Silverstone. Dante Duce and Sydney Allard were invited to the track to demonstrate to the press what Drag Racing was all about on the circuits Club Straight. They were joined by, among others,  Allan Herridge with his Buick dragster. Allan's first run was a 14.41//97.3. Then Herridge and Densham ran together with The Worden crossing the line first with a 14.33/92.3. In their second match up the win went to Herridge with a 14.40/97 as Densham lost his blower belt on the start line.

SPR. Combined car and motorcycle meeting including night racing. The Drag Racing and Hot Rod Magazine Trophy Meeting. Originally scheduled as a practice day this was the re-run of the rained out meeting the previous weekend. Allan Herridge and Alan Blount made it through to the final of Top Eliminator. Blount got the holeshot in his Weekend Warrior and held on to a 10.71/123.61 victory over a 10.46/141.44 from Herridge's Motovation.

SPR. 3rd Annual Championship meeting. Cars only. An estimated 8000 fans turned up for this event. Proceedings on Sunday were hampered by rain. The 1968 Championship final was down to Allan Herridge in Motovation against Mick Tickner in Geronimo. Herridge had destroyed the timing gear on his Chevrolet powered rail the previous day, and rebuilt it with old parts overnight. When the call came for the final Tickner was ready, but Herridge's push car was stuck in the pits. The track marshalls attempted to bump start the car, to no avail, and Tickner was given the OK to go on a solo. But instead of taking the Championship there and then he sportingly offered to postpone the race until Herridge was ready. Once both cars were fired and at the line Tickner got the jump on Herridge only to watch as the Chevy powered past him to win with a 9.90/141.64 (a new personal best and Allan's first nine) to a 10.07/144.09.

SPR. BDR&HRA Big Go. Europe's first three day meeting.  Racing on the Saturday was curtailed by rain, the first time this had happened in the history of the event. Sunday saw the running of the handicapped division eliminations whilst the major eliminations were run on Monday. Two major competitors were sidelined early on. Harold Bull broke a con rod which wrecked Stripdusters engine, and Allan Herridge suffered a similar fate with the Glacier Bearing Special when his oil pump drive broke. In fact due to breakages the Top Eliminator field was reduced to just three cars.

SPR held its first RAC sanctioned International meeting. On Saturday Allan Herridge took Firefly to a 9.44/145 in qualifying. Top Dragster eliminations saw Herridge with a bye in the first round, a 9.7/147, and another bye in the semis, but he chose to run against Tony Densham at the same time. He then red-lit, running a 10.5 against an 8.83, but advanced to the final anyway. With the Firefly's clutch on the way out Herridge gave it his best shot for the win but a 10.6/137 was no match for an 8.35/174 from Dennis Priddle. On Sunday Allan stepped into the driving seat of Alan Blount's Weekend Warrior fueler as Alan didn't have an international race licence.  In the Top Dragster eliminations Herridge put in a 10.83/129.53 bye. In the semis Mike Hutcherson defeated Herridge with a 10.2/128 to a 12.23/119.

SPR. Spring Nationals. Entry List. The attendance for the two days over Easter was put at 25,000 with 16,000 present for Monday’s eliminations. Allan Herridge in Firefly and Mike Hutcherson in Houndog both failed to make any impression in qualifying, the latter suffering a broken rear axle. Herridge took the Stardust Funny Car to a 7.11/200, beating Paula Murphy's 7.18 class record from July the previous year. A later run resulted in a 7.7 and a broken crank.  In Pro Fuel, top qualifier Priddle ran a bye 7.42/194.93, and then Herridge aboard Firefly ran 7.47/182 to defeat the axle breaking 8.12 from Houndog. In the final, Bootsie was forced to shut down due to a bad fuel leak leaving Dennis to solo to a 7.20/201.21 win.

SPR. Whitsun Holiday Weekend Big Go. On Monday, the second day of this meeting, Allan Herridge in Stardust recorded the first six second Funny Car pass outside of the USA. His time was 6.87 seconds at an early shut off 191 mph. This was Herridge's first six second run. The car was running a newly purchased 480ci Ed Pink engine which was reported to have arrived from the USA complete and ready to run, and already contained oil. A new Lenco 2 speed and reverser had also been fitted, but the reverser failed after the burnout on what was to be its maiden run on the Sunday against Stardust. A replacement was bought from the London Heavy team and Herridge ran a 7.11/204 late on the Sunday afternoon.  Dennis Priddle in the Avenger car ran 8.03/163.92, before match racing Bootsie. In this race, Stardust got wildly out of shape before Allan managed to correct it. In the meantime, Dennis headed skywards on the green but kept it under control. Dennis took the win in 7.71/187 to Bootsie’s identical 7.71 at 168 mph. Herridge put in a run in Firefly which saw the front wheels head skywards for 50 yards before he shut off and crossed lanes. Herridge later ran a wild 8.3/106 with some ballast strapped to the front axle. In Monday’s eliminations, Clive Skilton and Allan Herridge were first out. Skilton ran 6.86 with handling problems at the top end while Herridge had problems of his own with Firefly suddenly changing lanes and tailing Skilton through the lights. Unbalanced slicks were diagnosed as being the cause. Skilton then soloed to another 6.86/214.13, before Houndog beat Firefly 9.32/102 to a losing 11.22/64. However, Skilton had a broken torsion bar which put him out thus letting Firefly back in. Bootsie red lit, fearful of the engine overheating, and Houndog got out of shape and pulled the chute early. Herridge ran his first six in Stardust and shortly after Dennis Priddle put in a strong 7.19/194, beating his best time by over seven tenths of a second. In a dramatic and exciting Funny Car final Herridge and Priddle both lifted the front wheels before Stardust began to turn towards the fence. Herridge corrected and again lifted the front as he re-applied the power. Priddle got close to the centre line, headed back towards the fence on his side then back towards the centre, where the two cars nearly touched, neither driver willing to lift. Priddle got there first with a 7.71/187 with Herridge clocking an identical time at 168mph.

