FIA Main Event
Sunday (qualifying)
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21:50
It's been a long and busy day here at Santa Pod Raceway. Andy Marrs of SPR's timing crew gave us some stats about today's action:
Start 09:27, end 19:51, total race time 10 hours 24 minutes
Single runs 62, paired runs 188, total vehicles down track 438
Number of downtimes 20, total downtime 3 hours 4 minutes
Actual racing time 7 hours 20 minutes
Here are the top two qualifiers in all of those classes which we haven't been covering today.
Super Pro ET (own dial-in): 1. Ian Bishop +0.006 (7.906/168.18), 2. Barry Giles +0.018 (7.668/168.85)
Pro ET: (own dial-in): 1. Jack Brewster +0.005 (11.345/121.77), 2. Conrad Stanley +0.009 (10.159/129.74)
Sportsman ET (own dial-in): 1. Simon Chalkly +0.002 (13.852/99.77), 2. Steve Lee +0.002 (14.952/86.16)
Super Comp (8.90): 1. Zane Llewellyn 8.900/152.12, 2. Martin Curbishley 8.904/147.31
Super Gas (9.90): 1. Frank Mason 9.900/139.58, 2. Paul Hudson 9.904/137.07
Super Street (10.90): 1. Luke Ramage 10.903/142.11, 2. Bob Lees 10.910/122.75
Junior Dragster (Reaction Time): 1. Charlotte Watts 0.001, 2. Stuart Morrice 0.002
Custom Car Street Eliminator: 1. John Sleath 8.632/169.73, 2. Steve Pateman 8.730/168.29
9.90 Bike: 1. Paul Watson 9.905/139.65, 2. Rachel Pattison 9.911/142.11
10.90 Bike: 1. Glenn Randles 10.907/116.20, 2. Steve Coombs 10.911/124.67
Today's photographs have been posted, you can get to them from the Event Coverage index.
We're now off to feed and water ourselves and if time permits to take a walk around the pits. Tune back tomorrow morning and we'll bring you all the raceday action.
21:15
UEM Comp Bike final qualifying session
Luigi Ferretti 14.71/54.19, Dave Holland broke, Antonio Ferretti broke, Pasi Alakunnas 7.16/190.54, Nils Ole Lund 6.97/195.42, Sarah Jane Head 9.03/145.58, Eric Teboul 7.04/185.92, Tim Blakemore 8.18/152.52, Joey Bon 7.70/176.44, Neil Midgley 7.38/171.55, Paul Knapp 9.08/100.14, Neil Diggens broke, Ian King 7.30/193.66, Mike Chislett 7.89/145.77
Reigning Champion Ian King left it very late to get into the field and managed it right at the end. We have three Fuel v Funny Bike pairings and one Fuel v Fuel Bike pairing in eliminations.
The final standings in Comp Bike are as follows:
1. Steve Woollatt 6.680/200.85
2. Roel Koedam 6.967/203.94
3. Nils Ole Lund 6.979/195.42
4. Eric Teboul 7.044/185.92
5. Pasi Alakunnas 7.155/185.00
6. Ian King 7.305/193.66
7. Tim Blakemore 7.333/180.72
8. Neil Midgley 7.385/171.55
DNQ: Mike Chislett 7.480/175.38
DNQ: Shaun Branch 7.690/169.74
DNQ: Joey Bon 7.709/176.44
DNQ: Neil Diggens 8.241/158.76
DNQ: Gary Jones 8.315/153.12
DNQ: Antonio Ferretti 8.689/149.92
DNQ: Sarah Jane Head 8.800/150.75
DNQ: Paul Knapp 9.081/100.14
DNQ: Luigi Ferretti 9.620/113.19
DNQ: Dave Holland 14.597/77.65
UEM Supertwin Top Fuel Bike final qualifying session
Ronny Aasen 8.50/155.46, Bernie Hepworth 9.04/97.96, Anders Karling 6.79/191.63, Ton Pels 6.94/199.97, Per Bengtsson 6.95/199.07
Another great pass from Anders Karling, this in elimination trim. Ton Pels and Per Bengtsson put on an excellent side-by-side six-second performance.
