The Xtreme Wheels International Show, now in its third year at Alexandra Palace, has gone from strength to strength in the number and quality of exhibits. Terry Gibbs, organiser of the show said, "This is truly a unique exhibition of Europe's best modified machinery. We have a diverse array of customised metal, be it hot rods, drag racers, customised contemporary cars and bikes plus a whole lot more."

Your reporter attended some of the early Custom Car shows at Crystal Palace in the early 1970s and I can confirm that the show is indeed a worthy successor. I talked to several of the drag racing exhibitors about their work and plans for 2006, starting with double FIA Top Fuel Champion Andy Carter.

B&Q times two

Andy is, as ever, absolutely focused on the FIA Top Fuel Championship and is relishing the increased car counts from new entrants into the class. "We will have nine Fuellers at the Thunderball and as many as thirteen at the Main Event, qualifying for an eight-car field", said Andy. "Final qualifying will be spectacular as the cars try to get under the bump spot time."

This is now a two-car team. Andy said that the car on display at XWI is the one that Rob Turner will licence in at the Peak Performance Test and Tune day on 8th April. "We picked the car up from the Adrenaline Workshop on Thursday", said Andy. "This was the car that crashed in 2003 and has been rebuilt by Webster Race Engineering, having been front and back-halved. The idea is that the Turners will tune this car themselves and I will be available to talk to them. It has been agreed that the combination on the second car will be softer than the 4.76/306 one on my car. Also the Turner car will run at just the two UK rounds of the FIA series."

"I like running at the Thunderball", said Andy. "We have run the Pro Fuel Shootout twice and came runner-up twice and want to win for the third time this year. I expect that nine or ten Top Fuel cars will run all rounds of the FIA Championship and the increased competition can only be good for the sport."

"We have B&Q visiting us today and we hope they will renew with us for 2007. We are pleased that our long-time sponsors Wynns and Lucas have stepped up their deals for 2006 and are proud that NGK Spark Plugs are now with me for the twelfth season."

Webster Race Engineering MG SV

Joint Eurodragster.com webcam sponsor Jon Webster said "We are working on three projects at the moment, firstly a Corvette for Wayne Nicholson, with a Blown Big Block Chevrolet motor on methanol to run in Super Pro. Also for Super Pro is a blown Small Block 1953 Corvette for Ian Hanson. Both of these cars will be Pro Mod legal and after development, may well end up in this class."

The other car under construction is a Willys for Richard Davis which will be tube-framed and run a blown small block Chevy.

Jon mentioned that the Peter Knight-owned Top Fuel car that he drove to the runner-up spot at the 2005 Main Event is still for sale turnkey. Jon said "The car is ready to run, has been updated to 2006, has spares to last for one year and even has fuel for one meeting."

"My own racing plans this year are to run the MG SV in the Real Steel Street Eliminator series and include the King of Europe and some races at Elvington. I want to get involved with other aspects of the sport such as promoting Street Eliminator and running some SE cars at the Japanese races. The organisers of the Japanese races are looking at obtaining MSA accreditation for their series. We have started to build cars for Japanese racecar series, a Supra for Dee Ireland and also a RX-7 and a Nissan Skyline. Japanese racers are also coming to us for advice on how to improve their ETs - sometimes, suspension setup for the launch can be hurting the ET significantly."

"We wanted our MG SV to look as original as possible so the tyres are not as wide as they could be. We have got more than enough power but we have got some more development work to do on the suspension and the power management. We had the motor on the dyno with one bar of boost and the Peter Knight- built small block Ford put out 1100 bhp."

Jon said "We have had to stop running Webster Test Days due to the escalating costs and time involved with running these events. We hope they were beneficial and are sorry we can't continue to do them, as we had such a positive response. To test properly you need to make many back-to-back runs with consistent track conditions, which means a quick turn around time. I hope the Peak Perfomance days at Santa Pod Raceway will provide similar opportunities.

Shy Talker

Alec Coe, whose methanol slingshot ran an 8.2 at the Flame and Thunder Show, wants to run a seven "Which it is capable of on a good track", said Alec. "We ran the 8.2 after starting with no transbrake which was making the car unstable on its launch. B & J Race Cars built the car in 2005 and it was their first car to be built from scratch. The only change for 2006 is a smart repaint in purple with white flames, by Steve and Dan of Ramsgate. We may change to a higher rear end ratio as the motor was running out of revs too early". The car runs a 360 cu in SBC with a two-speed Powerglide, BDS blower and Enderle injection. "We plan to run as may of the thirteen Wild Bunch meetings as possible and the Flame and Thunder Show. We are also being talked into the possibility of running in Super Pro ET at the Europen Finals", said Alec.

