Pro Mod racer Wayne Nicholson warming his engine. He said "We recorded our PB mph of 214.85 on the final qualifying pass and I was delighted the car ran so straight. We were working on a couple of things over the winter and it seems to have helped. I always felt confident in the car but just need the weather and track time to get quicker. I have changed the data logger to a Racepak which has helped. Also Andy and Lee Kirk have joined the team this year."

Fuel Funny Car racer John Spuffard said his car was suffering from cold conditions. "We are chasing a problem and aren't sure if it is the weather or a genuine malfunction. The clutch is not working as it should and coming in at once. These cars are not designed to run in these temperatures. We are having to pre-heat the oil out of the car and put it in at the last moment as running with cold oil could cause main bearing damage. Even with this we are still having trouble starting the car and getting the fuel to burn." Following these issues, the Showtime team elected not to run in eliminations and look forward to running in more suitable conditions.

Fuel Funny Car racer Jason Phelps is pitted with team mate Gordon Smith (Gordon's car pictured). Jason said "We underestimated the track yesterday. On Saturday we ran a six shutting off at half track. Sunday saw a temperature drop and when I got back on it it shook as it had never done before. We have a bye in round one and will use that to get ready for the final. I'm hoping we can race Gordon in the final and see how we go. Tuning these cars is a very fine line, we only took a degree or two out of the ignition and that was all it took to go from a decent run to massive shake."

Junior Dragster racer Joe Kellett is in the second year of a new car tailor-made by Mike Bos Race Cars in the US to Joe's height. Dad Pete said "We are pleased with the reaction times the car is producing despite the conditions. With the car running on methanol we are having to use EZ Start system to get it going." Joe added "With the cold, the car is not reacting on the startline as I am used to." The team are planning on competing in Tierp in June and will then see if work commitments allow further European rounds, although Hockenheim is in the schedule.

Junior Dragster racer Saskia Jell is pictured with crew chief Trevor Large. It's Saskia's second season in the sport and she has moved up to JMA by acquiring Ivana van den Berg's car and putting a carbon fibre body on it. Saskia said "This is a great car and reacts well, running right on the money." The team is also supported by Fen (Andy Fensome).

Super Pro ET racer John Everitt qualified 11th with 8.25. He said "We adjusted the car for the conditions and it hooked up. We had a new bar welded in and fresh belts over the winter. The performance was good but we had some oil leak issues. There's nothing we can't cure but it does take time - I've been in the sport for 40 years!" John's son Billy is doing well in Junior Dragster, going a couple of rounds in his new ex-Joe Kellett JMA car. "The car's name has been changed from Li'l Alien to Alien and he has taken my title of Leadfoot," he added.

Super Pro ET racer Scott Hauser qualified second in Super Pro ET and reached the final with hard-fought wins over Steve Johnson, Dave Ward and Vince Gibbs and a bye in the semis. Dad and Eurodragster.com sponsor Geof said "We rebuilt the engine over the winter and put a new carb on it. The car's performance has improved even further to 7.6s. The Santa Pod crew have done a massive job on the track laying the new surface and prepping it. The air is -1000ft which helps too!"

Super Pro ET racer Rod Harrison suffered an explosion resulting from an inlet manifold problem. Crew member Andy Raw said "The head, block, piston and liner were torched and it will also need a new manifold. Fortunately we have spares at home so we will be at the Main Event." Rod said "A big Thank You to the paramedics and fire crew who were so quick to get to me. It is the first incident I have had in the Funny Car and knew I was fine, but it was great to have help so quickly." Best wishes to crew chief Karl Harrison who is recovering from a hand injury.

Super Pro ET racer Jack Brewster who is reigning champion was a victim of the cold weather. He said "It was so cold that the engine broke the teeth off two flex plates. I have another at home and would have gone to get it if round one was this morning but didn't have sufficient time yesterday."

A highlight of the event was the Jet Funny Car match race between Martin Hill and Gerd Habermann. The cars put on a tremendous show and close racing (Martin's reaction time in the final race was 0.007). Martin won 3-0 and we can only hope match racing jets will be a regular event in future.

Super Pro ET racer and Eurodragster.com sponsor Peter Walters' team were happy at being lucky and good. The good is a new 350cu in SBC engine, self-built by crew chief Richard Walters, with the 6/71 blower now running with more overdrive. Richard says "It has performed consistently with times of 8.20, 8.16 and 8.17." That was good for qualifying no.1. The lucky was being on the receiving end of a rare John Atkinson red light and having a bye in the second round as a result. Richard said "We will be trying for the championship. We are setting up the sponsorship scheme and aiming to start at the Main Event - there was a delay as our house was flooded recently."

Junior Dragster racer Belle Wheeler was in good spirits despite a defeat to Saskia Jell. She said "The hat is Animal out of the Muppets. I love the hat and racing but don't wear it under my race helmet!" Alamo car rentals sponsor the team through Dad Andy Wheeler and also sponsor Eurodragster.com. The team are planning another trip to the US to compete at Bristol during the summer.

Super Pro ET racers Steve and Babs Saunders were delighted to be through to round 2 of eliminations but suffered a broken fuel pump drive. Steve said "Crewman Peter Nee took it home to Cleveland 250 miles away to get it re-welded. Many thanks to him for going out of his way."

Super Pro ET racer John Atkinson said his red light came as a the result of staging too deep. "I was trying for a good light against Peter Walters but when the lights ran it tripped the beam. At least we can have a lie-in tomorrow. The new track is going to be brilliant, it's so smooth." Tom Atkinson takes over the driving chores for the Springspeed Nationals at Shakespeare County Raceway at the start of May.

Super Pro ET racer Ashley Bell has an interesting collection of ornaments around the roll cage of his Cobra. Unfortunately this example reflects the weekend performance-wise with traction problems off the start line resulting in qualifying in 21st place and then a first round loss to Vince Gibbs.

Super Pro ET and Pro ET racer Paul Marston qualified the Monza fourth in both classes and won the first round in Super Pro against Simon Gough but lost in Pro ET to Neil Hunter. He said "Our main achievement this weekend is getting the Monza down the cold track. We are planning on bringing the Bruiser out at the Main Event. We are building a lower maintenance Chevy engine which will allow us to tune the chassis. With the old engine it never really reached its full potential and teh chassis is good for times below 8s." Paul's wife Sam was happy to be thinking about dancing on the startline less than two weeks following a knee operation.

Super Street Bike racer Danny Cockerill has bought the NLR bike previously campaigned by Wayne Saunders. He said "I've just done six passes and I'm already close to my PB of 7.52, having run 7.59 here. I have transferred the old fuel tank cover from the old bike so I can ride lower and put in Wayne's spare engine otherwise the bike is the same as before. We used the Motec engine management on my old bike and will continue with that. The new bike feels much smoother, although that might be the track. The launch is great, it's within a thousandth of my previous best."

Super Street Bike racers Thomas and Peter Granica from Germany have had problems with setup. Thomas said "We have a new wiring loom and have had mapping gremlins. The first run today was shut down for an oil leak and we found that a tensioner was not tightened enough. Two previous runs were on the limiter off the line. Despite this we have run a 7.7 which we are happy with on a virgin track in these conditions. Peter said "I am struggling with settings for the chassis and to get more grip off the startline. I have a new engine and more power." Peter plans to run the Straightliners event whereas Thomas intends to compete for the Super Street Cup at the Main Event.