2003 FIA European Finals
Friday (qualifying)
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23:00
Today's pictures are now posted, you can access them via the Event Index page.
Join us in the morning for all the news from day two of qualifying.
20:00
Kenneth Feldthusen took the lead in Comp Eliminator with a pass of 6.890/195.84, -0.680 under his index of 7.57. Richard Sundblom went -0.663 on index to clock 7.467/182.72 for second, Bruno Bader still third at -0.503 7.627/176.63, Jean Dulamon fourth at an improved -0.336 7.654/163.15 and John Tebenham (8.32) fifth +0.109 8.429/157.61
Martin Hill rounded off the day with a 5.877/270.73 in the Fireforce 2 Jet FC.
We are now working on today's pictures, stay tuned.
19:45
FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike qualifying session 2 Left lane first: Steve Woollatt 6.498/215.97, Martin de Haas 8.587/155.70, Joey Bon 6.920/181.84, Chris Hannam 8.785/109.58, Nils Ole Lund 6.947/190.65, Jon Leret 6.691/208.10, Antonio Ferretti broke after burnout, Sverre Dahl 6.147/236.52, Finn Asserbo 7.595/166.30, Jean-Claud Draperi 8.998/106.24, Steve Carey 8.180/150.29, Sarah Jane Head 10.568/96.51, Tim Blakemore 8.663/98.57, Neil Midgley 6.845/188.05, Sandra Chaplain 11.905/131.98, Paul Newman broke
Qualifying after this session:
We now have an all six-second field. Steve Woollatt feathered the throttle very slightly on his pass so there is more in that bike yet! Joey Bon was on the throttle most of the way, whilst Chris Hannam was off it at half track. Jon Leret improved, whilst Sverre Dahl squirrelled his way down the track but wasn't getting off it for anything, and is on a new speed record if he can back it up. A new PB for Steve Carey, and a move up the field for Neil Midgley keeps him in the top eight, Tim Blakemore's bike disappeared in a cloud of smoke at the top end, no word of anything on the track.
FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike qualifying session 2 Left lane first: Vesa Rautio 7.502/178.42, Chris Hope 7.547/176.46, Roger Pettersson 7.411/177.59, Len Paget 8.985/137.53, Samuele Spiga broke, Michal Ponca 9.686/133.69, Paul Watson 7.790/168.32 bye, Herman van Driel 7.988/162.32 bye, Martin Bishop 7.771/168.36, Richard Gipp broke, Kenneth Stromberg 7.795/170.92, Anders Larsson 7.585/175.30
Qualifying after this session:
19:10
FIM/UEM Supertwin qualifying session 2 Left lane first: Per Bengtsson 6.693/188.71, Ronny Aasen 6.783/196.97, Svein Gottenberg 8.319/128.56, Erik Nielsen broke off line, Stefan Junerud 7.564/131.66, Willem Been no time recorded, Ton Pels 10.491/81.22 bye
Qualifying after this session:
A great side-by-side from Per Bengtsson and Ronny Aasen, side-by-side all the way with great header flames. Svein Gottenberg's bike sounded lazy even for a supertwin and he was off the throttle early. Stefan Junerud was on a very hard pass, appearing to be riding on a cushion of nitro flame, feathering the throttle a couple of times and getting off it before the finish. Willem Been broke at about a hundred feet and freewheeled almost to the finish line. Ton Pels got to about three hundred feet then he was off the throttle, the engine sounded as if it had trouble running.
FIA Top Methanol Dragster qualifying session 2 Left lane first: Peter Schöfer 5.630/252.37 bye, Rob Turner 5.545/252.26, Dave Wilson 5.508/251.10
Qualifying after this session:
Dave Alexander of ETMRA tells us that Krister Johansson has a problem with his injector, hence his no-shows today. Peter Schöfer pedalled briefly on his pass but the car was really moving at the top end. Rob Turner and Dave Wilson had a classic side-by-side, Dave got there first and took number one spot even though he had the chutes out in the traps.
18:45
NDRS Bilsport Pro Modified qualifying session 2 Left lane first: Håkan Nilsson 6.427/218.89, Roger Johansson 6.583/205.10, Robert Koper 7.426/188.19 bye, Lars-Inge Johansson no time recorded (bye), John Ellis 7.495/181.67 bye, Peter Wacker 7.470/149.76 bye, Micke Gullquist 9.325/97.03, Andy Robinson 7.439/203.19, Urban Johansson 8.279/111.46, Gordon Appleton 6.614/209.55, Norbert Kuno 7.162/203.84 bye, Micke Lindahl 6.977/193.13, Håkan Fällström 6.828/204.54, Freddy Fagerström 6.467/214.74, Matts Eriksson 13.958/59.32, Henri Joosten 6.878/201.22, Peter Kunc 6.676/206.93, Thomas Nataas 6.597/205.52 bye
Qualifying after this session:
This session took place with the trackside temperature at 22.5 C, 32% humidity, and 29.94 inches of air pressure. A consistent pass from Håkan Nilsson and a big improvement for Roger Johansson, Håkan and Roger were paired up in this session and it was a nice race. Lars-Inge Johansson rolled through stage then hammered it before the lights ran, the car turned hard right towards the guardrail and got very close indeed. Peter Wacker was off the throttle at about 1000 feet, a small backfire as he lifted. Micke Gullquist got way out of shape on his pass, which was effectively a checkout since it is only his third run in the new Chevy. Andy Robinson's Stude looked a bit lazy but there was a good terminal speed. Urban Johansson had a nitrous burp at half-track which from our vantage point looked to have gone into the cockpit but it may just have been line of sight, meanwhile Gordon Appleton put in a real charge. Micke Lindahl and Håkan Fällström had a great match-up, side-by-side all the way down the track. Freddy Fagerström has indeed toned down the burnouts, he only went to 300 feet this time, and then put in a stormer. Peter Kunc had the third nitrous system on for the first time and he had a great side-by-side with Henri Joosten. Thomas Nataas improved, the Coupe appeared to pull the wheels up on a couple of the gear changes.