SPR. Wolfrace Trophy Meeting. Allan Herridge was driving Firefly, which was fitted with the 484ci engine that would be going into the new Houndog rear-engined rail. He put in a couple of half passes.

SPR Internationals. Allan Herridge and Owen Hayward recorded the quickest side-by-side UK Funny Car pass. Stardust turned 7.00/202 to cross the stripe ahead of Houndog’s 7.11/154.  After a troubled weekend for both cars Herridge had earlier managed a solo 7.4/160 and Hayward a 7.7/190. Just two Pro Fuelers attended, Firefly and Houndog. Pete Crane tried out Firefly for size in preparation for buying his own car. For the eliminations, Bootsie was back in the hot seat and he defeated Mike Hutcherson in Houndog 7.4 to an early shut off 7.8.

NDRCs first meeting at Snetterton circuit, Norfolk. The final round of the Castrol/RAC National championship, and a round of the STP/Custom Car Championship for Pro Stock and Super Street. There was a match race between the floppers of Dennis Priddle and Allan Herridge in Stardust. In the first race, Herridge drew the lane with the bad bump in it. Priddle took the race in 7.26/190 as the Stardust car got wildly out of shape. In the second race, unknown to the two drivers as they tried to stage, somebody had tripped over a battery lead to the Christmas tree and the lights never came on. Somebody then ran into the middle with a couple of flags. Priddle went a few yards and cut the motor, but Herridge in the good lane made a full bore run at 202 mph with a highly dubious ET of 6.48.

This meeting drew the circuits biggest crowd of the year, larger than all the roundy roundy meetings! Re. Bootsies appearance with the Stardust Funny Car, this was the first and only time Roy Phelps sent one of his major cars to an NDRC event. The disputed 6.48 was far in excess of what any other funny car had run in the UK at this time.

SPR. Fireworks Spectacular. Rain and mist played havoc with the racing and times and speeds were affected by the slick track conditions. Many finals were not held and some classes didn't progress beyond the first round. Saturday saw most vehicles get at least one run in, but the track conditions meant that nobody was able to run anywhere near their full potential. Allan Herridge and Owen Hayward brought the Stardust and Houndog Funny Cars to the start line in the evening darkness to put in a side by side run for the fans who had stayed to watch the firework display. After the burnouts the Stardust cars engine died, was restarted, died again, was restarted again, by which time Hayward had shut off his engine as it was getting too hot and the race was abandoned. Herridge twice reversed Stardust into the startline advertising boards after his burnouts. On Sunday Herridge put down the best Funny Car time of the day with a 7.64/166.39 practise run against Houndog. His next pass, the first round of competition, saw Stardust come to the line for a solo pass as the Hillbillies team failed to show. The car launched violently sideways before Bootsie wrestled it straight to clock an 8.27/159.49.

SPR. Easter Meet. In Qualifing Allan Herridge in Firefly ran an uncharacteristically straight 7.37/202.02, the fastest speed of the day. He had less luck in the Funny Car though. Stardust, having apparently been on a diet over the winter, pulled huge wheelies on both Sundays passes. On Monday the car's chassis was seen to have aquired a lead weight to try and tame it down. On Monday, as the time for eliminations arrived the bad weather was closing in and the decision was made to run the Funny Cars first. Houndog soloed to a 7.33/184.90 and then Roland Pratt made Bootsie work hard for the win with a 7.74/196.08 charge almost beating Stardust's 7.29/182.48. The Hillbillies car crossed lanes in front of Herridge, and ended up in the grass at the bottom of the shutdown area. Damage was limited to the front of the body only. In Pro Fuel Hondog had reverser problems leaving Firefly to solo to a 7.55/190.11.

