The hot rods were extremely hot at
the NSRA’s Nostalgia Nationals, the first truly scorching weekend of the year.
Summer solstice, the longest day of the
year, happened to fall on the weekend of the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at
Shakespeare County Raceway, and boy, did we enjoy every minute of it. Three
long, hot days with hardly a cloud in the sky, it was the sort of race weekend
that almost makes winter bearable.
The
fifties was the cornerstone for drag racing and it’s events like the Nostalgia
Nationals and the Original Hot Rod Drags which help to recreate the golden days
of hot rodding on disused airfield’s and the dry lake beds.
The only problem was that it was so hot and
glorious, people seemed to be more content to chill on the campsite than don a
race suit and crash helmet and head for the fire-up lane. There were a whole
raft of classes appearing at the event – Outlaw Anglia, Supercharged Outlaws,
Gasser Circus, Wild Bunch and so on – and I spoke to some people who hadn't
bothered bringing their cars for RWYB, figuring that there wouldn't be enough
track time for them. Wrong.
As
the ultimate test of car and driver, or bike and rider, RWYB offers a real
chance to settle the age-old pub debate over whose machine is quickest, or who
has the greatest reaction times – and all in the total safety of an FIA
approved venue.
Still, although there were times when there
were just a handful of RWYB cars running laps, when the classes did come out to
play there were some mighty runs set down. Huge wheels-up launches and
side-by-side charges were the order of the day from the nostalgic racers, with
several sevens and a handful of sixes being recorded over the weekend. There
were spills to go with the thrills, too, a couple of unlucky racers testing the
tensile strength of the barriers, including Jurgen Schomann's Master of
Desaster (sic) Willys Fuel Altered which took a tumble the last time it visited
Shakey and repeated the trick this time, but thankfully to a lesser extent.
Equally thankfully, there were no serious injuries.
Once the racing ended and the grandstands
emptied, most headed back to camp to chill and soak up the rest of the sun, or
soak up a few beers before the sun went down over the far bank and the bands
fired up in the marquee. Friday night's act featured a great deal of Johnny
Cash, and was a worthy gamble that didn't quite pay off, while Saturday night's
Ska cover band, Skabucks, were an absolute bullseye that had the place
bouncing. Brilliant.
The
21st Annual NSRA Nostalgia Nationals was a scorcher from start to finish. Wall
to wall sunshine and mid 20 degree C (70+ Fahrenheit to our American readers!)
meant we had some great racing weather, which is a bit of a novelty to UK drag
racers as recent years the racing season has been plagued with numerous
rainouts.
Sunday was a tough day for the track crew,
as it seemed there were plenty of breakdowns, oil-downs and so on to disrupt
the flow. It can't have been easy, brushing up and recovering machinery in the
sweltering sunshine, but they all did a damn good job. Still, it seemed that,
once again, the place was beginning to empty out before lunchtime. It had been
a fantastic weekend, just the sort you'll remember come winter when the frost
is about. Top marks to the NSRA and Shakespeare County crew, and if you missed
it, you missed out.
