The 10th annual British Drag Racing Hall of Fame (BDRHOF) Gala Awards Dinner was held on November 21, 2015 in Windsor Great Park. The occasion was, once again, the most prestigious social gathering on the drag racing calendar and is one of the top gala events in UK motor sports.
The evening included the induction of three new members of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame, the presentation of the Sydney Allard media awards, the Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award, and special presentations for the US visitors to the event and the individuals that have overseen the growth of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame since its inception.
Inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame were drag bike pioneer John Clift, Flathead powered dragster racer Ken Cooper, and long-time club, race, and Committee Secretary Yvonne Tramm. Between them, they have a total of over 100 years' experience in the sport.
The Sydney Allard media awards were given to photographer Jeni Long for her dramatic photo of Bob Hawkins' fire burnout, and author Roger Attaway for his book Street Rod & Custom Showtime. The trophies were sponsored by Mooneyes - the company that helped Sydney Allard increase awareness of drag racing throughout the UK in 1963.
The Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award was presented to Pietro Gorlier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mopar Brand Service Parts and Customer Car as well as Global Chief Executive Officer Fiat Chrysler Components for the HEMI V8 engine, which played a key role in drag racing.
Newly commissioned paintings by Paul Whitehouse were presented to guest US legends. They were presented to NHRA Nostalgia Series administrator Eileen Daniels, long-time Funny Car racer and 1989 NHRA Winston Funny Car Champion Bruce Larson, 'Waterbed' Fred Miller of the Blue Max Funny Car team, Rat Trap Fuel Altered pilot Ron Hope, and Bob Muravez, who drove the twin-motor Freight Train slingshot.
In addition to the awards, tribute was paid to club organizer Peter Bartlett and Top Fuel Bike legend Brian and his wife, Ann Johnson, all of whom passed away during the last year.
The Gala day also included Face-to-Face interviews with UK pioneers that were filmed for inclusion in a TV series covering the history of American drag racing and the performance parts industry. The afternoon also featured an entertaining Legends Bench Racing Session with the guest American and Norwegian racers and personalities telling stories about back in the day with questions from the floor.
Europe's first dragster, Sydney Allard's 1961 354 cubic inch HEMI engined Allard Chrysler, was on disply during the evening as part of the celebration of 65 years since Chrysler first intorduced the HEMI engine as an option on production cars.