RIP U.K. Drag Racing legend Dennis Priddle, who’s passed away aged 75.
Dennis, a helicopter engineer at Westlands in Yeovil, was active in the very early days of drag racing over here, competing on a motorcycle at the 1965 Dragfest at Blackbushe and was present on four wheels in his first dragster at the birth of Santa Pod Raceway the following year.
By the early Seventies he was one of THE big names in the sport, earning his ‘Mr.Six’ nickname by running the first ever six-second quarter mile pass outside the States with a 6.93 pass at The Pod in May 1972....and along with Clive Skilton was the first Brit to run on an American strip when they competed at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona in February 1973.
In April 1975, Dennis set the world speed/ET record for front-engined dragsters at Santa Pod with a 6.04 at 218mph, a record that stood until the 1990s.
As the Seventies wore on he switched to Funny Cars but was no less competitive....the exploits of Priddle, Herridge, Beadle, Skilton etc were relayed monthly via the pages of Custom Car Magazine and lapped up by hot rod and custom crazed schoolboys like me, as well as building the Revell 1/16 plastic kit of his final rail, ‘Mr.Revell’.
Thanks for the memories, Mr.Six. Pull that chute and shut her off for the last time. 🥺
Dennis, a helicopter engineer at Westlands in Yeovil, was active in the very early days of drag racing over here, competing on a motorcycle at the 1965 Dragfest at Blackbushe and was present on four wheels in his first dragster at the birth of Santa Pod Raceway the following year.
By the early Seventies he was one of THE big names in the sport, earning his ‘Mr.Six’ nickname by running the first ever six-second quarter mile pass outside the States with a 6.93 pass at The Pod in May 1972....and along with Clive Skilton was the first Brit to run on an American strip when they competed at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona in February 1973.
In April 1975, Dennis set the world speed/ET record for front-engined dragsters at Santa Pod with a 6.04 at 218mph, a record that stood until the 1990s.
As the Seventies wore on he switched to Funny Cars but was no less competitive....the exploits of Priddle, Herridge, Beadle, Skilton etc were relayed monthly via the pages of Custom Car Magazine and lapped up by hot rod and custom crazed schoolboys like me, as well as building the Revell 1/16 plastic kit of his final rail, ‘Mr.Revell’.
Thanks for the memories, Mr.Six. Pull that chute and shut her off for the last time. 🥺
