|

TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
| Name |
Total |
| 1 |
Kim Reymond  |
366 |
| 2 |
Barry Sheavills
 |
268 |
| 3 |
Susanne Callin  |
142 |
| 4 |
Andy Carter  |
136 |
| 5 |
Tommy Möller
 |
129 |
| 6 |
Mikael Kågered
 |
109 |
| 7 |
Gary Page  |
86 |
| 8 |
Darryl Bradford
 |
67 |
| 9 |
Peter Lantz  |
59 |
| 10 |
Robin Read  |
35 |
TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
| Name |
Total |
| 1 |
Mikael Kågered
 |
363 |
| 2 |
Urs Erbacher  |
363 |
| 3 |
Alex Joon  |
346 |
| 4 |
Leif Anreasson
 |
326 |
| 5 |
Ulf Leanders
 |
226 |
| 6 |
Leif Helander
 |
219 |
| 7 |
Arvid Grödem  |
167 |
| 8 |
Dan Larsen  |
131 |
| 9 |
Jörgen Johnsson
 |
92 |
| 10 |
Magnus Larsson
 |
70 |
| 11 |
Dezoe Krivan  |
58 |
| 12 |
Stephanie Milam
 |
24 |
| 13 |
Juergen Nagel 
Dennis Wratten  |
12 |
You can find the official FIA European Drag Racing Championship point standings here (PDF)
FIA
European Finals
- FIA Round #6
Santa Pod Raceway,
England, September 6-8th
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TF
|
TMFC
|
|
Winner |
Kim Reymond |
Urs Erbacher |
|
Runner Up |
Susanne Callin |
Stephanie Milam |
|
Low ET
|
4.94/277 (Barry Sheavills)
|
5.77/242 (Alex Joon)
|
|
Top Speed
|
5.00/295 (Mikael Kågered)
|
5.78/244 (Urs Erbacher) |
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
COMMENTS Qualifications:
As we suspected the performance on saturday was to improve a great deal for most
teams. It was once again to be one of the quickest field in Europe so far.
Erbacher backed up a new European record of 5.78 seconds during the 4th session.
Andréasson ran 5.72 during the same session. Micke continued running in the
5.80´s, but in this company it only gave him the 4th quickest E.T.
One of Leanders back tires exploded just before the finish line, which caused
major damage to the rear part of the carbon fiber body. Leanders will not be
able to compete in sundays eliminations, which means the first alternate (no 9
qualifier) Stephanie Milam will take his place. half of the field choosed no to
run the last session, because it was 8.30 p.m. and almost dark.
ELIMINATIONS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
- elapsed time sec. and speed m.p.h. -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
L. Andreasson
5.98/238 |
|
|
| 8 |
Arvid Grödem
6.29/225
|
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
Leif Andreasson
9.45/86 |
|
|
S. Milam
6.94/207
|
|
| 4 |
(Mikael Kågered broke)
Alternate Dennis Wratten
7.78/177 |
|
|
| 5 |
S. Milam
7.23/196 |
FINAL |
|
|
S. Milam
6.91/201
|
|
U. Erbacher
5.79/243
W! |
| 2 |
Urs
Erbacher
5.79/243
|
|
|
| 7 |
Leif Helander 6.08/224 |
|
|
|
|
Urs
Erbacher
5.82/244
|
|
|
Alex Joon
12.50/63
|
|
| 3 |
Alex Joon 5.77/242
|
|
|
| 6 |
J. Johnsson
5.91/234
|
|
|
COMMENTS Eliminations:
Before the event there was two potential FIA title winners 2002- Micke Kågered and Lex Joon.
Kågered crashed his top fuel car badly one hour before he was scheduled to enter
the quarter finals in his funny car. In reality that meant he did not get full
points for the first round, since he failed to show up at the starting line (being
hospitalised at that moment). Because of this, suddenly Erbacher also stood a
chance to be the European champion, should he win the event and set a low E.T.
of the weekend. Micke´s opponent in the quarter finals Stephanie Milam got to
meet alternate Dennis Wratten, who took Micke´s place. Milam made it through to
the semi-finals where she unexpectedly beat Andréasson after he red-lighted.
