Autosport International 2003
Saturday

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The first public day of Autosport International saw the opening of Santa Pod Raceway's stand. Santa Pod mounted an impressive display, fitting in a number of vehicles into their floorspace. The Purple Loans/Purple Dreams Top Fueller, the Team Titanium International Limited Funny Bike, the Team Cool Green Racing Junior Dragster, the two-seater dragster, Martin Bishop's Pro Stock Bike, Santa Pod Raceway's Junior Dragster, the Showtime Fuel Funny Car, and the First National Telecom Top Fuel Dragster were on show, although the First National Fueller was under wraps to begin with as a formal unveiling was due to take place at lunchtime.

We spent a large part of the day around the Santa Pod stand, talking to the racers whose vehicles were on display and chatting with visiting racers and here, in association with American Car Imports and in the order we met the racers, is our report on the day.

UK National Junior Dragster Champions Cool Green Racing were back from the USA with a new colour scheme and a new engine. "Peterborough Signs are continuing their sponsorship in 2003, they did the car", said Chris Emms, whose son Ricky drives the dragster. "The engine is a PM1, it's the only one outside the USA at present. It produces seventy five horsepower and is capable of 7.2s over the eighth, but of course we are limited to 7.90 so we have to put some weight on it. We are dedicating this season and any victories to the late Sammy Miller."

The Cool Green team are all set to start their testing at the first Run What You Brung of the year, which takes place at Santa Pod at the end of January, repeating their previous policy of taking every chance possible to test. "All of the settings we had with the old engine are worth nothing now", said Chris, "we are having to start again. As defending Champion - and Ricky is the first Junior to defend a Championship in the UK - we have to do all the testing we can". As well as Peterborough Signs, Cool Green Racing are sponsored this season by Half Scale Dragsters, Turner Racing, McGee Racing Cams and G Max Racing Fuels.

Dave Wilson, driver of the American Car Imports Racing Top Methanol Dragster, stopped by for a look at Santa Pod's display and told us that the team's recent trips to Pomona had been successful. "I go to watch drag racers, not drag racing!", he said. "We go to talk to the racers as equals", he said. "They have the same problems we do, and we have discussions and various things come out of it, we'll see if they work. As it turned out, there wasn't a lot we haven't already been doing. Also we think of things which they don't so they get ideas from us!". I asked Dave if his words meant that he was unhappy with the performance of the ACI Racing Dragster, since as fans we see the car come off the trailer and run 5.5s and we all jump in the air cheering. "You run 5.5s and you get back and look at the computer data and you always try to identify things you can improve", he said. "The Americans have the same problems we do, and they seem to have the same solutions".

FIA European Top Methanol Funny Car and Swedish Top Fuel Tour Champion Micke Kågered is a regular visitor to Autosport International and this year it was particularly good to see for ourselves that he was recovered from his 288 mph accident at the European Finals. "I am nearly better", said Micke. "My back still hurts, but I am training daily and I will be ready in May". The big news for Kågered Racing just recently has been the announcement that Micke is to concentrate on driving the Bahco Tools Top Fuel Dragster in 2003 and handing over the keys of his beloved Top Methanol Funny Car to ex-Pro Stock racer Niclas Andersson. "I talked to Knut in the USA and I thought and thought about it", said Micke. "Knut's new car is the best one over here, but it still took a while to decide". We asked what Micke's partner and team manager Åsa thought about his decision to get back into a Top Fueller. "She is OK with it!", he said.

Micke explained that Niclas Andersson had been under consideration for the TMFC seat for quite some time. "We thought about it for last season", he said, "but in the end we didn't do it. I already knew before the accident that I was only going to drive one car in 2003 and so I thought of Niclas again". We asked Micke what he would be thinking when someone else took his TMFC down the track. "Niclas is a good guy to drive the car, so I won't be nervous!", said Micke with a smile. Micke revealed that the TMFC will have a new primary sponsor this year. "Quaker State are still on the car, but another of Bahco's brandings is the main sponsor". We should see the new colours when Niclas puts in licencing passes at the pre-Main Event test although Micke promised us a look at the design as soon as it is finalised. Micke too will be putting in a couple of passes in the new Top Fueller at the pre-Main Event test.

