Billy Holt Passes at the Age of 76

I just received a phone call from Greg Holt and with a heavy heart I need to pass along that Billy Holt (the Alabamian) passed away Thursday night (October 25) at the age of 76. Billy had several health problems that he battled for many years.

Years ago I watched his cars on the track and several years ago we became friends. A nicer man you would never meet. My wife and I will miss him greatly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Mr. Holt.

Billy Holt is a member of the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and the Old Drag Racers Hall of Fame.

Billy Holt's Alabamian photo album.

Visitation will be Saturday, October 27, 2007 From 6-9 PM at Spry Funeral Home (Athens, Alabama).

Funeral service will be Sunday, October 28, 2007 @ 2 PM at Spry Funeral Home Chapel with Bud White officiating.

Obituary


R.I.P. Billy Holt
1931-2007

Georgia Racing Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday October 26

The following people will be inducted into the Georgia Racing Hall Of Fame Friday Oct.26, 2007 in Dawsonville, Ga. The above photos of Mr. and Mrs. Phil Bonner and Linda Vaughn with Ed Miles are courtesy Fred Simmons.

Congratulations to all!

Phil Bonner
Bruce Brantley
Billy Carden
Harvey Jones
Paul McDuffie
Jody Ridley
Roy Shoemaker
Linda Vaughn

Thanks to Fred Simmons and Ed Miles for this information.
Photos from the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the Moonshine Festival here.

Old Drag Racers Reunion Photos

A few more Fred Simmons photos have been added from Sol Stewart's Old Drag Rcers Reunion. Click here for the photos. More photos later this week.

First Annual October Bikefest event at Atlanta Dragway in 2007

OCTOBERBIKEFEST FOR AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY ENJOYED BY MANY
by Tim Glover

(Commerce,GA – October 20) Hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts and even more spectators came to Atlanta Dragway to enjoy the First Annual October Bikefest, a benefit event for the American Cancer Society. All proceeds were donated to the American Cancer Sociey.

Many different sponsors helped Atlanta Dragway make the event a success. Tanger Outlets, Banks County Convention and Visitors bureau, Hayes Family Dealerships, Stone Mountain Harley Davidson and Frazier’s Harley Davidson pitched in. Cycle World of Athens and Days Inn of Commerce also helped out with the show.

People like Howard, Brooke and Katelyn from nearby Commerce enjoyed taking in the entire event, which featured inflatable slides, a rock climbing wall, many different vendor booths, live music by the Eli Garland band, the Quarter Mile Challenge, non-stop test and tune runs on the track and a large bike show. Even the spectator bike parking area was mistaken by some as part of the show.

One of the main attractions was the Bike Show. All brands of bikes were welcomed, and a total of nine classes were contested for this event. Two husband and wife teams enjoyed doing well in the show. Tracy Addison of Toccoa, GA brought his Suzuki M109 Boulevard Cruiser to the event and won first place in Big Twin Cruiser. His wife, Sharon, also enjoyed a first place in the Woman Rider class with her bike. “I finally won something this year,” exclaimed a happy Jimmy Heisler, an Atlanta Dragway regular who lives in Woodstock, GA. Heisler won the 750cc and under class with his 2000 ZX6R Kawasaki, and his wife Eeman took second with her Kawasaki in the Woman Rider Class. Another Atlanta Dragway regular, Paul Cavanaugh, picked up two second place awards, one in Sport Bike, and the other in Mild Custom. Two former Atlanta Dragway racers enjoyed wins in their class, Richard Lewis (Vintage & Classic) and Bert Chapman (Sportster). First place winners received a plaque and a Year One gift certificate, and second place winners were awarded a plaque. Following are the first place award winners:

750cc& under Jimmy Heisler
1100cc& over Daniel Taylor
Vintage& Classic Richard Lewis
Sportster Bert Chapman
Big TwinCruiser Tracy Addison
MildCustom Tim Farmer
RadicalCustom Mike Jones
WomanRider Sharon Addison
Sport Bike Hector Santiago

Many of the show bikes did much more than look pretty. On track, many of the show bikes showed just how quick they could go. Quarter mile elapsed times for all participants varied mostly from the nine second range to the mid teens.

The “Big Easy” husband and wife team of Jimmy and Eeman Heisler did well in the show as well as having a ball on the track. Eeman may not have had the faster bike, but when they ran against each other, she smoked Jimmy at the starting line with a very good .012 second reaction time (his was a less spectacular.199 second time). Their elapsed times were 10.51 seconds at 125.13mph for Jimmy and 12.05 at 118.52mph for Eeman.

The service manager of Stone Mountain Harley Davidson, Dave Engebretsen, brought his big yellow 2005 CVO Screamin’ Eagle Harley to the track to test a new throttle body. He was rewarded with several 100mph plus passes in the high 12.80 and low 12.90 secondrange, very impressive numbers for a large bike. A lady racer known only as “Speed Diva”, a member of the Truly Blessed Racing Team based out of Atlanta, brought her 2006 Suzuki 1300 Hayabusa for more practice, and although she claimed she was holding back a little, she still popped off a quick 11.69 at 120.31 mph. Daniel Taylor’s first place winning bike (1100cc & over) put a very quick11.87 at 110.85 mph on the scoreboards. Many more participants enjoyed unlimited passes down the track.

A Quarter Mile Challenge was put on deck at 3:00pm, where participants donated $5 each to the American Cancer Society. The eventual goal is to have enough participants to create a human chain covering the entire quarter mile. Participants did reach the 200 foot mark for the first challenge.

The promoters of the First Annual October Bikefest added they are already looking forward to the 2008 edition of the October Bikefest, along with many of the participants.

Sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA),Atlanta Dragway is located just off I-85 at Exit 149 in the Banks Crossing area of Commerce, Georgia. Information on all 2007 events may be obtained by calling the track office (706-335-2301) or logging on to http://www.atlantadragway.com/ .