It is Diamond Anniversary time for British drag racing. When Europe’s premier historic drag race, takes place at Santa Pod Raceway in July, its focus will fall on the events which gave birth to the sport in Britain six decades earlier.
Two American dragsters which featured prominently in those nascent years are being shipped once more across the Atlantic. Reflecting the drag race tradition of naming rather than numbering cars, Mooneyes and Dos Palmas will enjoy starring roles at Dragstalgia.
Dragstalgia’s display of distinguished American iron is not restricted to the four-wheeled classes. This year’s star turn among a host of vintage two-wheelers is a bike known as Hogslayer. Propelled by dual Norton engines on nitromethane, the mount of owner-rider TC Christenson, a native of Wisconsin, was the scourge of the US Top Fuel Motorcycle scene 50 years ago. Norton were so impressed by Christenson’s achievements that they shipped him and his bike to race in England no fewer than three times, and with a tip to the bike’s British mechanical heritage, Hogslayer nowadays resides at Coventry’s National Motorcycle Museum. ‘Hog’ is a nickname given to one of Wisconsin’s most famous industrial products, the Harley-Davidson motorcycle – hence Hogslayer, the Norton-powered slayer of Harleys on dragstrips across America.
On temporary release from its static spot in the museum, Hogslayer is being prepared for action once more. At Dragstalgia, the bark of twin Nortons on nitro will resound across the countryside for the first time in half a century.
Dragstalgia 2024 takes place at Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough NN29 7XA, from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th July. For full event information and to book tickets, visit https://santapod.co.uk/dragstalgia.php or telephone 01234 782828. As ever, access to the pits is free for a close-up view of Dragstalgia’s unparalleled array of historic racing machinery.
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