[Trakbytes]

Afternoon folks. I am in the process of gearing up to resume updating the Trakbytes website and I was reminded of an unsolved mystery. Years ago I had a page on the site with a number of questions regarding some of the landmark moments in UK Drag Racing history. Most of them were answered (I think), but one that still remains is the details of the first side-by-side five second Funny Car race. A few people came up with suggestions, none of which I could find any information on to verify. I asked Bob Jarrett and he suspected it was at a Cannonball event, but couldn't offer any more than that.
So, does anyone out there have the answer?

[NitroWars]

Chris, you could try asking Nick Pettitt... Or Gary Page may know.
Jim

[Archie King]

It's been a month, I wonder if you find an answer to this question?

[Jappy]

Any updates?

[ukdrn]

Seems like this question has got everyone stumped. I've asked around but still no definitive answer.

[Trakbytes]

I think we have the answer now, thanks to Simon Groves. The earliest record we can find of two Funny Cars running side-by-side fives was at the 1996 Cannonball. John Spuffard ran 5.57/250 alongside a 5.76/208 from Gary Page.
I really thought it would have been earlier than that, but having trawled through all the material available to me it seems that this was the one.

[ukdrn]

I really thought it would have been earlier than that as well Chris.
Spuff running in the mid 5s before somebody ran a 5 with him seems strange but if that's the only record we can find.

[Trakbytes]

It’s probably worth mentioning that I have found an earlier date for this now. In my search for the first side-by-side five second runs by Funny Cars in the UK I had noticed that both Harlan Thompson and our own John Spuffard had put in five second passes in the first round of the 1993 Cannonball. In the report I acquired this information from, I don't recall where it was, it wasn't clear that they were running together. But a recent look at an Anglia TV 'Wheels" show covering the event, posted by Nick Pettitt, showed that indeed they were side by side. So this appears to be the first occasion……

[simongroves]

Well spotted Chris! Link for the pass is https://youtu.be/gmeOP4WuLNw?t=547