Fuel Funny Car qualifying session 1 Left lane first: John Spuffard 5.759/190.34 bye, Gordon Smith 6.016/181.44, Leif Helander 13.746/59.80
Qualifying after this session:
Spuff was on a very hard pass indeed, 0.904 sixty foot, until there was a bang and the pressure relief panel blew off the front of the body at half track. Gordon Smith was on a good pass too, pedalling through shake, drifting to the guardrail and getting off it and on again. Leif Helander hit shake and then there was a flash of flame and smoke, and another flash of flame in the shutdown area.
18:00
Whilst we're stopped for a clean-up, let's take you through the top five in 9.90 Bike and 10.90 Bike after the third qualifier. Fred Furlong still leads 9.90 Bike at 9.902/135.21 from Shaun Jones 9.908/135.50, Wayne Hobbs 9.910/143.97, Bob Wood 9.910/133.00 and Paul Hambidge 9.926/112.62. The top five of 10.90 Bike is as-was, Phil Pratt 10.908/124.89, Grant Perrin 10.927/123.76, Steve Knapp 10.945/112.76, Dave Burfitt 10.951/124.90 and Richard Beck 10.961/126.23.
17:45
FIA Top Fuel Dragster qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Jon Webster 5.413/231.20 bye, Darryl Bradford 11.626/67.59 bye, Susanne Callin 16.467/34.66 bye, Anita Mäkelä 10.176/75.40, Tommy Möller 5.277/279.37, Kim Reymond 7.130/113.04, Micke Kågered 12.453/52.46, Smax Smith 5.337/251.01 bye
Qualifying after this session:
A tremendous first competitive pass from Jon Webster, the car stuck to the track as nicely as you like. Looked like a slightly soft set-up past sixty feet and Jon was off it at about 1200 feet. The Wildside Inc car sounded as strong as I've ever heard it, Darryl pulled a 0.501 reaction and the car threw a belt at eighty feet after a 0.960 sixty foot. Susanne Callin launched very strongly indeed, a 0.974 sixty-foot time and then at about ninety feet there was a bang and a flash of flame from the engine and the blower belt flew through the air. Anita Mäkelä clocked a 0.880 sixty foot before hitting shake and getting off the throttle, in the other lane Tommy Möller was on a hard pass and was off at maybe 1100 feet. Kim Reymond clocked a 0.884 sixty foot and then hit shake, he pedalled and there was daylight under the rear wheels at about 300 feet as the car swerved, Kim then got off it. Micke hit shake at about forty feet, one parachute came out and he got off the throttle. Smax Smith was on a strong one when suddenly flame erupted from the rear of the engine, but the engine stayed lit and Smax stayed on it, we thought maybe a plug lead. The car swerved at about 1200 feet but Smax hung on to it, disappearing in a huge ball of flame through the finish line. Smax got it stopped safely, there was some clean-up needed in the left lane.
17:15
FIA Top Methanol Funny Car qualifying session 2 Left lane first: Ulf Leanders 10.967/76.46, Leif Andréasson 5.876/242.07, Urs Erbacher 5.910/244.67, Dennis Wratten 17.970/26.74, Doug Ripley no time recorded, Steph Milam 6.979/209.17, Martin Lundqvist 8.171/142.57, Freddy Fagerström 5.912/230.68, Niclas Andersson 6.006/226.62, Dan Larsen 5.781/238.30
Qualifying after this session:
Ulf Leanders hit bad tyre shake and was off the throttle very quickly, slight shake for Leif Andréasson in the other lane and an improvement on his earlier pass. A big improvement from Urs Erbacher, whilst in the other lane Dennis Wratten hit bad shake, the chute deployed, and the burst panel blew. The track crew were also picking up either small pieces of the Firebird body or large paint flakes. Doug Ripley was bulbed as Steph Milam had been up on the revs for a while, Steph hit shake but drove through it. Freddy Fagerström pulled a three hundred foot burnout before his pass, the car squatted down at about half-track and there was a puff of smoke, but he stayed on it and ran a new PB. Martin Lundquist hit bad shake and headed for the left guardrail. Dan Larsen put in a hard, straight pass and a new PB took the number one spot, whilst Niclas Andersson looked to back out just a touch before the finish line.
