FINLAND NITRO NATS - EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Sun, 2010-07-11 14:00
The second round of the FIA and the third of the UEM European Drag Racing Championship tour took place among the pine forests and lakes of Finland. The Nitro Nationals attracted good fields of competitors and large crowds of spectators. There were several pernicious incidents including the Top Fuel coming together of Stig Neergaard and Risto Poutiainen and a severe fire from Andy Robinson’s Pro Mod Studebaker – each driver walked away uninjured.
After the Top Fuel crash Neergaard put his car back together but then DNQ’d, Poutiainen however, got out his old car and got all the way to the final in front of his home crowd. Finland’s Timo Lehtimaki may not be a household name but after his almost bracket like performances all weekend he could well be a future force in the class. Lehtimaki qualified second over the one thousand foot behind Poutiainen 4.203/283 to a 4.179/279. The all Finnish final went down well and became a heck of a race as they left together with Risto Poutiainen just behind with a 4.156/279 to Timo Lehtimaki’s winning 4.151/279.
It was almost a repeat of the Top Methanol Dragster final at Santa Pod’s championship round one as the German brothers Timo and Dennis Habermann made their way to the final again. A 5.378/268 gave England’s Dave Wilson the pole but he was beaten by a holeshot by Dennis the younger Habermann in round one. Older brother Timo got past Krister Johansson then Peter Schöfer then beat Dennis in the final with a 5.534/254 to a red light by Dennis.
The Top Methanol Funny Car was a little disappointing as only two cars turned up many suffering broken parts and unable to attend. However the Norwegian Arvid Grødem and Finland’s Jarmo Kuutniemi made the most of it with Grødem taking his Mustang to a 5.936/213 win to the 6.015/238 charge from Kuutniemi.
In the popular Pro Mod ranks everyone there was racing for second place as Micke Gullqvist raced Roger Burgess’s R2B2 Camaro to a 6.026/244 pole then demolished the opposition with bracket like numbers. Gullqvist met the winner of the first FIA round at England’s Santa Pod for the final, Johan Lindberg. Micke Gullqvist was off first and never looked back he failed to repeat his earlier five but the 6.030/242 got the nod as Lindberg runner upped with a 6.114/232.
In Pro Stock eight cars made the field led by round one winner Michael Callin on a 6.803/203 lap. The ’09 Champion Jimmy Ålund made a return to Europe but not in his usual car and never got past round one after breakages. The all Swedish final was between Jan Palmqvist and Michael Malmgren with Malmgren’s Lahega backed GTO taking the win with a 6.865/194 to the losing 6.959/196.
The two wheelers fared well in the Super Twin Bike ranks with Norway’s Hans Olav Olstad leading the ten bike entry on a 6.741/203. It was Olstad’s weekend as he ploughed his way past Samu Kemppainen then Jan Sturla Herge to meet number seven qualifier Finland’s Ismo Mäenpää in the money run. Mäenpää moved first but his 7.064/202 was not enough as Hans Olav Olstad ran him down with a 6.833/200.
A smaller than usual Top Fuel Bike entry saw Finland’s Jaska Salakari put down the top qualifier with a 6.692/201. However, it was the new team of Petri Paljakka that made the news riding last year’s Champion Ian King’s bike, he beat Holland’s Rene van den Berg in round one and faced fellow Finn Jasko Salakari who was shut off on the line with a fluid leak leaving Paljakka a solo 6.668/215 win.
Eleven entries tried for the Pro Stock Bike title with Sweden’s Kenneth Vik in charge of qualifying with a 7.202/187. It was Vik that made his way to the final beating fellow Swedes Gabriella Nikolovska then Anders Abrahamsson. Reigning Champion Ulf Ögge came from second qualifier to confront Vik on the trophy pass, a holeshot coupled with a 7.200/185 gave Ulf Ögge the win against the chasing 7.205/186 from Vik.
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