50th Anniversary 1972-2022
Where were you in ’72?
2022 Supernats
Celebrating 50 years of the NSRA, we started the celebrations at the NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals, where everyone arriving on Wednesday joined us for a complimentary welcome drink in the Main Marquee Bar, where we raised a toast to 50 golden years. The party continued with live music and a DJ.
The official NSRA 50th Anniversary T- shirt artwork was created by the talented Mick Smith and with Mick’s blessing, we raffled off the original artwork in a members-only raffle prize draw in NSRA Hospitality. All the money was destined for the NSRA’s chosen charity, the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
A special NSRA anniversary movie was debuted on the big screen at the Supernationals. Narrated by John Price and edited by Liberty & Lows, this movie transported us back to the golden years of British hot rodding.
For the displays at the Hot Rod Supernationals we handed the reins over to Chris Smith for the 32nd Street Deuce Display to mark the model’s 90th anniversary, and Maurice Takoor for the re-launch of the T Party. We also displayed past Supernationals Participants’ Choice winners, coordinated by Lee ‘Pikko’ Picton, and had our second line up of the iconic Cars of Significance display, coordinated by Dave Biggadyke.
If you were at the Fun Run in June, we hope you enjoyed the memorabilia and memories display. It was great to look back on the evolution of the Fun Run and the club through the T shirts, past trophies, stickers, old photos, old Street Gassers, and treasures that have been kept over the years. Special thanks go to Colin Pugh, Alan Mearns, Ian & Julie Armstrong, Tim Horsfall, Richard Black, Brian Lucas, Jake Elliott, Teresa James, Jim Rutter, Dave Biggadyke, and Nick Brooke-Langham for loaning items for the display.
We’d also like to say a big thank you to those who supported the special displays at the Fun Run. It was great to see the past Participants’ Choice Winners and Cars of Significance taking pride of place outside the marquee, and of course to the Ford Pop and Jago owners who were part of these brilliant displays.
As we all like to get out and drive our cars, Dave Brown worked really hard behind the scenes on a number of cruises (or should that be rumbles!) to take place from the Thursday onwards at the Supernationals. The cars involved in the special displays were invited to lead the convoys off the show field.
With thanks from the 50th anniversary working group: Sue Ayres, Dave Biggadyke, Dave Brown, Mick Harle, Lee ‘Pikko’ Picton, and Hannah Thomas.
Fun Run 2022
Following the NSRA’s formation in 1972, the first Fun Run premiered in 1973 with just 22 cars. As the NSRA’s original rod run, the Fun Run resided at Billing Aquadrome for many years until in 2017, the event moved to Great Yarmouth Racecourse, and then eventually on to Rutland Showground. The Fun Run grew from a Saturday night BBQ with a Sunday Swap Meet / Show into the show that we all know now, but it has remained at the heart of the club for almost 50 years. There aren’t many events that can look back on such a long and significant history.
As well as all the usual fun and entertainment, this year we paid homage to a British hot rodding favourite, the Ford Pop. The Pop Festival has long been associated with the Fun Run and over the years there’ve been some great displays and gatherings. The 50th anniversary year re-launched this ‘popular’ display with help from Keith Elliott and the Popstalgia brand.
Another iconic display was the JagoRama. This display celebrated UK hot rodding pioneer Geoff Jago and his company that produced hundreds of Model T and ’32 Ford kits in the days when very little “off the shelf” hot rod parts were available in the UK. Geoff is also an NSRA Hall of Fame inductee and recently received his Hall of Fame award at the Victory Wheelers Hayling Reunion show, presented by NSRA Membership Secretary, Richard Black.
Our other commemorative displays were dedicated to previous Fun Run Participants’ Choice winners, coordinated by Mick Harle, and the first in our line-up of Cars of Significance, coordinated by Dave Biggadyke. Did you know, the club has an archive list of all the past NSRA Fun Run participants’ Choice winners on the website? If you have a moment, take a look and see how many of these cars you remember.
May was dedicated to the inaugural NSRA 50th Anniversary Spring Rumble. Hot rodding national treasure, John Price, launched the event with a personal message to all the Rumblers. You can check this out on the NSRA’s 50th Anniversary YouTube Channel.
When registration closed, there were 478 cars booked in, 23 rumble routes, and 21 destinations. The actual number of rods taking part was much higher as some regions welcomed additional participants after registration closed.
Sue Ayres, Dave Biggadyke, Dave Brown, Mick Harle, Lee ‘Pikko’ Picton, and Hannah Thomas.