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22:10

Today's pictures have been posted together with Simon's last set of pit notes for today. You can get to both from the Event Index page; if you don't see the pictures when you load the Gallery page then click on your Browser's Refresh button.

Tune back in the morning and we will have all the news from eliminations.

19:55

Comp Eliminator final qualifying:

1. Andy Frost +0.002 7.802/183.07
2. Spencer Tramm +0.981 9.101/148.08
3. Jon Webster +2.738 10.838/95.18

No changes to qualifying in this session.

That's all the qualifying and racing done for today, stay tuned as Sharkman and Simon are working on today's pictures and more pit notes respectively.

19:50

Sportsman ET eliminations round 2 winners:

19:45

Super Comp eliminations round 2 winners:

19:40

9.50 Bike eliminations round 2 winners:

19:35

Super Pro ET eliminations round 2 winners:

19:25

Super Street eliminations round 1 winners:

Trackside conditions are 18.2 C and 30.18 inches of air.

19:20

Super Gas eliminations round 2 winners:

19:15

Pro ET eliminations round 2 winners:

19:05

Comp Eliminator qualifying after session 8:

1. Andy Frost +0.002 7.802/183.07
2. Spencer Tramm +0.981 9.101/148.08
3. Jon Webster +2.738 10.838/95.18

Andy Frost goes quicker still, another seven to consolidate his #1 spot. Well done Andy!

Junior Dragster eliminations round 1 winners:

18:50

Sportsman ET eliminations round 1 winners:

18:40

Super Comp eliminations round 1 winners:

Shaun Lathan's Calibra dropped its rear end onto the track but he took the green so he got the win. Shaun got the bye after there was a huge bang from Ron Bartlett's Anglia in the collection area.

18:20

Fuel Funny Car match race round 3:

John Spuffard 5.281/267.99 bye

A superb run from Spuff, 0.932 to sixty feet, the briefest of pedals at about 150 feet, 3.600/230.66 at half track and a little haze from the tyres towards the top end. The quickest-ever Fuel FC run in Europe, well done Spuff!

Roger Goring, whose birthday it is, followed Spuff with a 6.340/251.38 in the Firestorm Jet Funny Car. Happy Birthday Roger!

18:15

FIA/NDRS Bilsport Pro Mod final qualifying session (left lane first):

Micke Gullquist 7.061/215.35 bye, Ray White 7.582/186.84, Henri Joosten 8.374/111.68, Jörgen Karlsson 6.816/203.52, Robert Koper 6.795/206.68, Ulf Rapp 6.870/203.51, Marko Lantto 12.560/65.31, Roger Johansson 6.638/215.08, Bert Englefield 7.414/194.99, Norbert Kuno 6.506/223.89, Marc Meihuizen 6.559/196.66, Robert Jooosten 6.527/220.43, Seppo Saapola 6.615/200.05, Jan Arve Nygård 7.468/143.28, Bruno Bader 13.844/63.55, Mats Eriksson 12.090/64.18, Danny Cockerill 11.231/75.49, Urban Johansson 6.218/217.75, Andy Robinson 6.195/228.64

A shock as Micke doesn't qualify, handing the first-ever FIA European Pro Modified Championship to Urban Johansson, to whom many congratulations. Micke hit shake and pedalled, but it wasn't enough. A nice pass for Ray, he was not expecting to qualify but he put down a pretty good one to end his weekend. Henri hit shake and the car made a move to the right, he pedalled and got back on it and then put the chutes out at about 1100 feet. Jörgen drove through shake and stayed on the gas all the way to the finish line, again there was a cloud of smoke on the finish line but the track was OK. Another 6.7 for Robert and he stayed in #15. Some consternation about oil in the right lane as Ulf and Marko backed up from their burnouts but the track was declared good. On the green Marko hit shake and the engine revs were going up and up, Marko got off the throttle at about 250 feet. A nice pass for Ulf but no improvement on his previous best and he DNQ'd. Roger Johansson hit shake and drove through it as the Mustang headed for the guardrail, pulling it back gently. Bert hit shake just past the Tree and pedalled. Marc left Norbert for dead at the Tree, 0.074 to 1.808, a brief pedal to get the car straight and then backing off slightly early and smoke from the engine on the finish line. Norbert rolled the beams by about a foot and then hit the throttle, a nice-looking pass but no improvement. Seppo went from pre-stage to stage by whacking the throttle, clean runs from both Robert and Seppo but no changes in the standings. Paired shake from Jan Arve and Bruno, Jan Arve pedalled and got back on it, Bruno idled to the end. Same story next pair, both Mats and Danny hit shake and got off the throttle. A classic side-by-side race to end the pairing, Urban away first 0.136 to 0.202, Urban's sixty foot time better at 0.994 to 1.021, the half-track times in Urban's favour too 4.040/180.84 to 4.047/182.40, Urban got there first by 0.043 but Andy was next into the 6.1s.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Urban Johansson 6.174/229.34
2. Andy Robinson 6.195/228.64
3. Mats Eriksson 6.248/227.15
4. Jan Arve Nygård 6.301/221.65
5. Danny Cockerill 6.383/215.08
6. Bruno Bader 6.454/215.41
7. Robert Joosten 6.461/219.61
8. Norbert Kuno 6.466/222.81
9. Roger Johansson 6.469/220.52
10. Seppo Saapola 6.492/215.63
11. Marc Meihuizen 6.508/219.36
12. Bert Englefield 6.564/215.15
13. Marko Lantto 6.584/212.03
14. Rolf Ammann 6.604/217.79
15. Robert Koper 6.733/206.43
16. Henri Joosten 6.775/207.23
    --- DNQ ---
    
