After the 2012 non event, this race meeting was thankfully a far cry from the previous year’s debacle where the race surface had been scrubbed away prior to the race and most competitors refused to compete. A brand new surface and plenty of sledding and gluing it proved a hit with several personal bests. Disappointment was again in evidence as there were no Top Methanol Dragsters racing, finances and differences of opinions on rules kept them away. The weather was fine warm with some high cloud cover at times all to the benefit of the capacity crowd especially at the popular Saturday Night Show.

After the 2012 non event, this race meeting was thankfully a far cry from the previous year’s debacle where the race surface had been scrubbed away prior to the race and most competitors refused to compete. A brand new surface and plenty of sledding and gluing it proved a hit with several personal bests. Disappointment was again in evidence as there were no Top Methanol Dragsters racing, finances and differences of opinions on rules kept them away. The weather was fine warm with some high cloud cover at times all to the benefit of the capacity crowd especially at the popular Saturday Night Show.


FIA Top Fuel was led by England’s Chris Andrews in the Lucas Oil dragster with a fine 4.074/299 followed by Norway’s Thomas Nataas with a 4.074/295, the two most disappointed were the teams of Malta’s Duncan Micallef and rookie Noah Stutz from Switzerland who did not make the eight car eliminations. It was all over in round one for Chris Andrews as he red lit allowing Swiss man Urs Erbacher who was back in competition for the first time this year, the 4.235/280 win. Sweden’s Micke Kågered seems to have found the power and despite fireballing at one hundred feet, took the win as Finn Jari Halinen blazed the tyres. The match between the Nitro Nationals winner Anita Mäkelä and Denmark’s Stig Neergaard ended with Neergaard going into tyre smoke, Mäkelä’s 4.295/269 beat the 4.524/199. Finally, Thomas Nataas easily dispatched Finn Antti Horto with a 4.355/237 to a 4.661/173.

Round two saw Urs Erbacher suffer an engine fire from three quarter track his 4.562/214 being beaten by Micke Kågered’s 4.403/252 and a last minute lane swap had Thomas Nataas take a 4.425/244 win over Anita Mäkelä’s chasing 4.721/232.

The final ended up a solo for Thomas Nataas as Micke Kågered’s Bilsport/Bahco Tools/MPM Oil car suffered ignition failure at the crucial moment leaving Nataas’ Veidec/Landmeco fueller to take his second win of the season, a 4.119/269 clinched the deal.




FIA Top Methanol Funny Car saw the Lindberg brothers dominate again as Jonnie took pole with a 5.621/260 and Johan taking the trophy. Belgian Danny Bellio made a return to the class sitting on the bump. Jonnie Lindberg took the first round bye whilst Sweden’s Ulf Leanders put Bellio back in the trailer, a 5.649/259 beating the troubled 6.314/194. Adam Flamholc, the Sweden Internationals winner saw off an up in smoke fellow countryman Leif Andréasson, 5.789/252 to a losing 6.566/200. Germany’s representative in the class, Jürgen Nagel shook and got crossed up losing to Johan Lindberg to end the round.

Jonnie Lindberg’s day ended with tyre shake and the win going to Adam Flamholc’s 5.754/237 and in the other pairing an up in smoke Ulf Leanders lost to Johan Lindberg’s 5.616/256.

The money run saw Adam Flamholc’s Amalie/Cleanpipe/Hurst Boiler backed Monte Carlo leave first but Johan Lindberg’s Chevrolet/Pålplintar Monte Carlo chased him down taking the win with a 5.622/254 to a losing 5.783/251.



FIA Pro Mod had Sweden’s Micke Gullqvist lead the twelve strong pack with a good 5.972/243, the only car in the fives. Round one kicked off with Holland’s Robert Joosten, who last year on the bad track hit the wall but this time getting the win with a 6.108/238 over Swiss man Bruno Bader’s 6.231/228. A Swedish battle came next as Mattias Wulcan running an ex Lindberg motor got by Mats Eriksson’s Crown Victoria, 6.065/241 win to a losing 6.187/232. Next up, an all Dutch duel with David Vegter getting the nod with a 6.244/227 as Marc Meihuizen smoked the tyres from one hundred feet out. Gullqvist banged out another five as he saw off Germany’s Norbert Kuno, 5.969/243 to a smoking out of shape 12.56/61.

Robert Joosten opened round two going up in smoke as Micke Gullqvist ran the winning 6.047/241 getting him to another final. It all ended in a blatant red light for David Vegter allowing Mattias Wulcan to chase, getting loose and into a big weave up track but getting the 6.478/172 win.

