Animal Safari

Author
Discussion

Benni

Original Poster:

3,546 posts

218 months

Thursday 21st December 2006
quotequote all
Hi Dragster-Fans, Drivers & Experts !
I am looking for a Dragster that was active in the late 80s, named ANIMAL.
It was green w/orange stripe at bottom, and seemed to have an injected engine,
for I can see injector stacks at the top of the engine, and upswept chrome headers.
Front wheels were large ones.
Where I can see it ?
On a porcelaine plate, which I found in the official souvenir shop
of the Hockenheimring (no NitrOlympX stuff).
It seems to be a reproduction of an aquarel painting.
It shows the dragster racing, or better burning out,
side by side with the "HOT 13" Ford 5-window-coupe driven by Bernd Seminati (D).
And it is dated at 1988, the third year there was Drag Racing at the Motodrome,
still on the 1/8 mile on the start/finish straight, before the Quartermile was built.
The ANIMAL has #86 on it,
I think this was back in Peter Janssen´s "Euroserie" days, before the FIA.
Anyone has a clue who was driving the ANIMAL ?
Benni


MotorPsycho

1,126 posts

218 months

Thursday 21st December 2006
quotequote all
I believe that Animal was Mick & Wayne Saunders' car, sure someone can confirm this

Benni

Original Poster:

3,546 posts

218 months

Thursday 21st December 2006
quotequote all
B I N G O ! ! !
Thank you Adam, it was Wayne Saunders´ BB Chevy Dragster.
Number 86 was listed in my old Programme.
(Which brought a lot of instant memories just from glimpsing through....*sigh*,
Russ Carpenter, Tony Morris, John Wood, Robin Read,
just to name the other british "Pro-Comp" Euroserie racers.)
Does Wayne have an @ddress ?
I searched and found nothing,
maybe he would like to have a "souvenir from the past".
Benni

blownalky

146 posts

217 months

Thursday 21st December 2006
quotequote all
hi all,
believe this was the same animal car in altered
guse ,that jumped the righthand guard rail at santa pod
and sat doing donuts in the grass till the motor was cut.

or is my memory
getting that bad?

MotorPsycho

1,126 posts

218 months

Friday 22nd December 2006
quotequote all
blownalky said:
hi all,
believe this was the same animal car in altered
guse ,that jumped the righthand guard rail at santa pod
and sat doing donuts in the grass till the motor was cut.

or is my memory
getting that bad?


nope your right Cliff! I remember seeing coverage of it on an old video we have somewhere (cors I was far too young to remember it in real life but did spend most of my time when younger watching racing videos over and over again)

Miss Corrado

603 posts

218 months

Friday 22nd December 2006
quotequote all
blownalky said:
hi all,
believe this was the same animal car in altered
guse ,that jumped the righthand guard rail at santa pod
and sat doing donuts in the grass till the motor was cut.

or is my memory
getting that bad?


You are correct. I was in the tow vehicle and remember the day well.

Whoever asked.... i still have photos of the rail and the altered. If you want them i can e mail or my space them...i think you are on myspace aren't you benni...if thats you asking for them! My memory is like a banana tree with all the lil monkeys clattering for attention.

blownalky

146 posts

217 months

Friday 22nd December 2006
quotequote all
just glad my memorys ok!

Furyous

24,142 posts

228 months

Friday 22nd December 2006
quotequote all
blownalky said:
hi all,
believe this was the same animal car in altered
guse ,that jumped the righthand guard rail at santa pod
and sat doing donuts in the grass till the motor was cut.

or is my memory
getting that bad?


Agree it was that car that jumped the rails.IIRC Wayne went to Pro stock bike pretty shortly after.
Also pretty sure that was on the Nitro Zap duke video.I still have a copy and am hoping to get it copied onto dvd in the very near future.PM if you need a copy.

F

Benni

Original Poster:

3,546 posts

218 months

Friday 22nd December 2006
quotequote all
Miss Corrado said:
.....i think you are on myspace aren't you benni...if thats you asking for them!

Hi Miss C. and historix !

No, I do not have a myspace account, must be "another Benni"...*hrmph* .
When I searched for Wayne, I found a pic in Alan´s Acceleration Archive,
of the Ford Focus that Wayne built and ran mid-sevens...yikes
Was this a FWD or RWD ?
Benni

Miss Corrado

603 posts

218 months

Saturday 23rd December 2006
quotequote all

Hi Benni. I realised when i looked at your profile i got it wrong, different person - sorry! I think his Focus was RWD. Pretty certain but hey i'm sure there is some keyboard warrior out there ready to shoot me down quite cerimoniously!

MotorPsycho

1,126 posts

218 months

Saturday 23rd December 2006
quotequote all
you're right Kirstie, both the Probe (which John Tebbenham now has) and the Focus which was sold to an American (who promptly destroyed it) were rear wheel drive

tony morris

88 posts

218 months

Sunday 24th December 2006
quotequote all

I belive this was the car that mick crash in, mick had offered the car to me in 84 but I ended up buying Rough Diamond from Dave Gibbons in Sep 84.

Chunky Morris

NitroWars

665 posts

218 months

Wednesday 27th December 2006
quotequote all
It was 1987 that Mick Saunders had the incident in that version of the Animal altered. I was chief startline marshal at the time and feared the worst after the bad 1986 that we had suffered.

Benni

Original Poster:

3,546 posts

218 months

Wednesday 27th December 2006
quotequote all
Hi Speedfreax !
I just discovered (while searching for the -european-"Motown Shaker":
www.cehighperformance.com/santa_pod.htm
The site is by an american named Randy "The Coopster" Cooper,
who had spent several years in the UK whilst in the Army.
He has some photos of the Saunders/guardrail incident,
and is looking for Bob Glassup, can someone help him ?
He is also looking for some identities of racers on his pix.
Cheers,
Benni

herb andrews

100 posts

218 months

Thursday 28th December 2006
quotequote all
Peter Blake and Martin ?????? (old age coming in!) originally built the bantam bodied Sabbath, so I guess they sold it to Mick.
Herb

NitroWars

665 posts

218 months

Thursday 28th December 2006
quotequote all

I know that Wayne told me that he did not like the way the car handled and that is why his father was driving at that particular 1987 meeting...

Talking of Wayne, does anybody know how he is doing?

MotorPsycho

1,126 posts

218 months

Thursday 28th December 2006
quotequote all
haven't seen or heard anything since he crashed in John Hales' street eliminator 57 chevy, 2004 was it?

Aircooled402Racing

2 posts

32 months

Friday 11th March 2022
quotequote all
Years and years ago wink
I just found this topic because I try to find more infos about this rail dragster .
Why ?
Because i bought it 3 months ago .
It is getting a major refresh and brought back to racing in France and Germany . Maybe Italy and UK.
Will see
Greets from Luxembourg
Sam