2010 NEWS

Henry is in the news

Veteran Racer Henry Body is in the news.  Go to the Mail Online Website - CLICK HERE

New Drag Racing Book by Keith Lee

Keith Lee has emailed to inform me of his new book

Drag Bike Racing in Britain (from the mid sixties to the mid eighties).

Keith Lee is working to redress a long time omission in the world of drag racing in Britain, by writing the first book on the bike side of the sport, due for publication this coming September. He gives some details below:

There is a real need for a book celebrating the exploits of riders over the formative years of the sport, which was built on our strong sprinting tradition. Especially in the first half of the period covered, many riders combined sprinting and drag racing. The variety of machinery in those early years was quite amazing. Sadly, but inevitably, the sometimes weird and wonderful bikes have all but disappeared as the sport has progressed.

This book concentrates on the racers and their machinery over some 20 years, starting with the Drag Festivals in 1964, when the sport had its first real exposure to a major audience. It will also look at the visiting American riders who have had an influence on the sport over here, and at the spread of the racing into mainland Europe.

My own involvement started back in 1964 when, as a young spectator at the first Blackbushe meeting, I was instantly hooked. Over the following years I had involvement in most areas of the sport through to the mid 1980s. My bike racing achievements over 2 years we can quickly gloss over, other than saying the bike was truly unique!  

More sensibly I then started writing for Drag Racing News, which led to writing and photographing for many publications worldwide. For 10 years I was a commentator at Santa Pod, and also served on the BDR&HRA committee.

I enjoyed the fact that bikes and cars raced at the same events, but bikes were always a favourite. I spent many years as Dragstrip correspondent for Motor Cycle Weekly, covering straight line activities.

There will be 100 pictures, mainly my own, and most in colour, to illustrate the story. The book will be available to order via bookshops, or from Veloce Publishing direct. It is also currently listed on Amazon.

I hope everyone who reads it will enjoy the look back at an exciting period in the sport – especially the race to the first 8 second clocking. My picture of that storming run by Keith Parnell will certainly be one for the book – and it was great to catch up with him a couple of times last year for his final sprints.

http://www.veloce.co.uk/shop/products/productDetail.php?prod_id=V4314&prod_group=Motorcycl es%20&%20Scooters&PHPSESSID=91a49cd4df578cf1757cadc4fe936b40

www.keithleeimages.co.uk

Forum

A new board has been added to the forum for recording of projects and builds, blog style.

17-06-10

Apologies from the Webmaster

I hope that you like the new interface, I don’t know as I have had no comment either way.

The development of the site is taking longer than I anticipated.  The main casualties are the previous years results and the galleries.  There are hundreds of links and thousands of files to be moved across.

Please be patient.  

Apart from links to the word/pdf files from the previous years results, please help by letting me know of dead links.

Southern NSA Presentation Dinner - Saturday 27th February 2010   

19:00 for 19:30

The Calcot Hotel

98 Bath Road

Calcot Row

Calcot

Reading RG31 7QN

Tel: (0118) 941 6423

£27.50 per person to be paid before 1st Feb 2010 (cheques made payable to Mrs P Morgan, they can be post dated to any date before the 1st Feb). This function will only be held if we have received enough bookings before February.

Please book in time or the event will not be held.

Send to:

Mrs P Morgan

Seonag

23 Brackley Way

Totton

Hants SO40 3HP