17. Ulf Rapp 6.784/205.51
18. Jörgen Karlsson 6.816/203.52
19. Micke Gullquist 7.061/215.35
20. Ray White 7.582/186.84

17:20

FIA Top Methanol Dragster final qualifying session (left lane first):

John Parkinson shut off, Rickard Persson 7.074/186.75, Rob Turner 5.494/251.30, Krister Johansson 6.010/242.98, Dave Wilson 6.089/161.94 , Peter Schöfer 5.519/259.24

Some consternation during the burnouts as a Range Rover stopped on the bridleway at the end of the shutdown area, safety team member Angie ran to get the driver to move. John shut off before staging and Rickard took the bye, roling the beams very slightly and then wellying it, an improvement in ET but he stayed in place. We then had a tow car "issue" as a child inside one of the tow cars behind the start line locked the doors and wouldn't or didn't know how to let anyone in. Meanwhile back on the track Rob Turner clocked a new Personal Best, Turner Racing's first 5.4-second pass and into #3 spot. Krister's car looked as if it was going pretty well but as Rob pulled away it was clear that the A/Fuel dragster was labouring. The match-up between Grumpy and Peter started well, 0.076 reaction for Peter to 0.144 for Grumpy, 0.910 to sixty feet for Peter to Grumpy's 0.935, Peter drove through shake, then all eyes turned to the American Car Imports Racing dragster as vapour and then thick smoke started to emerge from the engine, and a 200-yard trail of oil was found in Grumpy's lane.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Dave Wilson 5.453/252.88
2. Peter Schöfer 5.491/260.41
3. Rob Turner 5.494/251.30
4. Krister Johansson 5.881/251.38
5. Rickard Persson 7.074/186.75

Track temperature at the end of TMD qualifying was 26.6 C, air temperature 20.6 C and air pressure 30.21 inches.

17:10

FIA Top Methanol Funny Car final qualifying session (left lane first):

Arvid Grødem 6.063/235.64, Kjell Sjöblom 6.322/231.05, Leif Andréasson shut off, Ulf Leanders 5.902/222.79 bye

A huge burnout from Kjell before his match-up with Arvid, four hundred feet or so. Arvid took the long way round, the car swaying left and right, Kjell drove through shake and also took a long way round. A weird one in the next pairing as Leif's engine stopped in pre-stage, Ulf took the bye and the IronCAD FC started to move towards the right guardrail again, Ulf feathered the throttle but then on the finish line the car made such a hard move to the left that we could see its left side, Ulf put the chutes out (and it was a feat of bravery to take a hand off the wheel with the car moving around like that) and the car straightened out.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Leif Andréasson 5.723/247.45
2. Dan Larsen 5.861/248.48
3. Arvid Grødem 5.894/241.98
4. Ulf Leanders 6.059/238.04
5. Kjell Sjöblom 6.193/229.22

17:00

FIA Top Fuel Dragster final qualifying session (left lane first):

Tommi Haapanen 5.723/210.27 bye, Lex Joon 4.817/271.24, Stig Neergard 5.681/199.44, Urs Erbacher 4.747/318.95, Thomas Nataas 5.047/288.39, Håkan Nilsson 4.836/296.09, Micke Kågered 5.041/275.46

Tommi's run looked just great to start with, 0.880 to sixty feet, at about 250 feet the tyres started to smoke, Tommi pedalled twice, the tyres kept smoking, the last time he stayed off the throttle for a second or so then hammered it again and blazed the tyres all the way to the top end - there are some serious black stripes towards the end of the left lane! Tommy's engine sprayed oil into the right lane as well as on his own lane.

