Who Inspired You?
Discussion
Might be an interesting thread, who inspired you when you first encountered drag racing? Who were your hero's and people that made a big impact on you?
For me, growing up in the '90s and into early 2000's around Santa Pod there's a good number of people who stood out on the track and always made time for that little kid standing around their pit taking it all in and sniffing the nitro. Clive Mechaell, Fredde Fagerstrom, John Spuffard, Gary Page, Jens Nybo and Anita Makela specifically. Getting to race against Gary in Chaos last year was a very proud moment. Over seas from watching NHRA videos over and over again the usual suspects, John Force & Big Daddy, and the less obvious but equally talented and inspiration Al Hoffman, KC Spurlock, Gary Ormsby.
Looking back now and having a fairly in depth knowledge of UK drag racing history people like Bootsie, Dennis Priddle, the Stones, etc are all pivotal but the above shaped my love for our fine sport
Having a nostalgic afternoon!
For me, growing up in the '90s and into early 2000's around Santa Pod there's a good number of people who stood out on the track and always made time for that little kid standing around their pit taking it all in and sniffing the nitro. Clive Mechaell, Fredde Fagerstrom, John Spuffard, Gary Page, Jens Nybo and Anita Makela specifically. Getting to race against Gary in Chaos last year was a very proud moment. Over seas from watching NHRA videos over and over again the usual suspects, John Force & Big Daddy, and the less obvious but equally talented and inspiration Al Hoffman, KC Spurlock, Gary Ormsby.
Looking back now and having a fairly in depth knowledge of UK drag racing history people like Bootsie, Dennis Priddle, the Stones, etc are all pivotal but the above shaped my love for our fine sport
Having a nostalgic afternoon!
Looking back the cars that got me hooked were Gordon appletons camaro back in the late 90s, spuffs showtime, and Barry shevills top fuel car, also freddies showmanship with his truck, smax smith for his loopiness, and lex joons valvoline funny car in the mid 90s got me hooked on floppers
In terms of sportsman racing ALs gasser, Paula atkins ford 100e, Clive meachalls fuel altered and the jacksons purple corvette
In terms of sportsman racing ALs gasser, Paula atkins ford 100e, Clive meachalls fuel altered and the jacksons purple corvette
I came to the sport relatively late. Freddy Fagerström obviously brought an element of showmanship that I loved. In the nitro ranks, I liked both Tommy Möller and Micke Kågered. But the car that really did it for me when I first started watching the sport was John Sleath's original Audi. It wasn't the quickest car in what at the time was CCSE. Steve Pateman was winning everything in his Calibra, but the huge bulge in the bonnet and the spoiler on the back gave the game away. In comparison, John's Audi was very stock looking, and yet still ran 8 second passes. I was sad to see it come to such an unfortunate end.
Well as I'm really Really old I was inspired by Dennis Priddle, Clive Skilton and of course "Bootsie".
Lower down in the classes then Russ Carpenter, Harold Bull and John Whitmore - amazing performances from small capacity british engines.
Later on Steve Green - always the gentleman and a fierce competitor.
Lower down in the classes then Russ Carpenter, Harold Bull and John Whitmore - amazing performances from small capacity british engines.
Later on Steve Green - always the gentleman and a fierce competitor.
Wow, great question. A tough one too! My earliest idols were definitely Don Garlits and Darrell Gwynn...flicking through the pages of National Dragster as a 3 and 4 year old i used to be fascinated by Swamp Rat 32 and the Budweiser streamliner and scribble my own versions. Needless to say my heart was broken during Easter 1990...i couldn't get home to start making a get well soon card quick enough! As i got a bit older my doorslammer fix grew bigger and bigger and it was the likes of Scotty Cannon, Randy Moore, Wally Bell, Tommy Howes etc that i was blown away by. On this side of the pond it was Tim Cook's tri-Chevys, Geoff Hauser and Dave Warne's Sierras and the rest of the early pro mods that floated my boat. I guess as pure inspiration goes though, as corny as it sounds, my biggest influence has to be my Dad. It was him who introduced me to the sport, invited me in to the garage to pass tools whilst he assembled Barry Sheavils' cylinder heads, and ultimately the person who trusted a snot nosed 11 year old to do jobs on what was then our project Camaro. Growing up i witnessed the blood, sweat and tears it takes to build and run a successful racing team and had the privilege to go from scraping 10 year old rubber off the underside of the bare shell, right through to championship winning crew chief. So i guess for that, where I'm concerned he'll always be "the man".
I will never forget watching a Pro Mod qualifying session at i think the Main event back in 2007 or 2008.
Weather not great on the Sunday morning and watching Danny Cockerill on 2 wheels somehow keeping it off the wall.
Our skyline was just into the 8's at that time & i just stood there with mouth open at the sheer bravery of the pro mod boys - amazing stuff
Weather not great on the Sunday morning and watching Danny Cockerill on 2 wheels somehow keeping it off the wall.
Our skyline was just into the 8's at that time & i just stood there with mouth open at the sheer bravery of the pro mod boys - amazing stuff
John Force all the way!
I somehow got hold of a 1996 NHRA season review videotape way back when I was 6 or 7, when Force really was at the top of his game, and the combination of a very likeable blue-collar driver and what I considered to be the best-looking car on the grid won me over.
To this day I'm still a Force fanboy when I manage to glimpse the odd round on ESPN
I somehow got hold of a 1996 NHRA season review videotape way back when I was 6 or 7, when Force really was at the top of his game, and the combination of a very likeable blue-collar driver and what I considered to be the best-looking car on the grid won me over.
To this day I'm still a Force fanboy when I manage to glimpse the odd round on ESPN
I think I was inspired by 'the scene' in general. A guy I worked with encouraged me to go and see drag racing at the 'Pod in early '80, and I was hooked. The next RWYB I was there in my own car.
As for influences through the years, Shirley Muldowney, Garlits & Force have always been the 'banner headlines' of the sport, but I've always enjoyed the doorslammer classes, particularly the Glidden/Johnson rivalry of the 80's & 90's.
Now there are so many inspirational cars around. 1,000+ bhp street cars that all look like they were built in an operating theater, Frosty's Pro-Mod is an absolute work of art and a credit to the 'sport' in general. I think we're in danger of discouraging newcomers to the sport though, as there is lots of coverage of the 'money' builds and very few media lines about the real 'built in a garage on a budget' cars.
As for influences through the years, Shirley Muldowney, Garlits & Force have always been the 'banner headlines' of the sport, but I've always enjoyed the doorslammer classes, particularly the Glidden/Johnson rivalry of the 80's & 90's.
Now there are so many inspirational cars around. 1,000+ bhp street cars that all look like they were built in an operating theater, Frosty's Pro-Mod is an absolute work of art and a credit to the 'sport' in general. I think we're in danger of discouraging newcomers to the sport though, as there is lots of coverage of the 'money' builds and very few media lines about the real 'built in a garage on a budget' cars.
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