Popularized by events like the Glemseck 101, 1/8th-mile drag racing has given European custom builders a whole new arena to showcase their skills. And with myriad classifications housed within multiple annual events, just about anything goes.
Typical fare at these events includes big bore machines with extended wheelbases, rigid frames, nitrous oxide, and turbo- and superchargers. Hopped-up scooters from defunct German manufacturers?like this 1959 NSU Prima 3?are a rarer breed.

The scoot belongs to and was customized by Krzysztof Szews. An automotive designer by trade, he’s the man behind the custom motorcycle workshop Man and the Machines and one-half of Renstall Moto. He’s also a co-founder of the Rocket Race Club?one of the leagues on the European sprint racing scene. Rocket Race Club added a scooter class to their race series last year after being approached by an organization of German vintage scooter racing enthusiasts. The inaugural race happened at the Glemseck 101, to the huge delight of the attending masses.

?The crowds were ecstatic, to say the least,? Kris tells us. ?Up until then, a scooter was perceived as something very old and slow to get you to the ice cream place at its best. Nobody was expecting this level of noise and speed from these old machines, and such passion and dedication from their builders.?
Kris gets it, since he’s been riding and tuning vintage scooters since the age of 16. So, for this season, he figured that he shoul...