Autosport International 2004
Saturday

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The first public day of Autosport 2004 was very popular indeed, with crowds thronging the halls of the NEC to take a look at the latest race machinery. It was also the first day of Santa Pod Raceway's display and we returned to the NEC to take a look in association with American Car Imports.

Santa Pod were débuting some of their new promotional equipment including a new trailer and Santa Pod Raceway's new show Top Fueller. The show-only Top Fueller, which was acquired from Knut Söderquist, has some history since it was originally a Kenny Bernstein car and last saw action on the track in the hands of Robin Read a few years ago. The car has been painted in Santa Pod's corporate blue and looks very smart indeed, and we understand that the engine features several parts used by Smax Smith in winning the FIA Championship. The new trailer is bedecked in race photographs and is very eye-catching; inside is a lounge for entertaining VIPs, sponsor and media.

As well as the Top Fueller and new trailer, Santa Pod's Junior Dragster, Andy Carter's GoTalk-sponsored Top Fuel Dragster, the Fireforce 2 Jet Funny Car, Steve Carey's Top Fuel Bike and Ian Turburville's Supertwin Fuel bike represented drag racing and the display was never anything less than crowded. SPR's new calendars and flyers were also in evidence with the best reading "Drag Racing tells it straight, the others just send you round in circles!"

David Lloyd-Jones of Santa Pod Raceway told us that Santa Pod will next be appearing at the Xtreme Wheels Show at London's Alexandra Palace. The Top Fueller will again be on display. SPR's Track Manager Kjell Pettersson added that SPR will also have a Show Funny Car in the not-too-distant future. "We have the chassis already", he said.

Top Fuel Bike racer Steve Carey told us that he is looking forward to the 2004 season. "We're going to move on from last year", he said. "We're still on the learning curve. All we have done since the end of the season is rebuilt engine and put a new tyre on it. Until we've made some full passes we're not going to change anything, we learned that lesson last time we raced. We're going to have some fun!"

Top Fuel Dragster racer Andy Carter was accompanied by wife Sarah and son Albert, who is growing fast. Andy is very pleased with the appearance of the GoTalk-sponsored Show car, which will also act as a spare in 2004. "The paint was done by Peter Raimbach at Impact Body Shop in Iver", said Andy. "Everyone is saying that it looks really nice". Andy is very much looking forward to the start of the season. "I just can't wait, I want to get out there and get at them!", he said. "Rune Fjeld is coming over in March to bring the race car over so that we can get it painted up the same as the Show car. We haven't really stopped since the crash in Norway, but now that we've got this car here we can at least relax for one weekend. And I've now got a spare car in case I have any more accidents!". "Can I borrow it if I need to?" asked fellow Top Fuel racer Micke Kågered.

Bob Gleadow of Time Machine Racing said that his Comp Eliminator Altered will be sporting a new body this season. "I can't tell you what it is, though", he said, adding in a whisper "It's a '34 Ford Victoria". Going back to his normal speaking voice Bob continued "It used to belong to Clive Mechaell and we have spent about a year persuading Bob Glassup to let us have it! It's going to look like a hot rod. We needed a heavier body to make the weight for Comp. We're also adding a three-speed auto instead of a 'glide, that will be fitted by Doug Ripley after the altered has appeared on the Lucas Oil stand at the Xtreme Wheels Show."

Paul Marston has had a good response to his appeal for race vehicles to attend the Brentwood show next weekend. Charles Berg's rocket dragster, Paul Marston Racing's Alien altered and Sandra Chaplain's Comp Bike are lined up, and we understand that SPR's Show dragster may also attend.

FIA European Pro Stock Champion Michael Malmgren asked us to mention him. OK, he also said that he should have some news for us soon.

Gittli Koller of Germany's Peter Schöfer Racing Top Methanol Dragster team told us that the team broke nothing at all in 2003. "We have new parts on way", she said, "of course we will try to get our championship back this year. We are talking with sponsors at the moment, hopefully can announce a big deal soon". Gittli wouldn't be drawn on Peter running a 5.3. "We are not going to cross that bridge before we come to it!", she said. Peter and the team are taking the dragster to Italy's biggest motor show in Padua next weekend, and then they are off to the USA to attend the pre-season testing and cheer on European Champion Dave Wilson.

Back at the Custom Car magazine stand, Ultimate Power Championship promoter and Eurodragster Links sponsor Lee Child said that in 2004 he would be concentrating on three national/Ultimate Power rounds. "People have expressed that it would be good to have a fourth event, but at the moment we need to concentrate on making the existing three events even bigger. We will be having a lot more test and tunes this year, track will be fully prepped for each event as we want it to get faster and faster". Lee said that he would be looking to build upon improvements made in the running of events through 2003. "At the start of the season no-one knew what to expect from me promoting an event", he said. "The Excitement nationals had some problems but we turned it round for the Power Nationals and it was well-received by the racers. The improvements continued at the Allstar Nationals and it has put us in a strong position for this year. It's all down to teamwork, including the support of the 2003 sponsors some of whom have already renewed for 2004 - they add to the confidence. A big thank you is due to Anthony Hodges for his support and enthusiasm, the teamwork from APIRA and the staff of Shakespeare County Raceway, Darren Prentice and Sharky for the awesome track prep, and eurodragster.com."

FIA European Championship promoter and CEO of Santa Pod Raceway Keith Bartlett told us that his weekend is going well. "The stand grows every year, and the response from public is overwhelming", he said. "My weekend so far has been meetings with the MSA, the MIA and sponsors. Tomorrow we have the Power Racing Promotions meeting between promoters and representatives of the racers. These meetings allow the teams and promoters to find out how each other feel about things, and I think that it makes the sport more transparent".

Keith sees the expansion of television coverage as the big success story of 2003. "We've had twenty three shows broadcast in the USA and the Middle East, and I promised and delivered the most ever TV coverage in Sweden, on three mainstream channels. That market is very important for Swedish racers and that was my target for last year - this year I intend to do the same for Germany. All the work I've put in on the UEM Championship is also paying off. Last year we got the first sponsors, they are all stepping up this year and others we coming in, I feel that the potential for the UEM Championship is huge."

The 2003 FIA Championship is to remain at six rounds in 2003. "We need to come further south in Europe, into France and Spain, but it's a case of ensuring that the teams can afford to do all these dates so you have to find the balance", said Keith. "I've been negotiating with two major companies but the deals need eighteen months' or so work so it might be 2006 before these deals start."

On the Santa Pod domestic front, Keith said that the intention is to try to put new concrete barriers down the right hand side of the shutdown area, install a new shower block, and tarmac the staging lanes and catering area. He was bullish about Santa Pod's current state of health. "Drag racing has stepped up two or three levels in the last few years", he said. "People go on and on about the "good old days" of the seventies - I was around then and I can tell you that the gates in those days were nothing like we are getting now. There's more teamwork with the clubs and the racers - back in the "good old days" it was like World War Three every week. I also look at the continuity of staff at Santa Pod and that's a key factor in the success of any company."

We took a number of other photographs at Autosport today, which you can view by clicking here.

We would like to thank Lee Child, Nigel Hoskison and Keith Bartlett all of the staff at Santa Pod Raceway for their help and hospitality at Autosport this weekend. Eurodragster's Autosport International coverage has been brought to you in association with American Car Imports.