STORMIN’ NORMAN RETURNS
In part one (published in the December 2021 issue) of this two-part epic, we left the reader on a cliffhanger... Dennis Norman had thrilled the crowds in Anderstorp, Sweden in 1969, where he left his trademark trail of smoke behind him when sprinting down the tarmac strip on his double-engined Triumph, covering the quarter mile in times tantalisingly close to the 10-second bracket. Classic head-to-head battles against the famous Pegasus Vincent team were the headline act at these meetings, as the British entries demonstrated they were at the top of the game.
The following year, Dennis finally broke the 10 seconds barrier, at Santa Pod in July 1970, with a time of 9.92 seconds on Conquest. Dennis was certainly making a name for himself, so much so that America came calling.
The Call
While sprinting had been a popular sport in Britain since the end of the Second World War, it was the Americans who had made the sport into a ‘big time’ attraction. As mentioned, Dennis, among others, had attended European meetings, and the sport was truly an international affair. American racers had also travelled to the UK and Europe to take part and it was during these visits that the organisers at Santa Pod were approached to send over some British talent to compete in the big events in the States.
No British straight liners had made the