Kevin Mortimer who is Alec's Crew Chief and co-owner said "2001 was our first year running the car together". Alec added "I was looking for a car for my son Tom when he turned seventeen in 2000. We then saw a slingshot for sale in Custom Car and he said "You have to buy this instead!". We ran it as Shy Torque for the next four years, before we had the new car built. I did race in one season in 1977, when I brought a V6 slingshot called Breaker from Brian Cook, which is featured in the Acceleration Archive site. But then marriage and kids came along and I was out of the sport for the next thirteen years."

Ratcatcher Resurrection

For the more mature amongst us, the name Ratcatcher brings back memories of a short-wheelbase slingshot with an injected hemi, built by Pat Cuss and Bob Ashley in the early 1970s. The car went through a number of owners and guises including a streamliner and a Fuel Altered with a Topolino body in the 1970s and 1980s. The roster of owners from 1976 includes Shellie and Sonia Billington (where it received a Chevy motor and was renamed Stinker), the Draper Brothers, Rob Loaring and Kevin Perkins (renamed 'The Trip' with a Rob Loaring-built Chevy) and Steph and Dave Milam (ran as 'She-Devil' for many years with an injected Ford 390 big block on methanol.

In the early 1990s the car was retired and passed through a number of hands. Driver Terry Clifford and Crew Chief Andy Clifford have now acquired it and B & J Race Cars were engaged to undertake a complete restore and updating job. The car runs a carbureted 390 Ford with a TCI Pwerglide trans. 2006 plans are to run this beautifully-prepared car in the Wild Bunch. Further details are available at www.ratcatcherracing.com.

The Happening

Johnny 'Mental' Hall and Bill Felstead had some considerable success running the nitro slingshot The Happening in 2005, running as fast as 6.91. Bill has quite a history of race car building, with some Jag and Chrysler-powered altereds (Aggravation and the Eliminator series), and a Fuel Altered and Nitro Funny Car (with Gary Willy in the late 1980s). Bill said, "I was out of the sport from 1990 to 2002 and then built a slingshot with a Chrysler 400 cu in motor for Andrew Gibb, one of my former crew members. I like fabricating cars and in particular being involved with nitro-fuelled vehicles. The Happening has the potential to run 6.7, but no faster on its current spec. We want reliability, which is possible on nitro without pushing the parts too hard". Bill showed me the fuel system on The Happening which is much simpler and cheaper than contemporary Top Fuel cars because there is much less fuel to burn with the lower spec. The nostalgia cars still run with much the same excitement and atmosphere though.

On the theme of Nostalgia cars, Bill said that there is a genuine movement for the creation of a Nostalgia Fuel Funny Car category, which will be run to US Goodguys/VRA rules. This is felt to bring consistency and equality to the class from the start and make parts readily available and inexpensive too. "There are four constructors with serious intentions, Jon Webster, Graham Ellis, Rob Loaring and Nick Davies and us", said Bill. The cars will be very similar to those that pioneered Funny Car Racing in the UK in the early 1970s. We have sourced 1972 Cuda bodies from Jeff Gaynor, who races in the Goodguys series and chassis kits from Mark Williams. The motors will be Keith Black hemis of 426 cu in with half inch stroker crank which gives 484 cu in. There will be a single points-activated magneto, blowers will be 6:71, with a three disk clutch, two speed Lenco and minimum gearing of 1.33:1 first gear. All this was standard equipment for many years. We are working to a two year timeframe for the class' launch in 2008. Nitro percentage will be minimum 60% and maximum 85%.

B & J have been also been working on Matthew Wright's new pick-up and a slingshot dragster for Jon Best, this having a short 125" wheelbase, and a blown big block Chevrolet motor on methanol, with a clutch transmission. Now that should be spectacular...

Chicken Shift

This is the ex-Colin Stevens 'Goldigger' car which has been bought by Tim Nicholls, a computer consultant who started his racing career in Super Street VWs in the late 90s and then was out of the sport for five years. "I'm back in a race car thanks to at last having sufficient time and money and an understanding wife, " said Tim.

The car, which will initially run RWYBs, is 135-inch chassis originally raced by Martin Nichols as the Hooky Crusader (from Hook Norton) in the mid 1990s. The car which Tim believes has the only Nailhead Buick motor in UK drag racing, is scheduled for a power boost. On order is a genuine Holborn mechanical injection kit that is a reproduction of one used widely in the 1960s to replace the current pair of Holley 750 cfm carbs. Tim said "The motor has been dynoed at Misbourne Motors and reached 811 BHP on methanol. The motor is much more powerful on methanol than the previous 100 octane. The car will be run at MSA events once the roll cage is revised at B and J Race Cars."

