FIA CHAMPIONSHIPS - SANTA POD HIGHLIGHTS
Thu, 2010-06-03 01:35
One of the calamities was the demolition of the Christmas Tree as Switzerland’s Rolf Ammann got crossed up on the burnout and took out the tree in spectacular fashion. The new tree was installed and qualifying continued under mainly leaden skies and a cold wind with rain cutting in half the four Pro qualifying cycles.
Switzerland’s Urs Erbacher brought his entire Top Fuel operation back from his U.S. tour of last year and set the stage for a European Championship challenge when he qualified on pole, set a European quarter-mile speed record of 314.87mph when he took the event win with a 4.785/314 win over Finland’s Risto Poutiainen.
Germany’s Dennis Habermann did what many younger brothers long for – beating his older brother. The two Habermann’s, strode through the eight car Top Methanol Dragster field with relative ease and faced each other in the final. A 5.480/257 on a holeshot got the nod for Dennis against the chasing 5.376/259 from Timo.
Jürgen Nagel took a win home to Germany in the Top Methanol Funny Car class. Top qualifier, Dan Larsen suffered damage and could not make the call allowing Nagel to solo for the event win with a 6.285/227.
Relative new comers to the Pro Mod category are the Lindberg team from Sweden with driver Johan Lindberg surprising many a heavy hitter with a string of 6.0s under cold conditions. His 6.042/236 solo clinched the trophy as opponent; England’s Andy Robinson failed to make it suffering problems.
Roger Burgess, owner of several U.S. based Pro Mod teams recently launched the Worldwide Pro Mod Association and sent Pro Mod driver Melanie Troxel over to take on the Europeans. The team struggled with track and conditions and went out in round one but returned for a test pass clicking off Europe’s second only five – a 5.937 at 242.42mph to the delight of the fans.
Michael Malmgren led the Pro Stock qualifying with 6.774/204 and got to the final to meet fellow countryman Michael Callin in the run off. Callin took his Pontiac GTO to the win with a holeshot 6.792/203 as Malmgren fought to catch up losing with a 6.788/202.
Top Fuel Bike was led initially by Holland’s Rene van den Berg with a 7.641/179 but England’s Steve Woollatt cut that to a 7.032/143 before going on take out Steve Carey in round two the faced Finland’s Kai Selkämaa. A better leave by Selkämaa coupled with a 6.893/186 was unceremoniously chased down with a 6.689/192 win for Woollatt.
Switzerland’s Lorenz Stäuble set the pace in Super Twin Bike with a 6.656/215 then went on to decimate the opposition and meet Holland’s Job Heezen in the final. It was a close run pairing as Lorenz Stäuble left first and hung on for the win with a 6.608/215 to Heezen’s losing 6.815/205.
Pro Stock Bike saw Sweden’s Anders Abrahamsson sit on pole with a 7.241/182 but he went out to finalist, Holland’s Gert-Jan Laseur who met defending Champion, Ulf Ögge from Sweden. Ögge dished up another 7.1 with a win ticket showing 7.167/182 as Laseur lost with a 7.285/185. Funny Bike is a new separate class now being run having been run alongside Top Fuel Bike in previous years. Germany’s Christian Jäger continued his class domination having won the opening round in Hungary earlier in the month; a 7.314/188 got him another win as he defeated England’s Steve French.
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