Santa Pod Raceway in Northamptonshire offers the cheapest and most accessible track time in the UK. For just £10 admission and £25 to "sign on", you can take your car and motorcycle out on the famous quarter-mile dragstrip and test it's performance limits in a safe and legal environment.
You don't have to apply for a race licence, you don't have to tape over your lights, you don't even have to own a fast car or bike! Your mum's Fiesta or street bike would do the job fine and most of the drivers who come along will be racing in normal road cars and bikes. Some, however, may have slight modifications or even be professional racers in their drag cars and bikes but don't worry, you won't be pitched against a 300mph Top Fuel Dragster!
The only thing you need to go drag racing at the famous Santa Pod Raceway is a valid driving licence (UK, European or International), £10 for admission and a £25 signing-on fee. You'll be entitled to unlimited runs or as many as your nerves will allow! After each run you'll receive a personal performance print-out showing your reaction times to the start lights, 60ft, 1/4 mile, 1/8 mile times and terminal speed. If you really get hooked you could then apply for a competition licence and enter a street class at a proper race meeting because, don't forget, the RWYB days are how most of the professional racers get started.
Also, throughout the year there are specialist events and festivals which incorporate Run What Ya Brung, including car only, bike only and manufacturer-specific events. Prices vary for these events, please see the calendar for more info.
For further information call Santa Pod on (01234) 782828, and make sure you view our RWYB Guides for essential info. |
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The Santa Pod RWYB Championship Table
The RWYB challenge is a league table which pits you against other cars or bikes. This competition is open to ALL vehicles and you will be awarded points based on your performance at each event you race at. Points will be accumulated and added to the season table to determine a winner at the end of the year. View the 2013 Tables here.
Points will be awarded for participation, best reaction time and of course your fastest 1/4 mile time. You will receive one point for every other vehicle taking part in the competition that you are faster than.
To enter the challenge, you must pre-register your vehicle and obtain your personal race, full details on the Introduction page.
There will be 2 different tables, 1 for cars and 1 for bikes and there are prizes up for grabs for the winner of each.
You don’t need to do anything different to what you’ve done in previous years, just turn up and run using your personal race number!
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Venue normally opens at 8.00am with track runs starting at 9:30am - 5pm, weather and track conditions dependant. Opening times vary for specialist events.
Some RWYB meetings are busy than others, longer waiting times can be expected at a RWYB before a big Drag Race meeting as drag cars down testing take longer to stage. On the plus side you sometimes get to see Europe's fastest cars running on the same strip as you.
Don't forget your driving licence! Helmets required for all bikes and open top cars, and any vehicles doing 110 mph or more at the finish line. Arm straps required in open top cars. Full Rules & Regulations here.
Santa Pod Raceway has joined up with 1320go to provide live timing data online and to your phone.
1320go is a website and phone app that displays live timing data from drag strips around the world including Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Yas Drag Centre, Willowbank Raceway and now Santa Pod. You can watch live data from any 1320go track on your phone once you have bought the app or at 1320go.com where you can also see historical data if you are a member. |
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The app cost is a one off fee of £6.10 and is available on Iphone or Android. As well as live data you can also view the qualifying and elimination data from the current event via the menu button on Android or on screen button on Iphone.
As the speed of 3G connections cannot be guaranteed at Santa Pod Raceway, please download the app before you arrive if you wish to use it.
Membership of the website is $1 a day or $24.95 a year per track for historical data. Live timing data from Santa Pod Raceway is free at www.1320go.com/santapod.
If Run What Ya Brungers, Tuners, Crew Chiefs and Racers are members of the website they can use it analyse their race data along with additional downloadable software.
You can download the app now from Itunes App Store or Android Marketplace (Google Play) and view what the website has to offer at www.1320go.com.
Santa Pod has turned the track day market on its head, by being the first venue in the UK to allow guests to drive under fully timed race conditions – with a passenger!
In a dynamic change to their rules and regulations, the ‘Pod has made it possible for any enthusiast enjoying a day’s full-tilt driving (at £35 all in) to take a passenger alongside, under race conditions, for only a £10 sign-on fee!
