Some 90,000 pounds is up for grabs when Santa Pod Raceway presents its annual Doorslammers race in association with VP Racing Fuels. Entries from across Europe are expected to challenge for the record prize fund.
“Doorslammer” is a drag racing term for any car with functioning doors – a ‘tin top’, in circuit racing parlance – so no dragsters, altereds or roadsters are invited. But that doesn’t preclude machines that pack a mean punch. At the top level, any saloon-car resemblance may barely be skin-deep.
In 2018, Mattias Wulcan’s Chevrolet Camaro-bodied Blackbird entry from Sweden hit a jaw-dropping 262mph in pursuit of the big prize yet had to return the following year actually to win it.
As Associate Sponsor of the event, VP Racing Fuels is also the Official Fuel Supplier for the venue and Title Sponsor of the Doorslammers’ premier race class, Pro Doorslammer. These heavyweights attract the most attention – brutal machines radically different from any ‘tin top’ seen on a circuit. The no-holds-barred shoot-out pits class-legal Pro Modifieds – which otherwise contest national and European championships – against the unregulated monsters of Sweden’s eighth-mile Top Doorslammer league, reconfigured for this weekend to run the full quarter-mile – and indeed against any other outlandish vehicle whose owner considers it fit for the challenge.
In place of the usual, seeded qualifying ladder, elimination pairings are drawn at random before each knockout round until the last two contestants left standing dash for the cash.
It’s truly a matter of “run what ya brung… and hope ya brung enough”.
Alongside the headline VP Racing Fuels Pro Doorslammer class, the Doorslammers weekend features five other heads-up categories – Pro Street, True Street, Front-Wheel Drive, 6-Cylinder and 4-Cylinder – plus separate daily Big Bracket competitions on Saturday and Sunday, all racing for hefty cash prizes.
VP Racing Fuels can be purchased online at https://www.santapodshop.com/garage/race-fuel or directly from the Santa Pod on-site “Garage” shop. Pre-orders are welcome too by calling the telesales team at Santa Pod Raceway on +44 (0) 1234 782828.
VP Racing Fuels is best known as the World Leader in Fuel Technology®, fuelling champions in virtually every form of motorsport on land, sea, and air since 1975. The company operates internationally with businesses including race fuels and lubricants, consumer small engine fuels and automotive additives, and licensed retail fuel stations. VP’s partnership with Santa Pod provides availability of its products to all racers competing at the renowned British venue. For more information, visit VPRacingFuels.com.
Doorslammers 2022 takes place at Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough NN29 7XA, from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd May. Full information and advance booking facilities are available online at https://santapod.co.uk/doorslammers.php or by telephone at 01234 782828. Advance admission prices start at just £25 per day, with kids aged 5-15 at £5 per day – advance booking only, no admission on the gate. There is free paddock access and overnight camping is free with multi-day tickets.
This story was originally published on March 28, 2022. 
