FIA/FIM European Finals racer update. 31st August: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club secretary Ian Marshall
for forwarding details of the arrangements for next week's FIA/FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Wednesday 4th September
08:00 Gates open for the duration of the event
10:00 Signing On office opens
10:00 Sportsman car scrutineering commences (details)
18:00 Signing On office closes
Thursday 5th September
07:00 Signing On office opens
07:00 Sportsman car scrutineering commences (details)
09:00 Pro Bike scrutineering commences (details)
09:30 Track opens for qualifying
12:30 Pro car scrutineering commences (details)
Friday 6th September
07:30 Signing On office opens
07:30 Scrutineering commences
09:30 Track opens for qualifying
Saturday 7th September
08:00 Signing on office opens
08:00 Scrutineering commences
09:30 Track opens for qualifying and eliminations
Sunday 8th September
09:30 Track opens for eliminations
20:00 Doors open for FIA/FIM prizegiving
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Please note as ever that running orders are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other reason deemed
necessary by race officials.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 21:00 on any day of the event, which in this context
includes Wednesday. Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation
of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish
to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary
who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes,
to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly
out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting
Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards. Please, no casual visitors during racing hours even if racing is
on hold for clean-up or on other down time.
SPRC offer on-line timing slips. 31st August: David Anniwell of Santa Pod Racers Club's timing crew tells us that the team have launched a
on-line timing slips service at www.etslips.co.uk.
"Our new on-line timing data service allows you to access information for all of your, or anyone else's, runs at Santa Pod Raceway", says David. "Data is available both
from the event currently running and previous events and it's available as soon as you cross the line. Thanks to Andy Marrs we will have data going back to 1995, and
thanks to Wayne Schreier we'll also be hosting timing data from Shakespeare County Raceway.
"You are able to search by year, event, class, race number or even competitor name and we have a number of improvements in the pipeline.
"As it's new and still in development we're looking for as much feedback from racers as possible, either through the feedback form on the site or by E-Mail
at [email protected].
STP UK National Finals entry update. 31st August: Many thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 4 of the official entry list for
the STP UK National Finals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 21st-22nd September. You can check it out by
clicking here or by
clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Standard-fee entry is now closed; further entries, if accepted, may be subject to a Late Entry penalty. If you
have any queries about event entry then please contact Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail
[email protected].
Flame and Thunder demos filling up. 31st August: Further to Tuesday's news item seeking racers to make demonstration
passes at October's Flame and Thunder Show, Jake Wray of Santa Pod Raceway tells us that the track now has enough Junior Dragsters and Sportsman bikes
and will not accept any more applications from these classes.
Other classes including Pro cars and bikes are still welcome to apply by E-Mailing [email protected]
or calling 01234 782828.
Lisle gains Core support. 31st August: The UK's Ethan Lisle and the Roadrunner Drag Racing team are pleased to announce sponsorship for the remainder of 2019 and all of 2020 from Core Sports,
one of the companies under the umbrella of the Core People Recruitment company.
The Core Sports sector are sponsoring the Roadrunner Drag Racing team at all meetings both Championship and lifestyle and across all the vehicles which Ethan campaigns
at race events. Due to damage sustained at the Festival of Power 2019, the '69 Roadrunner has been out of action all year and with the late arrival of parts from America the team
are unlikely to be back out with that car until 2020, but they look forward to getting it back out on the track.
"We are fortunate to have the ex-1990s Super Gas '64 Mercury Comet as a back-up race car, so we will run this car for the remainder of this season, continuing to fly the Core Sports
flag", says Ethan.
Core People are a specialist supplier of choice for contingent labour to the construction, mechanical and electrical, aviation and rail industries. Transparency is one of their core
values and their consultants are open and honest with clients and candidates alike, so all parties are fully informed and in control. Core People work in partnership with both
clients and candidates and take the time to understand their challenges and aspirations. As experts in their field and a proven reliable supplier of the very best personnel, they
take a proactive approach and a 24/7 on call service is offered to each individual client.
Core Sports Management is a leading sports talent agency. Their core focus is providing athletes with first class contract support and career advice. They thrive in helping clients
progress their careers whilst using their services. They also help support football clubs around the world achieve their recruitment quotas throughout the season.
Core Sports Management provides the wider sports industry with contractual career and life advice, specialising in financial support.
"We are happy to be promoting the services of Core People and Core Sports through our racing, and we would be happy to provide contact details to anyone wishing to enquire
about the company", says Ethan.
Another Championship in the bag. 31st August: It has been a very tight schedule for Swedish Pro Stock and Pro Modified racer Jimmy Ålund as the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals
at Tierp Arena started less than four days after the racing was concluded at Hockenheim.
As usual, Pro Modified had a solid turnout with all of twenty cars for a sixteen-car field but this time Jimmy did not get off to a good start with the Magnus Petersson-owned Old 51 Chevrolet.
Transmission problems and tyre shake had Jimmy as the #18 qualifier after day 1. Things shaped up nicely on day two as three good runs took Jimmy to third place going into Sunday's eliminations.
Elimination day was not good for Jimmy as in the first round he hit tyre shake right at the hit and the event was over.
"This is rough", says Jimmy, "the wheel speed didn't come up and the rest is history. It turned out we had an issue with the blower that had us down on power at the launch."
Jimmy came to the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals in second place in the FIA Pro Mod Championship and left in third place. "Third might sound OK but this is a hard
core crowd to play with and it'll be a challenge to catch Michael Gullqvist who is currently in the points lead, says Jimmy.
In Pro Stock Jimmy was on solid pace, #1 after qualifying and having set the new and elusive FIA Pro Stock ET record in Q4, a lightning quick 6.4857 at 344.61 kmh (214.13 mph)
which made for the quickest ET and fastest top speed of the event. "Finally!", says Jimmy. "We've been chasing that record for way too long but we have it again. Also very happy
about the strong speeds we managed, we ran over 340 km/h (211 mph) in four of the five qualifying rounds with the Summit Racing Camaro."
The team did their job on the Sunday as well and handed Jimmy a good race car. He kept up the pace with two wins with ETs in the 6.5-second range at over 343 kmh (over 213 mph)
but an engine issue in the final run stopped him from winning the event. No matter, the points which Jimmy gained at Tierp made him the 2019 FIA Pro Stock Champion. Again. For the
eleventh time.
Quite a performance. "You bet, yes indeed" says Jimmy with a big smile. "This is another great weekend to remember. The team put a perfect car on the track and we won another
Championship. It was of course fitting to win the whole Championship with the Summit Racing Camaro at this Summit Racing Equipment sponsored event". In attendance was Jim
Greenleaf, Motorsports and Events Manager of Summit Racing Equipment. Jim says "I'm absolutely thrilled to travel to Sweden again and to be part of an excellent race weekend
like this. We're very proud to sponsor the whole event and of course such competitive and high performance teams as The Old 51 and the Jimmy Ålund Pro Stock Racing Team.
