The VXR Drag Racing Team's Pro Mod racer and Eurodragster.com blogger Andy Frost is exhibiting his Red Victor 3, which is in the final stages of build. Andy said "We will be fitting billet heads on the engine block and wiring and plumbing are needed and then it's off to the paint shop." The car has been on show in this form at Silverstone and will be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in its completed form following a planned Easter Thunderball debut. The car has produced huge amounts of interest and the build thread on the Rods n' Sods forum has over 150 pages. The car is also an official Pistonheads car, which has led to constructor Webster Race Engineering displaying it in the Pistonheads section of the show.

The cockpit view shows more dials than you would usually find in a pure race car, some of which are required by MOT construction rules. Andy said "This is the only car in the world that is both street legal and legal for NHRA Pro Mod. I want to take the quickest street legal time away from the Americans and we aim to go to Orlando and Englishtown to run the big street legal races they have there to show them what we can do."

He said "Fans have the opportunity to see the detail on the car. My thanks go to Jon and his team at Webster Race Engineering for bringing the car up to the show and for all the work they have done on it."

The engine will have the turbo pipes added after the show and this shot shows the additional cooling necessary for street use. The plan is to test the car privately before the Easter Thunderball at a WRE test day. The dates for these are 18 March, 17 June, 15 July and 23 September and are primarily for WRE customers and other select racers.

Eurodragster.com sponsor Jon Webster said "We have had thirteen cars in the shop recently including new '65 GTO for Street Eliminator Mark Todd with a full tube frame. We are also building a new '33 Willys Super Gas car for Chris Bishop.
"Our most innovative development is a prototype Super Street Bike for Jamie Sneddon that features a bespoke frame and four link rather than the usual swing arm. The class is limited to a 68" wheelbase and the four link allows for much more adjustment than was possible with the traditional setup." It will be in test mode and, when it is developed, Jon plans to sell it as a package to racers who will then bolt on fibreglass parts for their favourite bike type. WRE is producing gold 'dog tag' rings for the first four Super Street bikes to break the 200mph barrier.
Jon's own racing plans are a longer term challenge on the Street Eliminator championship with a tube chassis and twin-turbo engine.

Eurodragster.com sponsor Lucas Oil who support Andy Carter's new West-Tec Top Fuel team were represented by Worldwide Motorsports Manager Tom Bogner (pictured right). Tom said "I am very impressed with the drag racing scene in Europe after seeing the Main Event. It is alive and growing and there is more diversity in car types than in the US. I am a racer and it is great working with Andy. We also want to support Santa Pod more. These days there is a lot more testing of products and the types of oil a racer can buy varies enormously. We are developing new products following exchanging information with teams, and we have a new range with reduced zinc and phosphorous. We developed an oil especially for Junior Dragsters and are proud to be title sponsors of the UK Junior Dragster championship for 2011. Tom is pictured with Andy and Les Downey.

The Lucas Oils stand includes Andy Carter's son Albert's kart. Albert is sponsored by Lucas and by top Kart manufacturers Zip Kart, and has impressed seasoned professionals in his handling of the the machine. In 2010, Albert was selected by multiple kart champion Martin Hines to be a protégé of him in the Zip Kart Bambino Young Guns Team. In 2011 Albert starts the MSA British Cadet Championship Super 1.

Santa Pod sponsor Auto Glym is here with an impressive range of car care products. Marketing executive Elliott Coles explained that the retail range includes shampoo with rust inhibitor, polishes that eliminate light scratches, a special polish for black or dark coloured cars, wheel cleaner for chrome and anodised wheels that is acid-free. Also available are trade equivalents with capacity up to 200 litres.

A familiar face at UK race meetings is MSA and ACU steward Chris Hobson. Chris has the honour of being chairman of the British Motorsport Marshals Club which provides marshals for all UK racing events. He said "It's the biggest marshals club in the world with over 2000 members. In February a UEM seminar will be held in Amsterdam, which four UK clerks of the course and ACU scrutineers will be attending. UEM officials from across Europe will be there and the aim is to increase the pool of qualified scrutineers and race officials."

On the Go Motorsport stand, the organisation for people wanting to make a start in motorsport, Paul Webster's Super Street Mini is on display. The car is used for circuit and drag, where slicks and nitrous are used. Modifications are off the shelf engine items in a stock bodyshell. Robin Jackson is representing drag racing on the stand and revealed that there will be three or four new cars or combinations in the UK's MSA Pro Mod championship in 2011 to strengthen the class further, as well as uprated equipment from class leaders.

Eurodragster.com sponsor Motorshack is producing its own brand of performance additives for petrol, diesel, oil and methanol in addition to importing and distributing tools, fuel and lubricants. Managing Director Steve Wood said "The additives include octane booster, power booster and fuel system cleaner and are legal for all classes." The Motorshack stand includes publicity for Shakespeare County where it is a lane sponsor.

