NEW BRITISH DRAG RACING HALL OF FAME AWARDS Hard on the heels of the announcement of five figure sponsorship of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) by Beech Underwriting, BDRHoF Chairman Stu Bradbury made a further announcement about exciting changes. He said, “Thanks to Beech Underwriting we are now in a position to expand our horizons and an early demonstration of this new approach is the introduction of two new annual BDRHoF Awards that celebrate the role played by Sydney Allard as the Father of British Drag Racing. He built Europe’s first dragster in 1961 and organised the first visits by American racers in 1963, ’64 and ’65. The new awards will follow the existing ‘Bootsie’ crystal tablet format presented to those who have made a real difference to the growth of drag racing in the UK. But they will be of a different design and contain an image of Sydney Allard rather than Allan ‘Bootsie’ Herridge. Maybe we should call them Syds?” The recipients of the new award will not enter the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as such but their achievements will be honoured and their names entered as BDRHoF Special award winners. They pay tribute to the influence of journalists and photographers in the promotion of drag racing. One will be awarded to the writer of the best book, article or feature on British drag racing published in print or on-line during the 12-months ending April 2014. The Chief Judge will be Guy Loveridge, author/journalist/ publisher/broadcaster/auctioneer and 2014 Chairman of the Guild of Motoring Writers. In 2007-09 he was instrumental in returning to Chris Lawrence the twin Mini engined Deep Sanderson that raced at Blackbushe in 1964. Chris had built and owned the car and drove it at Blackbushe. It has now been restored. Guy said, “The Guild of Motoring Writers, celebrating its 70th Anniversary in 2014, is delighted to be involved with these awards. The fact that this first annual presentation of the new awards aligns with the 50th anniversary of the First British International Drag Festivals organised by Sydney Allard makes it even more special for me because of my involvement with the Deep Sanderson that ran at Blackbushe. It is a great year to launch these new tributes to creativity in the media”. Another will be awarded to the best photograph featuring British drag racing, either published in print or on-line during the 12 months ending April 2014, or remaining un-published. The winning photograph will be featured in Octane magazine along with a biog of the photographer. The Chief Judge will be Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason –President of Guild of Motoring Writers and classic car collector/racer. He is a Trustee of the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, an author/publisher, a columnist for Octane magazine and Patron of the Allard Chrysler Action Group, so he too has a link with Sydney Allard. A second judge will be the Art Editor of Octane magazine Mark Sommer. Nick Mason said. “I am delighted to accept the role as Chief Judge for the new BDRHoF award presented for the best photograph of the year featuring British drag racing. Clearly, the media has played a key role in my life – and still does. We rely on them to get our message across – in the written word and in pictures. Drag racing is a sport that gives wonderful opportunities to photographers and I’m looking forward to viewing their work. My association with the Allard Chrysler dragster restoration has shown me what enthusiasm there is out there for the sport and it’s also rewarding to be able to perpetuate Sydney Allard’s name with the new BDRHoF award.” Stu Bradbury said, “A big thank you to Octane magazine and the Guild of Motoring Writers for their involvement. Hopefully these exciting developments will show people that we really mean business. In the Spring of 2014 we will be asking photographers and journalists to submit entries taken since May 2013. This is open to professionals and amateurs and the photographs can be taken trackside, from spectator areas, in the pits, studios or at shows”. “Of course it is possible for motoring writers or photographers to be inducted into the BDRHoF in their own right by the Board of Selectors. But we wanted to pay this special tribute and it seemed right to bring Sydney Allard and Allan Bootsie Herridge together this way because during 1962 to ’63 these two racers led the charge to get drag racing accepted by the British motorsport media”. “There is more to announce in the next few weeks and the BDRHoF work-load will substantially increase. So we will need to expand our administration team – particularly those experienced in organising events and PR. There must be drag racing fans out there with a background in these areas and we would welcome their involvement. Come and join the team. There are exciting times ahead”. Those interested should contact Stuart on BritishDRHOF@aol
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 10:16:35 +0000
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