Our congratulations on yet another Championship for the Summit Racing Camaro."
There is one race left in the Championship, next up is the FIA/FIM European Finals held at the historic drag strip at Santa Pod in the UK. The action starts with qualifying for
both Pro Mod and Pro Stock this coming Friday.
Summit Racing Equipment sponsors both the Old 51 Pro Mod car and the Ålund Pro Stock Camaro this year. This is in addition to Funny Garage AB, Viking Industrimålning,
Sverigedemokraterna, KB Racing, Camaroskroten, All American AB and Stigs Axle and Parts. Jimmy Ålund Racing is very grateful for the continuing support from such great
companies.
European Top Gas Round 5 review. 31st August: Herman Jolink writes that the fifth round of the 2019 European
Top Gas Series took place at the NotrOlympX at Hockenheim:
Top Gas got just one qualifying run on Friday, on Saturday morning the track was wet until 13:00, but it started to rain again st 15:30 so no more qualifying. Standings:
Jorg Lynant Deu on 2622 V-Twin 8.108/285 kmh
Martin Buhler CH on home made 1600 Turbo V-Twin 8.184/275
Cord Albers Deu on 2622 V-Twin 8.221/218
Jan Malmberg Swe on 2600 Blower V-Twin 8.277/260 now with the right boost from the blower
Chris van Nimmen Be on 2600 V-Twin 9.688/218
Carsten Hormann Deu on V-Twin 9.911/218
Maik Kruger Deu on 1340 V-Rod Destroyer 10.100/227
Sven Ole Schleichert Deu on 1340 V-Rod Destroyer 10.631/218
Dirk Waterschoot Be on V-Twin 10.699/200
Tim Kruger on V-Twin 10.841/209
Andreas Herr Deu on V-Twin 11.089/209
Fredrik Schack DK on 2622 V-Twin 11.206/121 almost crossed the centre line
Christian Bruhn Deu Ducati 1098 11.592/149
Gerd Caspari Deu on 2400 V-Twin 13.121/149
Peter Niklas Deu on V-Twin 14.550/190
E1 at 14:40 on Sunday: Lymant 7.523/281 def. Menzi out at the start; Schleichert 9.869/220 def. Waterschoot 10.766/200; Malmberg 7.909/262 def. Bruhn 10.216/216, nice fast pass from Malmberg;
Schack 8.302/248 def. van Nimmen 9.469/211; uhler 8.995/257 bye engine was not running well; Maik Kruger 10.721/219 def. Tim Kruger 10.725/207; Albers 7.591/280 def. Caspari 10.867/174;
Herr 10.273/214 def. Hormann red light 9.880/216.
E2 at 17:10: Lymant 7.468/286 bye run, Schleichert's motor was leaking fluid after the burnout; Schack 8.290/256 def. Malmberg 8.288/212, Schack was quicker at the lights;
Buhler 8.120/270 def. Maik Kruger 9.926/214; Albers 7.690/279 bye run, Herr's motor was leaking fluid at the start.
E3 at 18:25: Schack 8.208/210 def. Lymant engine out at the start; Albers 7.532/282 def. Buhler 8.910/259;
Top Gas final at 18:55: Cord Albers Deu 7.459/284 def. Fredrik Schack DK 8.027/261, RTs Albers 0.027 Schack 0.085. Runner-up was not bad fpr Schack as the team had had problems all weekend
trying to find the right set-up.
At 19:00 the NitrOlympX stopped so it was a small miracle that Top Gas had their final.
European Super Twin Top Gas Championship:
Lymant Deu 2560
Albers Deu 2035
Schack DK 2145
Buhler CH 1400
Strom Swe 1320
Jensen DK 1180
Hormann Deu 840
Menzi CH 990
Jolink NL 990
Schleichert Deu 960
Herr Deu 530
Bruhn Deu 740
Niklas Deu 640
Miettinen Fin 610
Larsson Swe 370
Caspari Deu 520
Maik Kruger Deu 500
Godkse DK 440
Tim Kruger Deu 370
Mailte Foit Deu 330
Hoffmeister Deu 280
Top Gas has six races and five will count for the Championship. This weekend Top Gas is at the Mosten Race Days event in Denmark.
17:00 UK today is the deadline for discounted advance tickets for next week's FIA/FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway.
You can order your tickets via Santa Pod's web site at www.santapod.com.
Tierp 2 records and reports. 30th August: Many thanks to Andy Marrs for forwarding us an updated table of European Bests including those records
set at the weekend's Summit Racing Equipment Internationals:
FIA Top Fuel Dragster ET: 3.816 seconds, Maja Udtian
FIA Top Fuel Dragster speed: 318.86 mph (513.31 kmh), Jndia Erbacher
FIA Pro Stock ET: 6.485 seconds, Jimmy Ålund
FIA Pro Stock bump spot: 6.651
FIA Pro Modified side-by-side ET: Jan Ericsson 5.805 v Andreas Arthursson 5.850
FIA Pro Modified side-by-side speed: Jan Ericsson 247.99 mph/399.11 kmh v Andreas Arthursson 252.28 mph/406.02 kmh
Marrs also points out that Jndia's speed record surpassed Risto Poutiainen's quarter mile speed record, set in May 2011, of 317.06 mph/510.26 kmh.
You can check out the table of European Bests by clicking here or by clicking
on the European and UK Bests link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has posted two Summit Racing Equipment Internationals reports on the Autosport.nl web site. There is a race report
which you can check out by
clicking here
and a report of "Other things I saw" which you can check out by
clicking here.
Swift snippets. 30th August: The UK's Supercharged Outlaws have had a fantastic year so far with big turn-outs and lots of Personal Bests, although at the price
of some breakages. The Outlaws are back at Santa Pod at this weekend's VW Action where twelve cars are entered. This weekend's round is sponsored by Joel Kerr Funeral Services and Good Vibrations Motorsport.
Further to our news item of 8th August, Thorsten Appel tells us that his newly-acquired Supertwin
Gas Bike is headed to Germany for a grudge race with another Supertwin. "We have the spares, we have the fuel", says Scorpion. "Thanks to our sponsors
Drag Specialties, Red Thunder Exhaust, Unit 49, BLK Clinical and Liqui Moly."
The latest in our occasional series of Features presented in association with Lucas Oil Products is Steve and Julie Moxley's report from
the NHRA Thunder Vallery Nationals in Bristol. You can check it out by clicking here or by clicking
on the Features, Interviews, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
It was sent well in time for yesterday's news but an update was not possible due to a serious emergency elsewhere, so a belated big Happy 50th Birthday for
yesterday (Thursday) to Isaacs and Tramm Pro Modified team member and Monarch of the Glen straightener Vince Pinhorn from the Tramm family, Chris and
Rosie Isaacs, George and Rachel Georgiou and Adele Atherton. Hope you had a great day Vince.
Martin Drake has updated his Drakie's Americans site with a report and several pictures from the Hot Rod Barn Dance in Annan.
You can take a look at www.drakies-americans.co.uk.
