NITROLYMPX PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS
Thu, 2009-08-20 14:00
The penultimate round of the FIA European Drag Racing Championships was held at the vast Hockenheimring in Germany. The event, run this year under a different promoter attracted the largest field of competitors for eleven years and was successfully concluded in front of a packed house. Rolf Ammann had the unfortunate fate of being the only casualty when his ’38 Chevy Pro Mod smacked the guard wall after getting crossed up during qualifying; that right hand lane proved difficult for most of the eliminations.
Top Fuel had England’s Andy Carter in the Lucas Oil/Landmeco dragster all but clinch the 2009 Championship which will make it his fourth title. The number two qualifier went on to defeat Finn Timo Lehtimäki with a full quarter mile 4.897/296 to an up in smoke 6.792/123, a 4.985/280 beat a belt pitching Micke Kǻgered then a solo easy 8.277/94 as finals opponent, Risto Poutiainen broke.
Finland’s Risto Poutiainen came from fourth qualifier to reach the Top Fuel final with a bevy of wins against firstly, Swiss man and NHRA competitor, Urs Erbacher 4.959/293 to a losing up in smoke 6.145/160 then a heck of a duel as both cars struggled but a pedalling 5.215/225 got the better of fellow countryman Janne Ahonen’s 5.274/228. There was no reverse or forward in the car in the final leaving a frustrated Poutiainen to watch Carter take the win.
In front of a home crowd it was an all German and all blown final in Top Methanol Dragster as Peter Schöfer the number one qualifier dominated, seeing off firstly a red lighting German Dennis Habermann then an in smoke at half track Dave Wilson from England, 5.501/251 to a 5.751/247 before overcoming a holeshot from Timo Habermann, 5.474/263 win to a 5.589/254 lose.
Timo Habermann managed the number two in qualifying then went on to take wins over England’s Derek Flynn who no showed due to no oil pressure then a 5.528/255 as Sweden’s Krister Johansson went up in smoke in his A/Fuel car. There was a brief holeshot from the elder Habermann but the 5.589/254 was no match for the ‘Bavarian Thunder’ TMD’s 5.474/263 charge.
Round one of the Top Methanol Funny Car wars had Denmark’s Dan Larsen take an easy 5.936/242 as Norway’s Per Hǻkon Troa no showed. Larsen then took the 5.865/244 win as Sweden’s Ulf Leanders hit tyre smoke at sixty foot. The final saw Dan Larsen take his first win in his new Dodge Stratus with a 5.873/240 as Bellio red lit.
In the TMFC ranks Finland’s Jarmo Kuutniemi held pole and took the first round bye before his red light 6.284/180 lost to the 6.059/236 from Belgium’s Danny Bellio who had advanced past a red lighting Swede, Leif Andréasson in round one. The money run had Bellio waste it all as his red light put paid to the 6.091/241 try.
Pro Stock had Sweden’s five time and current Champion Jimmy Ålund clinch another European Championship to make it a sixth as he made his rapacious way through the field once more, a 6.772/204 beat German Harald Sturhan’s 7.180/193 then a 6.801/204 beat fellow Swede Magnus Hanson’s 7.079/200 before a 6.812/203 to paid to Finland’s Richard Sundblom’s time in the final, a 6.934/203 being the loser.
After his excursion into the wall in Finland in early July nothing has dented the confidence of Richard Sundblom and his Chevy Cobalt as he continued to show most his winning ways. A 6.797/203 beat Kenneth Söderström’s 7.197/193 then a 6.844/203 in the heat of the day saw off Michael Malmgren’s 6.916/202 but a red light in the final ended Sundblom’s day.
A full thirty-two car Pro Mod field was whittled down to a run off between current Champion Sweden’s Micke Lindahl and England’s Andy Robinson. Lindahl took his Kendall backed Camaro to wins over Germany’s Marco Mauriscat, Micke Gullqvist and Swedens Mats Eriksson (who earlier had clicked off Europe’s first 6.0), before running a 6.209 232 to beat Robinson’s try.
England’s Andy Robinson took his Studebaker to number two in qualifying then went on to decimate the field by gaining wins over Holland’s Henri Joosten, Switzerland’s Bruno Bader and Urban Johansson. In the final, Robinson a race car builder in Britain failed to catch the .001 light from Micke Lindahl, a 6.275/211 was beaten by the 6.209/232.
England’s Gary Page has driven most types of race car from Altered’s to Top Fuel but his favourite office chair is in a Funny Car and this weekend he took the win over fellow Brit John Spuffard with a 6.383/185 as Spuffard suffered tyre smoke.
England’s Ian King took control of the special mix of Top Fuel Bike and Super Twin Bike contestants that were gathered for this event before returning to their relevant classes for the European Finals in September. King’s TFB was meant to race Switzerland’s Lorenz Stäuble STB but just into the burnout Stäubles bikelost fire and allowed King an easy solo for the final trophy.
For twenty years England’s Len Paget has been making the journey to race at the Hockenheim event and it all finally came together for him this year as he took his first win at the venue by taking his Pro Stock Bike to a 7.518/175 win over Greek rider Haralambos Bousinis’s 7.762/172.
There have been a handful of Pro Mod cars from different countries knocking on the door of the 6.0s but it was Swedish race car builder Mats Eriksson that finally notched up a 6.096 in the cooler air of the first round on the Saturday evening in his Crown Victoria.
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