Pro Stock Bike racer Martin Bishop is planning to do the FIM/UEM European Championship tour in 2003, budget permitting. "I am negotiating with a sponsor right now and if it comes about I'm going to Europe!", he said. "I may also change the engine to a 1640, and possibly put new bodywork on the bike. That's if the sponsor comes about!". We asked Martin if it was frustrating to have the season end just as he was really beginning to run the numbers on the bike. "We chipped away at it the whole season", he said. "Every meeting we went quicker, but we know the direction we're going in now!". Martin also confirmed that Jerry Collier will again be racing his Kawasaki H2 in 2003.

Carter Motorsport PR Dan Welberry told us that as far as he knew, the unveiling of the First National Telecom Top Fuel Dragster was the first event of its type. The team were moving a lot of posters, calendars and the new hero cards featuring a smiling Andy Carter. Andy himself was interested to hear that FIA Championship promoter Keith Bartlett had quoted him in today's Eurodragster News as being excited about eight-car fields in Top Fuel even if there were nine or ten cars present, because someone would have to go home on Saturday night. "It ain't going to be me!", he said.

Track announcer John Price was our MC for the unveiling ceremony, and after a countdown by the assembled crowd Steve Smith and Miles Barry of First National Telecom removed the cover along with Dan to reveal the Top Fueller in First National's red and black colours. The team were also decked out in some very smart crew shirts designed, as was the car's colour scheme, by Dan.

"First National Telecom is a team of winners and we are proud to be associated with Andy Carter", said Sales Director Steve Smith. "We are rolling out our business to at least three European countries in 2003 so there is a lot of synergy there". "It's great to have First National Telecom on board", said Andy. "We're looking forward to going out there and winning the Championship for them!".

If you were tuned in to Eurodragster News yesterday you will have seen the first look at the Purple Loans/Purple Dreams Top Fuel Dragster which is to be driven by Europe's newest-licenced Top Fuel driver Chris Andrews. We were all set to smuggle a camera into what was then a closed section of the show only to find that Chris' dad Vince Andrews was perfectly happy for us to go public last night anyway. The Purple Dragster's panels were made by car owner Knut Soderquist and then painted by Vince, before graphics were applied by Creation Signs. "They did all of this in two days", said Vince. "Made the graphics, applied them, the lot. They're really good!".

Officially the Top Fueller is not sponsored but is carrying the Purple colours to promote the charity Purple Dreams. "Purple Dreams is all about helping terminally-ill children and their families", said Vince. "We have been fundraising for them for five or six months whilst also putting this deal together. Steve Walker of Purple Loans has been superb, a really dynamic get-things-done person and a nice guy. Every deal which Purple Loans do generates some money for the charity."

The original plan was for the Andrews family to acquire a Fuel Funny Car and for Chris to drive that, but the Top Fueller turned out to be more economic (we are speaking relatively here). "We haven't shelved the Funny Car idea, but we're committed to two seasons with the Top Fueller now", said Vince. "We're very grateful to Knut Soderquist - he is another one of those people who gets things done."

We caught up with Chris Andrews who was by all accounts having a very hectic weekend with his job as bar manager keeping him busy as well as appearances at Autosport International. We asked Chris to begin by telling us all about his career path up to the present day. "Our family has always been racing", said Chris. "I watched every video we got, read every magazine, read anything I could find, and I knew I wanted to do this one day. Our family spent some time out of the country and we came back to England in 1998. I saw Barry Sheavills run at night and I had to have a go. In 1999 I raced the Customline and then went to the USA to get a Super Comp, Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster licence."

Chris ended up spending six months working at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School working on the school's race cars before being offered jobs on Bob Gilbertson's Fuel Funny Car and Bobby Baldwin's Top Fueller. "I did three races with them then came back to the UK in 2000", he said. "I sat out 2001 to work and to look at the options. I worked with Smax Smith last year, the idea was that I drove his Funny Car at non-Championship events to get seat time. We were talking about the getting a Fuel Funny Car to run a two-car team with Smax. We called Knut Soderquist to talk about getting a Funny Car but he converted us!".

Chris' Top Fuel licencing passes were described by several present as the best and most competent that they had seen. "I was very fortunate", said Chris. "The guys on the crew did everything and I just turned up and jumped in it. Alan Jackson was so helpful, I can't praise him enough. I asked him all sorts of questions and he was very patient, and of course he has been a driver so he knew what I was going through. The Top Fuel car is a beast! It handles differently to the Alcohol Dragster - the Fueller pulls all the way. With the Alcohol car you could - relatively! - relax after half track but with the Fueller you've got to be on top of it all the way in case a cylinder goes out or something."