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Chair Stu Bradbury tells us that
journalist and marketing consultant Tony Thacker will again be taking control of the stage at the induction ceremony of the BDRHoF Gala at the Oatlands Hotel in Surrey on 23rd November.
Born in England, Tony grew up loving automobiles and after many years as a journalist transitioned into marketing roles for several companies including SEMA, Boyd Coddington and the SO-CAL Speed Shop. His
friendship with NHRA founder Wally Parks led to a role as executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. That, in turn, landed him in Portland, Oregon, where, as executive director, he was
instrumental in the build of a new type of educational museum, World of Speed. Sort-of retired, Tony now enjoys the three Rs: Reading, 'Riting and Racing with Ron Hope's Rat Trap AA/FA.
Our own Robin Jackson will be reading the citations along with other special guests. Master of Ceremonies Paul 'Oz' Wright will return to frightening the living daylights
out us with his gavel and announcements.
Double trouble at Hockenheim. 30th August: UK Pro Modified and Super Pro ET racer John Tebehnam took two cars to the NitrOlympX at Hockenheim and despite the
rain on Saturday managed to put on a show:
The Pro Mod had three problems, one on each of its runs, so as far as that was concerned that was our weekend done. The little Pop Ole Smokey was a star in qualifying, number three!
We had been struggling to get into the Night Show as you had to book in three weeks prior. But when the whole thing was rained off they came and found us and asked if the Pop does big
burnouts. Does it do big burnouts? That's a stupid question!
Luke Robinson, being a Pro Mod Crew Chief, said "Yeah, do it, but I'm having nothing to do with it!" and watched from the stand instead... John's a bit more of a show-off I think. Anyhow,
best burnout of the night and in the rain! We even won some money, thanks Jerry.
Claire takes the title. 30th August: After selling the team's original Oldsmobile to Alan Medley, Ian Johnson set out on a mission to build the best street-legal Super Stock car he could,
another Oldsmobile Omega and this time with a big block 572 with daughter Claire at the wheel. Christopher Harrington writes that it's safe to say he has managed that and that 2019 turned
out to be the best year the team have had:
It started with a last-minute trip to the Nostalgia nationals where the plan was to test for the Doorslammers. This turned out to be Claire's best-ever weekend of racing. Number one qualifier
in Nostalgia Super Stock, a round win, and running into the nines for the very first time. Dragstagia is our favourite event, and there was no shame going out with a massive PB breakout of 9.89
to Kiwi who went on to win the event.
On to the Mopar Nationals, an event at which we have never raced. We had a great weekend even though we went out first round with a breakout. Claire did manage to win some money
through the charity Big Bracket which Bob Main planned, so the weekend was still a success. After a big effort from Dave Billadeau to spoil the party, we had a nervous wait to see if we had
won the title, we managed to hold on and win the 2019 Nostagia Super Stock Championship.
We love being part of a class which is growing from strength to strength and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who works hard behind the scenes for the class, especially
Don Scott, sponsors NEM Plant Ltd and Road Runner Racing. A big Thank You goes to all of the race teams who make it a super competitive yet friendly class to be a part of. Also massive credit
to the Santa Pod team and Colin in the commentary box. Chris and especially Claire would like to give a big pat on the back to her dad Ian for all of his hard work and dedication to allow us to
do what we love!
See you all at the Hot Rod Drags and the 2020 season at Santa Pod.
"The car has come home before going back to Jon's to have motor, trans and finishing touches done before testing", Chris told Eurodragster.com.
"Dan Williams of OCS Group is building us a 434 ci Procharged motor and we are looking forward to joining the other awesome Street Eliminator
cars in 2020."
Swift snippets. 28th August: Thanks to Mike Collins for sending us the usual preview of his column in the latest issue of Street
Machine magazine including bonus material exclusively for Eurodragster.com readers.
You can check it all out by clicking on the images above.
Pro Mod parts for sale at 14:30. 28th August: Stef Fisher tells us that UK Pro Modified racer and Eurodragster.com sponsor
Andy Robinson will be opening an auction
of body panel parts of his Camaro Pro Mod to help expedite his return to the track.
"If you head over to our Facebook page at )www.facebook.com/robinsonpromod
from 14:30 today (Wednesday) then you'll be able to see all the details of the auction which will go live from then and close this Sunday", says Stef.
Clicking on the picture will also take you to the Anger Management Pro Mod page.
VW Action coverage. 28th August: Eurodragster.com will be at Santa Pod Raceway this weekend to bring you the VW Action action in association with
John Woolfe Racing.
Our coverage will consist of end-day galleries on Saturday and Sunday courtesy of Julian, and the Webster
Race Engineering/Nimbus Motorsport webcam will be on-line broadcasting live video and commentary/trackside
audio so long as the track is open on Saturday and Sunday; please note that although VW Action starts on Friday the track will not be open that day.
We will post a direct Home Page link to our coverage as soon as it commences but if you want to set a bookmark then you can check out our VW Action
Event Index by clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing
Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Swift snippets. 27th August: We have a birthday on the team today. Please join us in wishing a big
Happy Birthday to Eurodragster.com Photographer Julian. Have a great day buddy.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored reports, results and galleries
by clicking here or by clicking on the
John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Habermanns withdaw from Finals. 23rd August: After long consideration and weighing up all of their options, Werner Habermann Racing have withdrawn Timo Habermann's and
Dennis Habermanns' entries from the FIA/FIM European Finals. The decision broke the team's hearts but they say that it was inevitable:
"Although Timo won the NitrOlympX for the fourth time in a row, we had so much damage and problems with new parts and new material we really can't
afford more damage at Santa Pod" says team boss Werner Habermann. "First we have to find the problem, then solve it, and then we can come back to the race track."
Dennis adds "Last season I had a new system with new heads, a new intake etc. It worked so well that we made the decision that Timo would have the same system
for this season. Last year we didn't have any problems with it. But this year we had problems on every single run which, interestingly, hadn't shown up at all on the
warm-ups."
Timo says "The only thing that saved our weekend was the decision on Saturday afternoon that I should drive home and pick up last season's parts because the problems
we had didn't occur in 2018. At the end of the day I won the race and there was no single problem with the engine as a whole."
The team are all of the opinion that it will take more than a fortnight to find the root problem and fix it.
"We know that the new system is faster, especially since we went 5.38 seconds and 5.39 seconds on seven and six cylinders respectively", says Werner.
"But when it's not reliable it's not a real advantage."
It was a really hard choice for us but in the end canceling for the Finals is the only choice we have. Despite the challenges we are facing at the moment a big Thank
You goes to our amazing partners who support us so much: Höfler Fenster, Bergheimer Stahlhallen, Tommy Werbung, Autokrandienst Habermann, Fuchs
Lubricants, Exide batteries and Swagelok.
See you back on the track soon - stay tuned!