The final standings in STTF are as follows:
1. Anders Karling 6.792/191.03
2. Ton Pels 6.948/199.97
3. Per Bengtsson 6.956/199.07
4. Svein Gottenberg 7.682/169.03
5. Ronny Aasen 8.500/155.46
6. Bernie Hepworth 9.047/97.96
7. Kai Selkamaa 11.726/71.63
UEM Pro Stock Bike final qualifying session
Martin Bishop 8.75/110.98, Chris Tombleson 12.07/64.78, Chris Hope 7.71/173.18, Oivind von Essen 7.57/176.29, Richard Gipp 7.97/163.58, Roger Pettersson 7.50/177.71, Anders Larsson 8.80/171.59, Michael Ponca 10.66/123.63, Luigi Chinarello 8.18/160.39, Len Paget 9.86/106.28
Len Paget had a pretty bad-looking fire as he went through the top end but the word quickly came back that he was A-OK. Not sure about the bike though.
The final standings in Pro Stock Bike are as follows:
1. Roger Pettersson 7.456/179.85
2. Oivind von Essen 7.526/180.17
3. Chris Hope 7.593/172.84
4. Anders Larsson 7.615/173.16
5. Martin Bishop 7.811/171.27
6. Chris Tombleson 7.941/169.19
7. Richard Gipp 7.973/163.58
8. Len Paget 8.056/161.84
DNQ: Luigi Chinarello 8.182/160.39
DNQ: Samuele Spiga 8.213/158.17
DNQ: Ray Debben 9.292/121.09
DNQ: Michael Ponca 10.546/124.60
We're now going to put together the Sportsman qualifying, stay tuned.
20:35
FIA Top Fuel Dragster final qualifying session
Darryl Bradford 11.86/59.74 (shake), Susanne Callin 5.53/183.42 (half pass), Micke Kagered 9.24/89.87, Kim Reymond 5.20/225.23
Another dramatic pass from Micke Kagered as cylinders went out, flames appeared from the engine and the rear tyres went up in smoke, all so quickly that it was difficult to tell in what order it happened.
The final qualifying standings in FIA Top Fuel Dragster are as follows:
1. Andy Carter 4.897/303.07
2. Barry Sheavills 4.970/304.71
3. Kim Reymond 5.084/257.29
4. Micke Kagered 5.093/285.82
5. Susanne Callin 5.530/183.42
6. Darryl Bradford 11.861/59.74
FIA Top Methanol Dragster final qualifying session
Dave Wilson 5.65/252.58
Dave Wilson breaks Peter Schofer's heart and does the first half of an FIA ET and speed record with the last pass of TMD qualifying.
The final standings in TMD are as follows:
1. Dave Wilson 5.656/252.58
2. Peter Schofer 5.698/241.26
3. Rob Turner 5.813/239.80
4. Doug Bond 6.179/220.23
5. Lyndsay Deuchar 6.766/147.25
FIA Top Methanol FC final qualifying session
Leif Andreasson 8.38/98.80, Ulf Leanders 6.93/216.26, Leif Helander 6.13/228.25, Micke Kagered 8.27/125.74, Urs Erbacher 6.13/232.20, Lex Joon 5.85/242.27
Ulf Leanders wasn't giving up for anything, to ensure that he got into the field. He hit shake, pedalled briefly and then got back on it. A consistent pass from Lex.
The final standings in TMFC are as follows:
1. Leif Andreasson 5.800/246.71
2. Lex Joon 5.855/242.47
3. Micke Kagered 5.862/242.23
4. Dezsoe Krivan 5.919/240.14
5. Leif Helander 6.070/233.63
6. Urs Erbacher 6.085/230.64
7. Arvid Grodem 6.169/228.96
8. Ulf Leanders 6.935/216.26
First alternate: Steph Milam 7.008/202.93
FIA Pro Stock final qualifying session
Rune Berg 7.21/186.86, Jari Konola 7.14/193.30, Jacob Ferrer 7.06/194.81, Michael Malmgren 7.00/196.97, Magnus Hansson 13.94/68.87, Jan Muren 7.18/191.15, Christer Andersson 7.26/189.93
The final standings in Pro Stock are as follows:
1. Michael Malmgren 6.950/197.90
2. Jacob Ferrer 7.048/195.16
3. Magnus Hansson 7.089/194.86
4. Jan Muren 7.119/194.38
5. Jari Konola 7.121/194.18
6. Rune Berg 7.212/186.86
7. Kenneth Soderstrom 7.243/190.42
8. Christer Andersson 7.263/189.93
Fuel Funny Car, final qualifying session
Gordon Smith 5.66/236.06
Gordon was the only racer to turn out for this session and he was on a mission to take #1 qualifying spot. And he succeeded with a far from straight pass, pedalling once and getting very close indeed to the guardrail at the top end,a real fag-paper job.
