THE FIRST NITRO FUNNYCAR OUTSIDE OF THE USA TO RUN OVER 300 MPH

5.115 secs @ 305.98 mph 9th April 2007

AutoTrader Easter Thunderball 2007

Santa Pod 6th – 9th April

The traditional season opener attracted record entries, and Santa Pod had assembled a field of no less than 8 Top Fuel cars for the Pro Fuel Shootout ( 4 Funny cars and 4 dragsters).

The build up to the event actually started on Thursday for the Showtime team with a trip to Milton Keynes to collect new crew clothing from sponsors Oerlikon Balzer Coatings, and some machined parts from one of our new sponsors in 2007, Norton Motorsports.

Our first run was not scheduled until 2pm Saturday so having set up the pit and got everything in place we spent time in the workshop doing some preliminary work on the new car.

For once the weather was being kind and Saturday was bright and sunny. The first run of a new season is always a mixture of apprehension and anticipation, more so this year as the track had been re-laid and was somewhat of an unknown quantity. The format for this event is dragsters and funny cars running together against a class index, the 2 racers with the best  aggregates against index over 3 qualifying sessions progressing to the final

John took the right lane with Urs Erbacher in the dragster in the left. A 0.9212 sec 60 foot time for John then he hit shake at around 100feet. As he tried to drive through it the car turned hard right and John was off the throttle by half track, coasting through in 7.715 secs at 110.28mph. Urs had similar problems with shake recording a 7.422 at 97.35mph. After this first session John was actually leading the standings.

The weather continued in the same vein on Sunday, when we were joined by sponsors and guests from Norton Motorsports and ATI Stellram. John was in the left lane with Thomas Nataas with the “ Batman” dragster in the right. 0.9379 sec 60 foot, keeping it straight as John drove through the shake, the tires loosing traction at half track, recording 6.238 secs at 151.51mph to Thomas 5.63secs at 173.76mph, dropping John to 3rd in the standings, needing 0.27 secs to overhaul Lex Joon in 2nd place to get into the final.

1 more qualifier on Monday, then at least a place in the 3rd/4th run off, or the final, depending on other racers performance. Joining us today were guests from Oerlikon Balzer Coatings and ATI Stellram. Shortly after 12.30 it was back to the right lane for John, this time with lady driver Siw Nystaad in the left. 0.9038 sec to 60 foot, driving through shake at 300 foot to a 3.474 sec/ 236.72mph at half track. A puff of smoke from the headers and a slight bang at 900 ft causing John to lift, going through in 5.46 secs at 202 mph to secure a place in the 3rd/4th place run off.
It was a quick turn round time for the crew as we were out again in just over 3 hours to face the Starkotter FC of Leif Helander.

The dragsters of Urs and Lex were in the final and they ran first. The engine in Urs car let go in a big way through the finish. It was in the right lane where we were waiting to run. We had lane choice over Leif and bob made the call that we would stay with the right hand lane, and what a good call that turned out to be. The track crew done a perfect clean up on that lane.

John pulled a huge burnout, the car kicking left as he lifted. From the moment the light turned green the run looked to be 1 to remember. When the scoreboard lit up the place just erupted – 5.1159 secs at 305.98 mph. The first ever run over 300mph by a Funny car outside the USA., and this was the last outing for John and the crew with this particular Showtime car as it had been sold. What a send off !

The atmosphere back in the pits was euphoric with racers and fans alike offering congratulations, phones were ringing with calls and texts from every where. This continued for the rest of the evening while we were packing up and the next few days.
This is how Tog of www.eurodragster.com saw the run “As straight as I’ve ever seen the Showtime Mustang go, black stripes all the way down the lane, Spuff to the finish by 0.53 secs, well done to the Showtime team”

The final word rests with John as described to Tog on Wednesday:

UK Fuel Funny Car racer John Spuffard says that his tremendous 5.1159/305.98mph in the Showtime FC at Santa Pod on Monday came about partly as a result of his having to ignore the instincts of 23 years in Funny Cars.

“I’ve been driving FC’s since 1984 and when the engine noses over ( slows down momentarily) you get off it or there is going to be a big bang. The way these cars work now, when the clutch locks up it drags the engine down, but you are so used to reacting to the change in the engine note, you get off it” “Bob (Jarrett – Crew Chief) has been trying to convince me that it wont blow up so I’ve had to re-educate myself.
That’s what happened just in case anyone thought I was there with a stuck throttle trying to pull it off the floor”

“I would like to thank the team and the fans and everyone who has supported us, especially our sponsors, ATI Europe Distribution, ATI Stellram, Poggipolini Titanium, Oerlikon Balzers Coating, Hardcore, Ringers Gloves, Torco, James Lister and Sons, Ferrea Racing Components, Nimbus CarbonX, Racing Communications, ARP, IronCAD and Norton Motor Sports