Marking 60 years of British drag racing, Dragstalgia 2024 celebrated nostalgia and power with a host of special guests, top class racing, and displays of machines from days gone by.
Reflecting the drag racing tradition of naming rather than numbering cars, the Mooneyes and Dos Palmos dragsters enjoyed starring roles throughout the weekend. Having been transported by a container ship from the USA a few weeks earlier, the pair were joined by Britain’s first dragster, the Allard-Chrysler, on loan from the National Motor Museum for a unique reunion of vehicles around at the inception of British drag racing.
The 2024 Mooneyes is a faithful replica of the original 1963 original. Its methanol burning engine drew the crowds as owners Chico Kodama and Shige Suganuma fired it up in the pits on a damp Saturday morning. The Dos Palmas is the original vehicle. Its chassis built by drag racing legend Tommy Ivo, the dragster was brought to England for the 1964 and 1965 British International Drag Festivals. It was these inaugural Festivals that kickstarted the sport in the UK and paved the way for Europe’s first permanent drag strip, Santa Pod Raceway, opening on Easter Monday 1966.
Much like the Festival in 1965, this year’s Dragstalgia was beset by almost biblical weather. If you were camping in a tent, you would have almost certainly been woken by the storm on Friday night… But this didn’t dampen spirits, as by early afternoon on Saturday the track was dry, and the day’s schedule finally got underway starting with the Dragstalgia Cannonball and an adrenaline-fueled display of dragsters and nostalgic funny cars.
The track crew added to the sense of nostalgia dressed in Mooneyes hats and Revell uniforms.
For the hotrodding community, the NSRA team ran the show and shine in the vintage village area, promoting the club and the upcoming NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals, whilst NSRA members enjoyed the track action from the best seat in the house – the startline VIP suite! This is where the spectators got the best view of the tense moment the Mooneyes dragster fleetingly lost control and pirouetted on the track. Narrowly avoiding the barrier, the driver regained control and completed the quarter mile run.
Other jaw dropping moments included the Havoc fuel altered officially setting a new European record and MSUK record with a 6.0440 at 237.43mph, winning the ‘Moment of Dragstalgia’ award in the process. The Outlaw Anglia’s were back in the 6’s too, with Colin Millar’s 6.95 at 197mph in the Flyin’ Fyfer.
Rounding off the weekend, the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame announced their latest inductees. This year’s roll call includes motorcyclists Ray Baskerville and Pete Miller, the Huxley Family, funny car driver John Spuffard, FireForce’s jet powered dragster principal Martin Hill, and Yorkshire’s Melbourne Raceway-based Straightliners.
We’ll be catching up with the NSRA team next at the NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals on the 1st – 4th August 2024. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Enjoy the photos!
