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No sooner was Pro Stock introduced to the UK than it was split by the arrival of the 'London Heavy' of Colin Mullen (seen left with the Camaro of Sweden’s Gunne Back) and 'Brooklyn Heavy'. Their Lencos were deemed to give them an “unfair advantage” and the cars were soon sold, leaving English Pro Stock dead. That’s how it has basically remained for the last 3 decades and despite the huge numbers of Pro Stockers in the USA, in Europe it is the Scandanavians who have the class to themselves. |
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One thing that’s never changed - the pits have always been a social gathering place for teams and drivers. There might be rivalry on the track but camaraderie in the pits has been the same throughout the years. And almost unique in motorsport, drag racing has never restricted public access to the pits. On the left ranks of Competition Altereds stand idle while crews gather to ‘shoot the breeze’ (circa 1975), while on the right Jeff Meads’ CCSE Pop becomes the focal point for a little early morning banter. |
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And one name that has spanned the last three decades is of course the Gleadows. Beginning at the start of the 1970s, Bob and Mick Gleadow have campaigned numerous cars and today Bob’s son Adam races the immaculate 'Time Machine' altered. On the left in 1973 is the family’s first racer 'Motor Psycho' and on the right in 1998 is the Top Methanol dragster they ran with Fay Fischer at the wheel. Click here to visit the Gleadow's website. |
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The figure behind the windscreen might not look like a Hairy Monster but that is indeed Dave Lee Travis at the wheel of the Stones 'Tender Trap'. In fact DLT went onto win his class at Silverstone in 1974, so beginning a fruitful association with the sport which culminated in him racing in Top Fuel. I don’t know if Gino Bernadine has any intention to change for something quicker but this very neat and very low Escort is a popular contender – and winner - in Pro ET. |
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If there was one car that got as much newsprint as the big boys back in the '70s, then it had to be 'Stripteaser'. To the mainstream press and unknowing public this little Altered was the epitome of drag racing…a Minivan with a Jag engine, exhausts sticking out the roof, driver sat in the back seat, doing 110mph down the quarter mile. The ‘jumping dog house’ went through many guises (left was my favourite) and many owners. One was today’s Funny Car boss, Bob Jarrett, seen here checking his hair while driver John Spuffard warms up the slicks. |
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Anders Lantz’s immaculate and very quick ‘33 Plymouth Coupe was one of the UK fans' favourite visitors from Sweden back in the mid '70s. Today one man who is known by thousands as simply 'Fast Freddy' wins the popularity vote hands down. Bringing eighth mile burnouts, ETs in the low sixes, sideways-but-never-off-the-throttle runs, this Chevy truck stuffed with over 8 litres of Keith Black power has the aerodynamics of a brick but has the fans on their feet and cheering with every run. |
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John Andersson’s 'Valkyrian' was once the only Top Fueller that Sweden possessed, but by the 1990s the Scandanavians seemed to dominate the class. One racer who had humbler beginnings in 1973 but went on to be an ambassador for European Top Fuel was Pelle Lindelöw. Arguably the longest serving Top Fuel driver outside the USA, the quiet Swede won numerous titles throughout the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in NHRA’s invitation to represent Europe in a unique international series of races held in Japan in 1994. |
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'Super Pumpkin' was a ’57 Chevy imported into the UK still wearing its Stateside livery with lots of chrome and silverleaf. It was a welcome addition to the ranks of Street Altered back in the 70s and provided that quintessential American touch to British drag racing. Those classic lines might be getting on for half a century old now, and there might be little left of Detroit in Mikael Lindahl’s Bel Air, but this beautiful Pro Mod still shows why the ’57 Chevy has become a motoring icon. |
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But where would drag racing be without the humble Pop (née Anglia)? The shape couldn’t be any more different to the Tri Chevy’s but the old sit-up-and-beg Ford seems to have been around as long as drag racing itself. Just as popular in US drag racing as in Britain, we were just lucky that Dagenham turned these out by the thousands, so allowing a never ending supply of street rods and strip racers. Left is Steve Malby’s 'Mellow Yellow' altered in 1974, right is Paul Hensher’s 'Gas Attack' in 2003. |
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And
finally, if I might ignore Gary Goggin’s Camaro, I’ve chosen this photo for all
those who can remember spending their hard earned cash in 'Dick’s Place'. No
trip to Santa Pod was complete without a visit to the shop to pick up the latest
US magazines, sew-on patches or Roach T-shirts. |
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