The final standings in Fuel FC are as follows:
1. Gordon Smith 5.660/236.06
2. John Spuffard 6.322/161.28
3. Smax Smith 8.287/97.32
4. Gary Page 8.681/97.32
Pro Modified final qualifying session
Henri Joosten 6.85/202.00, Andy Robinson 7.15/197.36
Henri said that the car might go into the 6.8s today and he wasn't kidding. This was also his first ever 200 mph pass.
The final standings in Pro Mod are as follows:
1. Andy Robinson 6.729/198.55
2. Henri Joosten 6.850/202.00
3. Marcus Hilt 7.115/190.99
Stay tuned as we are now going to type up the final UEM standings.
17:15
FIA Top Methanol Dragster qualifying session 4
Peter Schofer 5.69/241.26, Dave Wilson 8.82/86.62, Rob Turner 5.81/239.80
Peter Schofer smashed his personal best, again, whilst Dave Wilson pulled a huge wheelie and shook pretty badly on his pass, the car going out of shape. Dave's experience showed as he kept the car in his lane but even he eventually had to get off it. Rob Turner's pass was nice and solid, he drove through shake - you get the idea that the notion of shake is different inside and outside of the car.
After four sessions, TMD stands as follows:
1. Peter Schofer 5.698/241.26
2. Rob Turner 5.813/239.80
3. Dave Wilson 5.997/196.41
4. Doug Bond 6.179/220.23
5. Lyndsay Deuchar 6.766/147.25
We're getting close to the next Pro cycle, stay tuned!
17:30
UEM Comp Bike qualifying session 4
Steve Woollatt 6.68/200.85, Neil Midgley 7.59/162.91, Ian King 19.35/35.00, Paul Knapp 9.71/139.90, Joey Bon 7.78/163.83, Sarah Jane Head 9.01/150.12, Nils Ole Lund 7.35/192.46, Roel Koedam 6.96/203.94, Tim Blakemore 7.33/180.72, Dave Holland 14.59/77.65
Ian King broke some ssort of record as the revs on his bike went as high as I have ever heard a Fuel bike go. Hopefully there won't be any damage. Steve Woollatt brought the house down with his pass which looked very easy.
After four sessions, UEM Comp Bike stands as follows:
1. Steve Woollatt 6.680/200.85
2. Roel Koedam 6.967/203.94
3. Nils Ole Lund 7.059/198.14
4. Pasi Alakunnas 7.155/185.00
5. Eric Teboul 7.156/205.25
6. Tim Blakemore 7.333/180.72
7. Mike Chislett 7.480/175.38
8. Neil Midgley 7.594/162.91
9. Ian King 7.688/164.20
10. Shaun Branch 7.690/169.74
11. Joey Bon 7.783/163.83
12. Neil Diggens 8.241/158.76
13. Gary Jones 8.315/153.12
14. Antonio Ferretti 8.689/149.92
15. Sarah Jane Head 8.800/150.75
16. Luigi Ferretti 9.620/113.19
17. Paul Knapp 9.713/139.90
18. Dave Holland 14.597/77.65
UEM Supertwin Top Fuel Bike qualifying session 4
Svein Gottenberg 7.68/169.03, Anders Karling 6.92/193.42, Ton Pels 8.02/123.87, Per Bengtsson 6.97/197.36, Bernie Hepworth 9.73/145.85, Ronny Aasen 9.11/147.46
After four qualifying sessions STTF stands as follows:
1. Anders Karling 6.896/198.94
2. Ton Pels 6.969/183.08
3. Per Bengtsson 6.975/197.36
4. Svein Gottenberg 7.682/169.03
5. Ronny Aasen 9.114/147.46
6. Bernie Hepworth 9.556/133.80
7. Kai Selkamaa 11.726/71.63
UEM Pro Stock Bike qualifying session 4
Oivind von Essen 7.62/177.09, Len Paget 8.10/161.36, Michael Ponca 11.62/109.00, Roger Pettersson 7.48/178.41, Chris Hope 7.59/172.84, Luigi Chinarello 8.19/159.73, Richard Gipp 7.97/164.01, Anders Larsson 7.71/173.06, Chris Tombleson 8.65/113.97
After four qualifying sessions Pro Stock Bike stands as follows:
1. Roger Pettersson 7.456/179.85
2. Oivind von Essen 7.526/180.17
3. Chris Hope 7.593/172.84
4. Anders Larsson 7.615/173.16
5. Martin Bishop 7.811/171.27
6. Chris Tombleson 7.941/169.19
7. Richard Gipp 7.979/164.01
8. Len Paget 8.056/161.84
9. Luigi Chinarello 8.196/159.73
10. Samuele Spiga 8.213/158.17
11. Ray Debben 9.292/121.09
12. Michael Ponca 10.456/124.60
Stay tuned as we have now had the latest qualifying session in TMD and we are about to type it up.
