Nice write-up Roscobbc
Just doing a search here in the USA
There are 423 active ÂĽ mile drag strips in the United States as of today and at least another 23 being built this year
That 423 number is down a couple handfuls from what Kepner says was a high-water mark of somewhere between 440 and 450 active tracks in the mid-2010’s, but nevertheless, the “good old days” are right now. Never before have there been more places to drag race in this country than there have been over the last 5–10 years, and that stat remains true to this day.
Sure, the trend is moving in the wrong direction a smidge, but this sport is still truly alive and well, and for many in various parts of the country, there are more tracks in easy driving distance than there are days in a week to visit them all.
It was proven here if you have the tracks, that took the racers off the streets and safer on the tracks
Tracks here deal as to national noise levels by having rules as the maximum dBa vehicle can emit and must meet that sound level
Groups like SCCA, N.A.S.A, WSCC, NHRA, etc when need be grouped up and when needed even bought the land to build a track
for grassroots racing
I would think in the UK clubs like yours and others could do the same and drag strip needs less land than road course type track
I got talked into going to 1 1/8th mile, and it sucked, if I recall I never got out of second gear and hit the traps like 85 MPH
so the design of the engine never really proved what its ability is so was boring for me and not even worth the price for non Ethanol gas
How about looking as we do for Open Rod Racing is finding a town that would rent and shut down the road to the public for a weekend
Here those towns doing this make a ton of money over 3 days and in fact live on the amount they make for those 3 days for the rest of the year
We added TV coverage and that in turn countless people wanting to race or come just to watch the races and increases money to the town for motels, food, gas, etc and the local/county cops loved it
If we can do this where the rented road is like 100 miles, I would think the UK clubs could do the same for a 1-mile total for drag race weekends
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