Manky Monkey Motors

25th anniversary NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Shakespeare County Raceway.

From the SCR website http://www.shakespearecountyraceway.com/eventdetails.asp?event=85

More than 200 show quality Street Rods and American Muscle Machines are expected to to this special NSRA co-ordinated event for three action packed days of 'street legal drag racing’ for pre ’73 high dollar hot rods and big block custom cars that were special before the land went decimal.

The fifties was the cornerstone for drag racing and it’s events like the Original Hot Rod Drags and the Nostalgia Nationals which help to recreate the golden days of hot rodding on disused airfield’s and the dry lake beds. Where else can you expect to see period Flathead roadsters and coupes, 200 mph blown methanol injected hot rods, ground thumping dragsters, big blocked Fiats and classic blown Willys Coupes? This weekend of course!


some pics etc from the 2012 event
http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10383.0

Right, lots of photos, so let's get started.
Plot details -took the Pop along. Fully intended to race it in the "run what ya brung" class, but rain in the morning persuaded me otherwise. A couple of slippery moments on the A34 on the way up there confirmed that greasy roads & skinny crossplies aren't a good mix.
The truck did see trackside service though, as a tow car for the "Chemical Reaction" slingshot dragster. I wanted to go for a wander around the site, so my big brother Brock took the keys & immediately pronounced the Pop the official tow car.
First time I've been to the drags on a Saturday, so I was able to stay on for the evening "Cacklefest". As the light faded, the fire-up lane was cleared & 25 or so cars were driven past the crowds in the grandstands, tyre smokin' the length of the lane, before lining up on the track below a firework display. I left before the band took to the stage in the marquee in the evening, but I'm reliably informed they were "crackin".
A good day.   

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Always lots of junior dragsters, tot rods & pull along kiddie cars -this one's a Mercury lead sled & the lucky owner cruised the pits in the evening, pulled by her Dad, with working lights & blue underglow lighting, (the car, not her Dad).

Ford model Y with a fibreglass model T body.

How it's supposed to look.

Willys coupe. 'glass bodied I think.

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One of my favourites of the meet. "Frankenstein" Chevy gasser. Not sure about the blocks of wood between the axle & springs, but I guess it works.
Sherpa van axle?

that willy's passed sva test, is a regular at our club meets, lives 20 mile up the road. great guy, also gota 29? roadster, a 50's pick up and use's a vaux victor as a daily.

Just proves the BIVA registration test ain't as impossible as some would have you believe doesn't it. You can build a "proper" hotrod & still be completely legit.

The guy with the little blue Bedford Rascal van was on t' telly last year. I've seen clips on YouTube of him driving it across America from one drag meet to another, with all his spares & his missus loaded inside. Runs a Vauxhall red top motor I think.

Lots of ex magazine feature cars cruisin' the pits. Both of these were racing.

i watched alot of the racing saturday on the cam.

Yeah, there was a live web feed from a camera on top of the commentary box. Looked a bit wet there today, but was dry yesterday.

"Chemical reaction", sporting one of our special Go Faster stickers.

"LandRover" was pretty damn quick.

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Scottie the hotrod haulier's Pinto powered "Tiki Munki" & some Tiki sculpture.

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They say there's no young blood in the custom scene. I dis-agree. Lots of youngsters actively involved in the race world.

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"Henry HiRise". One of my all time favourites. A top 70s/80s show n strip car, rebuilt & back out on the track looking better than ever.

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One lady owner. Only raced at weekends.

Mark 3 Cortina?

Exactly the paint scheme my ex, Tazet, wanted on her Dodge Charger. Gunmetal grey with black detailing.

Four wheel drive Moggy Minor.

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For some, the 60s/70s never went away.

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"Anxious". Not quite as nose high as it was last year. Cool car.
Ford Pops have always been the typically British hotrod. Dozens here, in every guise imaginable -including mine.

VW Beetle body.

Hillman Avenger?

"Twister". Famed for crazy wheel standing launches. Once road legal T bucket.

"Roarin Rat". Another living legend. Owner Ken Brookes lives about 20 miles from me.

Members of "The Gasser Circus".

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Very cool. Chevy truck chassis & wheels, fibreglass body -& Rolls Royce power. Bet it's the only Roller with a gold metalflake steering wheel.