16:45
Fuel Funny Car qualifying session 2
John Spuffard 6.32/161.28, Gordon Smith 8.85/74.27, Gary Page 8.68/97.32, Smax Smith 8.28/108.49
The pairing between Spuff and Gordon Smith was dramatic as Gordon had fire coming from one side of his car at about 300 feet. Gordon stopped in front of the fire crew with the fire out but then the call went out that Spuff's FC was on fire at the bottom of the shutdown area. Gary Page's engine positively groaned at 300 feet or so, a kind of "Oh I'm dying" noise. After Gary's lane was cleaned, Smax put in his pass and was off the throttle early. There was no visible problem but we had another cleanup after Smax ran.
Championship co-ordinator Jim Broome kindly came up to tell us about the outcome of that session. Spuff has put a rod out of each side of the block, Gordon Smith has damaged a head, Smax has put a rod out, and all eight of Gary Page's rods are shrapnel. All four teams are now working like crazy.
After round two of qualifying, Fuel Funny Car stands as follows:
1. John Spuffard 6.322/161.28
2. Smax Smith 8.287/108.49
3. Gary Page 8.681/97.32
4. Gordon Smith 8.854/74.27
FIA Top Methanol Funny Car qualifying session 4
Lex Joon 5.86/242.18, Leif Helander 6.10/230.62, Micke Kagered shut off on line, Urs Erbacher 6.08/230.64, Ulf Leanders 6.31/171.00, Steph Milam 7.18/201.89
Lex Joon kicked the tyre shake demons out of the facilty with a storming pass. Micke Kagered was shut off for a fluid leak on the start line after pulling a half-track burnout.
After four rounds of qualifying, TMFC stands as follows:
1. Leif Andreasson 5.800/246.71
2. Micke Kagered 5.862/242.23
3. Lex Joon 5.865/242.18
4. Dezsoe Krivan 5.919/240.14
5. Leif Helander 6.070/233.63
6. Urs Erbacher 6.085/230.64
7. Arvid Grodem 6.169/228.96
8. Steph Milam 7.008/202.93
9. Ulf Leanders 9.964/73.11
Ulf Leanders' earlier pass of 6.31 has been disallowed.
FIA Pro Stock qualifying session 4
Michael Malmgren 6.98/197.88, Magnus Hansson 7.17/193.01, Christer Andersson 7.33/188.82, Rune Berg 7.26/191.36, Jari Konola 7.20/191.67, Jacob Ferrer 7.08/194.91
After four rounds of qualifying, Pro Stock stands as follows:
1. Michael Malmgren 6.950/197.90
2. Jacob Ferrer 7.048/195.16
3. Magnus Hansson 7.089/194.86
4. Jan Muren 7.119/194.38
5. Jari Konola 7.121/194.18
6. Kenneth Soderstrom 7.243/190.42
7. Rune Berg 7.265/191.36
8. Christer Andersson 7.270/190.75
Pro Mod qualifying sessions 5 and 6
These sessions followed on very quickly from one another, Andy and Henri coming out in one session and Marcus in the other.