Mattias Wulcan in his Firebird knew he was up against it in the final against Santa Pod Raceway’s Main Event winner Micke Gullqvist in his Stavdal/Persåkers Camaro and used a great holeshot to upset the multi winner, a 6.082/239 beat the 5.984/244 charge.



FIA Pro Stock showed no surprises when Jimmy Ålund took top qualifier, a 6.653/208 just ahead of arch rival Thomas Lindström’s 6.691/203 with the rest of the class of eight Swedes tailing off into the 6.7s to 6.9s. Round one had Magnus Petersson take the first victory against Christian Sagelv then Michael Malmgren’s 6.726/206 saw off Jan Palmqvist’s 6.842/200. Michael Callin shook and shut off giving the win to Lindström’s 6.714/203 and finally Ålund took a 6.654/208 win against Ulf Wagnhester’s slowed up 10.064/88.

A 6.757/207 took Jimmy Ålund to the final as he beat the close 6.783/204 from Magnus Petersson whilst the pairing of Thomas Lindström and Michael Malmgren was decided with a win for Lindström’s 6.729/206 as Malmgren slowed to a losing 7.048/167.

It was the usual final as Jimmy Ålund in his KW Parts.com ’12 Camaro took on the Ernryd Cars ’08 Dodge Stratus of Thomas Lindström, Ålund got the better leave and notched up his third win of the year with a 6.716/207 to Lindström’s close 6.707/206.


Funny Car is a non FIA class but runs as the European Funny Car Series with this being the third round. Unfortunately, two teams no showed leaving a depleted four car field with Sweden’s Leif Helander getting a 5.973/175 to sit on pole. The final came down to a run-off between Helander and England’s Gordon Smith, Helander took the light with a 6.034/225 as Smith followed with a troubled 10.692/105.


FIM Top Fuel Bike was once again led by England’s Ian King with a 6.175/213 well ahead in the six bike field. A pernicious qualifying session gave a series of three bye runs in round one. Into round two where Ian King ran a 6.490/203 beating a first ever six from Czech Republic racer Otto Knebl’s 6.851/190 and Sweden’s Rikard Gustafsson ran a solo 6.736/179 to face King in the final. Ian King on his Gulf/Grand Prix Originals Puma fueller left ahead of Rikard Gustafsson’s RG Engineering backed Funny Bike and held onto the lead carding a 6.421/219 to take the trophy as Gustafsson came in second with a 6.918/196.


FIM Super Twin Bike had an eight bike field led by Norway’s Ronny Aasen on a 6.591/204 clocking, several tenths ahead of the rest and getting into round two via a bye. The Czech Republic’s Roman Sixta broke after his burnout leaving Germany’s Christian Jäger an easy 7.639/173 win. Finn Samu Kemppainen red lit away his chances allowing Holland’s Job Heezen the 7.456/201 win whilst last pair of the round was Finn Vesa Lipponen who beat Dutch racer Martijn de Haas, 7.343/194 win to the 7.344/202 lose.

Round two saw Ronny Aasen spewing oil from half track but still notching up the all important 6.882/195 win over Vesa Lipponen’s 7.215/197. Christian Jäger went into big tyre smoke just off the line ruining his day as Job Heezen clocked up the 7.393/205 win.

In the final it looked every inch the way of Ronny Aasen but it was not to be as Job Heezen left first and hung on for the win light, the 7.231/209 beating the 7.831/135.


FIM Pro Stock Bike was led by Finn, Fredrik Fredlund with a 7.063/186 closely followed by rising star Elvira Karlsson from Sweden on a 7.069/189. Going out in round one were Swede, Kenneth Holmberg courtesy of Fredlund, Sweden’s Ulf Ögge by Karl-Heinz Weikum, England’s Martin Bishop beaten by Karlsson and Holland’s Gert-Jan Laseur by way of Kalle Lyrén.

Into round two and Fredrik Fredlund notched up the win with a 7.132/185 over Karl-Heinz Weikum’s 7.346/187 whilst Elvira Karlsson suffered a few problems giving the 7.158/186 win to Kalle Lyrén.

Fredik Fredlund on his paf/Viking Line Suzuki GSXR ran a neat 7.09/187 to take the final round win as Kalle Lyrén’s Veidec sponsored Suzuki Hayabusa ran the runner up time of 7.16/184.


FIM Super Street Bike had a seventeen bike entry and was led by Brit Dave Holland followed by fellow countryman Garry Bowe, 7.219/206 and 7.344/194. It was this pair that blazed their way through all the opposition to meet in the final and it was Holland on his Suzuki NLR Hayabusa who took the win with a 7.356/198 overcoming the slight holeshot from Bowe whose 7.622/185 became runner up.

Roger Gorringe – www.nitroexposure.co.uk
Copyright: August 2013