’24’s Main Event

Hurrah!  A chance to get my first dose of drag racing action since last September!  The first round of the European championships started on the 24th and was scheduled for four days.  I studied the weather forecasts and went on the 25th the first day of pro classes qualifying, a wise decision.  Left home at about 5.30am in the pouring rain.  About two and a half hours and 125 miles west I was in lovely warm sun with the lightest of breezes, and apart from a bit of cloud now and then that’s how it stayed.

The Hawk Racing Top Fuel (nitromethane) Funny Car ‘Gladiator’ gets warmed up in the pits prior to racing starting.

Pro Modified is fast becoming everyone’s favourite class. Full size door cars with big engines and bigger attitudes expect times of around 5.8 seconds for the quarter mile and speeds of 250mph. This is Stian Rusanes from Norway in ‘Guatemala Express’ based on a 1941 Willys Coupe

The air is thick with nitro fumes and lingering tyre smoke, the whole ground shakes, even with ear defenders you are deafened, the shock wave hits and goes right through you. Trying to capture the violence of the ultimate drag cars, the Top Fuelers. Over 12,000 horse power each, 0-100mph in less than a second, from a standing start to 1,000ft in under four seconds at over 300mph. All the figures are insane. In the yellow car Susanne Callin against Jndia Erbacher two very fast, brave/crazy ladies

Sadly only three TF Dragsters were running this weekend.  The ultimate class is ridiculously expensive to run.  One trip down the strip, around or under four seconds, will cost in the region of £10,000 that’s if nothing breaks.  In Europe there just isn’t that kind of money around.  Prize money is low, sponsors hard to come by especially as the sport is not televised and parts have to be imported from the States of which there is a huge shortage.  Hopefully in a few years things will recover, I have seen this happen in the past, it would be a shame to not experience the awesome spectacle of these mental cars in the future.

196ci or 3200cc V twin nitro burning behemoth. The Super Twin Top Fuel bike of Finland’s Marko Lantto. I reckon his left foot must be getting quite warm with those flames

The evening sun casts a nice light on Frenchman Patrick Dubois’s 6 second 200mph Pontiac GXP

A very sad and very expensive end. Remember the car in my first photo? This is ‘Gladiator’ less than 100ft into it’s first run and the engine explodes. If you look closely you can see bits above the roof

Left for home just after 7pm, 10 hours of action.  When I got back it was still raining.  Sunday’s qualifying was a washout and Monday’s eliminations so badly interrupted by showers racing was reduced to the 1/8th mile and the finals never got run.  I picked the right day to go!