living in.
 
robinjackson said:
Another chapter in the International Drag Fest story, this time through the eyes of Wally Parks himself as recounted by his son, Richard Parks, and courtesy of Eurodragster.com


I think Mr. Parks rather exaggerates the "socialist Britain" theme. At the time of the festival, we'd had 13 years of Conservative Party government. It wasn't exactly East Germany we were living in.
Click to expand...
In that era in the UK, you had to pay an annual fee to watch BBC TV. They would come to your house and check up on you. Probably a bit of a shock to visitors that are used to free TV.
 
We still pay a licence fee to watch TV. It pays for the BBC and the vast array of services it provides. The BBC is an independent institution, NOT a state broadcasting service. Governments -- whether right or left, Conservative or Labour -- always moan about its news coverage being biased against them and want to get their hands on it to change it to their way of thinking.
 
Here's another chapter, courtesy of Eurodragster.com:

Anyone recall American Rodding or Motor Sports Illustrated magazines?

In 1959 Sydney Allard had been shown a line drawing of The Greek's car at the time featured in Hot Rod magazine, so when he debuted his own dragster, based on the drawing, in 1961 it was already out-dated in those fast-developing times. The Royal Automobile Club (RAC), then the sanctioning body for UK motorsport, had no clue about drag racing and insisted that Sydney's dragster should conform to its standard racing car rules, hence the full body and the front brakes.

I was 12 in 1964 and had every intention of bicycling over to the Chelveston event, just 10 miles from my home. Come the day, however, I just couldn't be bothered to make the effort -- a lifelong regret.
 
American Rodding sounds familiar. I used to get British & Australian magazines. Was so cool to see what other countries ran.
 
Robin, do you remember The Firefly front motored T/F car? Bootsie Herridge I think was the driver. I had a poster of that car that I bought from someone in England. Wish I still had it.
 
Yes, Cliff, I do remember Firefly, and if I remember correctly, Tony Densham was its first driver, succeeded by Allan 'Bootsie' Herridge. Here is a page of Firefly photos and details from Antony Billinton's collection:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=Mk5mZ0RTUnNFUThwZm5mVmlnemVzbEd1Z2ZZUUR3

The company run by Antony and his late father, Peter Billinton, is the official UK importer of nitromethane.

This Firefly page is just one of many to be found on the website https://timetraveldvds.blogspot.com/ run by distinguished drag racing historian, Nick Pettitt. If you want any insight into the history of British drag racing, start here.
 
Thanks Robin. these are great sites. Pete Crane ran that 5.97 in 1976, the first 5 in England. That was the meet where Garlits was there. Remember reading about it. Crane shut off on that 5.97, only ran 218.
 
Here's a bumper read for you, courtesy again of Eurodragster.com.

Parts 3 and 4 of Wally Parks' recollections of the 1964 Festival, compiled by his son, Richard Parks:



And here is Gerry Belton Part 4, an interview with the man who put the show together at the British end - Mickey Thompson, Tony Nancy's Wedge dragster... even an appearance by the Beach Boys.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Ways To Support Nitromater

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Back
Top