Next up after the clean-up were Lex and Stig. A stormer from Lex, 0.893 to sixty feet, 3.428/263.02 to half track, then the blower belt departed the MPM Oil car at about 1100 feet. A personal best for Stig put him into the ladder and bumped out Håkan F. Then we went into the last chance saloon with Thomas and no problems at all this time for the Batmobil, into #6 spot with a clean pass using up a little of the lane. But all the accolades went into the left lane with Urs Erbacher, the fastest Top Fuel run we've ever seen at Santa Pod and into #1 spot, well done Urs! 0.896 to sixty feet and 3.244/261.50 at half track, and the first halves of European ET and speed records. Thomas bumped Micke out, and Micke was next in the last chance saloon, and he didn't let us down with his quickest pass of the weekend and into #6 place, the car moving around the lane but not violently. In the other lane Håkan N backed up his 4.800 European record with a great-looking pass, the tyres started to haze towards the top end and the car made a move to the right (maybe cylinders out, difficult to tell from here) but Håkan stayed with it.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Urs Erbacher 4.747/318.95
2. Håkan Nilsson 4.800/290.81
3. Lex Joon 4.817/271.24
4. Smax Smith 4.978/296.14
5. Tommy Möller 4.998/264.73
6. Micke Kågered 5.041/275.46
7. Thomas Nataas 5.047/288.39
8. Stig Neergard 5.681/199.44
   --- DNQ ---
   
9. Tommi Haapanen 5.723/210.27
10. Håkan Fällström 6.730/131.94

16:05

FIA Pro Stock final qualifying session (left lane first):

Peter Dahlin 7.096/195.04, Kenneth Söderström 7.093/191.53, Jimmy Ålund 6.915/200.09, Richard Sundblom 7.049/197.37, Tommy Leindahl 6.992/198.06, Magnus Hansson 6.989/196.49, Eero Knihtilä 6.889/199.87, Michael Malmgren 6.882/200.05

Kenneth's Grand Am got a little loose in the second half of the track and he feathered the throttle, Peter's Avenger made a move to the right towards the end, no improvements in ET. No problems with the next pair, both going straight and another improvement for Jimmy moving him up to #3 spot. A nice match-up between Tommy and Magnus, side-by-side sixes again, no improvements in ET but both looking good for tomorrow. Another classic between Eero and Michael, Michael whacked Eero on the line 0.081 to 0.239 and stayed in front all the way.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Michael Malmgren 6.850/202.58
2. Eero Knihtilä 6.894/200.98
3. Jimmy Ålund 6.915/200.09
4. Magnus Hansson 6.936/198.95
5. Tommy Leindahl 6.947/198.91
6. Richard Sundblom 6.963/198.08
7. Kenneth Söderström 7.000/199.13
8. Peter Dahlin 7.041/194.43

15:55

FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike final qualifying session (left lane first):

Sandra Chaplain 8.784/153.15 bye, Otto Knebl 14.409/125.29 bye, Jamie Sneddon 8.495/163.45, Steve French 7.522/168.56, Chris Hall 10.603/75.22, Kev Charman 7.717/166.63, Richard Gipp 13.618/56.18, Neil Midgley 7.190/192.35, Kai Selkamaa 8.102/149.95, Dave Bailey 7.323/175.86, Rikard Gustafsson 9.747/84.72, Steve Carey 7.235/178.52, Sverre Dahl 6.533/200.07, Ian King 6.536/183.63, Steve Woollatt shut off, Roel Koedam 9.385/103.72 bye

An improvement for Sandra but she stayed in place. Otto's bike all but died off the line, after a good few seconds he got it going again. Steve F improved and moved up several places but he won't be racing tomorrow. Chris shut off just past half track, a consistent pass for Kev but he's spectating tomorrow. Richard's bike coughed and it sounded as if he had gear selection problems, Midgo's bike faltered off the line but then quickly picked up. No improvements for Kai or Dave, Dave's run looked quicker than it was. Also not as quick as it looked was Steve C's pass, looked pretty effortless from here, in the other lane Rikard backed off early. A classic TFB race between Sverre and Ian, Sverre away first, Ian quicker and faster at half track but Sverre maintained the advantage and got there first by 0.086 seconds with the slower ET. Ian moved up to fourth and at that point was facing Rikard Gustafsson in tomorrow's first round of eliminations. A lot of consternation around Steve W's bike as he prepared to stage and he was shut off for a fluid leak, Roel took the bye and had to feather the throtle a number of times as the rear slick kept lighting.

Luigi Ferretti never made it here to the track and Eric Teboul is out for the weekend so Rikard is looking very good for the Championship.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Roel Koedam 6.272/212.25
2. Steve Woollatt 6.492/214.31
3. Sverre Dahl 6.530/228.32
4. Ian King 6.536/183.63
5. Rikard Gustafsson 6.627/198.91
6. Steve Carey 6.889/191.46
7. Eric Teboul 7.059/195.44
8. Neil Midgley 7.061/193.95
   --- DNQ ---
   
9. Dave Bailey 7.127/185.30
10. Richard Gipp 7.229/180.78
11. Shaun Branch 7.307/182.78
12. Steve French 7.522/168.56
13. Kev Charman 7.650/170.50
14. Kai Selkamaa 7.826/167.92
15. Chris Hall 8.095/119.32
16. Jamie Sneddon 8.351/175.17
17. Otto Knebl 8.546/160.70
18. Sandra Chaplain 8.784/153.15
19. Michal Ponca 8.831/151.98

