|
Mickey Naylor suddenly headed skyward straight from the start line, my new motor-drive on my trusty Nikon F2S whirred away and as he went past reaching the zenith of the wheelie in a shower of sparks, my pride and joy stopped! It turned out that I had loaded a twenty shot film not the usual thirty-six and missed the last front engined Top Fuel car's stomach churning barrel rolls! It did provide however, possibly some of my most spectacular series of shots. Sweden's Kent Persson went on to take the win in that 1978 Santa Pod Raceway September International final leaving Naylor to emerge almost unscathed from the wreck.
Mickey Naylor.
My young teenage life changed in my local cinema in Hitchin, Hertfordshire back in August 1965 as I sat through a now cringingly embarrassing movie called Bikini Beach. I have only recently seen it again having purchased the DVD in 2005! It contained no more than six to eight minutes of American Drag Racing in the 1964 era with glimpses of Tommy Ivo and Don Garlits but watching those short wheel-based Top Fuel cars smoking up the track turned me into the nitro junkie that I still am today. Hot Rod magazine was immediately subscribed to, even on my paltry engineering apprentice wage of less than a fiver a week but I marvelled at the photos of all those wonderful machines though was quite oblivious to any kind of action in Britain!
As I paraded around a proud Mod in my parka on my Vespa during the mid sixties, Drag Racing took a backseat as I was suddenly smitten by love for the first and only real time in my life, nothing else mattered or existed, it totally consumed me from 1967 until early 1969 when of course she dumped me and broke my heart. It was then with an uncluttered mind I finally got to hear of Santa Pod and attended the Easter Monday event of that year. Having been re-hooked for real this time on Drag Racing my interest in photography re-emerged and I longed to get nearer the action and copy my American photographer idols – people like Jon Asher, Steve Reyes and Bob McClurg, all of whom I am now delighted to know and sometimes work alongside. One of the first photos I took with a little Halina 35mm snapper whilst hanging over the chain-link fence at Santa Pod was of Cliff Jones in the fabulous ‘Crescent Coupe' Top Dragster as he came into stage at the 1970 July Internationals.
Cliff Jones.
My ambition was realised in 1972, I managed to get trackside, blagging a freelance photographer's pass and with my 35mm Zenith camera and a Soligor 400mm lens made my way along the then open steel fence that acted as a guard rail. Probably one of my first photos here was of Kevin Pilling in his Competition Altered ‘Pure 7' taken on 12th June ‘72. I had no outlets then for the photographs I took but used to amaze my workmates and family with bold tales of how close I was to take these photos and be near the racers I so envied. During the stunning 1973 events when Americans Tony Nancy in his Top Fueller, Don Schumacher and Paula Murphy with their Funny Cars came and raced in England, I got to know Drag Racing News photojournalist Peter Hendry who introduced me to the then Editor and Track Manager, Dave Watts and so started my still very proud alliance with Santa Pod Raceway.
Kevin Pilling.
Through Santa Pod Raceway and Drag Racing News my photographic work became better known and I had a number of features used in publications including Japan, the Middle East and Australasia and in the home of Drag Racing the United States. Many still believe photography is my sole job but in actual fact I am a mechanical design engineer by trade. However, in recent years I have had to exist on my dwindling savings as engineering jobs become scarce so I guess I am a full time motorsport photojournalist nowadays but fail miserably on making a living from it. In 1978 I was suddenly thrown in at the deep end when I took over as Publisher and Editor of Drag Racing News as Dave Watts retired – I hadn't got a clue but a friendly printer pointed me in the right direction and I manually pasted together the monthly publication for over ten years, no computers, no digital or electronic mail in those days! I never believed that one day I would get trackside in America but in 1979 with the help of good friend and then Top Fuel Bike rider Ian Messenger we covered the NHRA World Finals at Ontario Motor Speedway for D.R.N. I was also lucky enough to visit Sweden's Mantorp Park in the same year, it was all a dream come true. I spent an awful lot of time and my money keeping D.R.N. alive but finally called it a day at the end of 1988. It is a pity that no dedicated print magazine exists today covering European drag racing. Web site coverage is good but nothing beats leafing through the pages of a great magazine.
During my time trackside there have been a few close calls, my first being when the late Dave Page got crossed up in the 'Panic' Topolino on the 25th May 1974. I was up-track and had my long 400mm lens on getting the launch shots. The car suddenly hooked right and I saw it would hit the fence but had the uncanny feeling it would not come through or over! It hit the fence about twenty five feet from me, bounced round and hit nearer showering me with debris before ending right way up in the centre of the track with Dave getting out cussing. I remember a photo of the incident with a rather startled looking self in the background being used in Custom Car. Blowers have popped under me as I stood on the fence or up my ladder, fireballs have scorched past me and errant race vehicles have sideswiped real close, but by far the most frightening (I still get cold sweats recalling it) was when track owner, the late Bob Phelps told me he wanted head on parachute shots of the huge 'Scorpion' jet dragster. I cleared it with officials and placed myself in the middle of the lane half-way down the shutdown area! - What?!!! Andrew Hurdle, the pilot came hammering toward me as I stood my ground – thwack - out came the 'chute and I fired around five shots before legging it to the side. Just as I reached the field the monster stormed past in a hurricane of grit and dust, the immense 'chute whirling in its wake – I thought “bugger this, that was just too close for comfort”! And guess what? The frames were not exactly in focus to add insult to near injury! I have witnessed both triumph and tragedy, the first European 200mph, the first European five second pass, visiting US Drag Racing icons, the first double four second and 300mph passes outside of the USA and many more enjoyable and often laughable experiences but I have also lost friends along the way and having to photograph the luckily rare, scene of accidents for both officials and the police has never been easy.
