October 14th
1961 |
Wellesbourne. NSA Records
Day. Sydney Allards dragster was
invited to put in some standing quarter mile runs. Journalist and racer Dennis
Jenkinson, who did a lot to promote Drag Racing in the pages of "Motor Sport"
wrote;
"Sydney Allard pointed the sleek blue dragster
down the quarter-mile, let in the clutch, opened up and with a sound like
a large bomber going down the runway disappeared through the timing traps.
Time : 10.841 sec., which made the motorcycle riders whistle a bit. There
were no arguments about the dragster's performance this time and "sack-cloth
and ashes" were handed out to all dis-believers and certain Editors!" (Motor
Sport Magazine, November 1961, page 948)
This last comment was directed at Motor
Sports editor Bill Boddy who replied with "Congratulations, Sydney Allard-
but a kilometre is a long quarter-mile and I still maintain that the dragster
didn't live up to Allard high pressure pre-Brighton publicity." |