SPR. May Day Holiday Weekend Big Go. Allan Herridge took a first round win with a strong 6.90/198.81 against the rear-engined Vauxhall entry of Pete Barnett who put in a 10.27. The second pairing of Owen Hayward in  Houndog 8 and Dennis Priddle in his new Avenger quickly became a solo for Pridddle when fuel was spotted leaking from Hondog's tank after the burnout. Dennis ran a 7.03/196.85 to advance to the final. His luck ran out there though as his blower belt broke during the burnout leaving Herridge to solo to a 6.80/200 for the win. On Monday Houndog 7 and Stardust met in the first round of Funny Car. Herridge took the win with a 7.06/200  with no time recorded for Hayward. Dennis Priddle then ran his first Funny car six in the Avenger, a 6.96/187.62, as opponent Pete Barnett put in a 10.19/148.15. Priddle's luck ran out in the final as the car headed for the barrier before shutting off, leaving Herridge to take a 7.02/204.08 win.

SPR. European Grand Prix incorporating the first British funny Car Grand Prix.  A total of seven Funny Cars and one Fuel Altered were entered for this meeting including Dale Emery (former driver of the famous Pure Hell Fuel Altered) driving Leroy Chaddertons Chadderton & Okazaki Chevy Vega FC from the US. The car had been purchased by Santa Pod. The other contenders were, Allan Herridge in Stardust, Owen Hayward in Houndog 7, Dennis Priddle's Avenger, Roland Pratt's Hillbillies Avenger, Pete Barnett in the re-painted rear-engined Vauxhall, and Phil Elson, who had fitted the FGR Capri body to his Sneaky Altered. Making the numbers up to eight was the Tee-Rat Altered of the Stones team. FC action on Saturday began with Dale Emery putting in a 7.41/149 half pass before Owen Hayward set a new terminal speed record of 213mph on a 6.87s blast. Allan Herridge followed with a 6.77/207. In eliminations Herridge defeated Elson, 7.3 to 8.5. The semi finals saw Hayward take a solo win at 7.3/140 after the Stones fdailed to get the Altered fired up, a damaged blower drive idler bracket being the source of the troubles. The other semi was also an anti climax as the Vega blew a rocker gasket before coming to the line, the escaping oil igniting on the headers and forcing Emery to shut off. Herridge then soloed to a 6.9/210. In the final Hayward gave it his best shot, but the tyres struggled to grip and he smoked the whole quarter as Herridge stormed to a winning 6.66/214, resetting both ends of the European record for the class. Spectators on the opposite side of the strip apparently missed this due to the smoke trail produced by Houndog. For the Funny Car elimination ladder click here.

SPR. July Internationals. In Funny Car Allan Herridge took the Gladiator to number one qualifier with a 6.78/220, a new terminal speed record. Sweden's John Anderson was at number two with a 7.01 followed by Dennis Priddle in the black Monza with a 7.08. After a 6.78/203 bye from Herridge in Round One The Semi's began with a great race between Priddle and Herridge, Dennis taking the win with a 6.95/214 to a 6.96/214. Dave Stone then ran a holeshot 7.30 win against a 6.98 from Anderson, but at the expense of six pistons and no chance of making the final. Herridge returned to face Priddle for the final round and another great race resulted in him taking a holeshot win with a 6.72/208 to a 6.71/207 from Priddle.

World Finals SPR.  Don Prudhomme made his UK debut in his Army Funny Car. He qualified at number 2 with a 6.22/227, just behind the UKs Allan Herridge with a 6.21/228, which turned out to be the quickest time of the weekend. Sunday's eliminations saw Rune Fjeld dispose of Herridge with a huge holeshot 6.58/218 to 6.28/217. Due to many of the top names going out in the first round a decision was made to run a "Division Two" elimination for those cars. Stig Hansson broke on the line leaving Allan Herridge to solo with an out of shape run. The second round of Division Two, the semi finals, saw Herridge run a strong 6.36/215 bye. As far as I can tell the final between Herridge and Ronnie Picardo never took place.

SPR hosted the first Cannonball, an event showcasing both alcohol and fuel funny cars in competition against each other. Each car made three runs and the times were added together to find the two cars with the quickest accumulated times. These two then raced head to head for the final. This all took place on the Sunday and so Saturday was used for practice. Allan Herridge made a practice run and promptly put two rods through the block of the Gladiator. On Sunday pairings for the first round were drawn from a hat. Herridge and Owen Hayward ran 7.04 and 7.07 alongside each other. Round two and Herridge improved to a 6.73/215 alongside a slower 7.08/202 from Bill Sherratt. The aggregate times after two rounds had Herridge leading with 13.5 with Sherratt close behind on 13.76. Five cars remained able to contest the third round. Herridge secured his place in the final with a 6.46/218 while Bill Sherratt ran a best yet of 6.47. This put Herridge and Sherratt in the final, with Hayward as first alternate only 0.013 seconds behind on aggregate. In the final Gladiator covered the pitside lane in oil as the bottom of the engine disintegrated during the burnout. This gave Hayward the chance to run, but he couldn't provide a serious opposition as at the green light he had to drive around Gladiators oil. Sherratt took the win with a 6.60/218 to a gallant 8.26/172 from the Houndog car.