2002 Goodwood Festival of Speed
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This year's Goodwood Festival of Speed featured a very large drag racing contingent, celebrating thirty years of the sport in the UK. There were no less than twenty three vehicles on static display, covering the history of UK drag racing, and another five putting in passes up the Goodwood hill. We visited on the first day of the Festival to take in the sights.
The static display was given pride of place on the cricket green and was attracting a large number of visitors.
Lined up around the outfield were:
Running on the hill were the AC Delco Pro Stock driven by Michael Malmgren, Andy Robinson's '53 Studebaker Pro Mod, Ian Jackson driving his and wife Sue's CCSE 'Vette, Colin Lazenby's CCSE Chevy, and Brian Waskett's CCSE Camaro. "The reason for the three Street Eliminator cars is that they run on treads and so we will be able to guarantee some action from the racers even if it rains", said display organiser Kev Elliott.
Michael Malmgren was invited to take part in the opening ceremony, alongside F1, rally, NASCAR and other
vehicles. The ceremony, with all the vehicles running on the track, took part in heavy rain and Michael
took it very gently indeed round the first few bends and past Goodwood House, pulling off the track at the
start of the hill section. Michael looked distinctly unamused when he got out of the car and I was initially
concerned that he had damaged the engine. Luckily that turned out not to be the case. "It was very dangerous,
water everywhere", said Michael. "When I was stopped behind the start line, the car slid sideways on its own
weight. I couldn't believe it!". Crew member Magnus Cato added that the Pro Stock was running with an old
engine. The AC Delco team had been at Alastaro on the previous Sunday, had gone back to Sweden, changed the engine,
and got to Goodwood on Thursday, quite some effort.
Andy Robinson, Ian Jackson and Colin Lazenby appeared in the second track session to feature the drag racers. Andy Robinson had put some old slicks on his Pro Mod with the intention of pulling burnouts in front of the grandstands. By the time of this session the track was bone dry. Andy managed to smoke the tyres at the start line, but despite valiant efforts the slicks wouldn't smoke anywhere else on the track. Andy missed the last turnout and so had to drive all the way up the hill, arriving at the finish line with smoke coming from the engine compartment as the engine had got very hot indeed. "It got hotter than I wanted it to!", said Andy. "It was a bit dramatic. The track wasn't very slippy except at the start. I tried to do rolling burnouts but it wasn't happening. And I didn't realise how sharp some of those bends were!".
Colin Lazenby pulled a huge burnout in front of the first set of grandstands, getting a standing ovation
from the crowd. "I enjoyed that!", said Colin afterwards. "The fans haven't seen anything like that before!".
Ian Jackson also managed to spin the tyres in the 'Vette. "This is the first time I've driven the car suited and booted"
said Ian, who usually drives the car on the Cruise. "It's a lod of fun. The timing was out because the car is set
up for Nitrous, but we can sort that out. From the crowd reaction they enjoyed it!".
One of the themes of the Festival was saluting heroes, and so it was appropriate that drag racing legends Peter Crane and Russ Carpenter should have been at Goodwood. Peter recorded the first five-second run outside the USA, in the Stormbringer Pro Fueller. I asked him whether he felt a stirring when he looked at the Wildside Inc Top Fuel Dragster. "The stirring started about a month after I gave up!", he said. "I don't know how anyone can do it these days. It's a real pity that we're half a second behind the USA. When I beat Garlits back in 1976, that was about the only time that we were close to the Americans on performance". Peter told us that he retired because his last ride, the Hustler (ex-Gladiator) Funny Car, kept breaking. "You race to win - if not then there is no point", he said.
Russ Carpenter's Daimler V8-powered rail is still in full working order, but he said that we won't be
seeing the car in competition. "I could run in the Wild Bunch, but I don't want to slow it down", he said.
"The car is capable of running a good seven, I just can't slow it enough. You might see me at a Run What
You Brung though, now that I've lost enough weight to be able to get back in it!".
CCSE racer Andy Oliver was with the CC Racing TMFC. Andy's CCSE race car is still without a side window, as it broke when a crewman shut the door on the start line at the Summernationals. "I'm still driving around without it!", he said. Andy offered me the chance to sit in the cockpit of the TMFC with the body down. This is something I've always wanted to try so I jumped into the seat and Andy dropped the body. I didn't find it particularly claustrophobic, although I wasn't stapped in tightly in a firesuit. For a moment I could just about imagine being pressed back in the seat steering the car down the track, a very pleasant daydream.
Next to the CC Racing FC was Steve Neimaintas' CCSE Aston Martin, which drew large crowds especially when crew member Dennis fired it up. Dennis told me that the car had broken a record on its arrival at Goodwood. "When we got here there was no-one around", said Dennis. "There were no signs telling us where to go, so we left the car in the trailer. Someone came over and said 'You shouldn't be here, you're the first car to drive on the cricket pitch in four hundred years!'".
Dorset Horn co-owners Dick Sharp and Bunt Wilcox were delighted with new bests of 9.57/142 from the Wild Bunch altered
at the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals, and there is more to come. "We're well pleased", said Bunt. "It was still spinning the
tyres. We want to get it in the low nines, when we get there we'll add a bit of pop and go into the eights!".
In the paddock I met Steve and Val Green, whose very rapid Cortina is currently undergoing an engine rebuild. "We're a long way from being ready", said Steve. "We'll almost definitely run in Super Mod". "It depends upon next year's rules", added Val.
Adding his own unique contribution was track announcer John Price who did a fantastic job of explaining drag racing, and the vehicles on display, to the large crowd. Many of the racers present expressed appreciation for John's efforts on the PA; when you hear announcers at events away from the drag strip you realise just how good John is - a real ambassador for the sport.
Organiser Kev Elliott said that he was very pleased with the turnout. "Everyone has come. Fantastic!", he said. "It will put drag racing in front of a whole different crowd". Kev spent three months putting the display together. "They asked me to find dragsters to cover the history of drag racing", he said. "Getting Commuter and the Allard from Beaulieu was the icing on the cake. I am so grateful to everyone who has come - it has cost them to come here. I should also say thank you to Richard Sutton of Goodwood for inviting us."
There is no doubt that our sport will benefit from exposure at such a large and prestigious event. There
is a huge untapped well of spectators and hopefully sponsors out there and a large number of them will have been
at Goodwood. Here's hoping that everyone who liked what they saw will come along to the track very soon and,
as Colin Lazenby said, "I hope they invite more of us back next year!".
Thanks for their help to Janet Bradley of Goodwood, Kev Elliott, Paul Marston, Andy Oliver, John Price, Michael Malmgren and Magnus Cato. This report was brought to you in association with American Car Imports.
Click here to see all of Friday's pictures.