Dragstalgia, Santa Pod Raceway, England

A Golden Moment

Words and photos by Ivan Sansom and Rose Hughes
Thanks to TSI Timers (Europe) for access to the timing data

Ron Hope and his “Rat Trap” Bantam altered came from the U.S. to make an appearance. (Ivan Sansom photo)

Dragstalgia is now in its sixth year and it is still growing at a rapid rate of knots. The 2016 edition is likely to go down as the pinnacle of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Santa Pod track and deservedly so. Over 300 entries in the myriad of nostalgia classes and RWYB (Run What Ya Brung) section conducted under glorious skies, with plenty to talk about on and off track including the return of a duo of American fuel altereds going head to head with some of the best that the European nostalgia scene has to offer, and a lot of stuff that we’d never thought we’d see heading down track. (Sadly, we missed the first appearance of the 1961-1964 Allard Chrysler, the first British purpose-built dragster, moving under its own power down the SPR quarter following its lengthy and detailed restoration by the Allard Chrysler Action Group).