Swift snippets. 23rd August: Thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding us Version 1 of the official entry list for the
STP UK National Finals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 21st-22nd September. Standard-rate entry closes on Friday
of next week, 30th August after which entry, if accepted, may be subject to a Late Entry penalty. You can download the entry
forms from the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc and you can check out the
current entry list by clicking here or by
clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If you
have any queries about event entry then please contact Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44 1933 313625) or E-Mail
[email protected].
Many thanks to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for forwarding us updated points standings in the UK National
Drag Racing Championships and SPRC Club Championships after the Green Light Nationals. You can check out the UK and SPRC points on our
OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings
page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand
side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Ian King tells us that the latest ACU UK Drag Bike Championship points are now
showing on the King Racing site at www.kingracing.com.
Kerryanne Frazier asked us to say a big Happy 14th Birthday to reigning FIM Europe Junior Drag Bike Cup Champion
Meggie Talbot. Our pleasure, have a lovely day Meggie.
Nitroz are also offering an SMS alert service which will send you a text message when your selected classes run.
A weekend's worth of alerts costs 69 SEK per class and you can sign up at
web.nitroz.se/notes.
Hall of Fame Gala selling fast. 21st August:British Drag Racing Hall of Fame
Chair Stu Bradbury says that there has already been tremendous demand for tickets for the 2019 Gala which takes place at the
Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge on Saturday 23rd November:
We have already reserved over half the allocation of a capacity of 220 seats. This exceeds any August so far. Potential attendees need to get in touch as soon as possible to make sure that
they have a seat.
Ticket prices for the 2019 Gala Awards Dinner remain unchanged at £70 per person. Corporate tables of twelve are available at £756. Hotel prices will also remain
the same as the last two years: a double room is £115 and a single room £94 both including breakfast, car parking and use of the hotel's facilities.
Many special guests will be traveling from the US to attend, with more exciting announcements waiting in the wings!
To reserve tickets please E-Mail [email protected] or
telephone 01933 279102 or mobile 07931 260457. We will then send you a booking form which includes the special discount code for rooms.
Ålund's second double. 21st August: After a six-week break it was time for race number four in the FIA European Pro Modified and Pro Stock Championships, the NitrOlympx at Hockenheimring, Germany.
Jimmy Ålund and teams are working hard towards the goal of winning two FIA Championships in the same season and this was a very good weekend in that regard.
Pär Willen writes:
The stage all set, the Hockenheimring race surface was very good which made for strong performances and close racing.
In Pro Modified Jimmy needed to make up for an early semi final exit at the latest race in Finland.
The Old 51 ran quick and fast during qualifying and ended up as the number one qualifier on day one. Included was a new best speed for the car, 400.55 kmh (248.89 mph).
Solid running continued on the second day and Jimmy went into Sunday's eliminations as the #2 qualifier with an ET of 5.879 seconds, only 0.003 seconds behind #1 qualifier
Jan Ericsson.
On race day, Jimmy was quick and consistent. In his elimination rounds, his best and worst ETs were only 0.048 seconds apart, all in the low 5.9s. The strong performance
and consistency proved too tough for the competition as Jimmy went all rounds and won the event. A win is of course always great but this one had a silver lining. "Yessiree,
indeed!", said an elated Jimmy. "We picked up some very much needed points here. Our season hasn't been as good as we have needed for getting another Championship
but we went from #4 in points up to #2 after this win. The whole team did everything right for getting the victory. Thanks to the Hockenheimring, it's a great track with the
biggest crowds on the circuit".
In Pro Stock the Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro ran quick and fast during qualifying and ended up as the number one qualifier.
On race day Jimmy showed why he's the points leader. Consistency and quick elapsed times make for winning events and, as with The Old 51 Pro Mod, Jimmy did well
on both counts. The difference between the quickest and slowest runs during eliminations was an astounding 0.009 seconds and 0.62 km/h (0.39 mph). Jimmy had the
quickest and fastest car in each round and it paid off with yet another FIA class win this weekend.
Wins in both Pro Mod and Pro Stock has only happened once before, which Jimmy pulled off last year at the FHRA Nitro Nationals.
A perfect weekend? "Yes, definitely", said Jimmy, "It is of course very hectic to race two cars of this calibre but the teams are nothing short of fantastic. The competition
is fierce to say the least and with only two races left we need every single point we can gather. Lots of hard work all weekend and we are obviously very happy with the result."
The Jimmy Ålund Pro Stock Racing team leaves Hockenheim at the top of the points table, extending the lead to 125 points over Michael Malmgren in second place.
There are two races left in the Championship, the next being this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment Internationals at Tierp Arena in Sweden which makes for a very
hectic race schedule. Jimmy arrived home yesterday and the team leaves for Tierp Arena tomorrow. The action starts with qualifying for both Pro Mod and Pro Stock on
Friday.
Summit Racing Equipment sponsors both the Old 51 Pro Mod and the Ålund Pro Stock Camaro this year. This is in addition to Funny Garage AB, Viking Industrimålning,
Sverigedemokraterna, KB Racing, Camaroskroten, All American AB and Stigs Axle and Parts. Jimmy Ålund Racing is very grateful for the continuing support from such
great companies.
Marrs also tells us that over the weekend Jimmy Ålund won his 150th round of Pro Stock, and that Rikard Gustafsson won
his 50th round of Top Fuel Bike.
Thanks also to Marrs for the official timing data from the weekend's STP Green Light Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway, which you can
check out by clicking here or by clicking on the
Timing Data link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Swift snippets. 20th August: Secret Worx Comp Eliminator racer Jordan Payne will be campaigning his Championship-winning Junior Dragster
for one last time at this Thursday's Junior Drag Racing Fun Day at Santa Pod Raceway. "I really enjoyed competing with the Junior Dragster from 2015 to 2018", says
Jordan, "however after my birthday in January I was old enough to step into the family's Comp Eliminator Corvette, and that was not an opportunity I was going to
turn down! As I am no longer competing with the Junior Dragster it is now up for sale on the
Jeff Bull Race EnginesSwap Meet on Eurodragster.com."
On the subject of the Junior Fun Day, Kirstie and Simon will be attending and their
John Woolfe Racing-sponsored report and pictures will be posted immediately after
the event. Julian and Tog are headed for Sweden and our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored
coverage of the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals will commence on Thursday morning.
You can check out our NitrOlympX reports, pit notes and galleries by
clicking here or by clicking on the John Woolfe
Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. A big Thank You from Tog to
Simon, Julian and Nikki Marshall for their hard work in conditions which went from one incarnation of unpleasant to the
other and back again.