FIA Pro Stock qualifying session 2 Left lane first: Jan Murén 6.986/197.62, Jimmy Ålund 7.067/194.63, Kenneth Soderström 7.227/189.26, Michael Malmgren 7.017/196.46, Tommy Leindahl 7.144/191.59, Christer Andersson 7.304/190.92, Rune Berg 7.093/194.09, Magnus Hansson 7.103/194.03
Qualifying after this session:
Jan Murén's run wasn't dead straight so there is more to come from the Yellow Olds. A consistent pass from Jimmy Ålund. Michael Malmgren went for a wander around his lane off the start line but stayed with it, Kenneth Soderström improved from his earlier pass. Christer Andersson got into the ladder and he has a couple more sessions to move further up. There was a puff of smoke from Magnus Hansson's car at about half-track but no word of anything on the track.
16:35
Robin Kadi leads Junior Dragster with a perfect 0.500 in the third round of qualifying. Nick Mugridge is second at 0.535, Collin Morrice third at 0.538, Ross Norris fourth at 0.550 and Ricky Emms fifth at 0.552.
Barry Giles also has an unassailable lead, in Super Pro ET, with a 7.630/169.30 on a 7.63 dial-in. Roger Moore is second +0.015 with his first-ever seven-second pass, 7.965/169.46, Al Golding now third with his earlier +0.024 8.824/151.97, Paul Letchford fourth +0.027 8.887/148.85 and Trev Capewell fifth +0.034 8.134/158.90. Not such good news from Super Pro is that Wayne Nicholson was involved in an accident on the M1 on his way here, two articulated lorries ran into his rig and camper. Wayne had an operation overnight and is in a stable condition. We are sure that everyone will want to join us in sending our best wishes to Wayne and his family.
Zane Llewellyn still leads Super Comp with his earlier 8.911/151.82 from Tim Adam at 8.915/149.58, Malcolm Francis 8.919/147.99, Brian Pateman 8.935/152.82 and Simon Farmer 8.956/128.50.
No change in placings in Comp Eliminator with Richard Sundblom still in the lead 0.632 under index 7.498/177.75 on an 8.13, Kenneth Feldthusen (7.57) 0.505 under index at 7.065/171.96, Bruno Bader (8.13) now -0.503 7.627/176.63, Jean Dulamon (7.99) now -0.285 at 7.705/149.96.65 and John Tebenham (8.32) +0.109 8.429/157.61.
Sportsman ET is as-was after session 3, Kev Slyfield +0.014 at 12.914/113.02, Neil L'Alouette +0.028 13.628/95.77 from Rick Denny +0.034 13.624/97.88, Mark Anderson +0.035 13.275/101.54 and Al Platt +0.053 13.033/107.39.
Malcolm Motler has taken over the Pro ET lead after the third session, +0.003 11.123/115.91, Rick McCann is a hair behind +0.005 10.465/128.42, Dave Ward another hair behind +0.006 at 10.506/122.36, Steve Wells not far behind that +0.009 10.109/126.99, and Steve Good fifth with his earlier run +0.012 10.112/138.52.
The top five in Super Gas has changed after session three, Dave Townsend and Conrad Stanley are still numbers one and two at 9.915/139.97 and 9.921/136.02 respectively but Luke Ramage and Martin Curbishley are now three and four at 9.935/141.46 and 9.939/146.59, Peter Lane is fifth at 9.948/139.92.
Almost as you were in Super Street after the third session with Dave Cherrett leading at 10.908/111.87 from Mark Watkins 10.924/125.00, Ian Brown 10.925/119.92, Bob Lees is now fourth at 10.927/126.50 and Stuart Doignie fifth at 10.933/129.06.
We're about to go into the second Pro cycle so we will bring you 9.90 Bike and 10.90 Bike as soon as we are able.
15:10
Steve Good still leads Pro ET after the second session, 0.012 over at 10.112/138.52, but we have had some changes to the rest of the top five with Ian Brown +0.016 10.936/118.88, Marius Blackburn +0.024 9.594/139.32, Lee Huxley +0.043 10.943/118.99 and John Everitt +0.048 9.468/141.02.
After two sessions Super Gas is led by Dave Townsend at 9.915/139.37 from Conrad Stanley's 9.921/136.02, Peter Lane at 9.948/139.32, Malcolm Francis 9.967/141.93, and Frank Mason at 9.982/138.39.
Championship leader Fred Furlong now leads 9.90 Bike at 9.902/135.21 from Shaun Jones 9.908/135.50, Wayne Hobbs 9.910/143.97, Paul Hambidge 9.926/112.62 and Sean Mills 9.936/135.77. Also on two wheels the top five of 10.90 Bike after the second session is Phil Pratt 10.908/124.89, Grant Perrin 10.927/123.76, Steve Knapp 10.945/112.76, Dave Burfitt 10.951/124.90 and Richard Beck 10.961/126.23.
Kev Slyfield has taken over the lead in Sportsman ET, +0.014 at 12.914/113.02. Neil L'Alouette is now second at +0.028 13.628/95.77 from Rick Denny +0.034 13.624/97.88, Mark Anderson +0.035 13.275/101.54 and Al Platt +0.053 13.033/107.39.
