Driver - Pat Talbot 
Matthew Talbot. Crew with us for a lot of the time . He rapidly became the main 'hands on' member of the team - being a great asset in the Engine, Gearbox, Electrical and virtually all aspects of the car. O yes he's pretty handy with diesels, boilers and pretty much anything else that needs 'fettlin' . Photo curtesy of
History.
Achievements. |
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| Championships | |
| 2007 Main Event - New ET Personal Best | 6.93,6.91, 6.90 seconds - Hurrah.. 200 mph. |
| 2006 European Finals New MPH and ET Personal Best | 193.16 MPH and 6.94 Seconds |
| 2006 Easter Thunderball New MPH Personal Best | 190.01 MPH, 305.79 KPH |
| 2003 Speed trials were targeted. Achieved our fastest run. | 6.95 seconds. |
| 2002 Did not race - testing only | |
| 2001 National Championship | Third |
| 2001 Santapod Racers Club Championship | Third |
| 2000 National Championship | Runner Up |
| 2000 Super Series Championship | Up Third |
| 2000 Santapod Racers Club Championship | Runner Up |
| 1999 National Championshop | Runner Up |
| 1999 Super Series Championship | Runner Up |
| 1999 Santapod Racers Club Championship | Runner Up |
| 1998 Santapod Racers Club Championship | Runner Up |
| Races | |
| 2005 Thunderball | Runner Up |
| 2001 The Canonball | Runner Up |
| 2001 The Main Event | Winner |
| 2001 Super Series Meeting | Runner Up |
| 2001 Thunderball | Winner |
| 1999 Super Series Meeting 4 | Runner Up |
| 1999 Super Series Meeting 1 | Runner Up |
| 1999 Thunderball | Winner |
The Beginning |
1991 |
| Pat and her husband Stephen were driving up the M1 in a reasonably fast car - a Cobra replica capable of 145MPH (in Germany) when they saw a sign 'Santapod Raceway' - I'm sure that's where they do drag racing - I remember Dave Lee Travis used to do that when I was a lot younger (Stephen). 'Let's pop in and have a look.' As we arrived on the car park a Big Block Ford in a POP runs down the track - we were hooked and we were still on the car park side of the banking . . . | Spectating / sleeping - dreaming |
The Madness |
1995 |
Four pints of Budweiser and no food all day - in the Budweiser tent - on the spectator side of the banking. Stephen and Pat and his best mate - who was into 500 HP Rovers, had one of those discussions. 'We have been looking in Custom Car and have seen a (cheap) dragster for sale. If we buy it do you fancy a drive Pat? Cos I won't get in it!' (they don't make dragsters in Stephen's size - see personnel). |
Blindly assume that drag racing is easy cos it's easy to go 'fast' on the street. |
The Steep Learning Curve. |
1995-1996 |
| Whilst they may have owned a dragster - the Talbots needed to learn how to drag race, learn how to be a team, get a race licence, they go to 3 events - qualify and then break before each first round. Stephen gets totally upset by the number of breakages and then chucks it all in with a statement of 'I'm never ever going to touch that car again!' Mind you they did run some 11.00 second runs and had a whale of a time. The Talbot's decided that they had better buy some 'faster' hardware. Pat was loving every minute of the driving experience. | Realise that old stuff won't work and if we have any chance at all we had better find someone who knows what they are doing. |
The Blue Dragster and Geof Hauser |
1997 - 1999 |
| After wandering around the pits in 1997, during the Cannonball, Stephen spotted a lovely little dragster - which looked brand new and got told it belonged to Geof Hauser - who was crewing for Barry Sheavills. The very first conversation was - 'Hi Geof. I am interested in buying that new dragster - how much is it?' - the reply? You'll never fit in it! (this size thing again - I don't understand it). The outcome was that Geof put together a lovely car which he then (with the patience of a saint) taught Pat how to drive and taught Stephen how to help Pat race it. He was a massive encouragement and help during these years - go and see him if you need a new car! The outcome was sucess in racing and no money in the bank. See the results table above. | Nice, easy, help from Geof Hauser, Spend all of the money you have and then all of the money you dont have. However have fun and win races! |
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The Yellow Dragster and 'can we go a bit quicker?' |
2000 - 2003 |
| The team were so happy with the set up that they decided to change it all. Remember thats what humans do - get comfy and then get bored. Pat was happy running 8.00's on a good day but did say - I wonder what a mid 7.00 second run would feel like.? Again their good friend Geof Hauser was consulted and the result was a (long) car specified to run much quicker. The rest is recent history. We were running well in 2000 when Pat was taken ill and told that she could not race for a year. Our great friend Jon Webster stepped in and helped us maintain the runner up position in the National Championship that Pat had started. In 2001 we broke the motor at Shakespeare County Raceway - halfway through the season and took a whole year to find the parts/money/combination to come racing again. After Pat's illness she decided that 'actually a 6 second would be nice' . She got that as a wedding anniversary present in September 2003. | Year 2000 - new millennium and a new challenge - and a wife that likes going quicker. |
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Back to proper racing. |
2006 |
Back to proper racing is the plan. Win some races, have fun, go as quick as the bank manager will allow. Loads of Horsepower, lots of good friends and the greatest motorsport in the world. Come and see us in the pits. |
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Retirment |
2013 |
| Mid Year 2013 - Decide to retire. Sell the Car. Help to get the new owner his licence and some experience | |
Personnel |
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 Crew Chief - Stephen Talbot |
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 Lisa Shone (Talbot) - Long standing crew member, tow car driver and relaxation expert. |
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 Jonny Talbot Helped us on and off for a few years. He works in the Motor Trade so you would think he would have had enough of all this in the week.He is our bodywork expert - likes car bodies as well. |
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 Tom Ward - AKA Sharkman a late recruit to the team. . He played the roleis of 'new boy'. This means he added to his already prodigous skills with a camera with some professional spanner turning and a little drinking . . . Of course it did mean we did get 'free' pictures too! |