Green Light Nationals results. 18th August: Congratulations to the winners at the STP Green Light Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Funny Bike day 1: Kars van den Belt 7.3401/185.13 def. Dave Batcheler 7.3479/169.19
Funny Bike day 2: Kevin Osman 8.2405/179.25 def. Dave Batcheler 10.7433/82.28
Comp Bike day 1: Paul Hambidge 7.5241/179.96 def. Chris Reed 7.9031/175.10
Comp Bike day 2: Louis Davies 7.8895/166.08 def. Phil Leamon 11.6455/111.23
NMCN 8.50 Bike day 1: Jay Roe 8.5142/133.32 def. Ian Chrichlow 8.6506/165.45
NMCN 8.50 Bike day 2: Alan Morrison 8.5294/146.17 def. Ian Chrichlow 8.762/157.43
9.50 Bike day 1: Craig Wright 9.6918/140.35 def. Adam Burns 9.8055/138.97
9.50 Bike day 2: Richard Sawatzki 9/5287/131.41 def. Alan Morrison Jr 9.6272/134.82
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike day 1: Phil Pratt (9.12) 9.1352/142.06 def. Paul Adams (9.00) 9.0838/147.09
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure ET Bike day 2: Phil Pratt (9.12) 9.2456/130.61 def. Robbie Dobbie (10.44) 10.3710/129.77 DQ b/o
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Supertwin Top Gas day 1: Ian Turburville 11.3469/109.38 def. Mike Nelthorpe 11.3288.126.61
Accelerate for a Cause and a Cure Supertwin Top Gas day 2: Michael Gooding 12.3377/103.37 bye
In Posterum Junior Drag Bike day 1: Liam Holgate (8.55) 8.5039/75.54 def. Casey Holgate (13.15) 13.0306/48.38 DQ b/o
In Posterum Junior Drag Bike day 2: Liam Holgate (8.53) 8.5039/75.54 def. Ciaran Lucas (9.18) 9.1207/66.37 DQ b/o
Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET: Dan Holloway (16.26) 16.2461/80.50 def. Kirstie Tramm (15.25) 15.2137/85.98 DQ b/o
Outlaw Anglia: Scott Crookston 7.7505/169.18 def. Colin Millar 8.4906/138.97
NEM Plant Ltd Nostalgia Super Stock: Neill Watkins (11.51) 11.5538/112.18 def. James Oliver (9.79) 9.7436/125.09 DQ b/o
VW Pro: Alex Knott (12.25) 11.9109/114/64 def. Carl Goldsmith (11.50) 10.6023/141.22 DQ red
VW Sportsman: Jon Crawford (16.18) 17.4662/65.35 def. Russ Weir (17.86) 19.4907/71.49
Wild Bunch: Callum Swinchatt (9.05) 9.2534/140.70 def. Philippa Turton (13.87) 13.8087/93.46 DQ b/o
Outlaw Flat Four: Ian Clark 11.6771/115.53 def. Danny Pike 11.1768/119.62
Pro Drag: Nick Good 7.0623/182.09 bye
Congratulations also to NEM Plant Ltd Nostalgia Super Stock racer Tom Watkins and Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET racer
Holley Walters who won the Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award and Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award
supported by the Twister Race Team respectively. We will be in touch with Tom and Holley for bank details on our return to
the UK. Both Awards have been reset to £50 for the FIA/FIM European Finals.
In association with John Woolfe Racing Saturday and Sunday galleries are available
courtesy of Callum Pudge and off-track photographer Diana Macrae to whom many thanks. You can check out the galleries by
clicking here or by clicking on the
John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Broadcasts are scheduled from 09:00 until the end of the event on Saturday and Sunday.
And now we return to our scheduled programme...
FIA/FIM European Finals entry. 13th August: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding
Version 7 (first final version) of the official entry list for the FIA/FIM European Finals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 5th-8th
September and which is the final round of the 2019 FIA European Drag Racing Championships and 2019 FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships as well
as a round of some UK National Drag Racing Championships.
You can check out the Finals entry list by clicking here or by clicking
on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
The official closing date has now passed; entry may still be accepted but if so then may be subject to a late entry
fee. You can download entry forms via the Information link of the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at
www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Swift snippets. 13th August: With the fiftieth anniversary of the release of The Rutles'
Shabby Road fast approaching, Darren Prentice and some of the crew continuing to prepare the Rico Anthes Quarter Mile for this weekend's NitrOlympX took
time out for their own tribute to the Prefab Four before taking tea to celebrate a successful Public Race. Thanks to Ian Marshall for forwarding the picture.
This weekend's NitrOlympX is the first of a Championship double-header with the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals at Tierp Arena next
week. Our good buddy Remco Scheelings has penned and illustrated a preview of the forthcoming FIA European Championships duet on
the Drag Racing Europe Blog, which you can check out by
clicking
here.
We would like to say a big Happy Birthday with hugs to Charlotte Cook-Abbott, and Happy Birthday with a manly handshake each to Supertwin owner Chris Hannam
and 8.50 Bike racer Ian Chrichlow. Have a great day all.
Green Light Nationals Perfect Awards. 12th August:£150 is up for grabs at this weekend's Green Light Nationals courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors.
This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been increased to £100
after it went unclaimed at the Mopar EuroNationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction
Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available in all classes during both qualifying and eliminations, but will only
be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented
in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing.
Please note that as most of the core team are at Hockenheim this weekend, should the Award be won then we will contact the winner
on our return to arrange a bank transfer.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available
in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has been reset to
£50 after it was won by Nostalgia Super Stock racer Mick Ellsworth at the Mopar EuroNationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event
to run +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available in Sportsman ET, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, the Wild Bunch, Nostalgia Super Stock, 8.50 Bike,
9.50 Bike, ET Bike and Junior Drag Bike, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect ET Award is presented
in association with Andy Hadfield aka Fadster of the Twister Race Team.
Please note that as most of the core team are at Hockenheim this weekend, should the Award be won then we will contact the winner
on our return to arrange a bank transfer.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are
available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
NitrOlympX coverage and (many) more. 12th August: What has already been an intensive Event Coverage schedule ramps up still further over the next six
weekends, with several events in three countries scheduled to be covered in association with John
Woolfe Racing.
We will shortly be heading to Germany to cover the NitrOlympX which takes place from Friday to Sunday. We plan to post the usual real-time
reports and results throughout each day, and pit notes throughout each day courtesy of Simon. Julian will as ever be providing photographs but our
colleague and Julian's usual NitrOlympX partner-in-crime Kirstie can't go to Hockenheim as she will be contesting Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET
at the Green Light Nationals. This was up there amongst the most difficult decisions Kirstie has ever had to make, but a serious run at the Championship
is a serious run at the Championship and Kirstie will be at the front of our thoughts and hopes this weekend. We are pleased to announce that Nikki
Marshall, whom many of you know as a keen photographer, will be joining us to cover the NitrOlympX alongside Julian.
Meanwhile at Santa Pod Raceway the above-mentioned Green Light Nationals takes place on Saturday and Sunday. SPRC's timing crew will be providing
us with final qualifying and elimination results, and regular Contributing Photographer Callum Pudge and Off-Track Photographer Diana Macrae will
be providing us with photographs.