Dave Cherrett still leads Super Street at 10.908/111.87 from Mark Watkins 10.924/125.00, Ian Brown 10.925/119.92, Sturart Doignie 10.933/129.06 and Bob Lees 10.936/126.92.
14:30
The remaining classes of the first Sportsman cycle ran immediately after the Pro session. First up was Sportsman ET which is led by Neil L'Alouette +0.028 at 13.628/95.77 from Rick Denny +0.034 13.624/97.85, Al Platt +0.060 12.980/107.85, Phil Walker +0.061 13.911/98.77 and Paul Bishop +0.072 16.472/80.37.
Super Street is led by Dave Cherrett at 10.908/111.87, Mark Watkins 10.924/125.00, Ian Brown 10.942/119.39, Stuart Doignie 10.962/129.43 and Leigh Morris 10.984/121.01.
We've had some movement in the top five in Junior Dragster after the second round of qualifying: Nick Mugridge 0.536, Collin Morrice 0.538, Ross Norris 0.550, Charlotte Watts 0.586 and Tom Watts 0.618.
Movement too in the top five of Super Comp after the second session. Zane Llewellyn still leads at 8.911/151.82, but Tim Adam is now second at 8.915/149.58 from Malcolm Francis 8.919/147.99, Brian Pateman 8.935/152.82 and Simon Farmer 8.956/128.50.
Roger Moore has taken over the Super Pro ET lead 0.015 over dial-in at 7.965/169.46 from Al Goldin'g earlier 0.024-over 8.824/151.97, Trev Capewell +0.034 8.134/158.90, Paul Letchford +0.044 8.844/150.28 and Ian Bishop +0.045 7.945/167.32.
All change in Comp Eliminator with Richard Sundblom a huge 0.632 under index at 7.498/177.75 on an 8.13, Kenneth Feldthusen (7.57) 0.505 under index at 7.065/171.96, Bruno Bader (8.13) -0.492 7.638/169.44, Jean Dulamon (7.99) still +0.007 at 7.997/162.65 and John Tebenham (8.32) +0.109 8.429/157.61
13:15
FIA Pro Stock qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Christer Andersson broke, Kenneth Soderström 8.259/121.08, Magnus Hansson 7.073/193.67 bye, Tommy Leindahl 7.091/191.77 bye, Jimmy Ålund 7.024/195.92, Rune Berg 7.079/194.72, Michael Malmgren 7.008/196.39, Jan Murén 6.992/197.03
Qualifying after this session:
Kenneth Soderström hit shake off the line, pedalled, and then got off it early and had the chutes out before the finish. Other than that, hard and straight runs from everyone.
FIA Top Methanol Dragster qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Rob Turner 5.548/251.29 bye, Dave Wilson 19.722/26.92, Peter Schöfer 5.636/251.93
Qualifying after this session:
Rob Turner drove through tyre shake and tool a slightly long way round, so there is more to come from the Netcall-sponsored rail. Dave Wilson pulled a 120-foot burnout before his qualifying pass, Dave and Peter Schöfer were paired up for the first round of qualifying which may go towards deciding the Championship. Dave hit shake not far off the line and threw a belt, Peter pedalled briefly and his car sounded as if it were hesitating at each gear change.
13:00
FIA Top Methanol Funny Car qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Dennis Wratten broke, Doug Ripley 8.020/138.48, Steph Milam 10.550/89.00, Martin Lundquist broke, Freddy Fagerström 17.275/40.58, Niclas Andersson 6.391/202.05, Dan Larsen 7.023/204.96, Ulf Leanders 6.046/188.58, Leif Andréasson 5.892/242.07, Urs Erbacher 8.488/124.80
Qualifying after this session:
Dennis Wratten shut off after the new Firebird body on the FC wouldn't latch. Doug Ripley's FC left the line very lazily and drifted towards the centreline, he pedalled and then was off the throttle early. Steph Milam launched very hard but then hit shake and the car headed for the guardrail. Freddy Fagerström hit shake and it looked to us as if the blower belt broke into the bargain, meanwhile in the other lane Niclas Andersson was getting closer and closer to the guardrail, wrenching it back at about 1200 feet, the car ran right the way down the right hand side of the shutdown area and the chutes dragged a lot of dirt from the field onto the track. Dan Larsen's rear tyres went up in smoke at about sixty feet but he pedalled, whilst Ulf Leanders' run looked quicker than it was - wheelspin probably the culprit. Urs Erbacher's FC shook very hard off the line, the spill plates were vibrating very noticeably.
FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Martin de Haas 8.614/154.33, Antonio Ferretti 7.176/181.69, Sarah Jane Head no time recorded, Joey Bon 9.885/84.64, Jon Leret 6.823/201.48, Steve Carey 10.384/132.65, Paul Newman 8.743/154.67, Steve Woollatt 6.694/209.12, Sverre Dahl 11.212/72.23, Nils Ole Lund 6.921/188.06, Chris Hannam 7.667/159.27, Ian King 6.614/189.09, Neil Midgley 6.984/184.54, Tim Blakemore 7.509/165.07, Shaun Branch 12.861/59.54, Roel Koedam 6.046/235.89, Jean-Claud Draperi 7.780/170.13, Sandra Chaplain 11.195/135.06
Qualifying after this session:
Antonio Ferretti had a very squirrelly pass but we think a personal best. Sarah Jane Head's bike left the line as Joey Bon pulled into stage, it appeared as if the stutter box wasn't working and the bike shot off the line. Joey Bon had a very wild ride and eventually decided that discretion was the better part of valour. Steve Woollatt's pass was very straight indeed, the guys really have got that bike going, a little lazy off the line but there's more to come there. Sverre Dahl's tyre shook and he was off the throttle pretty quickly whilst in the other lane Nils Ole Lund was far from straight but stayed with it. A season best for Ian King, whilst in the other lane Cannon was headed for the centreline. A nice match-up between Neil Midgley and Tim Blakemore, Tim got a huge jump on Midgo but Midgo reeled him in and passed him. An absolutely stunning pass from Reol Koedam to celebrate his Championship, he is on a European record. In the other lane Shaun Branch dropped his chain.
12:10
FIM/UEM Supertwin qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Ronny Aasen 7.408/138.28, Ton Pels 6.672/200.55, Erik Nielsen broke, Per Bengtsson 6.767/182.49, Willem Been 8.403/144.25 bye, Rob van Geffen 7.417/136.32, Stefan Junerud 7.559/151.10
Qualifying after this session:
Rob van Geffen and Stefan Junerud were pulling into stage when they were shut off, Erik Nielsen's bike was stuck in the shutdown area. Ronny Aasen and Ton Pels had a great match-up, both headed for their respective guardrails. Ronny got off it early but Ton stayed on the throttle and took the #1 spot. Rob and Stefan came back at 13:30 and put in their qualifiers.
Trackside conditions right now are 23.2 C, 39% humidity, and 29.74 inches of air pressure.
12:00
FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Michal Ponca 9.578/137.08, Paul Watson 7.745/172.28, Herman van Driel 8.169/164.12 bye, Helen Curran 7.900/132.45, Martin Bishop 12.396/61.54, Richard Gipp 10.715/76.53, Kenneth Stromberg 8.029/167.68, Vesa Rautio 7.704/173.73 bye, Chris Hope 9.592/146.70, Roger Pettersson 7.395/179.98
Qualifying after this session:
NDRS Bilsport Pro Modified qualifying session 1 Left lane first: Robert Koper 7.783/152.11 bye, Lars-Inge Johansson 7.178/182.71, John Ellis 7.350/190.20, Peter Wacker broke (bye), Andy Robinson broke, Urban Johansson 6.757/204.40, Micke Lindahl broke (bye), Gordon Appleton 12.683/66.03 bye, Mats Eriksson no time recorded, Henri Joosten 12.844/56.05, Peter Kunc 6.815/203.87, Thomas Nataas 6.631/207.23, Håkan Fällström 6.742/201.81, Christer Jacobs 6.398/217.05, Håkan Nilsson 6.418/220.16, Roger Johansson 8.075/133.05
Qualifying after this session:
Lars-Inge Johansson hit bad shake off the line and did most of the quarter with one 'chute out. Peter Wacker's engine popped during the burnout, no word yet on the problem. Christer Abrahamson tells us that Urban Johansson's run equalled his personal best. Andy Robinson was shut off for a fluid leak. Micke Lindahl shut off on the way back from his burnout. Gordon Appleton, Mats Eriksson and Henri Joosten all hit shake off the line, Henri tried to stay with it and hung on gamely until the car turned hard right and headed for the barrier. The match between Christer Jacobs and Håkan Nilsson was a real classic, door handle to door handle, Christer got there first by 0.010 but there was a flash of flame from his car. Roger Johansson spun the tyres away from the line.
11:15
Phil Pratt leads 10.90 Bike with a 10.908/124.89 from Shaun Spiers 10.982/125.62, Dave Warren 11.063/128.71, Richard Beck 11.096/132.91 and Grant Perrin 11.134/124.15.
Back on four wheels and Pro ET qualifying is already very close. Steve Good leads +0.012 at 10.112/138.52, then it gets close with Lee Huxley +0.050 10.950/120.56, Al Didwell +0.050 10.390/128.38, Terry Wareham +0.055 11.675/118.82 and Carl Burton +0.055 11.405/116.26.
Conrad Stanley leads Super Gas at 9.921/136.02, Peter Lane is second at 9.954/140.26, Luke Ramage next up at 9.994/142.06, Frank Mason 9.996/139.19 and Malcolm Francis 9.885/142.36. We're now going into our first Pro cycle, stay tuned.
10:55
The first round of Comp Eliminator qualifying was contested by Jean Dulamon and John Tebenham. Jean took the lead at +0.007 with a 7.997/162.65, and John is +0.109 at 8.429/157.61.
Next up was Super Comp, which is led by Zane Llewellyn at 8.911/151.82, Simon Farmer at 8.956/128.50, Tim Adam just behind at 8.958/148.91, Mark Fairhurst at 8.970/152.23 and Malcolm Francis at 9.021/147.64. Martin Curbishley took the Eurodragster Perfect Light Award with a 0.400 RT in this session, well done Martin! We also saw the return of Rob Faulkner in the Crossfire Camaro, a 9.138/146.40 very creditable for his first run out.