Kågered´s worst opponent Joon blew the engine during the run against Erbacher,
which meant he was out of competition and with no chance of winning the FIA
title anymore. Only Erbacher then able to threaten Micke´s chance to become the
FIA European champion. Crew members who stayed with Micke at the hospital kept
in contact with the crew still at the track for continous updates. When it stood
clear that Erbacher was unable to set a low E.T. in the final against Milam the
good news was brought to Micke Kågered- he is the FIA European top methanol
funny car champion 2002.
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
Top Fuel Dragster
E.T. sec/speed m.p.h. |
Session
#1 |
Session
#2 |
Session
#3 |
Mikael Kågered
 |
5.21/265 |
5.00/295 |
11.40/75 |
Susanne Callin
 |
5.40/226 |
5.38/253 |
5.13/266 |
Tommy Möller
 |
11.29/70 |
5.02/? |
10.02/77 |
Peter Lantz
 |
5.05/? |
5.11/276 |
6.81/114 |
Kim Reymond
 |
11.73/69 |
11.01/73 |
5.24/268 |
Barry Sheavills
 |
6.91/114 |
4.94/277 |
no show |
Darryl Bradford
 |
broke |
6.18/150 |
no show |
Andy Carter
 |
11.? |
no show |
no show |
COMMENTS Qualifications:
The performance in top fuel were not as tight as we saw in the methanol funny car
class. Sheavills quickest of all, but crashed the car, when the chassis broke
and he is out of competition, since the car is damaged beyond repair this
weekend. Micke Kågered second quickest, wanted to run quicker at the last
seesion, but shook the tires and were unable to improve. Rookie Callin ran a
great 5.13 sec. run during the last session. Möller and Lantz also quick, but
Reymond facing problems and only qualified number 6. Reymond will be the 2002
FIA European Champion in top fuel as Sheavills is out of competition (he was the
only one that could threaten Reymond in the points standing).
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed m.p.h. -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
(Sheavills) - bye - |
|
|
| 8 |
Andy Carter
5.53/199
|
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
Andy Carter
5.87/172
|
|
|
Susanne Callin
5.08/287
|
|
| 4 |
Peter Lantz broke |
|
|
| 5 |
Susanne Callin
12.64/69
|
FINAL |
|
|
Susanne Callin
5.69/170 |
|
Reymond
5.16/284
W! |
| 2 |
M. Kågered 4.97/282 |
|
|
| 7 |
Darryl Bradford
5.85/188
|
|
|
|
|
Mikael Kågered - broke - |
|
|
K. Reymond
- no
time - |
|
| 3 |
Tommy Möller
5.47/188
|
|
|
| 6 |
Kim Reymond
5.13/257 |
|
|
COMMENTS Eliminations:
It was a very unhappy start of the day for Micke
Kågered´s crew to watch him crash the top fuel dragster at a speed exceeding 280
m.p.h at the finish line in the quarter finals. After a few very anxious minutes,
we saw with our own eyes that he was alive and conscious, still strapped in an
unhurt cockpit. Badly bruised and with a very sore back he was released from
hospital as soon as doctors had checked that there were no fractures or internal
injuries. He will be resting here in England until he is well enough to manage
the flight home to Sweden.
Obviously Micke was unable to continue the race, which meant his opponent in the
semi-finals Kim Reymond got a bye-run. Susanne Callin´s day turned out well, as
she put both Peter Lantz and Andy Carter out of competition. In the finals
Reymond was too tough to handle for Callin and he walked away as a real winner-
both of the European finals and the FIA top fuel champion title.