Next week we will be covering the Junior Drag Racing Fun Day at Santa Pod Raceway and the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals at Tierp Arena, then
VW Action, pre-FIA/FIM European Finals testing, the FIA/FIM European Finals itself, the NSRA Hot Rod Drags, and the STP UK National Finals. You can check
out our Event Coverage schedule, with links to the index page for each event, by clicking here or by
clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
The intention for the weekend was simply to get some settings into the bike, try a burnout and launch, then strip everything down to ensure no damage was evident. If we could
achieve that over the weekend, we would have been happy. It's a testament to Al and the team that everything was completed by the end of the first day.
Thanks must also go to Neil Midgley whose assistance with the Racepak and set-up proved to be invaluable. The coming months are going to be a very steep learning curve for
our team. This bike is a whole different animal to our last, however the challenge is one that Shawn, Craig, Shiner and Danny will relish.
Hopefully updates will come in thick and fast over the next few months. Our aim is to be race ready for the start of the 2020 season. In getting this far, huge thanks must go to
Al and Julie Smith, Karen, Neil Midgley, Craig Boulton, Shiner and Danny.
On a separate note, we are looking to purchase an MSD Timing Pro - 8991. If anyone has one available, please can they contact Shawn at
[email protected].
Melbourne's rebirth. 11th August: Melbourne Raceway is a new project by the team at Straightliners, which has risen from the ashes of what used to be known as York Raceway.
The first event, a single-lane eighth-mile test, took place last weekend and Ashley Dale got in touch to bring us up to date:
The purpose of this event was to prove that there's still a demand for drag racing in the North and that racing on the site is still viable.
Despite clashing with an event at Santa Pod, it was fantastic to see how well-supported the weekend was by both racers and spectators. There were a handful of teams who, while they
didn't take part in the track action, brought their vehicles regardless and parked them in the pits for people to come and have a look around.
Walking around the pits and looking up into the grandstand, there wasn't a single face which didn't have a massive grin on it and the atmosphere around the site was amazing all weekend long.
Should all go to plan, the current target is to have the new (two lane) track ready to go for spring 2020 – initially as an eighth mile, but once it's up and running the business model will generate
the income to extend that to a full quarter mile track.
Trevor Duckworth of Straightliners said "This event was not a one-off, we now have some very hard work in front of us, but we will do it and have a new track in 2020."
You can keep up to date with the latest developments on the Melbourne Raceway Facebook page.
Swift snippets. 11th August:Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall got in touch from the Public Race at
Hockenheim to let us know that the next update to the official FIA/FIM European Finals entry list will be sent to Eurodragster.com tomorrow evening (Monday).
Just in time for the NitrOlympX, a documentary has been released about Swiss Top Fuel Dragster racer Jndia Erbacher.
Jndia: The Fast Life by Insight TV lasts for 47 minutes and you can tune in at
watch.insight.tv/videos/jndia-the-fast-life.
Thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us the official timing data from the Mopar Euronationals, which you can check out by
clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Pro ET racers John and Nicole Parker were delighted to discover that everyone was pleased to see them in their old (sic) Mustang at last weekend's
Mopar EuroNationals (below left). John tells us that he will be unable to attend the FIA/FIM European Finals as he will be in dock just before the event; best
wishes to you John and we'll do our best for you with the coverage.
Ian King has acquired a batch of the definitive drag bike history DVDs Quarter Milestones: A History Of Motorcycle Drag Racing produced by
John Stein. Some very knowledgeable people have been very impressed with this DVD. Copies are £15 or €20 from Ian on Facebook, at
[email protected], or visit him in the Gulf Oil Top Fuel Bike pit at next weekend's NitrOlympX.
Parkes and team take the Purple. 11th August: In the first of what is planned to be a regular series of spotlight features, Supercharged Outlaws Chair
and Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Fadster writes about Team Purple Daze:
Gary Parkes and his crew brought out this 2015 '23 T with the Outlaws this year and with its 555-cube BBC shot straight into the eights with an outstanding 8.8/154. The T runs a two-speed glide with a
nine-inch Funny Car axle at the rear. Gary tells us that the car is running a very conservative 800hp at present. I'm certain that we will see mid-sevens from this team as more seat time is gained. The
team have turned out for every event in the 2019 season and certainly added to our group with a can-do attitude and positive vibes.
Gary is proud to be sponsored by Vent Klenz Ltd. Thanks for being part of the Supercharged Outlaws UK Gary, hope you're enjoying the ride!
BDRHoF Gala venue refurbished. 11th August:British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Chair Stu Bradbury
tells us that the historic Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge, venue for the BDRHoF Gala on Saturday 23rd November, has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment
of its lobby, reception and bar area. It is also anticipated that all bedrooms which were not refurbished last year will be completed in time for this year's gala.
The BDRHoF are taking reservations for the 2019 Gala Awards Dinner by E-Mail at [email protected]
or by telephone on 01933 279102. This year the dinner tickets, which include table wine, remain competitively priced at £70.
The BDRHoF have managed to keep the same rates for hotel rooms of £115 for double rooms and £94 for single rooms which includes
breakfast and VAT as well as parking. The event always sells out well in advance, so if you would like to join us for the occasion we suggest
that you make your reservation sooner rather than later. On receiving your reservation you will be given the procedure to book rooms.
On-going news about the Gala, sponsors and other events in which the BDRHoF is involved is regularly published on the British Drag Racing
Hall of Fame web site at www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk, here on
Eurodragster.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Sunday 18th August
07:30 Signing On opens
07:30 Car scrutineering opens; car sign-on/scrutineering details
09:30 Track opens for qualifying and eliminations
The provisional running orders are now available and can be checked out by clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. Please note as ever that running orders
are subject to change due to weather or track conditions or for any other
reason deemed necessary by race officials.
No race vehicle motors are to be fired up before 09:00 or after 20:00 on any day of the event, which in this context includes Friday.
Before 09:00 vehicles should be pushed or towed to Scrutineering, not driven or ridden. Non-observation of curfew will result in exclusion from the event.
Junior racers please remember the rule about pushing vehicles back to the pits once through the arch beside
Scrutineering.
Only race officials and SPR staff are allowed in Race Control whilst racing is underway. Should racers wish
to raise any matter with race officials then please do not visit Race Control; please firstly see the Race Secretary
who is based in Signing On.
Colour commentators are requested to come to Commentary only when their class is at the head of the lanes,
to vacate Commentary as soon as their class has run, and not to bring guests to Commentary with them.
At the request of SPR management the Eurodragster.com office at the Bankside end of Race Control is similarly
out of bounds during racing except to Eurodragster.com staff, Zeon TV crew and racers or crew collecting
Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards.
FIA/FIM European Finals entry. 8th August: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding
Version 5 of the official entry list for the FIA/FIM European Finals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 5th-8th September and
which is the final round of the 2019 FIA European Drag Racing Championships and 2019 FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships as well as a round
of some UK National Drag Racing Championships.
