Pro Stock racer Jonas Engdahl (bottom left) is the new driver for Samantha Racing this year. Jonas's background is in Super Pro ET where he raced a '23 T bucket with a supercharged small block Chevy. He said "The difference between the cars is awesome. I have not experienced true tyre shake yet but know that it will happen. I am fine with the startline procedure and shifting. My aim is to run a six and my best time here is 7.13. Whether the team does other races depends on how we do here." Thanks to Mats Erlandsson for acting as interpreter.

Pro Stock Bike racer Martin Bishop finished as no.2 qualifier. "We are in the tuning window and I am really pleased; our 60ft time of 1.11 is a PB. The track is tricky. On the left, the camber takes you towards the barrier so if you spin or shake the tyres you have to get out of the throttle. We will put more power in it." Martin is pitted with Anders Abrahamsson.

Pro Stock Bike racer Anders Abrahamsson has made a return to the track with Team MotoSpeed after two years off. He said "It's nice to be back. My son was ill and now he is better I can resume racing. There are teething problems with the bike which is a new one and we are still working on setup which takes time. Only the old frame, wheelie bars and handlebars are the same, all of the rest is new. It's good having Martin with us and we hope we can do the same next year." Anders qualified third with a 7.45. He mentioned that MotoSpeed's Roger Lyren's son Kalle is building a Pro Stock Bike due for a 2010 debut.

Super Twin racer Svein Olav Rolfstad faced a considerable amount of repair work after a chain broke on Friday. Team member and web site master Frode Larsen said "It is a bad thing when the chain breaks and we looked at Svein Olav's legs after the run to make sure he was ok." We then had to mend the bike; the main pipe in the frame was broken and we had to fit a new one. The chain guard was also broken and the wheelie bar too. Hand Christian Nielsen helped with the welding on these parts. For the rear wheel cover we borrowed part of the vinyl mat of Jaska Salakari and cut it out to fit." Svein Olav said "We are happy with the performance; the repaired bike went straight if a little lazy down the track." Svein Olav did qualify fifth. The team's next dates are Gardermoen, Denmark's Mosten Raceday and the Euro Finals.

Super Twin racer Samu Kempainnen has a new bike that he bought last September. "I went to the Finnish Finals with it and licensed there. We worked on it over the winter and then at the first race at Alastaro the PRP engine was destroyed. We ordered another from Fast Lane Racing in Vancouver and it got lost and eventually arrived four days before the FHRA Nitro Nationals. With no setup time we blew the heads on the second pass which you can see in several photos. We then got the setup from Canada and changed the fuel lines and this has been ok this weekend. We will raise the power level gradually each run. I am qualified seventh but we have got some way to go." The bike has a Bill Furr frame with revised fork and the transmission is B&J.

Super Twin racer Jaska Salakari has two bikes at this event, the other ridden by Kari Rajala. The additional effort however did not pay off as the team finished qualifying in only sixteenth and seventeenth for an eight bike field.

Pro Mod racer Jan Gunnarson improved his quarter mile PB from 6.62 to 6.21. "We are just here to learn and have not tuned the engine up. We are running everything as safe as you can. On the 6.21 we had a little shake and I short shifted to second, then in third I held the throttle down despite thinking it was not going to be a particularly good time. So the numbers surprised me. My previous best was after lifting off at 1000ft. There is a lot of power and I would like to do the championship next year although that depends on money." The team is now named Badillac. Jan's crew chief this year is Michael Karlsson who has experience with Touring Cars, Snowball drag racing team and was crew chief for the Swedish 2004 Comp Eliminator champion.

Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King ended in third place in qualifying. Crew chief Mick Beaumont said "We are having problems with dropping a cylinder, it is the same cylinder every time and we want to cure it before race day. At Alastaro the supercharger drive broke so we had two made so we have a spare." Work for the bike is now carried out in Holland where the bike is stored and maintained between races. The team will be attending Hockenheim and Hungary.

Top Methanol Funny Car racer Danny Bellio had a wheel spindle broke on the launch which allowed the wheel to break off and the car to go along the barrier, which damaged the body and flattened the right side header. "The body is repairable and we are getting that done in Denmark. Johnny Nielsen will look at the chassis as we need repairs just to get the car back into the trailer and the front parts are damaged. We do need sponsorship money to fund the team and whether we attend Hockenheim depends on if we can make repairs in time."

Pro Mod racer Freddy Fagerström's tow car is painted in the same 'distressed' style as his truck with painted-on scuff marks and rust. Freddy was pleased with a 6.26s pass in the third session. "The Leanders clutch we run is very good and the car is performing as well as ever", he said. "This is our third race of the year and we will do Gardermoen next weekend."

Top Fuel racer Andy Carter said "I have never been as relaxed as I am this season. When I get in the car I am still fired up but am hardly ever nervous. The new car is so nice to drive and Mats Eriksson has done a fantastic job in building it. It's the best Top Fuel chassis I have ever driven. Per, Carsten and the Lucas Oil team are doing a fantastic job. I now need to go to no.1 qualifier. We have stepped it up but the issue is the second half of the track. We just need to go further without spinning the tyres and we will be in the right hand lane this morning. We are working hard on getting the Lucas Oil team to America and thanks to everyone who has supported us in our quest." Andy is pictured with team hospitality members (from left to right) Bodil Nielsen, Marie-Louise Fabricus and Marie Hansson.

