Euro Finals ’22

Saturday 10th September.  The third day of qualifying for the final round of this years championship, the first in two years.  The previous two days were blighted by heavy showers but we were promised a dry day, don’t believe the forecasts! A few light sprinkles and late afternoon one heavy enough to cause the  track to close.  Add in a couple of engine mishaps requiring the strip to be cleaned of oil meant only one round of Pro class qualifying took place not the two as scheduled.  The meeting had a big attendance and for the first time I could not get my usual (or any) grandstand seat!  I watched from the banking which stretches the quarter mile.  Photography was trickier.  The lighting was rather flat and clear shots difficult with the pro photogs along the wall and tv gantry to my right.  More shots than usual hit the delete button.

Top Methanol produced a real ‘blast from the past’ as Sweden’s Tony Bryntesson (blue car) made his first run at Santa Pod in 30 years. Here he is up against team mate Jonny Lagg in their ‘A Fuel’ nitro injected dragsters

Top Fuel bikes are awesome 1500+ bhp beasts capable of 5.6 second 250mph runs. This is Rene Van Den Berg of the Netherlands on his ‘Shark Attack’ Yamaha 1200

Though not actually street legal the Super Street Bikes are insanely quick with times of 6.6 seconds and speeds over 220mph! Here is Steve Woods on ‘Street Lightning’ getting, well, a bit light

The performances on display were top quality.  In his final meeting before retirement the crazy Frenchman Eric Teboul set a new world record on his rocket bike with a time of 5.06 seconds at 263 mph.  On Sunday he lowered this to 4.97 @290mph!  The fastest man on two wheels over the quarter mile in the world.  There was a side by side 5 second Top Fuel Bike race and a European Super Street Bike side by side record run of 6.7 220+mph by Steve Venables and Hungary’s Daniel Lencses.  Add in a clutch of 5 second Pro Mods and a 305 mph 3.8 second Top Fuel Dragster run all great entertainment.

Nitro flames from the headers of the beautiful ‘Gladiator’ Fuel Funny Car driven by Jason Phelps who won the event

Top of the Sportsman classes is Super Pro ET which pits a wide variety of different types of race cars against each other that run between 6 and 8.99 seconds. The teams must state how quick they will run (ET) and not go quicker but reach the stripe first. The slower vehicle has a handicap start. Here is Mark Coulsell in the ‘Ballbreaker’ slingshot dragster v Ron Bartlett and the ‘Sweet FA’ Ford Anglia

Footnote

Thursday the 8th was a very sad day for our Country with the passing of our Queen.  A lot of sporting events were cancelled as a mark of respect.  It was decided that the racing should continue but other on site entertainment called off.  To make the weekend even more sombre one of our sports long serving and well respected racers, Jon Morton, suffered a fatal heart attack in the pits.  I decided to attend at the last minute.  Before the professional classes started there was a two minute silence and a playing of the national anthem.  There is a phrase ‘you could hear a pin drop’ and literally you could.  It was a very moving moment and I felt so proud to be part of the drag racing family that, despite whatever views are held, could show such respect.

RIP Your Majesty    RIP Jon