Magic moments

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Memories are made of this

While the march of progress moves forward relentlessly, it’s good to know that many still hanker after the good old days, even though some of them might not even have been born!

Meanwhile another March, the Lord of the same name, has done much to promote that nostalgic backward glance within motor racing. The Goodwood Revival is now one of the best attended race meetings of the year. But it’s not just the circuit racers of old that fans hanker after, there are some others who have gained a strong following too.

Up at Santa Pod, the Dragstalgia meeting has grown massively in popularity, not only amongst the fans, but also as owners of old racers pull them out of the back of a lock up, dust them off, together with their firesuits and leathers and once more take to the strip.

Among them was ‘Stormin’ Dennis Norman, vintage bike racer who just five years ago was still doing demo runs! Now at over 90 he’s decided to step aside and give the young’uns a chance (that’s him and his son at the top). But that didn’t stop the crowds gathering around for a few words and an autograph from one of drag racing living legends. And that is very much the essence of Dragstalgia and what makes it so enjoyable.

We spent the weekend up at the pod in September and witnessed more full on burnouts than you do at a normal race day. And the cars and bikes? Well they conjure up images of the past that are just so evocative. Even better is that many of them ‘run what they brung’, so you can find yourself sitting in traffic on the way home, ears still ringing from a V8 pounding, and there in the next lane is a Deuce Coupe that an hour ago was running sub tens. Magic!

Whatever you do make a note not to miss it the next time around. It is as they say, a gas. But don’t panic, you’ve got until next year so plenty of time to start growing those Smokey and the Bandit sideburns…

Published on 31st August 2017