Motorshack's stand includes two oil drums advertising fuel additives. With these, Glenn Robson ran 11.40 seconds at 124mph to become officially the UK's fastest Renault 5 turbo.

Eurodragster.com sponsor Sunoco was represented by (pictured left to right) Jim Crozier from Ireland, Lake Speed from supplier Joe Gibbs Racing Oil in the US and Shaun Williams, based in the UK. Shaun said that the company is active in the Scandinavian drag racing market through distributor Lars Ruud in Norway. An achievement in 2010 that Jim is proud of was Irishman Jack Frost getting the land speed record for the fastest road bike at 262 mph (another feat is fastest wheelie at 187 mph) at Elvington. Sunoco is UK distributor of Joe Gibbs Racing Oils which is used by the majority of NHRA Pro Stock racers, Jason Line having been an employee of JGR for dyno testing. NASCAR is a key market for Sunoco as it is the exclusive fuel supplier, meaning that performance advantage depends on the type of lubricant rather than fuel. However Lake pointed out that longevity is a prime objective as too exotic an oil could result in corrosion and engine damage during a race.

Eurodragster.com sponsor Nimbus Motorsport is headed up by Steve Clark who is pleased with trading. New lines that are selling well are System 1 Oil Filters and Microtemp Digital Infrared Thermometers, which a required equipment for many racers as they can remotely measure tyre, track and exhaust temperature. As well as drag racing, Nimbus is involved as supplier to circuit racing, for instance the next generation touring car. But drag racing is Steve's main sport and heat and sound protection products of Nimbus are particularly relevant. Steve mentioned that Nimbus partner and 2008-9 Super Mod Champion Nigel Payne is returning to the racing wars for a full season and that the class is going to see an expanded number of cars this season thanks to stable rules.

The restoration of Britain's first AA/FD has been a labour of love for Brian Taylor (background) and Stu Bradbury of the Allard Chrysler Action Group. Santa Pod's track announcer and starter from the early days have spent a huge amount of time and thought to recreate as exactly as possible the Hemi engine that powered the car when raced by Sydney and Alan Allard. The engine in the car had consisted of original headers, blower pipes and manifolds only, because it had been used in Clive Skilton's Revoluton after its racing days finished.

The most challenging part of the engine restoration was the front mounting of the 6-71 blower as it required a special adaptor, fortunately available at Beaulieu from a previous restoration. When a historically accurate 354cu in '56 Chrysler Hemi engine was located, the project moved on. The accuracy extends to the plain rocker covers and plug lead covers. A later, but still correct, Vortex magneto and Hilborn injector were added and the engine internals modified or custom made. The engine work was carried out by Booth-Arons. For the purpose of Cacklefest the car will, for maximum effect, be running a 90% nitro load, much higher than the modest percentage in the car's heyday. For more details, see here

Brian and Stu are grateful to all supporters of the ACAG and to US engineering firms that helped supply or modify parts. There will be a certain amount of work carried out on the body and chassis of the Allard Chrysler to replace chrome, brake and steering parts as well as a test for cracks. Brian said "We are looking to fire the engine up as a minimum this year and aim to put it in a cacklefest when the rest of the work is completed." Potential racers wishing to be in the cockpit for this auspicious moment should form an orderly queue behind ACAG Patron and Pink Floyd member Nick Mason.

Motul, the French oil company, is the major sponsor of John Bradshaw's Project Zed. Jason Lavender said "We have had a fantastic amount of interest in the car in its new vinyl wrap. It was unveiled to the press on Thursday and some visitors have said it was the only car they wanted to see." The car uses the 300V Motul product rated at 20/60SAE and the car does up to three passes before the oil needs changing, impressive for a methanol-fuelled car. Motul UK import the oil for resale to the UK trade and a number of HKS teams use their products.

Nigel Hoskison of Eurodragster.com and Showtime Fuel FC sponsor Allegheny Technologies said that the company's web site statistics were recently analysed and that the most referrals came from Eurodragster.com. "That was ahead of our parent company and the Industry trade body!", he said. Nigel said that business increased by twenty per cent last year. "That's volume driven and not price driven and it doesn't tell the whole story", he said. "The Formula 1 testing ban caused a drop-off but we've clawed that back and passed it. We supply all twelve Formula 1 teams and our latest success is the Allvac 38-644 alloy which we supply exclusively for suspension components. That alloy was on Showtime long before it ever saw a Formula 1 car! Sales of the nickel alloy we introduced for exhaust applications a couple of years ago continue to grow with our customers supplying exhausts to Formula 1, Nascar, and Le Mans teams. We also supply materials for the Leanders clutch. We're continuing with our support of Showtime this year as it's good for our business. Everyone we bring to the track is impressed. It's a successful partnership with Showtime and with drag racing, long may it continue!"

