Jack Spider-man Taylor.
Leeds-based Junior Drag Bike racer Jack Spider-man Taylor, born in 2013, has been at the track since he was very young, and has been active since being allowed to run at Straightliners events.
Dad, metal fabricator David, has constructed a junior drag bike for Jack and for several other juniors racing at Melbourne Raceway. Now David has constructed Europe’s first slingshot Junior Dragster since Andy Gosling's build a while ago. Jack has kindly sent a profile of his (and Dad’s) achievements:
Eurodragster.com: Who’s in your racing family?
Jack Taylor: I have been attending race meetings from a few months old with my dad and his mate Tom Armitage, racing their world's fastest Postman Pat van and a small Kawasaki ZX9R-powered front engine dragster that they built.
I'm a 3rd generation drag racer in our family, with my grandad Paul Taylor racing supercharged Triumphs and many other vehicles through the 70s and 80s and occasionally still now.
My dad’s raced motorcycles at the drag strip and competed in some land speed events, holding several records in class and achieving over 200mph at Elvington. He does not get much chance to compete now, running round after me and helping out with other juniors where possible.
Eurodragster.com: How did you get started at the track?
Jack Taylor: I started out on a balance bike around the age of 5, getting timed at Straightliners events in the dinner time breaks over the 60ft. Soon I was presented with my first trophy by Trevor Duckworth. Then I was hooked. I soon moved on to an electric bike, being allowed to make passes through the speed trap at Elvington speed events clocking up 16mph.
I turned 8 years old in the February of 2021 just in time for the start of Straightliners championship meetings. With me and my close pal Alfie Barraclough now owning 50cc dirt bikes, we were ready to go. The 2021 season went very well, I even upgraded to a cut down 50cc scooter part way through the season and achieved 1st place in the championship that year.
Eurodragster.com: What was your first purpose-built drag bike?
Jack Taylor: Through the winter of 2021/22 my dad decided I needed a bike that looked more like a drag bike so he set about making me a Suzuki Katana-bodied drag bike using a Gilera DNA 50cc scooter drivetrain and transmission, then adding some tuning parts and full custom frame and painted the body in Spiderman colours!
This then made my pal Alfie want a similar bike, so my dad got back in the garage and set about making Alfie his own 50cc drag bike.
2022 season was amazing, leading to lots more juniors joining us leading to some really close racing and my dad making and being involved in many more Junior Drag Bike builds and a 2nd place in the Straightliners Junior Drag Bike championship for me.
Eurodragster.com: What bike did you ride in 2023?
Jack Taylor: 2022/23 winter saw my dad in the garage building me another new bike, a wide tyre 125cc four stroke using a Suzuki EFE body work in the style of Larry McBride’s Top Fuel Bike.
This bike took some getting used to, as it handled a lot differently than my other bike. This caused a slow start to 2022 season but towards mid-season I was getting used to the bike and my dad added some more parts to the engine that helped massively, I even hit my dial in bang on twice at one meeting, gaining extra points, helping me still achieve a 2nd place in the 2023 championship (it would have been first place, but i broke out by 4 100ths of a second at our final round at Santa Pod).
In 2023 I also got the chance to take part in speedweek on the iconic Elvington airfield, setting 2 UKITA world land speed records in class
- Standing start 500m 2 run average at 69.012mph
- Flying start 100m 2 run average at 68.399mph
Eurodragster.com: What other developments have there been for Juniors at Melbourne Raceway?
Jack Taylor: With the Junior Drag Bike class format coming on leaps and bounds, with lots of new juniors running and some really close rounds, my dad along with others from Straightliners’ crew decided to create a four-wheel class championship running in the same format as the bikes. This is called Junior Sprint Car – racers can enter in go karts, off road buggies, tot rods and Junior Dragsters.
Over the 2023/24 winter my dad and myself, where I could help, built a replica old school front engine dragster using the same style engine that is in my junior bike, but with added power. Using a big bore kit, stroker crank and other tuning parts, the capacity is now up from 125cc to 193cc.
I tested the car at Elvington airfield privately doing some low speed runs all went well but this was the first time I had ever driven anything with foot controls.
Eurodragster.com: How is your current season going?
Jack Taylor: 2024 season got off to a good start with Xhype Oils coming on board to help with keeping our engines lubricated, and making me an #xhypehero. Then at the first round of Straightliners Junior Drag Bike I got the event win at Santa Pod.
