Reigning Pro Mod Champion Mats Eriksson brought his Green Goblin '56 Crown Victoria to the cruise at Vadstena to show to the crowds. Vadstena is an annual institution the day before the Veidec Festival. Mats said "We are looking forward to the event. The new track is looking good and the test launches today are very promising."

Pro Stock Bike racer and reigning champion Ulf Ögge also brought his Buell G2 bike to the cruise.

The Eurodragster.com team and honorary members (including Christer Abrahamsson, not in photo) spent a relaxing evening in Vadstena before the rigours of covering the event. Many thanks to all those who wrote in with birthday wishes for your pit reporter.

Competition eliminator racer Linda Eriksson raced in Super Comp last year with a 475cu in big block engine; her career started in Junior Dragster at the age of 10 and moved to Super Comp at 16. The team have changed their approach this year changing to D/Dragster class with a 281cu in small block engine, high-winding to 10000 rpm with two 660cfm Holleys providing fuel to the modified heads. Linda said "We have had a lot of problems trying to get down to the 7.85 index that Finnish racers had set low. The car has run an 8.2 with this engine and a 'Glide, but we want to go 7.5-7.7 so we have put a Cowan transmission based on a TH350 in it." Why the name Cartman on the motor? Linda's Dad said "Because it's a big fat a**ehole like the character in South Park."

Competition eliminator racer Peter Thörnäs races this twin turbo small block Corvette and has the nickname "Tricky" which derives from the car's builder Ricky Smith. "We tested in Mäo and ran a 4.45. We have changed the ignition system following a lot of problems. The 395cu in engine was fine on the Nilsen dyno with 2000 horsepower and 2193 n/m torque but in the carbon fibre body it wouldn't run right so we changed components." The carruns Precision 80 turbos, Moran motorsports injectors, Alan Johnson heads and Jerry Haas chassis.

Competition eliminator racer Stefan Holmberg runs a ex-Robert Koper Chevy Monte Carlo in AT/PM. Crew member Majo Horvath said "The engine is a twin turbo 508cu in with dual intercoolers on petrol. We are testing the setup and plan for next year to put larger turbos on, run on methanol (which means getting rid of the intercoolers) and entering the car in Pro Mod. So far in testing, there have been problems with crankshaft and pistons at a meeting in Norway (running Pro Street) meaning we have had to build a virtually new engine."

Super Comp racer Keld Jakobsen from Denmark runs this immaculate BMW E21. He is sponsored by speed shop www.lindebjergracing.dk.

Also hailing from Denmark is Kim Andersen who runs a late model Mustang. The car was built by Henrik Petersen who built it in 2008 and has been tested. This year, the team ran the car at the Veidec Raceway in Malmö with one shot of nitrous and went 4.46/256 kph. The Mantorp meeting is something of a test session, being the team's first quarter mile race. The engine is a Steve Schmidt 632cu in on nitrous, carburettors and Cowan Powerglide with a split convertor that can be changed according to when the car is running nitrous or normally aspirated. Running in Super Comp this weekend without nitrous, the aim is to run in Top Doorslammer next year.

Running this early Chevy Nova in Stock Super Stock J/SA is Daniel Nyling. Daniel started in Junior Dragster until 2006 and then bracket cars. This year he has moved classes after his father raced a Malibu in Stock Super Stock. The car was built in Sweden and has a 327cu in small block engine.

Super Comp racer Albin Frank is a member of the Nailheads Car Club based in Umeå in northern Sweden. This dragster, owned by Albin's father, is named after the club (in spite of the power plant being Ford rather than Buick). Albin is in his second year of racing in Super Comp after racing Junior dragster for eight years.

Competition Eliminator racer Torben Stenström hopes to be bringing out a quicker Ford Anglia with lower roofline and lengthened in front of the windscreen and a blower engine. Running 8.2s in the current car will do very nicely for the moment.

Super Comp racer Magnus Petersson and son Martin share the driving of their PB racing dragster (named after family firm Petersson's Bilverkstad). "We bought the car turnkey from Atlanta Georgia. It was built back in 1989 and was in quite poor condition so we rebuilt it and painted it. The engine is a 468cu in big block with fuel injection running on methanol, with Powerglide transmission. This is our third race having been at Malmö and Vasteras where Martin made his debut."

Super Comp racer Nina Olsson from Karlstad is racing this Tim McAmis '55 Chevy with Reher Morrison engine at SHRA Karlstad events including Orsa, Söderhamn and Arvika. This event will be the team's fourth this year.

Super Comp racer Conny Linné is also from SHRA Karlstad and this is his first year with this car he imported from Norway turnkey. The 355cu in engine has a 8/71 supercharger running on methanol with Powerglide transmission. Conny said SHRA Karlstad is up to 150 members and growing.