We caught up with UK Super Pro ET racer Dave Ward (centre) as he visited new sponsor Mini Gears. The Rampage team recently announced that Dave King is to drive the team's Funny Car which was vacated by Dave W when he acquired his dragster. "I had two cars and a depleted bank balance", said Dave. "I couldn't sell the Funny Car, although a lot of people wanted to buy the body!". Mini Gears Business Development Manager Nigel Walker (right) explained that he had got talking with Rampage team member Jeff Hart and that Jeff had told him about the new dragster. "I had been to Santa Pod before", said Nigel, "and knowing Jeff was a good reason to go back". "We produce specialist bespoke gears and transmission shafts for all types of motorsport application", said Chairman Paul Darwent (left). "We have just installed a Hofler grinding machine which finishes gear teeth to high tolerances to reduce noise and increase performance. We are going to machine parts for Dave's car. This is quite new for us - we could tell you a lot about stair lifts!"

Patrik Larsson handles PR for the new Tierp Arena in Sweden as well as managing the excellent web site of FIA European Pro Modified Champions the Lindberg Brothers. We firstly asked Patrik how construction was getting on at Tierp. "At the start of the week, piling started for Race Control", he said. "The frame is coming in a couple of weeks and building will start as soon as it does. We still have snow there! The track surface is concrete for 432 metres and a width of 18 metres. It will be ground before preparation starts. Work is continuing on the guardrails, which will line one kilometre on each side of the track. We are preparing the ground for a pit area of 200 metres by 200 metres - it will be a skid training area when not used as pits. Our first race is a Nordic Drag Racing Series round on 7th-8th May and then an International race, which we hope will be FIA, on 9th-12th June."

Patrik said that Johan and Johnnie Lindberg are working on a new motor. "We need more power to go quicker and faster, to get a better terminal speed", he said. "Last year's motor will be the spare. We still have Rockstar sponsorship and we are determined to keep the Championship for them. This season we will have a professional film guy at all of the rounds and of course our live web site updates will continue. We need to move up a couple of levels."

The UK's Turner Motorsport Top Methanol team were very pleased to announce a sponsorshop deal with hoses, fittings and cooler manufacturer Goodridge. Goodridge's UK Sales Manager for Motorsport James Wills explained that the deal came at just the right time as they wish to expand their business in Europe. "We have a big presence in the USA", said James (centre, Group MD Bill Ray right). "We work with the R2B2 team and with Will Hanna. We are making great gains in modernising what is 1950s technology - braided hose and rubber tubing. Over the last five to ten years we have developed new products which are lighter and more durable. We work with PTFE Teflon which is inert and so which will not react to any race fuel or liquid put through it - one benefit is that a single hose type fulfils all requirements. You can plish the Teflon for a smooth bore which you can't do with rubber. The alternative is a convoluted bore which makes for a lightweight and flexible solution. The day before Carmel called, we had been discussing how to get more involved in the UK and Europe! We need to get it out there. The Turners are going to supply Goodridge service at trackside with product and service available courtesy of our staff. This will not only happen at Santa Pod as we have local agents around Europe who can go to the other races. We're involved with sports cars, rallying and other motorsport so we keep a lot of product at our base in Silverstone and we can provide quick deliveries and turn-rounds. It's a proper British-built product!". "It is a very impressive product too", said Steve Turner (right). "I just could not believe how good it was". James attended one of the FIA rounds at Santa Pod last year and finally got to meet Will Hanna after working with him for seven years. "Will is a really great guy", he said. "In fact everyone is so friendly. What I love about getting involved is that it's all about the sport and the atmosphere is superb". Sponsorship announcements aside it has been a sad week for Goodridge as Stuart Goodridge, who started the hose and fitting business, passed away this week.

Finally Steve and Carmel said that the Turner Motorsport Top Methanol Dragster is to be parked for 2011 and that the team will run the Top Methanol Funny Car exclusively. "Rob is really ready for it", said Carmel. "He's comfortable in the car and now we are going to races to win!". "I will have a go of the Funny Car later this year", said Steve. "Probably a burnout and a launch to see how I like it."

Tom Keating, General Manager of Eurodragster.com sponsor Dart Machinery said that business has been good. "The market in the UK is good and consistent and has enabled us to grow", he said. "Dave Powell of Performance Unlimited is our distributor and he is a good guy - he really knows the product. The end users here in the UK and Europe are much more educated and we enjoy working with them. We find that the Small Block Chevy is very dear to UK racers and that a very big block means 496 cubes! We supply short block assemblies and top end kits which go down to gaskets and spark plugs. We like to work with the direct market."

As we finished speaking to Chris he was approached by a fellow component manufacturer asking how many bolts he would have to buy to secure a discount. "Half a million", Chris replied.

Steve Green's popular seven-second Cortina will be making a return to the track at the Auto Trader Easter Thunderball. "I will be running in Super Modified", he said. "It's two years since I last ran. It's still the six-litre Rover which has run 7.8s but we have got to make it go quicker. We've got room for some more nitrous but that's all - I can't make the car any bigger! I am still sponsored by John Woolfe Racing who have stuck by me all these years even when times were hard". Steve escaped before we could take the lens cap off the camera.