Santa Pod Raceway

13 May at 17:34

Following my last official statement in April and following the latest Government guidance on the Coronavirus outbreak, I want to update you all on our current situation here at Santa Pod Raceway. Firstly, I hope you are all well and bearing up under the strain of these unprecedented times. The whole Santa Pod team misses you all.

You will all be aware we have been unable to hold any type of events from mid-March to the 31 st May. We can also confirm that the current events in June have also now been suspended/postponed too. Whatever phrase we might use, they will simply not be able to happen.

As the months of non-activity roll on, this is having a monumental impact on Santa Pod Raceway, its ability to operate and trade – which is currently non-existent.

Following the Government’s latest announcement, we now know that we are most unlikely to ‘turn a wheel’ before July at the earliest and that’s a punt at best. We believe it may be possible to hold some events this year but what they might be, and to what level, we are still unsure. Any event, of course, will be subject to ensuring a safe environment and the personal safety of both our customers and staff.

So - we don’t want to make a decision yet on what future events may need to be cancelled, rescheduled or reformatted and we are pleading with you all to give us the time and space to work on our plan to survive this crisis.

As a seasonal business, we had already invested so much into our 2020 events calendar and beyond and if we receive no income this year, we can only survive by carrying forward this investment into 2021. After 24 years of operating, nurturing and fighting to develop the UK’s premier drag racing facility, I never envisaged writing a piece like this. But I am now. This means asking you – our customers to please, please opt for the revised credit offering we have devised rather than a bullet-firing cash refund.

Santa Pod, like many other venues, needs your support to be able to survive this crisis.

To put it bluntly, if we are forced to refund all of our customers right now, we will not have sufficient cash to operate the business into 2021; tragically, after over 50 years the unique heritage that is Santa Pod would be gone.

During the coming weeks, we will continue to provide updates on specific events giving advance ticket holders the choice to switch to a different event, carry their ticket over to next season or accept a FULL credit (for the same event or any other events of their choice) which will be honoured for the next 24 months.

To be frank with you - the future of Santa Pod is in your hands but we have our plan and together I’m confident we WILL get through this. I plead with you all.

I want to carry on my normal sign-off and say – “SEE YOU AT THE TRACK”

“Stay Safe” and Best Regards

Keith Bartlett
CEO – Santa Pod Raceway

NWKCOG Kitfest 2020

19 Jun 2020 at 12:00 – 20 Jun 2020 (Track closes at 5pm)
Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Road, Podington, NN29 7XA Wellingborough, Northamptonshire

Welcome to KITFEST the newest Kit car show to hit the UK. Keep checking back for details or register your interest here for visitors or traders. nwkcog@gmail.com.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!

We have run our first event in June 2019 and already excited for our 2020 event.

Santa Pod and the NWKCOG, in association with CKC magazine, will be having a Second KITFEST show at Santa Pod. Once again we will be piggybacking on the Retro Weekend bash. We will have our own area for kits with access to all areas included and Camping for the weekend is also included. We had a very strong attendance for our first show over 250 kits. Not knowing what to expect, it was a great weekend. Now we have a better idea of what we can achieve in 2020 a BIG attendance at next years show would be brilliant. This is a massive opportunity for us to show that we could start something new for the future of Kits and our own Kit Car Show.

We will be arriving and setting up Friday, displaying all weekend and we are also invited to enter Run what-Ya- Brung on the Saturday with our own NWKCOG Trophy for the Fastest kit car of the day! Should you wish to enter? There will be evening entertainment drift displays during the day and on the Sunday a full on Drag racing championship will be running all day. Price for Early Birds is £17.60 rising to £30 for the weekend of which £3 for each advanced ticket sale will be going to Claire House Hospice as before.

But don’t worry if you don’t want to race, you're still welcome to come down and enjoy the atmosphere and show off your car to the world. We welcome ALL kit cars from ALL groups, this is a festival show to celebrate our cars and have fun.

We are welcoming as many visitors as possible and traders from any related industry to get in touch and be part of the newest KIT car scene event in the UK and be at the 2020 event.

Run What Ya Brung

The most famous quarter mile in Europe is calling you and your Kit Car!

RWYB sign on costs £25 for UNLIMITED RUNS on both Saturday and Sunday so you can put in as many runs as you want! For more info and full Rules & Regulations please visit www.rwyb.co.uk

We recommend you sign on early to avoid disappointment. The track is open from 9:30am – 5pm, track opening times are subject to weather and track conditions. Most importantly, you must remember to bring your driving licence if you want to use the track!

Runs from Sunday ONLY (track open until 5pm) are entered into the RWYB Competition where we have a trophy especially for Kit cars! See www.retroshow.co.uk. for more information.

Please note: Helmets are compulsory in all open top vehicles. Arm Restraints are mandatory for all open top and windowless vehicles.

Retro Show Sunday 21st June 2020

Included with Kit Fest tickets is admission to Retro Show!

Santa Pod Raceway transports you Back to the Past…Fast!

The Retro Show is a classic car and bike show with a difference. Unlike most shows where you park up in a field and sip tea, as always, we bring you an extravaganza of full throttle action where you can take part in the racing and show & shine events regardless of the type of retro machinery you are the proud owner of.

The Retro Show kicks off the summer celebrating the UK classic car scene. Mint originals, restored classics and modified retros will assemble in abundance, showcasing a diverse and dynamic collection of the finest automobiles in the country. Don’t miss out on Retro Drag Racing classes aplenty, Jets galore, Autoglym Show & Shine, Run What Ya Brung, Autotest, Retro Drifting, Live Music and plenty more.

Full details at www.retroshow.co.uk.