Nitro Olympics -
FIA Round #5
Hockenheim Ring ,
Germany, August 16-18th

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TMFC
|
|
Winner |
Alex Joon |
|
Runner Up |
Mikael Kågered |
|
Low ET
|
5.81/395 (Urs
Erbacher)
|
|
Top Speed
|
5.81/395 (Urs
Erbacher) |
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
Top Methanol Funny Car
E.T. sec/speed km/h |
Session
#1 |
Session
#2 |
Session
#3 |
Session
#4 |
Mikael Kågered
 |
6.10/387 |
5.89/386 |
- broke - |
5.92/392 |
Urs
Erbacher
 |
6.06/387 |
5.98/389 |
5.99/389 |
9.83/? |
Alex Joon
 |
6.07/385 |
5.94/351 |
--- |
5.94/391 |
Ulf Leanders
 |
9.27/135 |
6.02/335 |
6.33/363 |
14.15/105 |
Leif Andreasson
 |
6.17/377 |
6.01/379 |
6.40/315 |
5.93/391 |
Jörgen Johnsson
 |
6.35/339 |
6.03/361 |
6.47/370 |
7.06/367 |
Dan Larsen
 |
6.06/387 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Leif Helander
 |
- broke - |
6.18/368 |
6.19/368 |
11.27/150 |
Arvid Grödem
 |
7.16/341 |
6.35/358 |
6.98/349 |
6.25/367 |
Magnus Larsson
 |
--- |
broke |
6.77/265 |
6.68/276 |
Jurgen Nagel
 |
broke |
21.22/93 |
--- |
8.74/251 |
Deszoe Krivan
 |
6.04/389 |
- broke - |
--- |
--- |
COMMENTS Qualification
1st session:
The track was real slippery as the E.T:s from this
first session shows. Helander and Grödem run in the first pair and Grödem smoked
the tires all the way down the track, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Helander, in the other lane, shut off as soon as he felt there was no traction
to talk about. The drivers that did not drive their cars very, very smooth just
smoked the tires like top fuelers! After watching the pro mod cars, that run
just before us, crew chief Göran Edman advised Micke to make it real smooth all
the way from the starting line and not to try and go for it. It proved to be the
only way to manage and most of the drivers running after Micke also chose
to do it like this. We hope the track improves as more cars and bikes run on it
and that we will see quicker runs, more like we are used to from the competitive
class that methanol funny car is right now.
COMMENTS Qualification
2nd session:
Team Kågered was quickest this morning. The track
had been worked on friday night and the traction was better now, although not
perfect yet. The E.T improved for most teams, but still some of the top teams
will run quicker later today for sure. The 12 cars entered qualifies into an
8-car ladder, so only the quickest 8 is in the eliminations on sunday. Two more
runs today. Micke Kågered´s 5.89 sec. run was a bit shaky with tire
shakes. We will work on that until next session, but we are very pleased to be
quickest so far.
COMMENTS Qualification
3rd session:
After one hour delay due to an oil-down Micke
Kågered was out on the track as first car in the lane after the clean up. There
was no traction there whatsoever. The tires shook violently and he had
difficulties just to bring the car to a stop. The very hot conditions at the
track also made it difficult to improve the performance from this morning and
none of the teams did. Some of them chose not to run this 3rd session, but most
cars will probably be there at 18.30 for the last try.
COMMENTS Qualification
4th session:
Still very, very hot here at the track in
Hockenheim. Despite this Micke Kågered did run quickest of the bunch again, this
time followed by Andréasson, who now moved into the second position. Rumours say
that qualifiers number 7 (Krivan) and 8 (Larsen) has major damage to their
engines that can not be repaired on site. If this is correct it means that first
alternate Helander will take Krivan´s place and second alternate Grödem will run
instead of Larsen. We need to check this further. The 8-car elimination ladder
will be posted later tonight as soon as we have got confirmation concerning the
alternates.
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed km/h -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
M. Kågered
5.91/394 |
|
|
| 8 |
Arvid Grödem 6.68/365 |
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
M. Kågered 5.92/393 |
|
|
|
Ulf Leanders
7.17/242 |
|
| 4 |
Urs
Erbacher 6.05/362 |
|
|
| 5 |
Ulf Leanders
5.95/383 |
|
FINAL |
|
|
|
M. Kågered 5.96/392 W! |
|
|
|
L. Andreasson 5.95/393 |
| 2 |
L. Andreasson
5.92/390 |
|
|
| 7 |
Leif Helander 12.17/120 |
|
|
|
|
L. Andreasson 5.95/393 |
|
|
|
Alex Joon 6.36/378 |
|
| 3 |
Alex Joon 5.87/394 |
|
|
| 6 |
J. Johnsson - broke - |
|
|
COMMENTS Eliminations:
What a final! It can not get much closer than that! Micke Kågered took his
second win in two weeks. Micke was out first from the starting line with a
slight better reaction time. The time he gained at the start proved to be enough
to beat Andréasson despite the one hundreds of a second slower E.T. for Micke.
He commented; "I knew I was first out, but I had to get off the throttle one
time to avoid losing traction and at that time I was afraid Leif would catch up
on me". He did not do that and the win for Micke was well deserved. His car was
one of the most consistent throughout all the event and maybe that is what payed
off in the end!
