ricko999™
Nitro Member
A week or two late, but here's a couple of days out of our England vacation adventure.
In the middle of our trip to England, Santa Pod Raceway was having its last National event of the year, the FIA/UEM European Championship, World Finals. Dawn sensed that my intentions were not honest as it was a little odd that we would be in that area during a drag race event at that exact time?!? She, being a good sport, let us take two days out of our vacation or “holiday” as the brits say and attend what was probably the last professional nitro drag race event to race the full quarter mile.
Friday night we arrived in the town of Wellingborough and checked into our hotel. Across the car park, the Dog & Duck pub would be the nighttime base camp for racers and fans alike. Chris & Becks met us later at the pub and Friday night turned into early Saturday morning. Groggily we loaded the cars and headed the short 5km south to the track. The area near the track is rural, with low rolling hills and farm and pasture land and its green, I mean beautifully green.
Santa Pod is on the large old Podington RAF used by US B17’s during WW2. The narrow two lane road leading to Santa Pod is the only entrance to the racetrack and the lines coming into and leaving are known to make people age three or more years.
Just prior to entering the track is a memorial and a US flag that continues to fly in honor of the joint air and ground servicemen who were stationed at Podington.
There are few hotels near the track most of the racers and probably half the spectator’s campout in tents and caravans inside the grounds of Santa Pod Raceway. The track layout has on the spectator side a large long grass berm called “the bank” that people can set up chairs and blankets and picnic while having great views of the on track action. We picked a spot at the 330 foot clocks and set up day camp, chairs, coolers, and sunscreen lotion as Saturday weather was clear skies and a high of 27C or for us metric slow people mid 80’s.
Along with Chris and Becks, we hung out with track photogs Jon and Richard, Jim, Gus and his family.
On the raceway’s car park side is a true carnival and a spectator bowl with BMX, MX exhibitions and car crushing monster trucks for those how like that type of entertainment. I could see that the track management goes to great lengths to have something exciting of all the age groups a family or individuals may want during the race drag racing weekend.
Saturday’s qualifying day was fun in the sun. The mornings first TF run did make me a bit misty eyed, mostly because we’re blessed to be healthy and able to travel and experience the world, and for the nostalgia, as 1320ft Pro nitro runs will be just a memory very soon.
Saturday night we were all invited to a BBQ at former Top Fuel champ Barry Sheavills caravan. Lots of meat, salads, and beverages were consumed. Barry and his right hand man Bob were great hosts to us yanks. We met with track announcer Darryl Bradford who can really let his hair down when not on the PA.! We also met Paul Stubbings and girlfriend/driver Wendy. Paul owns the 1976 ex-Eastern Raider Mustang and has restored it and runs it as the “Time Warp” mostly testing to be ready for a four car NFC show next year. A quick pint back at the Bark & Quack and another late night leads to Sunday morning coming much too soon.
Wow, what difference a few hours will do. Sunday morning cold, cloudy and an east wind that bit into our yesterday sun kissed skin. Warm jackets and hoodies were the fashion for the day. 9:30am first round of Pro Mod led off, the 60F track had most of cars skating around big time. Highlight of TF round 1 was one lucky driver, Stig Neergaard loosing a tire and doing 2 complete 360’s and not flipping over! The race day seemed to fly by and before we knew it, UK’s low buck Jon Webster out pedaled his way past Sweden’s Jorden Persaker in the TF finals and our first European drag race event was in the history books. The drag racing is a good as in the states, the fields of cars are smaller and run on much less budgets, but they try just the same. This sport of drag racing no matter the country, language or amount of euros, the common passion shines through. We truly enjoyed the kindness and humor from the people we met; and gladly “will be back”!
Rick & Dawn O.
more pics here-> Santa Pod 09 pictures by ricko999 - Photobucket
In the middle of our trip to England, Santa Pod Raceway was having its last National event of the year, the FIA/UEM European Championship, World Finals. Dawn sensed that my intentions were not honest as it was a little odd that we would be in that area during a drag race event at that exact time?!? She, being a good sport, let us take two days out of our vacation or “holiday” as the brits say and attend what was probably the last professional nitro drag race event to race the full quarter mile.
Friday night we arrived in the town of Wellingborough and checked into our hotel. Across the car park, the Dog & Duck pub would be the nighttime base camp for racers and fans alike. Chris & Becks met us later at the pub and Friday night turned into early Saturday morning. Groggily we loaded the cars and headed the short 5km south to the track. The area near the track is rural, with low rolling hills and farm and pasture land and its green, I mean beautifully green.
Santa Pod is on the large old Podington RAF used by US B17’s during WW2. The narrow two lane road leading to Santa Pod is the only entrance to the racetrack and the lines coming into and leaving are known to make people age three or more years.
Just prior to entering the track is a memorial and a US flag that continues to fly in honor of the joint air and ground servicemen who were stationed at Podington.
There are few hotels near the track most of the racers and probably half the spectator’s campout in tents and caravans inside the grounds of Santa Pod Raceway. The track layout has on the spectator side a large long grass berm called “the bank” that people can set up chairs and blankets and picnic while having great views of the on track action. We picked a spot at the 330 foot clocks and set up day camp, chairs, coolers, and sunscreen lotion as Saturday weather was clear skies and a high of 27C or for us metric slow people mid 80’s.
Along with Chris and Becks, we hung out with track photogs Jon and Richard, Jim, Gus and his family.
On the raceway’s car park side is a true carnival and a spectator bowl with BMX, MX exhibitions and car crushing monster trucks for those how like that type of entertainment. I could see that the track management goes to great lengths to have something exciting of all the age groups a family or individuals may want during the race drag racing weekend.
Saturday’s qualifying day was fun in the sun. The mornings first TF run did make me a bit misty eyed, mostly because we’re blessed to be healthy and able to travel and experience the world, and for the nostalgia, as 1320ft Pro nitro runs will be just a memory very soon.
Saturday night we were all invited to a BBQ at former Top Fuel champ Barry Sheavills caravan. Lots of meat, salads, and beverages were consumed. Barry and his right hand man Bob were great hosts to us yanks. We met with track announcer Darryl Bradford who can really let his hair down when not on the PA.! We also met Paul Stubbings and girlfriend/driver Wendy. Paul owns the 1976 ex-Eastern Raider Mustang and has restored it and runs it as the “Time Warp” mostly testing to be ready for a four car NFC show next year. A quick pint back at the Bark & Quack and another late night leads to Sunday morning coming much too soon.
Wow, what difference a few hours will do. Sunday morning cold, cloudy and an east wind that bit into our yesterday sun kissed skin. Warm jackets and hoodies were the fashion for the day. 9:30am first round of Pro Mod led off, the 60F track had most of cars skating around big time. Highlight of TF round 1 was one lucky driver, Stig Neergaard loosing a tire and doing 2 complete 360’s and not flipping over! The race day seemed to fly by and before we knew it, UK’s low buck Jon Webster out pedaled his way past Sweden’s Jorden Persaker in the TF finals and our first European drag race event was in the history books. The drag racing is a good as in the states, the fields of cars are smaller and run on much less budgets, but they try just the same. This sport of drag racing no matter the country, language or amount of euros, the common passion shines through. We truly enjoyed the kindness and humor from the people we met; and gladly “will be back”!
Rick & Dawn O.
more pics here-> Santa Pod 09 pictures by ricko999 - Photobucket