Andy Robinson 6.72/198.55, Henri Joosten 6.96/195.88, Marcus Hilt 7.11/190.99
After six sessions of qualifying, Pro Mod stands as follows:
1. Andy Robinson 6.729/198.55
2. Henri Joosten 6.902/199.08
3. Marcus Hilt 7.115/190.99
FIA Top Fuel Dragster after qualifying session 2
The third round of TF qualifying is scheduled for later on but after this morning's session the official standings are as follow:
1. Andy Carter 4.897/303.07
2. Barry Sheavills 4.970/304.71
3. Kim Reymond 5.084/257.29
4. Micke Kagered 5.093/285.82
5. Susanne Callin 5.557/179.28
Darryl Bradford's pass earlier on was good for licencing but was discounted from qualifying as the car was underweight. Darryl said that a rear slick deflated in the shutdown area on that pass which made things interesting!
FIA Top Methanol Dragster after qualifying session 3
The fourth round of TMD qualifying will be taking place later on but after this morning's session the official standings are as follows:
1. Peter Schofer 5.777/244.68
2. Rob Turner 5.829/238.55
3. Dave Wilson 5.997/196.41
4. Doug Bond 6.179/220.23
5. Lyndsay Deuchar 6.766/147.25
We're now going to catch up with UEM qualifying, come back in about half an hour for that.
13:55 updated FIA and UEM sessions
FIA Top Fuel Dragster qualifying session 2
Kim Reymond 5.84/163.01 (off before half track), Susanne Callin 6.19/140.24 (off before half track), Barry Sheavills 4.97/304.71, Andy Carter 4.89/303.07, Micke Kagered 5.09/285.82, Darryl Bradford 5.60/195.98
Micke Kagered went through the top end in a cloud of smoke and left a trail of oil from 1300 feet all the way down the shutdown area. Darryl Bradford gained his licence with his pass so we now have six TFs in competition this weekend.
FIA Top Methanol Dragster qualifying session 3
Doug Bond 6.17/220.23, Rob Turner 5.82/238.55, Peter Schofer 5.77/244.68, Dave Wilson 6.00/190.77
Peter Schofer takes #1 spot away from Rob Turner with a huge improvement on his PB.
FIA Top Methanol Funny Car qualifying session 3
Micke Kagered 5.95/240.17, Leif Helander 6.07/233.63, Leif Andreasson 5.83/246.33, Ulf Leanders 9.96/73.11 (shake), Steph Milam 7.00/202.93, Lex Joon 6.88/192.01
Urs Erbacher's TMFC didn't start and he was towed back to the pits.
FIA Pro Stock qualifying session 3
Jan Muren 7.11/194.38, Christer Andersson 7.27/190.75, Rune Berg 8.94/99.43, Jari Konola 8.22/133.49, Jacob Ferrer 7.04/195.16, Michael Malmgren 6.95/197.90, Magnus Hansson 7.19/194.29, Kenneth Soderstrom NTR
Kenneth Soderstrom crossed lanes and very quickly got off the throttle.
UEM Comp Bike qualifying session 3
Joey Bon 9.09/91.75, Dave Holland 22.59/33.00, Luigi Ferretti 8.68/149.92, Tim Blakemore 7.44/181.14, Roel Koedam broke, Neil Midgley 9.12/152.94, Steve Woollatt 6.89/182.72, Neil Diggens 9.77/116.08, Ian King 8.26/137.79, Paul Knapp broke, Anotnio Ferretti 9.62/113.19, Nils Ole Lund 7.18/181.18, Shaun Branch 7.94/164.37, Sarah Jane Head 8.84/149.80, Mike Chislett 7.48/175.38
UEM Supertwin Top Fuel Bike qualifying session 3
Per Bengtsson 6.99/194.08, Ronny Aasen 9.50/135.52, Ton Pels 6.96/183.08, Kai Selkamaa NTR, Svein Gottenberg 8.51/121.34, Bernie Hepworth 9.95/81.47, Anders Karling 6.89/198.94
Per Bengtsson went off the end of the track after his pass but is A-OK. Kai Selkamaa rode out an explosion on his bike at about eighty feet, a blast which blew the undertray and other parts off the bike. Kai was also A-OK.