15:40

FIM/UEM Supertwin final qualifying session (left lane first):

Job Heezen 8.316/157.89 bye, Jaska Salakari 6.702/196.55, Joachim Riemer 7.834/124.65, Ronny Aasen 6.813/204.44, Gunther Sohn 6.814/198.27, Lorenz Stäble 7.603/127.81 bye

Jaska in his last chance smashed his personal best into next week and moved into #2 spot, well done Jaska! Joachim's bike smoked right on the finish line but word came back from the top end that everything was OK. Jaska's run put Job's beautiful Top Gas bike out of the show. Ronny returned to form and moved up the standings with a nice pass, the front wheel thumping down just past half track, Gunther still in the sixes but no improvement.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Lorenz Stäuble 6.610/210.26
2. Jaska Salakari 6.702/196.55
3. Gunther Sohn 6.731/206.21
4. Ronny Aasen 6.813/204.44
5. Hans Olav Olstad 6.834/208.23
6. Joachim Riemer 6.983/198.28
7. Anders Karling 7.041/160.77
8. Per Bengtsson 7.068/160.64
   --- DNQ ---
   
9. Job Heezen 8.245/163.10

15:30

FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike final qualifying session (left lane first):

Martin Newbury 7.812/164.82, Len Paget 9.561/116.89, Luigi Chinarello 7.679/173.17 bye, Orjan Gustafsson broke before burnout, Martin Bishop 7.787/167.14, Anders Jakobsson 7.381/177.84, Anders Abrahamsson 7.488/174.36, Tom Tinndahn 7.424/161.98

Another PB for Martin N, well done Martin! Len headed for the centre line and had to back off. Orjan's motor started and stopped twice, Luigi took the bye and it was a consistent pass. Consistency too from Anders J, the bike didn't quite go straight, Martin B also went the long way round. Tom shut off at about 1100 feet.

Final qualifying standings:

1. Tom Tinndahn 7.228/181.37
2. Anders Jakobsson 7.362/177.14
3. Anders Abrahamsson 7.382/180.02
4. Orjan Gustafsson 7.474/177.14
5. Len Paget 7.606/174.34
6. Martin Bishop 7.639/172.40
7. Luigi Chinarello 7.658/174.35
8. Martin Newbury 7.812/164.82
   --- DNQ ---
   
9. Paul Watson 10.308/78.65

15:20

9.50 Bike eliminations round 1 winners:

Fred Furlong won his first competitive round on his return to racing, winning by 5.224 inches against Shaun Spiers, well done Fred! Steve Venables rounded off a weekend's naughtiness with a 7.603 on his Super Street Bike.

Next up is the final Pro qualifying session.

15:10

Super Pro ET eliminations round 1 winners:

Our fourth perfect run of the weekend, this one from John Everitt, well done John!

Track temperature during this session was 37.2 C, air temperature 21.9 C and air pressure 30.24 inches.

14:45

Super Gas eliminations round 1 winners:

Mike Bentley won his first-ever competitive round of Super Gas, well done Mike!

14:35

Pro ET eliminations round 1 winners:

14:15

Fuel Funny Car match race round 2:

John Spuffard 5.798/187.60 def. Leif Helander 8.819/105.58

Spuff away first 0.387 to Leif's 0.771, Leif got to about 100 feet and his tyres went up in smoke, Leif pedalled and tried again but the tyres lit again so he got off it. Spuff was on a good one, the car drfited towards the left-hand guardrail and then the air around the car went yellow and the tyres started to light, judging by the tyre marks Spuff pedalled and pulled the car straight and then shut off at about 1000 feet.

Gordon Smith no time bye

The car sounded very strong on the launch but the engine cut out within a few feet - a bit of a mystery as there are no shake marks on the track and nothing visibly wrong. I am guessing something like the throttle linkage breaking although I have been known to be wrong before now.

Martin Hill followed Fuel FC with a 6.545/262.26 in the Fireforce 3 Jet Funny Car.

Trackside conditions are 21.7 C and 30.27 inches of air (no track temperature as Sharkman has been at the end of the shutdown area getting parachute shots).

