Member Inducted 2009
Dave Grady
History
There can have been few people who have generated so much
enthusiasm, or given the opportunity to so many to involve
themselves in drag racing during his time in the sport. Dave Grady
had such an infectious enthusiasm for participating in, organising
and promoting drag racing that it was impossible not to be swept
along with his ventures and plans. These were the driven visions of
a man whose inner passion for all things drag racing were to make
Dave Grady one of the most innovative operators in the sport.
Dave started his early strip career campaigning a Holden in Street
Eliminator at Santa Pod and Blackbushe as early as 1973, and at
Pennine's first events at Crosland Moor near Huddersfield in 1974.
His leadership qualities through heavy involvement with the
cruising clubs of the late seventies - the Yorkshire Street Freaks
and the Northern Street Confederacy - soon came to the fore. As a
direct example, the number of converts dragged to Melbourne for the
inaugural meeting for PDRC in 1977 was testament to Dave's
promotional capabilities.
Dave's friendship and work with the late Glenn Jarvis to provide
American style outlets for the emerging hot rodders and racers in
the North of England led him to establish what became Superpower
USA at Swillington near Leeds, and a more drag strip focused
outlook.
Racing took over from cruising, and Dave's trusty black '57 Ford
took on the mantle of High Spirits for Senior Competition
racing at Melbourne. There followed some spells of intense hard
work as PDRC Chairman and Publicity Manager, lifting the profile of
Pennine to new heights and giving Dave the opportunity to
communicate his enthusiasm for the drag racing lifestyle and its
possibilities to a wider audience, from big money sponsors to the
youngster walking the pits at Melbourne with their parents.
A new unique race vehicle followed, the famed Thundertruck
designed to compete in the intended Super Gas class. Super Gas had
ignited a new flame in Dave's heart following a trip to the states.
Not content with just racing in the new class, Dave set to work
co-ordinating the G-Force. A totally new idea for a single class of
vehicles to offer themselves to show and race promoters as a
complete demonstration or race class with sixteen Northern Super
Gas cars available to run under the G-Force banner for a
championship spanning the three existing tracks. In the following
year the class had expanded to more than twenty five vehicles
fighting the gasser wars at National events around the country.
Super Gas was an established class. In the meantime Dave had forged
links with an enthused sponsor to take on some of the financial
burden of promoting events at Melbourne and providing much needed
sponsorship for racers. Further Dave coups were to see Ken and Bev
Coleman's Blown Police Rover sponsored by South Yorkshire Police.
Dave treating the Chief Constable to some memorable trips down his
motorway at slightly over the National Limit. It was only
unfortunate timing that saw Dave's planned step up to Top Fuel
promoting and racing stopped in mid flow, but never for the lack of
drive and enthusiasm.
Dave maintained his promotional powers with his own brand of people
based commentary at various shows, and for a while the racing at
Santa Pod and York. Finest hours though surely came at the two
Pennine Promotions Aintree events, and the spectacular Powersports
Festival on the entire sea-front at Blackpool in 1991. A new
Thundertruck nestled in the Superpower workshop, sadly
never to turn a wheel on the strip, as Dave's resources of time and
cash were stretched to the full.
You could always be sure that Dave would help anyone with their
car, their racing or their life, and many racers owe so much to the
man at the Superpower Coffee and Talking Shop. Sadly missed, Dave
was killed in a tragic accident in 2000 which robbed us of one of
the nicest guys you could hope to meet: one of drag racing's true
racers and enthusiasts.