UEM Pro Stock Bike qualifying session 3
Oivind von Essen 7.52/180.17, Chris Hope 7.69/168.15, Roger Pettersson 7.46/178.57, Anders Larsson 7.61/173.16, Luigi Chinarello 8.54/158.53, Ray Debben 9.60/105.64, Michael Ponca 10.54/124.60, Len Paget 8.05/161.84
Pro Modified qualifying session 4
Andy Robinson 6.75/197.91, Henri Joosten 7.03/193.53
We are running quite late and the next FIA and UEM cycle is about to start, so what we will do is to report on those sessions when they finish and bring you the class standings then.
12:15 newsflash!
In today's first round of Top Fuel qualifying, Andy Carter and Barry Sheavills have run Europe's first side-by-side fours and even more importantly Europe's first 300 mph passes. Barry recorded 4.970/304.71 and Andy 4.897/303.07. So as it stands, Andy is on for the ET record and Barry for the speed record.
Barry was officially the first to run 300 mph in Europe as he got to the finish line first, by 0.211 seconds, although he redlit by 0.002 seconds - but of course that doesn't matter in qualifying.
We're still in the middle of the FIA/UEM cycle so come back in about an hour and we'll have all the news for you.
10:00
Good morning and welcome again from Santa Pod Raceway for our coverage of day two of qualifying for the FIA Main Event, brought to you in association with American Car Imports. It's another gloriously sunny day, just perfect.
When we left you last night we were going for a stroll round the pits. We got pitside just before ten o'clock last night, and then had another quick spin around this morning, and here's what we found out.
Swiss Top Methanol FC racer Dezsoe Krivan was understandably happy with his 5.91 yesterday. "I thought it must be fast", he said. "Apart from a little bit of shake at the top of first gear it was very smooth. But when I pulled the chutes I knew that I was moving very fast. 5.9 is a big step from 6.0! We have taken the motor apart and found some small pieces of aluminium, but we can't see where they have come from". Dezsoe has two new crew members this weekend and they joined at just the right time to get praise from the boss. "The guys did a great job", he said.
Dutch Pro Mod racer Henri Joosten was also very pleased having got into the sixes for the first time yesterday. "I have had a bottle of champagne in the fridge in the trailer for three years, I can finally open it!", he said. It didn't sound as if the six was an easy job though. "I had a lot of shake", he said. "I lifted slightly when it shook but then I hit the throttle again". Henri hopes to run into the 6.8s today. "But Pro Mod is very difficult", he said. "There is a lot to think about and a lot to remember."
Top Methanol Dragster racer Lyndsay Deuchar had a late night after a roller broke and went for a walk around his engine. Four rods are damaged but the cam survived. Lyndsay is also suffering from unbalanced wheels. Next door the American Car Imports team have now put their new engine in the chassis. Team Mum Linda Wilson told us that the team wanted to fire up the engine last night but that she stopped them because of the curfew.
We popped up to visit Super Pro ET racer Paul Davis, who had a nasty-looking shotdown area crash in his rail yesterday. "I'm a bit bruised but I have no problem apart from the car!", he said. The team will probably have to front-half the chassis, and the gear casing split in half. The car also had new body panels which have been badly damaged by the crash. Paul told us how the accident looked from his side. "It really bounced through the gate", he said. "Then it went up on two wheels. It usually bounces around a bit at the top end but it settles. I thought I had it, but when I went to pull it back it went into the field", he said. "It rolled a couple of times and I ended up upside down, hanging from my straps. I thought, I wonder if I should undo them? But the top end crew were there straight away and did a great job."
Fellow Super Pro ET racer Martyn Jones did a last-minute lane switch in qualifying last night. He told us that he did his burnout but wasn't happy with the surface so pulled back and ran in the other lane. Martyn was very grateful to his Crew Chief Crunch and to fellow Super Pro racer Steve Johnson for getting his dragster to the track. "The transmission has gone on my van", he said, "so Crunch borrowed Steve's van. I wouldn't be here without those two guys".