14:00

FIA/NDRS Bilsport Pro Mod qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

Marc Meihuizen 6.508/219.36, Rolf Amman 6.944/213.26, Seppo Saapola 6.544/208.20, Jörgen Karlsson 6.947/195.77, Micke Gullquist 7.203/197.54, Roger Johansson 6.469/220.52, Andy Robinson 6.235/227.49, Mats Eriksson 8.656/112.51, Marko Lantto 6.584/212.03 bye, Ray White shut off, Henri Joosten shut off, Ulf Rapp 6.784/205.51 bye, Robert Koper 6.813/206.36, Urban Johansson 6.174/229.34, Bert Englefield 11.347/72.12, Norbert Kuno 6.466/222.81, Danny Cockerill 9.422/90.53, Jan Arve Nygård 6.301/221.65, Bruno Bader 6.493/218.26, Robert Jooosten 6.559/218.36

An improvement for Marc moved him up a couple of places, Rolf in the other lane headed for the centre line, pedalled and the tyres hooked up. There was a cloud of smoke from Marc's Coupe right on the finish line but nothing untoward on the track. Jörgen got into the top sixteen despite having to pedal for shake and straighten the car out as it headed for the centre line, there was smoke from Jörgen's Mustang at the top end but again the track was fine. Now, Roger's 6.4 is an impressive time in itself but that was with a one-second pedal as Roger's Mustang did exactly what Jörgen's did in the previous run, shook and headed for the centre line. Micke hit bad shake at the hit and was off the throttle by about 100 feet. It's getting serious for Micke, who has a mathematical shot at the Championship but who is not currently qualified. A great pass for Andy, moving him up into second spot at that point, a clean run with very little sign of shake. The same can't be said for Mats who got about 30 feet before the shake kicked in, he pedalled and gave it another go but to no avail. Ray was shut off for a fluid leak before staging, Marko took the bye and moved into the top sixteen with a shake-free and straight pass but we had a clean-up in his lane.

Up first after the re-start were Henri and Ulf, both lost fire after their burnouts but Ulf restarted and took the bye. Henri was at that point on the bump spot. A nice pass for Ulf, much improved and moving up a place, but still outside the top sixteen. A tremendous pass from Urban, the first 6.1-second Pro Mod run in Europe and the run is backed up for a European record by his previous 6.226, well done Ubbe! A new Personal Best for Norbert in the next pairing, and moving up the field a few places, well done Norbert! In the other lane Bert looked to be on a great pass, 1.073 to sixty feet but then the shake kicked in and the Coupe started to drift left towards the guardrail and Bert backed off. Jan Arve then smashed his own Personal Best and I think the quickest Nitrous Pro Mod pass in Europe and moved up to fourth place to the jubilation of his crew, well done Jan Arve! There is more left in that Vette too since that was not a straight run. Finally a nice match-up between Bruno and Robert, no improvements for either but only 0.081 between them at the finish line in Bruno's favour even though he moved around his lane.

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Urban Johansson 6.174/229.34
2. Andy Robinson 6.235/227.49
3. Mats Eriksson 6.248/227.15
4. Jan Arve Nygård 6.301/221.65
5. Danny Cockerill 6.383/215.08
6. Bruno Bader 6.454/215.41
7. Robert Joosten 6.461/219.61
8. Norbert Kuno 6.466/222.81
9. Roger Johansson 6.469/220.52
10. Seppo Saapola 6.492/215.63
11. Marc Meihuizen 6.508/219.36
12. Bert Englefield 6.564/215.15
13. Marko Lantto 6.584/212.03
14. Rolf Ammann 6.604/217.79
15. Robert Koper 6.733/206.43
16. Henri Joosten 6.775/207.23
17. Ulf Rapp 6.784/205.51
18. Jörgen Karlsson 6.947/195.77
19. Micke Gullquist 7.203/197.54
20. Ray White 9.610/97.15

13:10

FIA Top Methanol Dragster qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

John Parkinson shut off (bye), Krister Johansson 5.914/249.88, Dave Wilson 5.465/256.95, Peter Schöfer 5.651/256.01, Rob Turner 5.971/188.17

John's first run of the weekend after spending the week putting a new engine in the Every Penny dragster, about which more in tomorrow's news. John's tyres didn't light on the burnout, and then on returning from the burnout a call came over the track radio to shut John off because the blower belt was shredding and throwing pieces "all over the shop". John was meant to be running against Rickard Persson but he shut off after two of his plug leads were the wrong way round and he was not allowed to restart. A nice match-up between Krister and Dave, identical reactions of 0.119, 0.936 to sixty feet for Grumpy to Krister's 1.076, Grumpy to half track in 3.582/210.30 to Krister's 3.973/200.07, Grumpy there first by 0.445 which sounds like a country mile but it looked like a good close race from here. And that's a couple of 5.4s for Grumpy. An improvement and one place gained for Rob but still not his usual form, the terminal speed betraying an early shut off.

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Dave Wilson 5.453/252.88
2. Peter Schöfer 5.491/260.41
3. Krister Johansson 5.881/251.38
4. Rob Turner 5.971/188.17
5. Rickard Persson 7.115/186.00

Trackside conditions at the start of this session were 20.5 C and 30.27 inches of air.