The whole professionalism of European Drag Racing has bounded ahead in the last decade spearheaded by the Santa Pod Raceway management and I am glad to still play my small part alongside it. Being trackside has its benefits and I do not take the privilege lightly. When I am there I am working, I have a job or jobs to do, as today I double as Media Marshal trying to promote the overall professional standing and supply of the media and ensuring attending photographers abide by track regulations both in the UK and Sweden. It would be good if all the European tracks adopted the Media track rules – they work well both at Santa Pod and Mantorp Park. These days my coverage of Drag Racing has expanded and I have the opportunity to travel each year not only to Scandinavia but regularly to several National Hot Rod Association events and the huge SEMA Show in the United States, all of which are self financed. The photo of Ron Capps at the '05 NHRA Auto Club Finals is a nice night example but unlike the American photographers we in Europe lack the opportunity or practice to always get such shots. Looking around nowadays, I am the longest still serving photojournalist with only one or two 'old hacks' including best mate, Andy Willsheer nearing my long non broken service. Today, I am proud to be a part of Eurodragster.com as Photo Editor, I supply V8 Magazine in Finland, New Zealand Hot Rod, Bilsport in Sweden, DRAGRACER magazine in Germany, the NHRA's National Dragster in the US, CompetitionPlus.com, the SPR web site and also compile and edit the Santa Pod Raceway FIA event programmes assisted on the latter by a small dedicated team of photographers and writers without whom I could not do it. If only I could earn a living at it! I have seen characters in various disciplines come and go over the years but am warmed these days to see one or two up and coming photojournalists that have the enthusiasm, dedication and a selflessness that will hopefully stay the course and continue to provide a record in both text and images. Is trackside the best place to witness the action? It's great being that close for photographs but you cannot easily always follow the race from start to finish, probably a better overall vantage point will be on the bank or in the grandstands. There have been many great photographs taken from either place, some better than the trackside photographers can get! But comprehensive trackside coverage consists of extremely long, tiring days and sometimes it's a filthy job as yourself and your cameras are covered in sticky 'Goodyear freckles' which are a bane to remove!
Ron Capps
Personal stuff: I tend to be a somewhat private, reserved at times, even a shy individual, not the greatest of socialisers but I do enjoy a damn good laugh and my likes apart from the obvious Drag Racing comprise of travel, nature, countryside and scenic photography. I am single after divorce but enjoying most of my life immensely. Pet hates include: cheats, liars, timewasters and race vehicles without visible identification! (It makes it hard work on sorting, logging and filing them!) Digital is great but people expect everything for free even more now, seemingly unaware of the fact it still costs to produce and send work. Breach of Copyright is also a bane with scanning so easy and downloading from unprotected web sites a doddle. Legal action for unauthorised use and damages is an option I am considering! My favourite race classes are, Top Fuel followed by Pro Mod although anyone brave enough to race down track on two or four wheels has my utmost respect. My all-time race hero is Clive Skilton (Top Fuel and Funny Car in the '70s) whilst today's choice is hard to choose but Andy Robinson is someone I admire. My all-time favourite race vehicles were the 'Whistler' and 'Hillbillies' Reliant Scimitar GTE Competition Altered and Funny Car respectively, I've always loved estate cars. Musical tastes include Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, Small Faces, Amen Corner and most sixties stuff but have broadened over the years to include most modern numbers except rap! I have over the years been honoured with three awards in my long Drag Racing career – 1983 Drag Racing Personality, 1998 John Woolfe Racing Ltd. Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2005 SPRC Alex Brachtvogel Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Service to Drag Racing. I was so stunned on each occasion, believing only racers deserved awards! I hope to continue my 'labour of love' for as long as I enjoy it and can contribute to the professional coverage of this the ultimate motor-sport.
Ending the meagre photo count (that was the initial publication brief) – not an easy task considering I now have in excess of 100,000 images and growing over a 36 year period, was this nice fireball shot provided by Micke Kågered at the 2006 Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway. Not good for Micke, but a start line fireball is rare, it is more likely to happen mid to far end of the track but a great photo opportunity for a lot of the assembled press-pack that managed to snap it.
Roger Gorringe. NITRO exposure.
Copyright September 2006.
Micke Kagered
Roger Gorringe
|