Super Pro ET is led by Al Golding +0.024 on his dial-in at 8.824/151.97, Paul letchford +0.044 8.844/150.28, Trev Capewell +0.044 8.144/160.21, Ian Bishop +0.045 7.945/167.32 and Tim Garlick +0.069 8.419/160.91. Jorän Persåker pulled a great 100-foot burnout before his qualifying pass.
9.90 Bike is led by Wayne Hobbs at 9.910/143.97, from Paul Hambidge at 9.926/112.62, Dave Hall 9.943/143.60, Steve Coombs 9.952/135.34 and Shaun Jones 9.984/136.14. Graham Dance is leading the Super Street naughtiness with an 8.384.
9:45
We started off the day with Junior Dragster. Ross Norris took the lead with a 0.550 reaction; Charlotte Watts 0.586, Nick Mugridge 0.625, Ricky Emms 0.643 and Holly Mitchell at 0.727 make up the top five. Next up is Comp Eliminator.
8:30
Good morning and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway. The pits are packed to bursting, we've had our cornflakes, and we are here to bring you all the news in association with our friends at American Car Imports.
The Webster Race Engineering/MPM Oil webcam is on-line and will be broadcasting a picture every two minutes. If you are already tuned in to the webcam and it looks a bit weird don't worry about writing - right now it is foggy. The temperature is 13.5 C and rising, 93% humidity, 29.77 inches of air pressure. The fog is due to burn off within the hour.
We are pleased to say that we have our good buddy Christer Abrahamson of Svensk Dragracing helping us out this weekend, Christer will be contributing to the pit notes.
A few Hellos to start off the day, first up is Murf McKinney who tells us that he will be tuned in from the USA and who asked us to pass on his best wishes to everyone for a good race weekend. Hello also to our good buddy Erik Zettervall of Svensk Dragracing who is tuned in from Sweden, and to Super Pro ET racer Mark Flavell who is plugged in to the web from his hospital bed. We hope to see both Erik and Mark back here where they belong very soon. A hello and Thank You from Tog to Gaz and Lin Malin, Johnny Hall and Mick Franklin for their E-Mails, much appreciated.
If you are a regular of our coverage at FIA events at Santa Pod Raceway, you will know that it is becoming traditional for it to take several hours for your reporter to get any distance down the pits, because everyone is so friendly. Yesterday was no exception, it took no less than eight hours to make it from Peter Schöfer's pit at about a hundred and twenty feet along the track to Steve Carey's pit which is about twenty yards before the finish line. Let's take you through everything we found out, in the order in which we met people.
Peter Schöfer is currently leading the FIA European Top Methanol Dragster Championship and a win this weekend will ensure him the title. However team member Gittli Koller said that the team are trying to treat this as a normal race. "We're going to do our best", she said. "We'll take it as seriously as we always do but Peter is not thinking about the Championship. He is very cool and he has been racing for too many years to get too excited. We are very proud that Top Methanol Dragster has had such a good season". Peter and the team will be welcoming sponsors Norfolk Line to Santa Pod on Sunday.
Two pits down, Dave Wilson and the American Car Imports Racing TMD team are breathing down Peter Schöfer's neck. Crew Chief Andy Bissett said that the ACI team had had a very productive few days' testing at Santa Pod over the last week. "The track made it a bit tricky", said Andy. "But we went from blowing the tyres off it to a 5.6 on a Run What You Brung track. We learnt a lot about tyre shake, and we think that the track will come to us over the weekend". Tyre shake is the bane of the Top Methanol racer's life and Andy said that there is a fine line to be drawn. "There is no golden rule about when and where it shakes", he said. "We think that we understand why a car will shake the tyres, but it it doesn't at least try to shake then you are not trying hard enough - the trick is to be right on the edge but not over it". I asked Dave Wilson what was his frame of mind with regard to the Championship. "Mentally, we know what we have to do, and we don't need to get too excited", he said. "If we set Low ET and win the race then we are Champions", said Andy. This is Andy's last FIA race as Dave's Crew Chief as he is to go to America after this season to be with his fiancée Jennifer.
Fuel Funny Car racer Gordon Smith explained that a problem with the clutch cannon was responsible for the Shockwave Fuel FC repeatedly smoking the tyres at the hit at Shakespeare County Raceway a couple of weeks ago. "When Dave Bryant (Crew Chief and co-owner) took it apart he found that all of the fingers were coming in immediately every time I hit the throttle", said Gordon. "Apart from that we have new rear end gears. We're going to bang out a big one to start with and then relax for the rest of the weekend!"
Top Methanol FC racer Steph Milam is here this weekend after what sounded like a mammoth effort to make the race after suffering damage to the rear axle on her 6.309 PB at Shakespeare County Raceway. "I didn't feel anything on the run itself", said Steph. "There was an oil leak from the axle casing, so we took it apart, and every time we took something out we found more stuff broken. Then there was doom and gloom for about thirty minutes - and then we got on the phone to America! Mark Williams in the USA helped to source parts, which wasn't easy because everyone's been going mad for Indy. Andy Robinson and his crew then thrashed madly to build the new rear axle for us, and we got it at 6:30 last night". Steph's husband and Crew Chief Dave said that the She Devil Racing TMFC also suffered a cracked chassis, which has also been repaired.