Chris' eventual aims are to run in the NHRA Championship in the USA, and to be Crew Chief on a Top Fueller. "I want to learn as much as I can from Knut and Alan", he said. In the meantime he faces his first season racing against his heroes. "They're all great racers", he said, "but when you get in the car they're competitors and it doesn't matter whether they're a hero or not, you're going to try your best against them."

Knut Soderquist of Carbon By Design, who owns both of the Top Fuel Dragsters on show at the Santa Pod stand, told us about a company who have been helping a lot with his cars recently. "Armour Fabrications in Irchester, just round the corner from the Pod, started out by repairing blocks for me but now we have given them Micke's car which just arrived from the USA to have brackets fitted for the fuel management system. John at Armour also comes to Santa Pod on Sunday mornings when we find we have a leak in the fuel tank! He has also been working on mounting the new body on the Shockwave Funny Car, and Andy Carter's car is going there after the show for the new safety specs to be applied."

Knut said that Alan Jackson will be tuning both Micke Kågered's and Chris Andrews' Top Fueller this season. "People ask if all of my cars are running the same equipment, and they are", he said. "You don't have to say anything about Andy Carter - he's hungrier than ever! Micke is the most professional racer in the business and it will be good for Chris to be around him for a season to learn from a professional. Micke, Chris and Andy will all be running the full FIA tour, but Micke is concentrating on the FIA this year and so won't be racing on the Swedish Top Fuel Tour. I'm talking to some other racers about the Swedish tour, for example Susanne Callin, but nothing is definite yet."

If you are a regular reader of Eurodragster News you will know that we often hear from the guys at St Joseph's in the Midlands, who are involved in the F1 In Schools project. The F1 project teaches students about design and engineering, with teams designing and building carbon dioxide-powered model dragsters and then racing against other schools in a national championship. Adam Charnley of the St Joseph's team told us that they had in the past week come second in the UK Championship and third in the World Championship. Two UK teams came first and second in the World Championship, so the UK finally beat Australia at something! The St Joseph's dragster recorded an elapsed time of 1.005 over a 24-metre course at a scale speed of 189.09 miles per hour. The team were very grateful to Ian Turburville, Barry Sheavills and Eurodragster for sponsorship which helped their Championship quest.

Ian Jackson has just finished building a new engine for his and wife Sue's Custom Car Street Eliminator 'Vette. "The new engine is smaller displacement and has a single carb", said Ian. "We took it to Kenny Coleman to have it dyno'd and it made 676 horsepower without nitrous. There's trick stuff going on and even more trick with the nitrous! The secret is in the Antipodean heads. We fitted a computer before the last race and once we start to read what's going on with that it will make all the difference. Alan Cook has used the same computer on bikes in the past and he will be with us this year with his knowledge."

Fellow CCSE racer Andy Frost asked us to apologise to his fans for the lack of updates on his web site just recently. "My webmaster's computer has blown up and it is the only one with the passwords to get into the server", he said. On a happier note Andy is straining at the leash to get going in 2003, the feature in the current issue of Custom Car magazine has served to make him all the more excited. "I can't thank Mark Gredzinski enough for the job he did", he said.

Custom Car magazine editor Kev Elliott said that the magazine's stand, featuring three CCSE cars and a Pro Mod, had gone down well with visitors. "There have been a lot of open-mouthed people", he said. "We can take drag racing to a whole new market at shows like this - it's good for the sport and for Custom Car."

We managed to catch up with Super Comp racer Paul Marston just before he had to leave for his train home. Paul was at Autosport today to promote his Driver Tuition and Passenger Ride schemes, and he told us that both schemes have snowballed. "We have twenty driver days and forty passenger rides booked already", he said. "Most of the driver days are people who are building or who have just built a race car. That's encouraging for drag racing, with more racers entering the sport."

Santa Pod Raceway, Custom Car magazine, American Car Imports, the First National Telecom Top Fuel team and all of the racers put in a tremendous amount of time effort to promote the sport again at Autosport International 2003. Other motorsports could learn lessons from the dedication of the racers, crew and officials at the Show who were on their feet all day meeting and greeting the public and giving the sport a very good image. If the number of visitors to the displays, the number of calendars snapped up, and the number of mailing list forms translates into spectators through the gate then 2003 is going to be a very good year indeed.

You can find a large number of photographs in our Gallery, which you can reach from the event index.

Thanks for help and facilities today to Caroline, David, Debbie and Kelly of Santa Pod Raceway; thanks also to Kjell Pettersson, Fredrik Bernshed, Ian Marshall and Knut Soderquist.