12:50

FIA Top Methanol Funny Car qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

Leif Andréasson 5.883/241.98 bye, Kjell Sjöblom 7.977/114.16, Arvid Grødem 6.547/168.07, Ulf Leanders 10.345/75.35, Dan Larsen 7.153/153.03

Another bouncy ride for Leif, 0.960 to sixty feet, 3.864/192.07 at half track where the Stratus started to bounce up and down and the engine note with it, the car got close to the guardrail in the second half of the track. A shake-fest in the next pair, Arvid pedalled it and then the tyres hooked up and the car started to accelerate hard but then the blower belt broke and exited the car right on the finish line. Kjell shook from about 30 feet to about 120 feet and got off the throttle. A three hundred-foot burnout from Ulf, rolling past half track before his match-up with Dan. Both cars hit pretty bad shake, enough to rattle the tower, the engine zinged on Ulf's FC and the blower belt came off the car, Dan pedalled for about a second and got back on it and put his chute out at about 1200 feet. A small amount of oil was found in the shutdown area.

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Leif Andréasson 5.723/247.45
2. Dan Larsen 5.861/248.48
3. Arvid Grødem 5.894/241.98
4. Ulf Leanders 6.059/238.04
5. Kjell Sjöblom 6.193/229.22

12:35

FIA Top Fuel Dragster qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

Tommy Möller 4.998/264.73 bye, Smax Smith 5.501/195.46, Håkan Nilsson 4.800/290.81, Thomas Nataas 8.227/93.13, Tommi Haapanen 6.861/126.14, Micke Kågered 9.613/89.44, Lex Joon 5.468/181.56

Back into the fours for Tommy, 0.892 to sixty feet, 3.348/247.21 at half track, the car was heading right and then made a hard move to the left but Tommy stayed with it, then at about 1000 feet there was smoke and judging by the terminal speed Tommy got off the throttle early. Sharkman at trackside in the shutdown area reported that Tommy's blower looked to be askew. A great race between Smax and Håkan N, 0.839 to sixty feet for Håkan to 0.869 to Smax, 3.168/254.38 at half track for Håkan to Smax's 3.358/214.97, from here it looked as if Håkan's tyres were turning a little but all eyes turned to the left lane as there was a huge sheet of flame from the McDonald brothers' dragster, the flame came out sideways low down almost as if the clutch had let go; oil and "molten bits of metal", to quote the track radio, were found in Smax's lane. Håkan N is on a new European ET record if he can back it up.

First up after the clean-up were Thomas and Tommi. Thomas away first 0.193 to 0.443, 0.906 to sixty feet for Thomas to Tommi's 0.979, Thomas hit shake right at the Tree, tried pedalling and his tyres went up in smoke and he got off the throttle. Tommi's tyre started to smoke about 250 feet and then there was a huge ball of flame from the engine and a long trail of oil down the right lane.

Clean-up complete, Micke and Lex paired up. 0.871 to sixty feet for Lex to Micke's 0.941, Micke hit shake and was off the throttle very quickly after sixty feet, Lex was looking good at 3.270/220.50 at half track but the tyres were turning and cylinders went out and the MPM Oil dragster made a hard move, Lex got off the throttle.

One round of qualifying left and Championship contender Thomas Nataas is not in the field.

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Håkan Nilsson 4.800/290.81
2. Urs Erbacher 4.965/288.39
3. Smax Smith 4.978/296.14
4. Tommy Möller 4.998/264.73
5. Lex Joon 5.468/181.56
6. Micke Kågered 6.366/144.66
7. Håkan Fällström 6.730/131.94
8. Tommi Haapanen 6.861/126.14
9. Thomas Nataas 8.227/93.13
10. Stig Neergard 13.583/47.91

11:40

FIA Pro Stock qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

Richard Sundblom 6.963/198.08, Peter Dahlin 7.114/193.64, Kenneth Söderström 28.850/22.11, Tommy Leindahl 6.965/199.34, Magnus Hansson 7.008/197.20, Jimmy Ålund 6.963/199.18, Michael Malmgren 6.862/200.98, Eero Knihtilä 6.894/200.98

Richard's trailer and car finally made it here, engine installed, great to see Richard back on the track. The hard work was rewarded with a new Personal Best, well done Richard! A straight and clean-looking run for Peter. A consistent pass for Tommy even with a step to the left off the start line, in the other lane Kenneth had his bell rung with shake and the engine started to zing, Kenneth rolled down the track probably wondering which of the six gantries he could see to aim for. Magnus lost a little from yesterday, nothing obviously wrong, consistency from Jimmy. Next up was the quickest and fastest ever side-by-side Pro Stock race in Europe, identical terminal speeds and Michael there first by 0.085 seconds, nice one guys!

