![]() The drivers did what they could to put on a show for the fans. There were a lot more dragsters this time, unfortunately there was also a lot of rain. In 1965 another Dragfest was held and I went with Bill Haynes. I guess if someone built a car like that over here at the time it would probably have just been called a special? These were old looking cars with large supercharged V8s, they looked so ungainly (and handled accordingly sometimes). My favourites however were the Willys coupes driven by Keith Pittman and George Montgomery. The drivers were Ronnie Sox and Dave Strickler. Factory experimentals they were called, big American saloons but with a lot more power and noise. The dragsters of Don Garlits, Tommy Ivo and Tony Nancy just blew us away! Just as exciting were the cars that looked sort of normal. In 1964 the first Dragfest at Blackbushe airfield was being advertised so, with the memories of that magazine still in my head, I went with a couple of mates to see what was to change my life for quite a few years. One of my fellow pupils bought a copy of Hot Rod magazine and he was showing us all these pictures of weird looking vehicles (dragsters and hot rods) and their big engines and wide rear tyres. It all started in 1963 during my last year at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford. Keith has supplied slides for two extensive galleries of Santa Pod 1967-71, also Canada 1968-9 and U.S. When he got an opportunity in 1973 to drive the ex-Tony Anderson 'Trouble' dragster, he grabbed it with both hands and continued to drive the car, renamed 'Whiskey Peddler', with help from John Smith, until the Easter 1976 Santa Pod 10th Anniversary meeting.Į thanks Keith for providing his story and John Hunt and Nick Pettitt for help with editing and proof reading the feature and making archive images available. and Canada in the late 60s and early 70s. Keith became a fan by reading about the sport, going to the first Blackbushe Dragfest in 1964 as a 17 year old, and attending events as a spectator in the U.S. ![]() Surrey Drag Racing Pioneers - Keith Stacey ![]()
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