2010 FIA NitrOlympx  Hockenheimring, Germany  13-15^th August 2010.

Weather the Winner at FIA Germany Event

The fourth and penultimate FIA European Drag Racing Championships were run in front of a huge and vocal partisan crowd and had the largest entry of competitors in the events twenty-five years of drag racing. The event however was dealt a cruel blow as rain hampered qualifying and then killed off the last few rounds of eliminations on Sunday, leaving some classes with only finals to be run, others with several rounds to go. At the end of day prize presentation winner’s trophies and prize money were given to the number one qualifier in each class.

Top Fuel —  had Finland’s Anita Mäkelä take the lead in the qualifying after unseating fellow countryman Risto Poutiainen’s 5.307/223 with a 4.852/276 in round one only to be unseated by England’s and defending TF Champion, Andy Carter with a fine 4.851/277 before regaining pole in the last session with a 4.800/299 over the full quarter mile and producing the quickest field in European history. Of the nine fuellers in attendance only Sweden’s Micke Kågered failed to qualify suffering a huge fireball in round three. Only the first round was run before the drizzly rain put paid to the event with Anita Mäkela recording a solo 4.826/286 as opponent Timo Lahtimaki failed to start the motor. Denmark’s Stig Neergaard had better luck than of late when his 4.911/244 beat the 5.539/183 from Finland’s Janne Ahonen the Olympic ski jumper. A holeshot from Andy Carter put on the win lights for him after a close race with Finland’s Jari Halinen, 4.895/273 to a 4.974/292. Finally, Swiss racer Urs Erbacher managed a 4.883/299 to see off Finland’s Risto Poutiainen whose loose 5.081/232 failed to make it.

Anita Makela was declared the TF Winner

Top Methanol Dragster — was initially led by German Timo Habermann with a 5.410/261until it was bettered by Norway’s Fred Hanssen with a great 5.381/266 in the second qualifier. Again only the first round was able to be completed before the rain. Fred Hanssen took his blown car to the win over the A/Fueller of England’s Derek Flynn, 5.378/264 to the losing 5.575/262. In an all A/Fuel battle Sweden’s Krister Johansson’s much better leave coupled with a 5.497/257 beat England’s Dave Wilson whose 5.506/262 charge did not make it. Timo Habermann dealt out the 5.567/252 from Norway’s Paul Ingar Udtian with a 5.440/257. The run-off between German teams Dennis Habermann and Peter Schöfer was disallowed as both cars rolled through the start.

Norweign TAD racer Fred Hanssen

Top Methanol Funny Car — was a 7-car eliminator and was led by Finn Jarmo Kuutniemi on a 6.137/234 before Denmark’s Dan Larsen pushed his Dodge Stratus to a 5.966/238 in round two then out performed himself with a 5.858/245. Only the final was left un-run in this class with the two finalists being Dan Larsen and German Jürgen Nagel. Nagel made his way through the pack with a win over Belgium’s Danny Bellio, 5.945/241 to the 6.215/184 lose then a troubled start produced a lowly 23.19 time as opponent Jarmo Kuutniemi charged ahead, got loose and disqualified himself by hitting the centerline reflectors. Larsen, meanwhile had a round one bye, then, ran a 6.033/232 to defeat the 8.655/105 close to the wall try from Switzerland’s Dezsoe Krivan making a return to racing.

Denmark's Dan Larsen is the FIA points leader in TMFC

Pro Modified — had 22 cars vying for position in a sixteen car eliminator and it was US visitor Melanie Troxel who not surpringly stole the show from the start, a 6.183/239 well over a tenth ahead of nearest rival and teammate Sweden’s Micke Gullqvist. Troxel improved with each round, a 6.099/240, a 6.052/241 and a final shot of 6.045/241. All the major players were in the eliminations that went all the way to the finals before rain stopped play. Troxel driving the Roger Burgess R2B2 Camaro had a first round bye then dispatched Sweden’s Roger Johansson in his nitrous Mustang, 6.082/240 to a 6.509/199 before slaying the 6.363/234 from Sweden’s Urban Johansson with a 6.007/241. Micke Gullqvist was unsurprisingly her opponent in the un-run final having the benefit of an R2B2 team engine and tuning and he made his way through the tough field with a first round win over Germany’s Norbert Kuno, 6.113/234 win to a 6.378/226; a 6.128/234 took out the tyre shaking 8.636/94 from Swede Johan Lindberg’s Firebird. The semi pairing was with fellow Swede Mats Eriksson, Europe’s only five second runner, even the holeshot from Eriksson’s Ford Crown Victoria along with an all over his lane 6.087/235 was not enough as Gullqvist stormed past with a 6.042/236 in his ’57 Bel Air.

Micke Gullqvist vs Melanie Troxel

Pro Stock — saw Sweden’s Jimmy Ålund clinch the top spot with a fine 6.757/204 bettering that in the third stanza with a 6.747/204 almost a tenth better than the rest of the eight-car field. This was another class that managed to get all the way to the final that was then victim to the rain. Ålund saw off German Harald Sturhan in his Mercedes, a 6.780/203 win to a 7.459/192 in round one but then went out himself as he got crossed up leaving Jan Palmqvist a sweet 6.874/202 win and putting Palmqvist’s Pontiac GTO into the money run. On the other side of the ladder was Sweden’s Michael Malmgren who made his way past Jonas Engdahl with a 6.801/202 win to the 7.010/198 lose. A great light from Michael Callin coupled with a 6.895/190 was not quite good enough as Malmgren pushed his Pontiac GTO to a 6.836/203 win to enter the un-run final.

Jimmy Alund set both low ET and top speed in Pro Stock

 Roger Gorringe. www.eurodragster.com –Text and Photos Copyright August 2010.