VP Racing Fuels Doorslammers: Your guide to the most exciting event in Motorsport

What is it?

It is a simple, knockout competition for the fastest ‘cars with doors’ in the country. There are five classes, accounting for different engine sizes, with a prize fund in excess of £40k, and the races will take place across Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th September with a practice/test session running on Friday 3rd September.

The Classes

VP Racing Fuels Pro Doorslammers

This is a no limit class with a £500 entry fee and a £5k cheque for the winner. You will see incredible times, where if you blink you will miss it, as well as vehicles with monumental power that will deafen the fans, and vibrate everything.

Street

This is a class for anything with an MOT. The cars are allowed to have a modified chassis, but are not allowed to have a wheelie bar, something put on the back of cars to stop them from flipping. With a £250 entry fee and the winner receiving £2.5k, the racers are more professional and are more serious, so expect times somewhere around the 7 second mark, with power figures into the four figures.

Front Wheel Drive

A class where your imagination can run wild, and the only restriction being the car has to be FWD only, the times do not make sense as the cars defy physics. With a £200 entry fee and a £2.5k cheque for the winner, it is a very competitive class for cars that have generally been built on driveways, garages and warehouses.

A-Plan Insurance 4 cylinder

A class for the 4 pot engine, it allows a massive amount of variety to compete. The same entry fee and winner prize as the FWD class, this is another very competitive class that does not allow rotary engines, but does allow electric and hybrid road cars

6 Cylinder

A class that does as it says. Designed for cars with a 5 or 6 cylinder engines, or rotary engines, and a £200 entrance fee, this is a spectacular class to watch. The winner will receive a £1750 cheque and it will be well deserved.

OCS Group Big Bracket

Two days means two competitions for this class for cars with dial in times between 6.99 and 11.99. There will only be one official practice run and then it is into the elimiations with random pairings, and a chance to buy back into the race if you go out in the first round. Each day the winner will receive £2.5k after paying £200 to take part, this is the most varied class in the event, with 8, 10 and 12 cylinder cars able to compete.

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For those looking for someone to cheer. Here’s a just a selection of competitors taking part to watch out for;

VP Racing Fuels Pro Doorslammers

John Sleath

He is entered in his trusty Chevy S10 pickup, which runs a tuned 6.6 litre turbodiesel producing more than 1200hp. The pickup regularly runs into the 8 seconds, and although the truck isn’t expected to win, it is spectacular to watch and hear, especially with the single funnel exhaust sticking out of the bonnet which chucks the smoke high into the air, almost like a steam train

John Tebenham

In a beautifully turned out MK1 Chevrolet Corvette from 1953, John is well known in the drag racing circuit. Currently running a big block 8.5 Chevy V8, he has delivered a time in the 5s, although it is rare in one of the lower powered cars in this class.

Kevin Slyfield

Kevin is once again competing in the top class with his Dark Red 1957 Ford Thunderbird, it’s a beautiful looking car that will run deep into the 8s with an 8.5 blown V8. Don’t be surprised to see this car run into the 5s, which should guarantee a final entry, and he does currently sit 2nd in the UK Pro Mod Drag Championship.

Dave Smith

Debuting this car, Dave is bringing something very unique to the championship with a Jaguar XKR that is an unchained beast. Powered by an 11.4 litre V8 this will not be slow

Street Class

Andy Bond

If you have watched drag racing you would recognise the name Andy Bond, who is once again running his Chevy 210 saloon. This car is a serious challenger for top spot, with times deep in the 6s for a car that he drives on the road! Also, this car won last time this event ran in 2019

Joe Stevens

In a class where anything could run, never would you believe an 8.9 litre twin turbo Sunbeam Stiletto would be running, let alone running competitively into the 9 seconds. It is a crazy car, and one that is incredibly unique.

Buzz Pattar

In officially the quickest Lamborghini in Europe, this Huracan has kept the 5.2 V10 but has given it a twin turbo so it fires the car down the strip at sub-9s and over 230mph! This will definitely be a car to watch, but also a car to back for the win.