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Michael Malmgren 6.850/202.58
2. Eero Knihtilä 6.894/200.98
3. Magnus Hansson 6.936/198.95
4. Tommy Leindahl 6.947/198.91
5. Jimmy Ålund 6.956/200.74
6. Richard Sundblom 6.963/198.08
7. Kenneth Söderström 7.000/199.13
8. Peter Dahlin 7.041/194.43

Trackside conditions at the start of thi session

11:30

FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

Jamie Sneddon 8.351/175.17 bye, Sverre Dahl 6.530/228.32 bye, Steve French 8.678/168.08, Richard Gipp no time, Dave Bailey 8.038/132.00, Chris Hall 8.095/119.32, Kev Charman 7.734/163.59, Otto Knebl 8.546/160.70, Neil Midgley shut off, Kai Selkamaa 8.056/167.89 bye, Steve Carey 6.889/191.46, Shaun Branch 7.463/174.45, Roel Koedam 6.272/212.25, Rikard Gustaffson 6.627/198.91, Ian King shut off, Steve Woollatt shut off

Jamie's first run of the weekend after putting a new engine in his SSB, some hesitation from the motor. Sverre got into the field with his first timed run of the weekend, straight into #2 spot and there's more left in the Sunshine Express as Sverre feathered the throttle a little. There was a bang from Richard's motor and he stopped at about half track, a troubled-sounding pass for Steve F but an improvement nonetheless. A time on the board for Chris Hall although it was another troubled pass and Dave Bailey in the other lane shut off early. Oto Knebl made up a couple of places taking the long way round. Midgo was shut off on the line as his turbo was dripping oil. Kai took the bye and the engine revs were up and down all the way down the track. A storming pass for Steve Carey and a Personal Best which moved him up a place, well done Steve! In the other lane Shaun Branch's bike smoked through the finish line, nothing found on the track. Another pair of stormers in the next run, Roel taking over #1 spot at that point and Rikard back on form and moving up a place which is doing his Championship hopes no harm. Ian shut off with a fluid leak and then a pulley came off Steve W's motor so he also shut off.

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Roel Koedam 6.272/212.25
2. Steve Woollatt 6.492/214.31
3. Sverre Dahl 6.530/228.32
4. Rikard Gustafsson 6.627/198.91
5. Ian King 6.748/171.72
6. Steve Carey 6.889/191.46
7. Eric Teboul 7.059/195.44
8. Neil Midgley 7.061/193.95
9. Dave Bailey 7.127/185.30
10. Richard Gipp 7.229/180.78
11. Shaun Branch 7.307/182.78
12. Kev Charman 7.650/170.50
13. Kai Selkamaa 7.826/167.92
14. Chris Hall 8.095/119.32
15. Jamie Sneddon 8.351/175.17
16. Otto Knebl 8.546/160.70
17. Steve French 8.678/168.08
18. Sandra Chaplain 8.825/148.93
19. Michal Ponca 8.831/151.98

11:10

FIM/UEM Supertwin qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

Joachim Riemer no time, Anders Karling no time, Job Heezen 10.531/87.51, Jaska Salakari no time, Gunther Sohn 6.903/204.47, Per Bengtsson 7.564/172.24, Lorenz Stäble 6.610/210.26, Ronny Aasen 9.632/99.56

Drama in the first pair as Joachim drifted right, hit the top end reflector and then carried on to the right in front of Anders and sideswiped the guardrail. Sharkman at the top end reported that Joachim is quite OK. Gunther Sohn lost a body panel at the top end, no harm done. Lo Stäble improved on his #1 spot.

During this session my laptop blue-screened and crashed which is why these notes are abbreviated and also why the webcam was stopped for ten minutes.

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Lorenz Stäuble 6.610/210.26
2. Gunther Sohn 6.731/206.21
3. Hans Olav Olstad 6.834/208.23
4. Joachim Riemer 6.983/198.28
5. Anders Karling 7.041/160.77
6. Per Bengtsson 7.068/160.64
7. Ronny Aasen 7.208/197.10
8. Job Heezen 8.245/163.10
9. Jaska Salakari 8.530/124.68

10:55

FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike qualifying session 3 (left lane first):

Len Paget 7.745/164.36, Martin Newbury 7.997/165.39, Anders Jakobsson 7.362/177.14 , Martin Bishop 7.639/172.40, Orjan Gustafsson 7.768/165.26, Luigi Chinarello 7.855/169.23, Tom Tinndahn 7.508/168.57, Anders Abrahamsson 7.480/175.69

An improvement for Martin N despite a bit of a bucking bronco ride from the start line, he stayed in #8 place at that point. Improvements too for Anders J and Martin B, both moving up a place, Anders J changed lanes after the start line. No improvements for Orjan and Luigi, nor for Tom or Anders A, Tom has the rest of the weekend to back up his 7.228.