Pro Mod racer Andy Robinson said that he was pleased to be here at Santa Pod because it was not looking likely a couple of weeks ago. "We kept breaking engines!", he said. "We went to Hockenheim and treated it as a test. We're not going to try to do anything clever this weekend, we want to enjoy ourselves. It's nice to race in such a big field (20 Pro Mods) and it's scary that you have to qualify! I think it's great that we have our first round first thing on Sunday morning, all credit to Santa Pod for that."
Bob Jarrett, Crew Chief of the Showtime Fuel FC, said that he and the team were very happy with the new ex-John Force Racing Mustang body which had its first outing at Shakespeare County Raceway a couple of weeks back, a successful outing for John Spuffard as he set a new national speed record of 272 mph. "We've been working towards making the car work in the second half of the track", said Bob. "We had no real data for that so the new body is not such a drastic change as you would think". The Showtime team will be testing a new set-up this weekend. "I made a major discovery which explained why we've been losing engines and burning pistons", said Bob. "The timing system was not closing the valves quickly enough. We will be putting down a baseline pass in the first session and then work on it throughout the weekend."
2003 FIA European Top Methanol Funny Car Champion Urs Erbacher is looking for a new European record this weekend. "We found a problem with the set-up at Hockenheim", he said. "We have new tyres and just like I did before the Main Event I have cut my hair!". Crew member Horst Pauli said that the sum total of damage suffered by the Fat Attack team this season was a blower belt and some bearings. "Now that we've got the Championship I am after another record", added Urs. "We'll be trying to run a 5.5! The other guys are all trying to beat our 5.69 and we think that they can do it, they are catching up. They have got quicker while we have got slower since the start of the season". Urs said that he will be giving away posters at the track on Sunday so be sure to stop by the Fat Attack pit if you are coming on race day.
Fellow Top Methanol FC racer Leif Andréasson has been talking to East West Engineering in the USA about his clutch. "They have been testing a clutch like ours and told us what to change", he said. "We are the only Funny Car in the world using this clutch. If the car works how we want it to then it will run the numbers, but we'll have to see if the track thinks like we do". Leif said that the unusual Alfa Romeo body style has not given the team any problems. "It is very good aerodynamically and the Italians loved it!", he said. "We are taking the car to Milan to put it on display over the winter". Leif will be entertaining visitors from sponsor ESAB this weekend.
The Leanders Brothers Top Methanol FC team have found a good base set-up, said Crew Chief Jörgen Leanders. "It's running real good now", he said. "The body works perfectly without spill plates or rear wing, it makes more than enough downforce. The new chassis, new engine set-up and the body have all come together and Ulf says that the difference between this chassis and the last one is like day and night, it is so much easier to drive". Jörgen said that he expects the FC to run 5.65 this weekend. "We will be disappointed if we don't run a 5.6", he said. "We're taking everything out of the trailer and putting it in, and we know that it will be a very good track."
Pro Mod and Top Methanol FC racer Freddy Fagerström said that it can be tricky driving both cars at an event. "It can be a bit difficult, my mind is split", he said. Freddy said that he managed to run over one of his crew recently after the Pro Mod pick-up shot forward upon starting up. "Johan caught his finger and needed seven stitches", said Freddy. "I wasn't angry with Freddy of course, but I was angry that he lost the race!". "Johan wasn't angry because the doctor was very good-looking", said team member Björn Anderberg. Freddy then showed me the new petrol bottle which Johan will be using in future to prime the engine: the nozzle on the bottle is now a pipe some ten feet long which means that Johan can stand off to one side as the engine starts. Freddy has two targets this weekend. "If I run a 5.8 in the Funny Car then Micke Kågered has a spark plug spanner with a flamed handle which he has promised me", he said, "and if I run a 6.3 in the Pro Mod then everyone on the team, including the kids, gets a mohican haircut!". Björn added that the mohicans wouldn't be back-to-front but ear-to-ear. Freddy said that he would not be running two cars this weekend without the help of Stefan Pettersson and his team, but it came at a price. "Freddy has had to tone down the long burnouts because they damage valve springs", said Stefan. "We dropped a valve at Mantorp. I told Freddy that if he did long burnouts then I wouldn't come!". Freddy added that he was very grateful to Magnus Larsson for the loan of the Funny Car this year, and said that Magnus had lent a body to Martin Lundquist who suffered a bad fire at Hockenheim which melted his Firebird body. "Magnus is a great guy", said Freddy. No decision has been made yet on which car Freddy will be driving next season. "I know what he will do", said Björn. "He will drive whichever car is the fastest!". "I'll have to do well in the Funny Car this weekend because we get more round money", said Freddy. "If we don't qualify then we can't pay to get home!".
Niclas Andersson has a spare engine in Micke Kågered's Sandflex-sponsored Top Methanol FC. "We broke an engine at Hockenheim", he said. "I think we could maybe run 5.8s, but we'll see how fast we go". Niclas said that he is feeling very comfortable in the FC now. "The big difference between this car and the Pro Stock is the power, when this car shakes I can't see anything. It's hard to drive but I feel good."