In the semi-finals both Leanders and Joon got problems with the traction while Kågered
and Andréasson continued in the same fashion as in the quarter finals. We are of
course very happy, since this means Micke will still be in the lead in the
championship points standings after this event, no matter the outcome of the
final. Kågered/Andréasson in the finals - same as in the first FIA event at
Santa Pod in May. That time Micke won.. we wil have to wait and see what happens
this time..
The quarter
finals were won by Kågered, Leanders, Andréasson and Joon. Erbacher, currently
second in the FIA points standings was out already in the first round, which
means he will not stay in that position after this event is completed, since
Joon is still in the field and only two points behind Erbacher. We are sorry
that we did not get the complete results in the quarter finals. We will add the
fullE.T:s later on today.
All four semi-finalists in the 5´s during the first run and allE.T.´s close to
each other. The semi-finals are scheduled for 14.00.
As we
suspected Krivan and Larsen are out of competition for this weekend due to
breakage. This means first alternate Helander will take Krivan´s position and
run against Andréasson in the quarter finals. Grödem takes Larsen´s place and
take on Mikael Kågered.

Tullinge Raceway
-
Top Fuel Tour Round #2
Pite Raceway, Sweden,
July 10-11th

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TF
|
|
Winner |
Mikael Kågered |
|
Runner Up |
Tommy Möller |
|
Low ET
|
4.98/451 (Tommy Möller)
|
|
Top Speed
|
4.99/481 (Mikael Kågered)
|
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
Top Fuel Dragster
E.T. sec/speed km/h |
Session #1
|
Final Qualifying |
Mikael Kågered
|
11.72/132 |
5.00/478 |
Tommy Möller  |
5.29/453 |
5.29/453 |
Monica Öberg  |
5.36/415 |
5.36/415 |
Peter Lantz  |
11.17/111 |
10.72/? |
COMMENTS Qualifications 1st session:
The day did
not start well for Micke Kågered, when the throttle cable snapped 75 meters
after the start. He was not at all happy after the run. Too much trouble has
come his way the last two events with the top fueler. Peter Lantz smoked the
tires, Monica´s run looked real smooth and we are sure there is more to come out
of that car. Tommy Möller started in the best fashion of the four teams, but
will probably run quicker as well later this afternoon.
COMMENTS Qualifications:
Wow..
that´s all we can say. A 5.00 second run by Micke..that was really what we
needed to lift the spirit some in the team again! Micke moved into the number
one position and did it in grand style by setting a new track record here at
Tullinge! Tommy Möller did not make it for this session as they had problems
getting the car ready. Öberg´s run looked OK, but showed to be slower than her
first run. It seemed the blower belt came off Peter Lantz car, so his appearance
was probably not what he had hoped for. The final qualification standings means
that Micke Kågered, who is currently quickest, will meet Peter Lantz who has had
problems all day. Lantz can never be counted out and he was also the one winning
the top fuel tour event in Piteå a month ago.
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed km/h -
|
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
| 1 |
M. Kågered
4.99/481 |
|
| 4 |
Peter Lantz 12.34/114 |
FINAL
|
|
|
M. Kågered
5.03/472 W! |
|
|
Tommy
Möller 5.59/429 |
| 2 |
Tommy Möller
4.98/451 |
|
| 3 |
Monica
Öberg 9.17/152 |
|
COMMENTS Elimination:
The winner in the final was also to be the winner of the top fuel tour
2002. Before this event it was Peter Lantz who was in the lead. Möller and
Kågered shared the second place and had equal points. Before the final Micke
Kågered lead by 10 points. Crew chief Alan Jackson and car owner Knut Söderqvist
wanted to setup the car to run quick enough, but would not smoke the tires. Real
tricky, but in the end they managed to do just that! Möller, who had lane choice
smoked the tires half track and disappeared in a big cloud of smoke . The win
for Micke means his team win the top fuel tour for the second year, which
pleases us a great deal. We did not really start counting points until right
before the final when we realised that we still had a chance to win, so the
victory of the top fuel tour is pretty unexpected but much appreciated!
The run for 3rd place was won by Peter Lantz with an elapsed time of 5.06 sec/472
km. vs Öbergs 5.36 sec./405 km
Comments semi-final; Team Möller
and Kågered sure showed the crowd at Tullinge Raceway how to run a top fueler!
Möller now took over the track record from Micke by one hundred of a second.