FIA/FIM European Finals entry closes tomorrow (Friday) after which entry, if accepted, may be subject to a late entry
fee. You can download entry forms via the Information link of the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at
www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Be there, do that, get the T-Shirt. 8th August: Tha Hanau Auto Racing Association, the oldest and only active registered drag racing
clun in Germany, is celebtrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, and to celebrate is putting up two very special
Perfect Awards at next week's NitrOlympX at Hockenheim. Benni Voss writes:
The first racer to put a 0.000 Reaction Time on the scoreboards and the first racer to run +0.000 sec on index will receive:
A framed and named certificate to commemorate the performance at the 2019 NitrOlympX
A History of German Drag Racing T-Shirt featuring three iconic cars raced by HARA members in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s,
€50 in cash
The NitrOlympX takes place on Friday-Sunday of next week (16th-18th) and you can find out more and order tickets on the event's web site at
www.nitrolympx.de.
Bike benefits Bloodwise. 8th August: Derek Flynn of Eurodragster.com sponsor Accelerate
Your Marketing tells us that he has sold his Harley Davidson drag bike to Thorsten Appel, aka Scorpion:
Thorsten paid for the bike in full and even donated extra for Bloodwise, thanks Thorsten! He will run the Accelerate For A Cause and A Cure campaign as an
associate sponsor. He seems very happy with his purchase and has some very good plans for the bike to make it haul the mail. Good luck to Thorsten from
us all.
The sale is bittersweet as I had some plans of my own, but I still did it! Now a door car and a Funny Car to go.
Derek's Accelerate For A Cause and A Cure campaign continues to raise money for Bloodwise and to donate stem cells - several people could be helped with one donation.
For more details check out the Bloodwise web site at www.bloodwise.org.
Web site updates. 8th August: Our good friend Steve Moxley has had his FIA/FIM Main Event report posted on the Eat My Ink web site at
www.eatmyink.com.
Ida Zetterström made history by claiming the victory in Super Street Bike at Gardermoen Raceway, the first female rider to win a race in the category of EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Championship.
Greger Johansson was the winner in Super Twin Motorcycle, and after a difficult start of the season it was a well-deserved win for the Swedish rider who also recorded the quickest Elapsed Time of the
event with a 6.90 second in the semi-finals. For Thomas Pettersson the victory in Top Fuel Motorcycle at the Drag Challenge was also his first win of the season and a major step towards another EDRS
Pro Nordic MC title. In Super Comp Bike Peter Svensson took the win, while in Super Gas Bike Jonathan Edwards was a very happy winner. You can read more on the Drag Racing Europe Blog courtesy
of our good friend Remco Scheelings by clicking here.
Mopar EuroNationals results. 5th August: Congratulations to the winners at the weekend's Mopar EuroNationals at Santa Pod Raceway:
Motorsport UK Pro Modified: Marck Harteveld 10.2146/79.53 bye, Kev Slyfield shut off
Nostalgia Super Stock: Dave Billadeau (10.75) 10.7889/121.42 def. Ian Brown (10.88) 10.9035/119.25
Gasser Circus: Martin Hallam (10.80) 10.9471/114.62 def. Brian Gibson (11.19) 11.3564/116.52
Tri Chevy Shootout: Peter Lane 8.6758/155.22 def. Rob Smallworth 8.9652/149.67
Wild Bunch: Phil James 0.0482 average dial-in variance
Congratulations also to Nostalgia Super Stock racer Mick Ellsworth (right) who won the £75 Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award
supported by the Twister Race Team with his #1 qualifier of 13.7303 on 13.73 dial-in. The Perfect ET Award has been reset to £50 for
the Greenlight Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway. The Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award was not won and has been increased
to £100 for the Greenlight Nationals.
You can check out our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored Mopar EuroNationals reports, results
and galleries by clicking here or by clicking on the John
Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
A big Thank You from Tog to Kirstie, Julian, Diana and off-track photog-for-the-weekend Sam Cunningham for their hard work in energy-sapping conditions.
Linn's banner weekend. 5th August: Norwegian Top Methanol Funny Car racer Linn Engan Fløysvik had a spectacular weekend at Gardermoen
courtesy of a new motor from Jonnie Lindberg Motorsport. Bjørn Arild Sjøblom writes:
After a promising start-up in the workshop we decided to test at the Drag Challenge.
We started with a sixty foot of 0.96 seconds. The next run was 300 metres and Linn ran 5.84, then our Crew Chief Pål Henning said that
he felt that it would be OK to run a full pass. The first full pass was 5.66, then 5.61/416 kmh. Yesterday Linn ran 5.58/405 with a sixty foot
time of 0.93, then the blower belt broke.
We are now going to Tierp Arena with big hopes of putting down some good numbers with our great driver Linn.
Terje Håkensbaken, to whom thanks for the picture, tells us that Linn's 5.58 and 416 were track records at Gardermoen.
Swift snippets. 5th August: Having produced a Volkswagen Drag Racing Club calendar last year, Alice Fairhead is working on 2020 VWDRC and
Wild Bunch/Nostalgia Funny Car calendars. "Both calendars will be A3 with four images per month, and will be around £8 each", says Alice. "If you would like a calendar
then please let me know at [email protected] or message me via my Facebook page."
We would like to say a big Happy Birthday with added hugs to oue dear friend Libby Mottershead. Have a lovely day Lady Lib.
FIA/FIM European Finals entry. 4th August: Thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for forwarding
Version 2 of the official entry list for the FIA/FIM European Finals, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 5th-8th September and
which is the final round of the 2019 FIA European Drag Racing Championships and 2019 FIM Europe Drag Bike Championships as well as a round
of some UK National Drag Racing Championships.
FIA/FIM European Finals entry closes on Friday of this week, 9th August, after which entry, if accepted, may be subject to a late entry
fee. You can download entry forms via the Information link of the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at
www.eurodragster.com/sprc.
Many thanks to Yvonne Tramm and our own Simon for forwarding us updated points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships and
SPRC Club Championships after Bug Jam. You can check out the UK and SPRC points on our
OCS Paint-sponsored Points Standings
page by clicking here or by clicking on the OCS Paint Points Standings link on the left-hand
side of any Eurodragster.com page.
We would like to say a big Happy 19th Birthday for today (Friday) to our good friend, SPRC Timing Crew member and Official
T-Shirt Shooterist James Humphreys. Have a great day James.
Felstead checks in. 2nd August: UK Pro ET racer Colin Felstead has been in touch from the other side of the Pond to explain his absence
from Pro ET entry lists for the best part of a year:
Rest assured we're still around, albeit I'm now 3848 miles away from Banbury living in Dayton, Ohio. Three years ago I met my American wife in Columbus where I was
attending some schooling for my job, since then we've been flying backwards and forwards to see each other and, as of September last year, with my visa in my hand
I took a one-way trip.
The last meeting at which we raced was the Summernationals in 2018, where we entered Super Street. We never hit a 10.90 but a 10.83 was the best to which we slowed
it. I thoroughly enjoyed racing on a Pro tree and a set index, the throttle stop style racing didn't bother me as I got two launches for the price of one, and the timers gave
me something to play with during the weekend. I was a little upset to see the class get axed, hopefully it will make a return one day.