Qualifying standings after this session:

1. Tom Tinndahn 7.228/181.37
2. Anders Jakobsson 7.362/177.14
3. Anders Abrahamsson 7.382/180.02
4. Orjan Gustafsson 7.474/177.14
5. Len Paget 7.606/174.34
6. Martin Bishop 7.639/172.40
7. Luigi Chinarello 7.658/174.35
8. Martin Newbury 7.997/165.39
9. Paul Watson 10.308/78.65

10:45

Comp Eliminator qualifying after session 7:

1. Andy Frost +0.147 7.947/181.33
2. Spencer Tramm +0.981 9.101/148.08
3. Jon Webster +2.738 10.838/95.18

No changes to the standings in this session.

Next up is today's first Pro session.

10:40

Junior Dragster qualifying final top five:

1. Jayne Kay 0.006
2. Zak Johnson 0.009
3. Ross Norris 0.010
4. Tom Watts 0.011
5. Andy Herron 0.012

Andy Herron moved into the top five in this session, #5 at that point.

10:30

Sportsman ET qualifying final top five:

1. Paul Herbert +0.010 14.650/88.56
2. Mick Smith +0.018 12.028/93.75
3. Martin Lewis +0.023 15.463/85.24
4. Ian Petrie +0.027 17.007/77.99
5. Teresa Letchford +0.033 13.133/107.68

No changes to the top five in this final session.

10:20

Super Comp qualifying final top five:

1. Pete Cresswell 8.902/150.94
2. Jon Morton 8.902/150.69
3. Brian Pateman 8.905/153.57
4. Tim Adam 8.907/148.85
5. Chris Johnson 8.908/148.47

Having moved into the top five in Super Gas, Tim did the same in Super Comp, into the top five at #3. A couple of pairings later he was relieved of #3 spot by Brian Pateman.

A big Thank You to Chris Johnson's Crew Chief Paul Somerville, who presented your reporter with a cake adorned with a picture from his drive of the Heaven and Hell Pro ET Camaro.

10:15

9.50 Bike qualifying final top five:

1. Andy Haley 9.500/145.62
2. Phil Surridge 9.504/143.26
3. Andy Bird 9.516/144.67
4. Dave Burfitt 9.518/149.42
5. Jonas Mohren 9.525/147.12

Dave Burfitt moved into the top five, in at #4 at that point. The top fifteen qualifiers are in the 9.5s.

Apologies for the delayed start to the webcam, we've had a problem with it this morning and sorting things out whilst simultaneously keeping track of qualifying took some doing. But it's all OK now.

10:05

Super Pro ET qualifying final top five:

1. Derek Flynn +0.000 6.540/204.30
2. Pat Talbot +0.002 6.943/192.17
3. Ian Tubb +0.004 7.554/177.10
4. Steve Neimantas +0.006 7.756/177.13
5. Mick Kemp +0.009 8.009/165.42

No changes to the top five in this final session.

9:35

Super Street qualifying final top five:

1. Martyn Sanger 10.916/107.87
2. Ful Lievaart 10.918/112.70
3. Tim Adam 10.920/140.67
4. John Grant 10.926/137.19
5. Nick Griffin 10.938/101.52

No changes to the top five in this session.

9:30

Super Gas qualifying final top five:

1. Malcolm Francis 9.901/162.42
2. Bob Doyle 9.904/138.05
3. Brendan Clancy 9.904/126.42
4. Stuart Doignie 9.905/148.54
5. Tim Adam 9.907/147.11

Tim Adam moved into the top five, in at #5 at that point. Brendan Clancy moved up from #4 to #3.

Trackside conditions are 17.7 C and 30.30 inches of air.

9:25

Pro ET qualifying final top five:

1. Anthony Wilkins +0.000 11.050/118.68
2. Paul Baynton +0.001 11.101/122.93
3. Nick Good +0.001 9.081/146.11
4. Chris Hodgkins +0.002 9.802/137.69
5. Neil Hunter +0.003 10.363/132.75

No changes to the top five in this final session of qualifying.

8:40

Good morning and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway. It's day three of the FIA European Finals and we're here to bring you all the news in association with American Car Imports.

The Webster Race Engineering/MPM Oil webcam is on-line and is posting a picture every two minutes. You can reach the webcam from the Event Index.

The great weather continues, it's a pleasant sunny morning with high cloud. Trackside conditions are 14.3 C and 30.30 inches of air.

A few Hellos this morning, firstly to Phil Parker who has been in touch to tell us that he is looking in on our coverage from Australia. Hope you're enjoying it Phil. Secondly Hi to Bill Baird who is tuned in and keeping a particular eye on the Pro Stock action. Finally, to our US correspondents Ed O'Connell and Kathy Hileman, what can I say but that I told you so and that I do the same every September!

Action starts at 9:00 with Sportsman qualifying, the two Pro sessions are scheduled at 10:30-12:30 and 14:30-16:30 with Sportsman eliminations commencing in between the two Pro sessions and carrying on afterwards. Stay tuned and as soon as the track opens we'll be right here to bring you the news, and stay tuned to the pit notes page to see what Simon finds out.