Passengers will need to bring their full UK driving licence and sign on in the usual manner, but having done so - and once presented with their wristband, they are free to ride shotgun with anybody on the start line that would like them onboard. With events running throughout the year there are over 50 separate opportunities for a bit of twos-up, heads-up racing! Any road legal car is eligible, but understandably, real race car drivers, bikers and anyone running faster than 130mph will have to travel solo!
Upon announcing the move, Santa Pod MD, David Lloyd Jones was quick to point out the many benefits. "We’re proud to have added this new dimension to our RWYB days,’ he said. ‘By allowing passengers, it not only makes it a far more enjoyable day for groups of friends attending, but also opens the door for any tuners or commercial organisations to come along and showcase their wares to prospective customers. This fundamental change in our running regulations also means we can offer ‘experience’ rides to allow newcomers to the sport to discover the thrill of the quarter mile, for the price of a round of drinks."
Although each run is limited to one passenger per car, there is no limit to the amount of guests accompanying each car, so if you’re looking to sell, to impress, to entertain – or even for a first date with a difference, why not try the new RWYB for two?
Drivers and riders will be able to collect their Loyalty Card from signing on and will need to get it stamped at each RWYB they attend. Collect four stamps and your fifth sign on is FREE. The Loyalty Card can only be stamped at standard RWYB meetings not major events featuring RWYB. The list of eligible dates is the same as that for the Street Challenge.
Get £10 Off Any Santa Pod Track Day!
Discerning bikers have never needed much persuasion to fit a Pipercross performance filter to their machine. The combination of greater flow and improved filtration is usually enough for most, but any enthusiast purchasing a filter can look forward to the added incentive of a £10 discount voucher off any Santa Pod ‘Run What You Brung’ Track Day.
Usually £35 for the whole day, including admission and sign-on fees, the Pipercross voucher brings the ultimate bikers day-out down to just £25 for hours of full throttle enjoyment. High octane thrills at low octane prices!
For the full RWYB calendar, view the Dates & Prices page and for more details on the extensive range of Pipercross bike filters, visit www.pipercross.com or call the team on 01604 707750.
The Barrel Sprint is a cross between drag racing and drifting that challenges driver skill over all out horse-power.
Just like a traditional RWYB day the event is open to all street legal cars and any racer with a valid UK driving licence. It doesn't matter if they have a 400hp Skyline or a 80hp Ford Fiesta.
The course is very similar to a traditional drag strip. It has two lanes set out over a distance of 100m rather than a 1/4 mile. Each lane will have three barrels evenly placed along the track. Every driver must navigate a full 360 degrees around the barrel and over the finish line faster than their rival. Rather than relying on big budget and big power, the FBS is all about driver skill.
After a morning of qualifying the fastest 16 will be entered into knock-out rounds, resulting in a final between the two quickest drivers.
The FBS provides all the action of drag racing with the flair and skills of drifting. It allows RWD to meet FWD and AWD in a head to head showdown. Unlike drift events this series is against the clock.
If you'd like to get involved in the Fueltopia Barrel Series you can find all of the details on www.fueltopia.co.uk. Fueltopia is a motoring social network website that is open to all petrolheads from around the globe. It was established to allow car fans to keep a blog about their car and share information with others.
2013 Dates: Sun 24th March, Sat 13th April, Sun 5th May, Sun 18th Aug, Sat 26th Oct
As RWYB days continue to grow in popularity Santa Pod Raceway have decided to make a limited number of advance sign on vouchers available for RWYB days. These vouchers are intended for use by drivers traveling long distances to the raceway in order to guarantee track time.
Full details on Dates & Prices page.
If a meeting is severely affected by adverse weather a value will be assigned, so please hold onto your tickets as you can use them to get money off a future Santa Pod event up to and including the same event next year. Full details on the Adverse Weather Ticket Policy page at www.santapod.com.
To save time when you get to Santa Pod Raceway you can print off and complete your Sign On Form before hand by clicking here.
Any and all cars are welcome at RWYB days.
Run What Ya Brung is for bikers as well of course.
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