Steve Johnson himself is probably on his way home this morning after damaging his engine yesterday. "The oil pump broke off", he said. "I think I've trashed some rods". "We will be back by the end of the month", said Steve's wife and Crew Chief Pat. "We're aiming for 6.5 and 200 mph this year".
Super Pro racer Roger Moore, currently starring in the Main Event programme, and his brother David have been working on the clutch this weekend. "The clutch was locking up", he said. "So we're going to soften it. I've had the gearbox and clutch apart today, Al Golding in the next pit has had his gearbox apart too, because there are so many entries the pits are very tight and we were working around one another. We want to put more power in the car but with only two qualifying sessions left I don't think we've got time to mess with it."
Kim Reymod told us that he was off the throttle at three-quarter track on his 5.08 pass yesterday, which explains the 'low' terminal speed of 257. "The power was going away at the top end", he said. "We are going to put more fuel in it towards the finish". Kim said that the incrementals on yesterday's pass were, until he backed off, quicker than on his 5.01 pass last year. "It feels right!", he said.
Micke Kagered confirmed that it was a leak in a fuel line which caused him to be shut off on the line yesterday. He added that he plans to make both sessions in the Bahco Tools Top Fueller today. In Micke's other pit, the crew have set his Quaker State TMFC to go quicker than his 5.79 European record. In Micke's pit we were interested to come across a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Micke, promoting Bahco. "Bahco are doing a big promotion across Scandinavia", said Micke. "They are coming to the UK later in the year". So there you have it folks, if you see Micke in your local Halfords then be sure to check whether it's the real thing.
When Susanne Callin got back to her pit after her 5.55 pass yesterday, she was greeted by her crew waving her signed licence at her. "We planned a half pass", said Susanne. "The guys said that if I had stayed on the throttle then it would have been a 5.15. It was really pulling, and this car is set to run big times in the back half of the track so it was really beginning to go when I had to get off it!". Car owner Knut Soderquist declared himself well pleased. "The next pass will be to three-quarter track and then we will decide whether to do the second session today."
Pro Stock Bike racer Richard Gipp, whose bike as you may remember is for sale, had a hard time of it yesterday. "I got off at three-quarter track on my first pass and did some valves", he said. "I changed to the spare engine but did the gearbox. So I repaired the first engine and put it back in. That first pass was a 7.9 but would have been awesome if I had stayed on it!"
Nexr door in the PSB pit, Martin Bishop's Crew Chief Pete told us that his rider was "apprehensive". They have made changes to the fuel curve and Pete told us that Martin was either going to run a good seven second pass or melt it down! Martin has a new crew member this weekend in the person of Chris Adams, a hot rodder who wins prizes all over Europe with his every creation. "He's into drag racing now", said Pete.
We asked Andy Carter if there was another three mph in his Top Fueller after his 297.09 pass yesterday. "No, there is another five miles per hour in it!", said Crew Chief Eddie Corr. "It was pretty good for a checkout pass, wasn't it?" said Andy. "The last four passes I have made against Kim Reymond, they have been side-by-side 5.0s or 5.1s". Andy said that the car moved around a lot after 900 feet on yesterday's pass. "I had an in-car camera and when I watched the video I'm glad I wasn't in it!", he joked. "Eddie has such a handle on it now", he added. "We don't have a computer on the car, but he has a laptop on which he keeps a lot of information such as clutch wear, weather, my feedback from the car. With this tune-up the car doesn't launch very hard but it really picks up after five hundred feet. There's more power in it for the next run, if it all goes OK we may set out the second pass today."
Turner Racing TMD Crew Chief Steve Turner told us that Rob's mid-six yesterday was a checkout pass as the car has an all-new engine. "It shook so Rob got off it", said Steve. "He is sensitive to engine matters so he won't get off it then get back on". The team are starting to learn the new combination which comes with the PSI blower. "I'm planning a 5.7 on the next pass", said Steve. "The track is really good so it will take more clutch."
Anders Johansson of Magnus Hansson's Pro Stock crew told us that the team were very pleased inded with Magnus' 7.08 yesterday. "Our previous best was 7.15", he said. "We hope to do better today and then we hope to do even better tomorrow!".
Qualifying is now underway with the first FIA and UEM session scheduled to start very shortly, so tune back in an hour and a half or so and we'll have all the news for you.