Next door, Micke Kågered has his mind firmly set on the FIA European Top Fuel Championship. "We're going to do everything we can with the car to be fast", he said. "We have been working very hard on the car for three days and we have found some problems, so now it is ready for Alan Jackson to tune, and I hope he can tune it well!". Micke said that he had no problem at all thinking about the Championship. "It's very close so I have to think about it", he said. "The first round is very important, anyone can beat anyone, but we have a good chance. After what has happened in the last couple of years it's important to me that the car goes home in one piece and that I go home with it. I don't want to win another Championship from a hospital bed". Micke is very grateful for the services of Alan Jackson. "He is a really good guy to have on your side and I like him very much", he said. "He is a very important part of the team. We have learnt a lot and maybe we should tune the car ourselves but he is the best. I would like to have him all to myself but that's another subject!".
Top Methanol FC racer Doug Ripley is back on track in his quest for a six-second pass after fixing damage suffered at Shakespeare County Raceway. "The clutch fried in third", said Crew Chief Cliff Gould, "the engine over-revved and the blower pulley shattered. That's all fixed and we're back to creeping up on it. The motor is backed right down but it's still driving past the clutch. We want to qualify and that means a six."
Tord of Magnus Larsson's Pro Stock team said that Magnus is aiming for a PB this weekend after running 7.03 here at Santa Pod in May. "It would be nice to run a six, but that is a big step from a 7.03", he said. "We struggled last time we were here but then we found the problem. In Finland the track wasn't so good but we ran a 7.06 at Gardermoen, and then we damaged a piston at Hockenheim. We've replaced the piston, and we did make the final at Hockenheim, so we will win this time!".
Top Fuel Dragster racer Kim Reymond said that he hates having to wait, and will be counting the minutes until 4:55 this afternoon. "We have put the 4.7 tune-up in it!", he said. "We'll do well on a good track, the problem is that we can't take much out of it". Kim said that the USA Autodele team were, as far as he knew, the only Top Fuel team not to suffer any damage at Hockenheim. Kim has a chance of the FIA Championship, but said that he would try to treat this weekend as a normal race. "It will be on my mind, though", he said.
Top Fuel Bike racer Chris Hannam is ready for a six-second pass with a freshly-rebuilt engine. "We were hoping for a six at Shakespeare County Raceway", he said. "We upped the nitro to 88% but then part of the brake broke. So we have stripped the motor down, and I have made a new blower pulley which gives me the same blower speed as Tony Lang when he ran a 6.0. There's more nitro can be added if we have to. I am now at ease with the bike, it doesn't scare me any more but you have to give these bikes respect. Right now there are no clutch or fuel timers, when they go on then it'll run a 6.50. The bike weighs half a ton with me on it! But Frank Brachtvogel is really fired up, no-one ever said it would be easy, and if we don't qualify it won't be for want of trying!". Cannon is very grateful to his team of Frank, Wayne and Andy. "Knowing that Frank is on the line and Andy is pushing me back puts me at ease", he said. "If Frank lets me go to the line then I know it is OK."
Supertwin racer Ton Pels described himself as "pretty tense" as his FIM/UEM Championship lead over Per Bengtsson is all of two points. "We're going to try for number one qualifier", he said. "All the points count. If we need to, we will put pure nitro into the Zodiac bike has new mags and coils just to make sure. "It sounds very crisp, I hope it works!", said Ton. Ton said that his world wouldn't fall apart if he didn't win the title. "I don't have to prove myself, I have done it all before", he said. "I am treating it as a normal race, so I just want to win! It sounds simple, but there are a lot of guys who could interfere and maybe take out one of the Championship contenders early on. But it would be nice to win for our sponsors."
2003 FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike Champion Roel Koedam is aiming to qualify number one to make it five out of five top qualifiers in 2003. "We're going to do something, we'll see what!", he said. Roel's wife Monique said that 6.0s could be what we'll see. "All we have broken this season is a blower belt, and a lot of records!", said Roel.
Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King was happy with his 6.7-second pass at yesterday's Press Day. "We had two cylinders out off the line, the fuel pressure was down, the sixty foot was down, and I clicked it early", said Ian. "I ran 185 mph at the eighth, reasonable for a crappy pass!".
Top Fuel Bike rookie Steve Carey has had the engine and gearbox apart since his competitive début at Shakespeare County Raceway. "My aim this weekend is to gain more confidence and get more track time", he said. "Every time I ride the bike I get more comfortable."
Pro Mod racer Håkan Nilsson said that he would be giving the track a good look before setting the 6.3-second Camaro for the first qualifying session. "I'm going to do a full pass straight away, kill the competition and make them scared!", he said. "I have to win the event to win the NDRA Championship by two points", he added. US tuner Britt Micetich is on-site but was esconced with the computer when we spoke to Håkan.
Qualifying is scheduled to start very shortly. We are aiming to bring you notes for each class but for your reference today's two Pro qualifying cycles are scheduled for 11:00 and 16:00. Tune back often and we'll bring you all the news from Santa Pod.