Mad Max Racing

This team runs the UK's only Open Fuel Drag Racing Snowmobile and consists of Max Croost, a telecoms engineer for Ericsson and Steve Leedell, an engineer for Ford. Formerly motocross racers "Whose knees couldn't take it any more", the pair were inspired by the Swedish Snowmobile demos at the 2004 European Finals. Max bought a Polaris XCR aluminium chassis a few weeks later. Steve's engineering expertise then took over as the frame was heavily modified. He then tuned a HTG three-cylinder 1000cc motor to 450-480 bhp at a screaming 9800 rpm with the aid of many trick parts but especially a Wizard of Nos nitrous system. A CVT transmission with progressive helix and secondary clutch was added, enabling the power distribution to be tuned very precisely. The predicted time is 8.5 seconds at 170 mph.

In 2005 the team made the trip to Hockenheim with Urs Erbacher's Methanol Funny Car and Supertwin team. Max said "There I raced Mr Hyabusa, a German bike racer, and a Super Gas car. That was huge fun. I am grateful to sponsors Metal Supermarkets, Motul Oil, and Urs Erbacher. There has been tremendous media interest including BBC South and we are about to announce an important sponsorship from the non-automotive sector too."

Harley Davidson V-Rod Destroyer

The National Association of Supertwins were very well represented by ten bikes. One of the most notable was the Harley Davidson V-Rod Destroyer of Chris Stebbings. In turning an old adage on its head, this must be the ultimate in "Buy on Friday, race on Saturday" vehicles that you could find. Strictly built for racing, a well-set up example with an experience rider ran 9.4s in the US. Officially, these bikes are not available in the UK but where there's a will... Oh yes, Chris Stebbings' Destroyer has the factory option wheelie bars fitted too.

Don Irvine, Chair of the NAST, said "There will be expansion in the numbers of Supertwin Top Fuel bikes this year with up to six bikes being present including new bikes of Rush and Turbo and Wendy Clutterbuck and Steve Clutterbuck as well."

Also on display with the NAST was Les Harris' wife and Crew Chief Lyn's cross stitch. This depicts Les' old Harley Black Racer up against Mark Pointer's bike and consists of an incredible 52,000 stitches sewn on the way to the track and in the occasional downtime at the track. The likeness to the original photo is uncanny.

Belinda Bull's new S10 Truck

Swap Meet sponsor Belinda Bull's new ex-Pro Stock Truck, built by Jerry Haas and bought from Robert Joosten turnkey, was delivered in December. Belinda will début it in Super Comp at the Easter Thunderball and run all subsequent rounds of the Championship, with Jeff to drive at some events. Last year's Camaro, which ran as fast as 8.4, has been retained and there is no immediate intention of selling it. Belinda said "The truck is longer than the Camaro but feels smaller as it is narrower. All we have changed is the transmission as Jeff is the UK dealer for Transmission Specialities products."

Jeff is busy with his engine business but emphasised that this business is essentially a hobby as his main job is a construction plant manager, which helps finance the drag racing activities. Having said this, Jeff was displaying a wide range of engine-related parts imported from Doug Herbert Performance Parts. His customer base has also recently expanded and as well as existing drag racing customers, returnees such as Dave Day and Jim McGhee have ordered motors and there are a couple of Brisca Formula One Stock Car drivers as clients too. "The problem is that rather than blowing motors, they tend to bend parts when they crash…"

Return of the Silver Fox

Ian Jackson, who took 2005 out after winning the 2004 Street Eliminator title, has had the '63 Corvette rebuilt with turbo power and looks awesome. Ian said "Jon Webster did the body and chassis work and ICE Automotive carried out work on the motor. It is the same 427cu in small block Chevy as before but with lower compression. The cooling system for the air intake is unique as it actually passes through the driver's compartment and to an icebox located aft of the rear window. It is then goes to the motor after two stages of water injection to cool it further and goes through a Godzilla dump valve into the plenum. This configuration has not been used in the UK before although a few have used it in the US. The big advantage is that it puts more weight over the rear axle. The chassis is as before, but a few tubes have had to be moved to accommodate the turbos and also to improve the way the car reacts on its launch."

"The engine now produces 1600 bhp. Before, with 1000 bhp, the car ran a best of 8.5s What will it run now? You do the maths!" Tyres, always a concern for SE racers, are M/T Sportsman Pros, 22" by 33". Ian said "All we need to do is a few hours on the ignition system, then test fire the engine. After that, we will test on our own and will only enter it for a race when we feel confident that we can compete to win and that we have tested properly."

Ray White's Pro Modified Mk 1 Zephyr

Ray, who is an electrician by trade, is one of those racers who have run essentially the same body in a large number of classes, rebuilding along the way. He has run the car in Modified ET, Pro ET, Super Gas, Super Comp, Street Eliminator since 1990 and now after a break of nine years following an expensive blow-up in 1997 and a rebuild lasting three years, Ray is more than ready to hit the track again.