Shall we have a look around the campsite?

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A "Long Roof". Removable triangular exhaust header plates behind the front wheel arches hint at more than surfing use.

Satin black fibreglass model B roadster was Q plated.

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I do like a nice van.

I'm sure I snapped the same kid, in the same car, in the same place last year.

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This little Austin A40 ran a 10.9 second pass at 121mph and carried the front wheels about 100 feet down the track, passing the 60 feet marker in 1.4 seconds, done on the back wheels.
It's a real budget racer and still runs the same 300 quid 383ci motor the owner bought from Ebay 3 years ago.

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Nice little T bucket had Jag back axle & Ford V6 motor.

Same fibreglass Pop dashboard as mine.

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Back to the track.

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A pair of Opuses -1970s kit cars.

Hillman Avenger it is................  ;)

Nice pics Andy.

A lot of the shots of the competition cars parked on the slightly-less-than-pristine tarmac reminds me of Blackbushe back in the early 70's......................

Retro racing with retro tarmac!

The totrods race as seriously as the big boys.

A bike shot for you Tony.

My favourite Pop at the moment.

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Mighty Mopar Suzy Q, one of a contingent from across the channel. The gorgeous blonde stood in front of the car is the driver.

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A sobering moment as the "Jed Guy" Pop skips, clips the guardrail & ends up on it's roof. Bad taste to post these? Not sure. The driver walked away from it though, so I'm assuming it's O.K. Just brings home the fact that this is a very dangerous sport. One of 2 crashes over the weekend, both Pops.

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Proves the strict safety regulations work. Cars can always be rebuilt. Thankfully it was only metal this time.

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for sale/swap on rods n sods  ;)

Tis a lovely machine Mike.

Scottie the hotrod haulier & family.

Gina, Mrs Scottie -"Andy, one of these days I'm gonna shove that camera right up your ****"
Well that's not very lady-like is it.  :o

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Crowd pleasing down the fire-up lane for the evening "Cacklefest".

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A traditional push start for Gina from hubby Scottie in the Chevy sedan.

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All running together & lined up along the track.

A spectacular end to the day's racing.
One of the long standing track officials died recently. During the afternoon's races his ashes were scattered on the grass bank where the fireworks were launched. Going out with a bang.

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I really enjoyed my day at Shakey. Great to finally take part in a rod after so many years of just spectating. Maybe next time I'll try it down the track.

Manky's photo of the little Allard, an Allard Dragon, shows quite an important machine in the UK's drag racing history as it was one of the first that was made available to buy to the general public. The Dragon is powered by a supercharged 1500 ford lump, and by all accounts performed pretty well in its day!
http://www.allardregister.org/dragon-kit-dragster/

Allard refers to Sydney Allard   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Allard
the gentleman who used to make large British sports cars with big American engines, and who invited the yanks over for the Dragfest series of events in 1964, and who built the country's first proper dragster.
http://www.allardregister.org/dragster/

The car photographed by Andy was the actual car driven at Blackbushe '64 by, amongst others, a chap by the name of Denis Jenkinson http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9671.30
who was a bit of character to put it mildly!! (There could easily be a film made along lines of "The Worlds Fastest Indian" covering the antics Jenks got up to!!! I kid you not)

Jenks also rode a bike at the 64 Dragfest, and as far as I'm aware, was the only person to both drive and ride at the Dragfest.


Here are some shots from the 2011 event, and one shows this little Allard wheel-standing off the line.
http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9671.30

Being "the other side of the fence" gives things a whole new light!!!!  :D

Glad the driver was OK..........

adam sayers chevy, the steering wheel in my old minx came from this!!!!

(http://media400.dropshots.com/photos/1101204/20130915/144216.jpg)


boots!!!!!


(http://media402.dropshots.com/photos/1101204/20130915/144002.jpg)

great selection of pics andy, thank you for taking the time to post them.

My pleasure. Every person there seemed to have a camera, but not a lot of piccies online that I can find.
I wandered past the Allard & just though Nice Motor -much more interesting when you know a little of the story behind it.

I always think that about mag write ups, a bit more personal background brings a vehicle to life.

This year I was committed to taking photos of a local Marathon race - home to be there next year - with camera!

Or of course I might have to go to the Brighton burnup!