Sportsman Spotlight: Tim Stanbury’s Camaro Takes The UK By Storm

Tim Stanbury puts some serious air under his front tires as his 1968 Chevy Camaro launches.

Tim Stanbury puts some serious air under his front tires as his 1968 Chevy Camaro launches.

Americans aren’t the only people in love with ’60s Chevrolet cars. Case in point: Sportsman Racer Tim Stanbury of Launceston, Cornwall, UK, and his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro.

The opportunities for drag racing in the United Kingdom are, admittedly, limited at best, but that doesn’t stop Tim from taking his American musclecar to the strip every chance he can.

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This 1968 Chevy Camaro has plenty of power with this clean, race-ready big block.

The Camaro, is all-steel (except the hood), and still features the original front clip, interior, and dashboard, but don’t for one second think this Camaro is a stock car. Under the hood you’ll find a 585 cubic-inch big-block, hooked to a Powerglide and narrowed 9-inch rearend.

All this power means that Tim’s Camaro is a force to be reckoned with on the track. His low-ET for the car is currently a 9.01 at 150 mph, but he’s hoping to eventually break into the 8’s.

So how does a guy from the UK get into drag racing an American musclecar? For Tim, it all started when he went to Santa Pod (One of two active tracks in the UK) with his father in 1978. Just a year later, at 15 years old, he had his first car, a 1965 Ford Mustang. When 1981 came araound, he was hitting the track, eventually building a dedicated drag car in 1990. Oddly enough, watching US drag racing slowly cooled his interest in racing in the UK.

Tim tells us, “Watching the racing action happening  in the US, had blown my mind. The quality of cars and tracks was so far beyond what we had at the time. It actually spoiled the fun here.”

Of course, once the bug bites, no drag racer can stay away for too long. When he read about Hot Rod Drag Week in 2004, he was once again hooked, helping crew a friend’s car. By 2010, he was back on the track with his newly purchased 1968 Chevy Camaro.

Since then, he’s logged plenty of impressive runs, like placing 2nd at the FIA European finals after only 50 runs with his new car. Three years later, Tim found a 1st place win at the FIA main event. In 2014, he was even able to cross the pond to participate in Hot Rod Drag Week with the help of Ken Windley, who sold him his Camaro in 2009. Unfortunately, insurance complications made it nearly impossible for him to bring the car back to race, but they managed to field another 1967 Camaro in its place.

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The tires are on the ground now, but not for long…

As you can imagine, drag racing is not an overly popular sport in Europe, but Tim Stanbury doesn’t seem to mind being in the minority. For him, there’s just something special about American cars with big V8 engines on a drag strip. Tim sums it up nicely. “the critics who don’t understand our sport have absolutely no idea at all. If they can’t get it, they are really missing out. I’m too old to care about that anymore. It’s simply their loss, and our gain.”

Thankfully, his family isn’t part of the crowd of critics. His wife Fiona and daughter Rachel, help as much as they can, from debating over his dial-in, to helping load and unload the gear.

Hold on tight- a ride in Tim Stanbury's 1968 Chevy Camaro isn't for the faint of heart.

Hold on tight- a ride in Tim Stanbury’s 1968 Chevy Camaro isn’t for the faint of heart.

Riding along with him at each race is the memory of a man who helped blaze the UK drag racing trail, Mickey Bray. Mickey passed away a little over a decade ago, but Tim races each weekend in Mick’s memory, a nod to his friend and founder of the British NSRA.

About the author

Austin Coop

Austin Coop is graduate of Miami University, and grew up riding shotgun in his family’s 1962 Chevy Corvette and blown 1930 Model A. He prefers life on the road, hitting up roadside oddities and scenic backroads. Closer to home, Austin enjoys wrenching on, or riding, his vintage motorcycle. With interests ranging from classics to street rods to motorsports, he is a fan of anything with a motor. He’s also the founder of 2LaneAmerica.com, a site dedicated to everything we love about road trips.
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