"We aim to fire the motor in two weeks' time, test on 8th April, and run in Pro Modified at the Easter Thunderball", said Ray. "The car is 100% self-built, and our thanks go to Andy Robinson for designing the chassis and providing advice. The chassis is the very latest design. We have used all the latest technology where possible, although our rear suspension is swing arm because the car is so narrow. The motor is from Doug Ripley's Methanol Funny Car, a KB Stage VI with Veney heads, Littlefield retro blower and three-speed Lenco, with a home-grown fuel system. I was Doug Ripley's Crew Chief for two years when he first started running the Methanol Funny Car."

The Zephyr sports huge spill plates, which were designed mainly from a visual aspect. Ray said "We stretched the front by six inches and the rear end looked skimpy. So we made the biggest spill plates we could and cut them down to a size that looked reasonable and then added a rear wing between them."

Thanks go from Ray to Cable Craft, all his crew and especially Steve Dowler, J Raymond Engineering, Riart and Prosign. "I have designed a complex yellow paint scheme for the car which will be applied before testing. We have planned to go on the whole FIA Pro Mod tour and have a 40' double stacker trailer with two bedrooms upstairs, and enough motor spares and clutches for the year."

Bennett Racing

Bennett Racing was represented by the Topolino which was rebuilt during 2005 and débuted at the Nostalgia Nationals. "The car is race-ready", said Luke Bennett, Frank's son, who will be fielding his own 23 'T Rover-engined altered with the Wild Bunch. "The main changes from 2005 are the addition of an RCD crank support, B and J Nostalgia wheelie bars and the magneto bolted rather than clipped on to avoid the timing problems that affected our runs last year. The plan is to run both cars in 2006 and then for me to move up to the Topolino. The T, which isn't quite ready for this show, has a fresh RPI 4.6 Rover motor.

"We are very grateful to our sponsors Car Clinic in particular which have given us a lot of support for new parts, Konica Minolta Business Solutions and JP Exhausts."

Time Warp

Wendy Baker was present with her Fuel Altered. She said "We have sorted out the problem we had last season. The clutch was coming in too suddenly causing the car to bounce off the line. The first gear is too low as well, making the problem worse. Our solution is to start in high gear. We tried this at the Flame and Thunder Show and our final run was going very nicely when the motor spat out a valve. We have freshened the motor with new rods, repaired the pistons and renewed the cylinder linings which now bring the capacity up to 513 cu in. I would like to thank my team, especially Crew Chief Paul Stubbings, Jamie, Bev and Sarah for their enthusiasm and support, no matter what went wrong."

The car count will go up in the NFAA this year with at least four fuel cars and five or six alky altereds.

Hulk Shogun

Gary Springfield who owns Drag Race Engineering, Essex 4x4 and Five Oaks Carriages is exhibiting his new Mitsubishi Shogun Raider truck, designed for Pro ET and Super Gas. "It is the first car I have built from the ground up", said Gary. "I built it between working on other cars and fabricated everything. The drive train is from the ex-Peter White "Up in Smoke" Capri which have been restored. I had an Mitsubishi Shogun which I used to off-road. It was seven feet tall and has been lowered by two feet without chopping the roof". The resultant vehicle is unique and Gary expects it to have crowd appeal with the younger element.

"We believe it is unique as nobody has as far as we know based a doorslammer on a 4x4 car. It is a short wheelbase at 101" although stock is 92". It comes out as very light, weighing 2094lb and with a 455 cu in Pontiac motor (planned for a later change to a big block Chevy), the car will be a pretty wild drive. For that reason, it won't be part of the Paul Marston Racing School stable. It will be available for passenger rides though."

Gary is building cars for other racers too. He has recently completed a Mark 1 Escort for Andy Ryan, who used to race in Street Eliminator as 'Flooring It'. "It will be finished in three months' time and we have rebuilt it so that the body is removable. Andy will be attending the PMR School before he resumes in SE with the rebuilt car."

The other car is a Plymouth Scamp built for Steve Bolton, currently with a small block Chevy, but eventually to be replaced by a 540cu in BBC. This car was bought from the US unseen and it has transpired that the previous driver was shorter than Steve and has needed a rebuilt to accommodate a taller driver. Paul Marston added "It is easier to build a car from scratch rather than altering it. The driver must feel part of the car when he drives because that gives him confidence. On the Mitsubishi we ended up placing the shifter very close to the driver's normal hand position, rather like a Touring Car."

Looking forward to next year

Organiser Terry Gibbs was delighted with the show this year. "We are quite tired but it has been easier to organise every year", he said. He added that Xtreme Wheels 2007 is scheduled for the weekend of 24th-25th February. But if you read this on Sunday 26th February 2006 you still have time to experience this year's show. Don't miss it!

Eurodragster.com's Xtreme Wheels coverage was brought to you in association with American Car Imports.