Where the legends gather! The Quarter Mile Foundation returns to the SEMA Show to our regular location! We hope those of you who will be attending will stop and see us at BOOTH 11000, located at the junction of the Central Hall Rotunda and the hallway in front of the North Hall (see the map)! We look forward to seeing many of you!
Quarter Mile Foundation to film interviews at British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala, Detroit, MI. and PRI Show:
The Quarter Mile Foundation has been informed there will be interviews conducted at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHoF) induction gala on November 21, 2015 in Windsor Great Park, Surrey, UK., at the Savill Court Hotel.
Thanks to a generous donation by Geoff Stilwell of Beech Underwriting, one of the major sponsors of the BDRHoF dinner gala, the Foundation will be interviewing several of the early pioneers of British drag racing, and gain a perspective of how the sport grew after Sydney Allard built the first dragster in 1961, the iconic Chrysler-Allard, and then promoted first drag racing demonstrations in England with some of the major name drivers and cars from the United States.
The interviews will be held on Saturday, November 21st with noted motorsports broadcaster, Jack Korpela, doing the “behind the camera” interviews. The interviewees will be Stu Bradbury, Russ Carpenter, John Hobbs, Gary Page, Roy Phelps, Barry Sheavills and Steve Trice.
Additionally, the BDRHoF will hold a “Bench Racing” session in the afternoon of November 21, prior to the induction ceremonies, featuring several U.S. drag racing legends who will be attending the event — Eileen Daniels, Don Garlits, Ron Hope, Fred Larsen, Bruce Larson, Larry (“Spiderman”) McBride, Steve McBride, Fred (“Waterbed”) Miller, Bob Muravez and Roland Stuart, and hosted by Jack Korpela. The event will be filmed, and the BDRHoF has graciously offered the content to the Foundation for use in the “PROJECT 1320” documentary.
The Foundation will also be filming interviews during the course of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., from December 10-12. The management of the PRI Show has graciously provided an on-site meeting room where the interviews will be conducted.
During the week preceding the PRI Show, the film crew will be in the Detroit, Mich. area, gathering interviews with important figures of the sport, the performance aftermarket and employees of the racing and performance parts aspects of the Big 3 automakers.
The Foundation is presently developing the interviewee list for the Detroit and at the PRI Show locations.
Quarter Mile Foundation Chairman, Traci Hrudka, observed, “The addition of the interviews we will gain in Britain should help us gain an insight to how the sport was transplanted to Great Britain and Europe from North America, and how the sport grew in this new environment.
“The inclusion of the British perspective allows us to gain a more global insight to the sport of drag racing and the performance aftermarket. This will be the first step in adding a tremendous amount of history that will certainly expand on the stories we only thought we knew.
”Additionally, the Detroit and Indianapolis interviews will expand our inventory of interviews, and help us gain deeper insight into the influence of drag racing in the automakers, and their use of drag racing to help drive the performance image of their vehicles in the 1960s and early ‘70s.”
* * * * *
The Quarter Mile Foundation is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit foundation, which is producing PROJECT 1320, a documentary film series about the history of drag racing and the parallel growth of the performance automotive aftermarket.
Traci Hrudka, the Quarter Mile Foundation’s chairman, has been invited as an honored guest in recognition of her role as the Quarter Mile Foundation chairman and as the American Patron of the Allard-Chrysler Action Group (A.C.A.G), which restored Britain’s first dragster to operating condition. She shares that honor with her British Patron, Nick Mason, well-known as the drummer for Pink Floyd, and an avid auto collector and automotive journalist, who also will be in attendance. Additionally, she will serve as an award presenter at the event, paired with David Lillywhite, Editorial Director of the British motorsports publication, OCTANE, to present the “Sydney Allard Media Awards” for drag racing journalism and photography excellence in 2015. The award is sponsored by the iconic performance aftermarket manufacturer, Mooneyes (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.).
“I am overwhelmed by being asked to attend, much less participate, in the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Awards program” said Ms. Hrudka. “The Foundation has strong ties to the Hall of Fame, through many of the members of its Board of Directors, and the Foundation’s involvement with the restoration of Britain’s first dragster, the Allard-Chrysler.
“For the Foundation, this event presents a wonderful opportunity to discuss our mission on a very international level. To have the opportunity to be a co-presenter of the Sydney Allard Media Awards, is very special, and in a sense, it brings us back to the Allard-Chrysler again.”
The 2015 BDRHoF Gala will have a sizeable contingent from the United States, led by Don Garlits, one of the 2014 BDRHoF inductees, who will present the Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award to Pieto Gorlier, President and CEO, Mopar Brand Service, Parts and Customer Care Fiat Chrysler Automotive, CEO Components FCA – Global.
Also attending as a presenter is Eileen Daniels, a long-time part of the National Hot Rod Association with her late husband, Bob (NHRA Division 3 Director); who will be presenting one of the 2015 inductees with the signature British Drag Racing Hall of Fame crystal trophy. Other U.S. drag racing personalities in attendance will be Bruce Larson, Bob Muravez, Larry (“Spiderman”) McBride, Ron Hope and “Waterbed Fred” Miller, plus Donna Garlits, CFO of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing.
Follow