At Melbourne Raceway on 13th-14th April was Round 2 of Junior Drag Bike and my first time racing in my Junior Dragster. We had 4 juniors racing in the Junior Sprint Car class, not bad for a new class.
On Saturday I tried to concentrate on the car. I was so nervous, took it steady, and built up to a 12.03 @54mph by the end of the day. I felt more confident on Sunday and the weather was a lot better. I was still playing with setting off using the 2 step and managed three runs before eliminations, my fastest run being 11.99 @ 53mph.
In the semi-finals I snoozed on the lights against Toby Jackson as I was having problems getting my foot in the right position on the accelerator pedal so looked down as lights dropped. Toby got to the finish first taking the win, but I ran 11.99 bang on my dial in so got extra points. My dad is going to alter the pedal position before the next meeting, but the car performed amazingly, not missing a beat all weekend which is awesome for a newly built car.
On my bike, I managed a few runs on Saturday, running a bit slower than normal. On one, run the bike was popping and banging down the track as we had forgotten to charge the ignition battery having concentrated on the car. This was soon rectified as we were loaned a generator by Dave Thornton and got the bike on charge for a bit. My best run of the day was a 10.79 @ 61mph.
It was a fresh start on Sunday, feeling more comfortable with the car and more relaxed. My dad did a couple of tweaks to the bike and made some better runs with the best of 10.49 being my dial in for eliminations.
In the 1st round, I raced Toby Jackson. Toby broke out by only three hundredths, giving me the win. In the Semi-finals I raced my pal Alfie Barraclough managing to get to the finish first, running 10.52 on my 10.49 dial in.
In the final I raced Jorja Cleall, Jorja breaking out by only 4 100ths whilst I ran a 10.51 on my 10.49 dial in, taking the round 2 Junior Drag Bike championship win!
I have seven more rounds of junior drag bike championship in 2024, 6 more rounds of Junior Sprint Car, and will be attending speed week at Elvington in May to try and break my own previous land speed records.
Eurodragster.com: What are your vehicle specs and what else has your dad built?
Spider-man mk2 125cc Junior Drag Bike
Suzuki EFE 1 piece fibreglass body, 125cc GY6 scooter engine, standalone ignition running dead loss, lightened flywheel, high lift cam, ported head, bigger cv carb, full custom chassis, top fuel style nose cone and lower fairing, pit bike front end, 13” rear wheel with stock car slick.
Junior Front Engine Dragster
115” wheel base, 13 x 9” rear wheels running F2 sidecar slicks 10” pit bike wheels up front, custom built chassis and body work, GY6 engine, big bore kit, stroker crank, standalone ignition with 2 step, high lift cam, big valve head, bigger cv carb with accelerator pump custom stainless exhaust.
Junior Vehicles dad’s built or been involved with:
- Built Jack Taylor first Suzuki Katana/EFE-style 50cc Gilera DNA powered bike now owned by Faith Morrison
- Built Alfie Barraclough first Suzuki EFE/GSXR-style 50cc DNA (upgraded to 70cc)
- Built William Mountford’s Honda SH125-powerd Suzuki Katana bike now owned and ridden by Jorja Cleall
- Built Elliot Holden’s 50cc DNA EFE-style bike now owned and ridden by Maisie Thornton
- Fabricated frame, built engine, assembled and maintained by Dave Varey for Amy Wolstenholme a 70cc EFE DNA bike
- Built Aron Gregory’s 70cc EFE DNA bike
- Built Brad Morrison’s 50cc Katana bike
- Built Leah Morrison SYM Jet14 powered EFE 125cc bike
- Engine swapped William Mountford ½ Busa 155cc geared pit bike engine
- Built Jack Taylor’s New mk2 Spider-man bike 125cc EFE wide tyre
- Built first junior bike build with Tom Armitage Alfie Barraclough new SYM 125cc EFE-style wide tyre bike
- Built Jack Taylor Junior Front Engine Dragster 193cc
- Building with Tom at present: Junior Honda GX200-powered Junior Front Engine Dragster - will be for sale
Jack Spider-man Taylor's Facebook page: click here.
Jack Spider-man Taylor's Youtube channel: click here.
Many thanks to Jack Taylor and dad (David Taylor) for sending in the article.