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Click on any image to get the bigger picture |
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Martin Hopp's Bifrost sponsored Corvette funny car appeared at Santa Pod in a number of colour schemes over the years. In my opinion this was by far the best. |
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Björn Ardin was a great competitor in Pro Comp. His Volvo 440-bodied funny car is pictured in the pits at Santa Pod Raceway. I am not sure what the fascination with the rear wheel arch was all about. |
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Ron Picardo seemed to sever his close links with Santa Pod Raceway and produced this beautiful Datsun Z240-bodied flopper. Ron is seen burning out at Long Marston. There is some doubt in my mind as to whether this car was competing in Top Fuel or Pro Comp funny car - still the important thing is that it gets in somewhere! |
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Peter Axeldal tells me that the Landlubber -sponsored car was campaigned by Rune Fjeld and was only raced on nitro. Too late to put it on the correct page so we will just have to enjoy it here instead. The weather looks typical Santa Pod - i.e.wet! By the way - all pictures from this point on were taken at the Pod. |
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Dave Stone at the wheel of the ex-Blue Max car now re-named Stardust. Again, I am not totally sure whether the car was competing in Top Fuel or Pro Comp but who cares? |
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Anders Lantz's Roach-sponsored funny car. Is that a Chevy Monza body on the car? |
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The Starkotter car of Leif Helander, this picture was taken in April 1983. |
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Another chance to see the beautiful
ex-Keeling & Clayton California Charger. This car had been imported from
the USA by Steinar Stolen but it was in the ownership of Timo Aartomaa when this
shot was taken. |
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The Scandinavians were renowned for appearing with a seemingly endless procession of very well turned out, and competitive, cars. As you can see Ragnar Norli's Mennen sponsored flopper was no exception to the rule. Its a shame the blower and bugcatcher were covered up, at this time they used to project an impossible distance above the bonnet. My thanks to Peter Axeldal for giving me the driver's name and for telling me that I have put a nitro car on the pro comp page - again! |
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This is the reason I thought that the California Charger might have changed hands. Only four pictures on in the collection is Steinar Stolen's Spirit of Norway sporting a 1984 Chevrolet Corvette body. This picture was taken on 28 August 1983. |
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Leif Helander again - this time with his Saab 900 Turbo car. The turbo definitely went for a burton! |
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The Expert seen in the pits on 26 August 1984, Anders Olsson has come to my rescue yet again with details of the driver who was Björn Bergstrom. |
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One of the earliest teams to acquire an articulated truck was Anders Lian's Apocalypse II. This shot was taken on 26 August 1984. |
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Apocalypse II pictured in the spectator lane on the same day. How did Anders see past that bugcatcher? It seems to be about level with the top of the windscreen. |
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The Ellen Betrix-sponsored funny car of Timo Aartomaa from Finland seen in the pits also on 26 August 1984. This is the ex-California Charger car which I must say looks rather drab compared to its former splendour (see above and also page 2). Still, as Timo reminded me, it is money that keeps funny cars running not paint jobs. Sad but true. |
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For those of you thinking that there are too many shots in the pits and not enough action - I agree. Here is Timo Aartomaa blowing a few cobwebs away. This picture was also taken on 26 August 1984. At this meeting there was a combined Top Fuel Dragster, Funny Car and Pro Comp elimination which Timo won defeating none other than Dennis Priddle in the final. |
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And here is Steinar Stolen back again in the great looking Spirit of Norway funny car disturbing the rural peace of the Northamptonshire countryside on 22 September 1984. |
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Slightly back in time to 26 August 1984 for a shot of Kent Persson's funny car, body up, in the pits. |
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The un-painted Corvette funny car of Pelle Wikner pictured on 7 April 1985 which was obviously an absolutely rotten day weather-wise. |
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