Pro Mod racer Graham Ellis is happy with the car's performance (11th with a 6.408 at the end of Friday) and pleased with the reception he has received in Sweden. He said "We are still learning so each run has to be business as usual rather than trying a specific setup for each track. There have been no mechanical issues along the way; we are just trying to go quicker and if that happens, that's good otherwise we will go back to what we are used to. I was poorly before the event but the team said they wanted to come even if I didn't and I am pleased I did - there has been a lot of interest in the car."

Top Fuel racer Jari Halinen (right) is with Simo Patoharju (centre) and Eddie Corr. Eddie said "We are trying to get rid of smoking the tyres by adjusting the clutch and the tuning. There are no engine problems but the track is not as good at the top end as it has been. We smoked the tyres in both lanes so at least we are consistent." Eddie is also doing customer work on rally cars which is is main role and you can see details at www.eddiecorrracing.com. The team are planning to race at Hockenheim and the European Finals.

Top Fuel racer Risto Poutiainen said "The engine threw a rod after the finish line. We got the car ready for the second qualifier but then had a problem with the clutch cannon so had to miss that session. We are ready for this morning and hope for a better day. For the championship I need to have Andy in the first round to take him out otherwise he will have an almost insurmountable lead." Risto said the TF teams have established an association with him as spokesman; the aim is for the teams to have more influence on the rules and the quality of tracks and to be able to negotiate with the FIA and promoters. "One example is that we want to set appropriate standards for scrutineering," he said.

Top Methanol Funny Car racer Jarmo Kuutniemi was pleased to be third with a 5.869 in a very competitive top four, separated by 0.05s. "The track is ok for us and the start line is really good. We just have a little tyre shake in second gear and will adjust the clutch; mechanically we are fine. The ET is our second best ever compared to my PB of 5.84 at Alastaro, and we have changed nothing on the car over the winter. We will run at Hockenheim and the Euro Finals."

Top Methanol Funny Car racer and Eurodragster.com sponsor Ulf Leanders said "The air is looking better this morning. We had a really good run going in the second session yesterday with a best ever 60ft of 0.93 and 3.76 to half track. But then the throttle linkage broke and slowed us to 194kph; the run would have been a low 5.7. The Dodge Charger body on the car is the best we have had and handles well at high speeds, and a local Dodge dealer has lent us a new red Charger for us to use as a tow car which is neat." There are now ten US cars running the Leanders clutch and the feedback is great.

Pro Stock racer Richard Sundblom is returning from a crash at Alastaro with a repaired and finished car. "The accident looked worse than it actually was," he said. "There were no problems with the chassis apart from one pipe in the front that had to be replaced, the front radiator and bodywork. The car seems fine and drives really well. Tami Brander our team member and constructor did the repairs and thanks to him, he is like a father to us. The car is fine in the first three gears and then gets loose, but I am sure we will be better today." This statement was proved when he went to no.1 in the qualifying standings in the morning session with a 6.791.

Pro Modified racer Marko Lantto provided the driving job of the year when he saved the car from going over after twice correcting it down the track. "When I started the traction was very good, but when I shifted into third it was at the exact point of transition with the circuit. The tyres started to spin immediately and the car went up on the rear wheels and became very loose. The rpms hit the roof and I went sideways." The tyres showed that at least 15cm of the sidewall was on the track. The car went sideways by more than 90 degrees and Marko was lucky the car didn't flip. "I deliberately opened the chute when I drifted right and that slowed it down but we had gone into Robert's (Koper) lane and he ruined his front tyres braking. I am not qualified but what is important is that we are ok."

Pro Modified racer Johan Lindberg's Chevy Nova is up for sale. "We want to get a new car to move up and become more competitive", he said. "I don't know if it will be a US car or one built in Europe but we will sell first. Johan's best time is 6.46 but here a 6.97 means that he is in 21st and not qualified at the end of Friday. "I think we have just a chance to qualify", he said.

Pro Modified racer and Eurodragster.com sponsor Marco Maurischat was very happy with his first six second pass, a 6.69 in the Tim McAmis-designed car built by Marco. "This is only our second full race weekend with the car after two shakedown events last year and is running smoothly. In the second session we thought we would go quicker as the 6.69 was on a soft setup. But we were in the right lane and had to come off the throttle after the car made a hard right turn after 100m. The fact that we're 18th is not a big deal and our objective is now to run a 6.5s. The car can go quicker and the engine wants to go quicker. After the Main Event we had to repair the block which had a bad crack in it and the repair works. We are looking forward to Hockenheim where we have many friends coming."

Pro Modified racer Roger Johansson had a wild ride in the right lane and a great driving job saved the Mustang. "We have changed the gearshifts so that fourth comes in at less power and the car will not get so unsettled at the transition. We are in the left hand lane and hope to qualify in the next session."

Pro Stock racer Mats Jacobsson said "We have had a lot of trouble here at our first race in Pro Stock. The staging, starting off the line and pushing the gear change button are all new to me. It's my first event with a brand new engine which I built myself; we ran a similar engine last year in Competition Eliminator which is now our spare." The car is one formerly driven by Jimmy Ålund and Adam Flamholc so has a great pedigree.