Drag Racing 1965

In 1964 and 1965 the US National Hot Rod Association in conjunction with the British Drag Racing Association organised an exhibition tour of Britain which in 1965 included a drag race meeting on the runway of RAF Woodvale near Southport. This is a photograph of one of the American dragsters that took part.

'Moonshot' is a car created by Dean Moon and had a 392 cu in (6.4 litre) V8 Chrysler engine. The car was due to be driven by Merek Chertkow who had driven the car in the first of the two scheduled meetings at Blackbushe airfield which was largely disrupted by continuous rain. After the Blackbushe meeting, however, Merek Chertkow was involved in a road traffic accident in which he fractured two vertebrae, and arrangements were made for another member of the American team, Ben Griffin, to drive Moonshot at Woodvale. Ben Griffin made the first run but Merek Chertkow decided he wanted to try the next run himself, but despite clocking a 9.80 and 174mph he lost out.