When the US tourists that were the headline acts of the mid Sixties Dragfests arrived on these shores they were surprised by the breadth and diversity of the motorcycle based straightline machinery that was available, thanks to the long tradition of sprinting within the UK and exemplified by organisations such as the National Sprint Association (founded in 1958 and still going strong today) and the VMCC. The supercharged Vincent Methamon sidecar combination has perhaps gained the most notorious of these as this was the vehicle that Tommy Ivo took that passenger ride on with Maurice Brierley all those years ago. Now in the caring hands of Chris Illman, it still looks terrifying!

The Wild Bunch nostalgia group were out in force with class newcomer Bradley Cooper making early passes behind the Back from the Past flathead slingshot. Bradley’s father Ken is one of the pioneers of hot rodding and drag racing in the UK, was among the first competitors at Santa Pod during it’s opening season in 1966 and a long-time stalwart of the British Flathead Racers Association. Bradley’s ride evokes the Blast from the Past slingshot that took Ken on many a trip down UK dragstrips before a 30 year break from the sport, but fiddling around with sidevalves is something that is clearly in the blood and gives father and son something to do over the weekend.