Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway

Words and Pictures Ivan Sansom & Rose Hughes

In its second season, the Dragstalgia event at Santa Pod made a significant step forward from the enjoyable and highly rated first event last year. Yet again, on-track activity was shortened by rain (we’re getting heartily sick of standing wandering around dragstrips looking for shelter from the weather in 2012), and, due to other commitments, we were only able to pop over to catch activities on Saturday afternoon and evening so we managed to miss double motored blown slingshots, a Tri Chevy cruise in and the sun (yes! the sun put in appearance) on the Sunday, but hopefully this brief photo essay captures the essence of what is now a must-attend event on the Santa Pod calendar.

Pride of place has to go to the Allard Chrysler Action Group who have carried out sterling work restoring the UKs first dragster, originally built by Sydney Allard in 1961, after it had lain dormant in the National Motor Museum sans motor for a long period of time. The ACAG, under the chairmanship of Brian Taylor, were naturally out in force for the first public firing of the 354 Hemi with front mounted Potvin; no wonder Brian (far right) had a big smile on his face.

For those of us with a long interest in the two wheeled brigade, the small but perfectly formed bike demo was great viewing. A headliner at Dragstalgia last year was John Hobbs onboard the blown double Weslake Hobbit that was famous for the head to head battles with the late Henk Vink’s Big Spenders through the mid seventies and early eighties. Hobbs was straight back into the eight second zone with the Hobbit on his first outing over the weekend, and at a slightly more sedate pace onboard the Olympus blown single Triumph re-pop of his record setting mount back in the sixties.