The Escort has been in my friends and family circle since the 1990s. My dad and uncle's friend Cliff Puddle recommissioned and raced it from the mid-to-late 1990s until
his untimely passing nearly a decade ago. We had to keep Cliff's racing story going, therefore I purchased the car from his brother Marc, trying to not change anything on
the car and racing it as a tribute.
I toyed with the idea of importing the Escort to the USA but ultimately decided against it, instead I decided to buy a car here. Amongst a sea of Camaros and Mustangs I
felt I needed to be different, I'm a Ford guy, then along came a 1970 Torino Fastback so I drove to Shelbyville, Indiana to get the deal done.
We have a local track near us in Xenia at which I plan on running the car, they test and tune every Thursday night, race most Friday evenings, and hold bigger events at
the weekends from April until October. It would be nice to eventually get the car dialled in and set up for Super Street in some NHRA Divisional and National races,
I'll never set the world alight but I just want to be a part of it - just running the car is enough fulfillment for me.
I would like to come back and race an event at Santa Pod at least once a year, the Summernationals being my favourite. My Dad is currently looking after the Escort whilst
preparing his own Stock-style Firebird and a genuine Suzuki Nostalgia Pro Stock Bike.
I'd like to thank my super-supportive family, both the British side and the American side, especially my dad for keeping me inspired and being my idol.
Please follow my Facebook,
YouTube and
Instagram pages for updates; I attend a lot of events here in the Mid West as a spectator and
enjoy posting videos and pictures.
I brought it over from the US in November. I saw it as a roller on Racing Junk and that night, after one phone call, a deposit was sent thanks to my sister Annette
who lives in DC. Dollars were transferred and here we go. The first time we saw it properly was at the docks (left). Oh man what a buzz, and I've been burning the
candle at both ends since then to get it out this year.
Everyone who knows me will tell you how much I love the old yellow and white '55 - which incidentally is now for sale as a roller, see
Jeff Bull Swap Meet - but in the new year the decision was taken to take the engine and transmission
out of the Bel Air and so the project started.
There are still lots of jobs to do on the the Dirty Dawg 55 to get it ready to growl at the competition next year, but this weekend and the Hot Rod Drags
in September will give me a feel for the car and any bits and pieces which need to be sorted.
Big thanks go to my superb wife Aby and gorgeous daughter Ellarose for their support, and to all my family especially Annette.
Thanks also to Barry at Protech, Bryan, John, Dave and special thanks to Mick at STS for his continued support.
We're getting older but not wiser, so as long as the Dirty Dawg looks after me, here we go!
Precipitation denies potential. 1st August: Alex Leiserach says that Bug Jam weekend started with lots of promise and potential
for the Outlaw Flat Four racers:
The Club are determined to field a quality and exciting class of heads-up air-cooled racing for the spectators. Twenty cars were entered
which is the largest turn-out in a good while.
Many racers got sunburned setting up on the Thursday, but on Friday a good few racers made the wise choice of getting in a few test
passes during RWYB. The forecast didn't look great and as it turned out this was the only real tract action all weekend.
Even with the limited running there are a good few things to report. John Brewster made his first pass in a Beetle since 1993. We are
really pleased to see John out in his new car Unfinished Business. Darren Shephard in Social Outcast ran a new PB of 11.40
on his new 2387 cc engine.
Danny Pike in Lightning Lizzy ran a 10.6 with a big wheelie towards the wall, and then a 10.3 on his new 4" bore turbo motor. Danny
is currently only running 0.5 Bar of boost, so we look forward to seeing him develop the new set-up and start to push the boost.
Ian Clark bought a very familiar car, the red and white Wolfsburg Performance Beetle on whose contruction he advised and assisted
Dave Dinning. The car had temporarily been owned in Belgium. Ian swapped in the engine from his White Choptop and on his first pass off
the trailer ran a 10.87, bettering the time which the engine ran in the Chop.
The Club really appreciate all the efforts made by the staff and marshals at Santa Pod to try and get us out and racing on the Saturday, it just
wasn't meant to be. As always we also really appreciate the efforts of those racers who travelled over from Ireland, France, Belgium and
Germany to come to run in the class, and we really feel for them when the weather doesn't play ball.
Roll on the Green Light Nationals, and fingers crossed for better weather.
Swift snippets. 1st August: Former and hopefully returning Sportsman ET racer Ian Turnbull will be back on track at this weekend's
Mopar EuroNationals in his 2010 Camaro SS. "This will be the first time I've been on the track since running the Plough Garage '68 Camaro in Sportsman ET in 2003", says Ian.
"I'm very much looking forward to catching up with some of my old drag racing family, and to seeing if I can still cut a light. I've still got the '68 Camaro and will be back racing it in the
future - it's under restoration at the moment, thirteen years in!"
Thanks to Andy Marrs for passing us the official timing data from Bug Jam, which you can check out by
clicking here or by clicking on the Timing Data
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
Mopar Euronationals Perfect Awards. 1st August:£150 is up for grabs at this weekend's Mopar EuroNationals courtesy of Eurodragster.com and our sponsors.
This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been increased to £75
after it went unclaimed at Bug Jam. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction
Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available from Saturday to Motorsport UK Pro Modified, Nostalgia Super
Stock, the Gasser Circus, and to the Wild Bunch when their dial in-based contest commences (currently scheduled for
Sunday morning), but will only be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented
in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are available
in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has also been increased to
£75 after it went unclaimed at Bug Jam. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at the event
to run +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available from Saturday morning to Nostalgia Super
Stock, the Gasser Circus, and to the Wild Bunch when their dial in-based contest commences (currently scheduled for
Sunday morning), but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect ET Award is presented
in association with Andy Hadfield aka Fadster of the Twister Race Team.
Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect ET Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com decals are
available in Signing On or from Eurodragster.com staff.
Web site updates. 1st August: The Mad Welshman has updated his Flickr gallery with two galleries from the Saturday of Dragstalgia.
You can check out Mad's shots at
www.flickr.com/photos/the_madwelshman.
This weekend's Eurodragster.com/Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award has been increased to £100
after it went unclaimed at the Mopar EuroNationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event to record a Reaction
Time of 0.000 seconds. The Perfect Light Award is available in all classes during both qualifying and eliminations, but will only
be awarded for the first Perfect Light of the event. The Perfect Light Award is presented
in association with Cath and Tig Napier of Modurstang Pro ET team Bad Habit Racing.
The Eurodragster.com Perfect ET Award supported by the Twister Race Team has been reset to
£50 after it was won by Nostalgia Super Stock racer Mick Ellsworth at the Mopar EuroNationals. The money will be paid to the first racer at the event
to run +0.000 on index or dial-in. The Perfect ET Award is available in Sportsman ET, VW Pro, VW Sportsman, the Wild Bunch, Nostalgia Super Stock, 8.50 Bike,
9.50 Bike, ET Bike and Junior Drag Bike, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect ET of the weekend. The Perfect ET Award is presented
in association with Andy Hadfield aka Fadster of the Twister Race Team.