Asim Hussain

Entering his Porsche 911 Turbo, it delivers over 1000hp, this will also be fast thanks to its 4WD system and launch control. It is good to see this car in the class, as it increases the variety within it, and goes against the stereotype of drag racing having only garage built cheap cars.

Dave Mahoney

This is a great car to watch, holding large wheelies in his 6.0 V8 Chevy Camaro. It regularly runs into the 9s, and this car has seen a lot of success both here and in the US.

FWD Class

Allan Duthie

Entering in his blue Vauxhall Corsa, this 2.0 turbo pocket rocket is one of the fastest Vauxhall Corsas in the UK, with times dropping all the time deep into the 9s. The car is also capable of going over 150mph, which is amazing in a fwd Vauxhall Corsa.

Andy Nicholls

Turning up in his matt black Honda Integra DC2, this 2.0 VTEC Turbo powered monster will hit near 170mph and cross the line on the verge of 8 seconds, and although he hasn’t got that elusive 8 second ET time, it isn’t far off.

Terry Newton

Turning up in his popular Ford Escort Van powered by a 2.1 Zetec Turbo with over 700hp. At the Ford Show last weekend he managed a time of 10:08 seconds and a speed of 145mph, which was his personal best, and not bad for a van

Ahmed Jamshaid

This is an amazing car, powered by a 1.9 litre turbocharged engine, it regularly drops into the 9s for a street legal Honda Civic K20 and delivers over 700hp through the front wheels.

Lee Openshaw

In a competition where survival is almost as important as outright speed, his 1.4 litre turbocharged Fiat Punto Sporting is the fastest Punto in the UK, and has delivered a 12 second ET time. The only realistic way he will see a win is with engine failures, and, as frequently happens, clutch failures.

4 cylinder class

Lee Connor

Something that suprisingly has never happened before, Lee has entered a Lotus Exige that has unofficially been crowned the worlds fastest Lotus. At various test and rwyb events this year, he has dipped into the 9s and delivers spectacular runs, combined with a sligtly scary wheelie.

Kevin Jenkins

It would be crazy to not include the Fraudster, a Ford Escort MK2 drag car that is one of the fastest in the world. Powered by a Vauxhall 2.0 engine, it sounds incredible, it looks incredible and goes very, very fast, delivering times regularly into the 7s and at over 170mph.

Simon Knief

Rather impressively, Simon has entered a VW Camper into this competition. It is not the most aerodynamically efficient car in the world, and it will be good to see how far this Van can go

Dave Reed

Dave is back with his unique Ford Fiesta Mk6, which has been converted to RWD, and is powered by a Cosworth Turbo. He is still looking for that elusive sub-10 second run, but could it be this weekend?

Chris Todd

One of the more spectacular cars in this event, Chris’ Ford Fiesta MK1 sleeper is one to witness, with a 2.0 flat 4 Subaru engine under the bonnet, the only thing that speaks of the true performance of this car is the wheelie bar and parachute on the back, and it regularly runs deep into the 8 second bracket.

6 cylinder

Ian Clemmishaw

His Nissan GT-R, powered by a bored-out 4.1 V6 version of the R35 engine, it is truly high performance. Earlier this year, he crossed the line at 8.27 seconds with a top speed of over 175mph, partly thanks to the 4wd this car has.

Mark Moseley

Driving the fastest Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R in the UK, it is a very fast car in this class, and will be comfortable taking on the R35 GTRs and Golfs in this class, with a PB time of 8.65 at over 150mph.

OCS Group Big Bracket

Dave Cherett

Using his trusty and rapid For Model A Van, powered by a 7.2 V8, this is anything but original. In a class where anything can happen, this van has and can win.

Lee Huxley

A Beautiful car, his black 8.5 V8 Ford Mustang can regularly run in the 8s and 9s, and has challenged in the Pro ET drag class, this car will be one to watch, and to hear

John Tebenham

Easily the most spectacular driver in the field, John brings his trusty Ford Anglia, and with a blown 6.9 V8, he hopes to replicate his 6.54 achieved earlier this year.

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Racing starts Friday with practice RWYB, and all 3 days will be live streamed, which can be seen here, or on Santa Pods YouTube page. Tickets are also available for all 3 days via www.santapod.co.uk