Micke´s speed close to 300 m.p.h again and the run looked real pretty! Möller
will have lane choice over Micke. Both Kågered and Möller chose the left lane
for the first run, but we hope both lanes are equally good for the final. Lantz
smoked the tires and never had a chance against Micke. The final will probably
be a thriller and we will post the results right after it!

Gardemoen Dragchallenge -
FIA Round #4
Gardermoen
Raceway,
Norway, August 2-4th
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TMFC
|
|
Winner |
Alex Joon |
|
Runner Up |
Mikael Kågered |
|
Low ET
|
5.81/395 (Urs
Erbacher)
|
|
Top Speed
|
5.81/395 (Urs
Erbacher) |
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR

Top Methanol Funny Car
E.T. sec/speed km/h |
Session
#1 |
Session
#2 |
Session
#3 |
Session
#4 |
Session
#5 |
Urs
Erbacher
 |
5.96/384 |
5.91/386 |
5.81/395 |
5.86/394 |
- |
Alex Joon
 |
- |
- |
6.45/334 |
6.18/361 |
5.83/394 |
Ulf Leanders
 |
6.10/364 |
- |
- |
- |
5.86/389 |
Leif Andreasson
 |
- |
- |
5.89/391 |
- |
6.43/278 |
Mikael Kågered
 |
6.02/385 |
5.95/387 |
6.68/246 |
6.09/343 |
5.91/392 |
Dan Larsen
 |
8.33/153 |
5.99/389 |
6.06/388 |
5.97/391 |
6.60/321 |
Leif Helander
 |
6.11/369 |
- |
6.21/368 |
6.01/380 |
6.02/380 |
Arvid Grödem
 |
- broke - |
- |
6.27/373 |
6.25/362 |
6.75/? |
Jörgen Johnsson
 |
- |
- |
6.47/225 |
- |
- |
Magnus Larsson
 |
8.09/192 |
- broke - |
- |
6.49/351 |
- broke - |
COMMENTS Qualification
1st session:
Pretty good first run for Kågered and Erbacher, who managed best during the
first session. Some of the cars shook the tires and some seemed to be running "safe",
but a bit too smooth. The cars of Andréasson, Johnsson and Joon still remain in
the pit area, where the teams work to get everything ready. Since the time was
short between the race at Mantorp last weekend and this event, some teams got
the parts needed from the U.S. just in time to make it to Norway. However, we
expect all teams to be able to participate in the qualifications saturday. Still
one more run to make today and we will post the results this evening.
COMMENTS Qualification
2nd session:
Only three cars out on the track for the 2nd session. Both Kågered and Erbacher
improved, with Erbacher still in the number one position, closely followed by
Micke Kågered and Dan Larsen. Six cars qualified today, with four more still out
side the elimination ladder. Not to worry - the qualifications continues
saturday with three more sessions scheduled. Micke Kågered´s crew chief Göran
Edman commented that "We are pleased - everything goes as planned for us so far,
our strategy being to find a safe zone to begin with where the car will run
smooth, but also moderately quick". Edman continues; "after that we will setup
the car to go quicker and since the track seems good I think we can improve the
E.T. tomorrow.". An engine change is on the agenda for team Kågered tonight. "Nothing
is broken", assures Edman. "We run today with our spare engine, because we
wanted to see what we had there. Tomorrow we will run the engine we normally use
and then take a decision tomorrow night how we want to continue in the
eliminations sunday". crew chief Edman concludes.
COMMENTS Qualification
3rd session:
Beautiful day here at Gardermoen Raceway - Now all 10 teams have been out on the
track and it is still Erbacher, who is the quickest, now followed by Andréasson.
Micke Kågered had a minor oil leak and shut off as soon as he noticed it (just
after shifting to second gear). Nothing broken and the crew is preparing the car
at the moment to give it a new shot in the 4th session.
COMMENTS Qualification
4th session:
Most cars out on the track this session- Kågered shook
the tires bad and will change the setup for the last run. Joon also in trouble,
not running as quick as we are used to see from him. Helander improved a great
deal and Erbacher still quickest. One more session to go and our guess is that
all cars will be out there and that the last session also will be the quickest
as the air hopefully cools down a bit, but the track is still warm.
COMMENTS Qualification
5th session:
Qualifications are completed and it is indeed the quickest 8-car field we have
ever seen in Europe. Erbacher did not come out for the last run, but most other
teams did and the performance can not be complained about. Leanders and Joon,
improved a lot, taking the number two and three position away from Andréasson
and Kågered. It will be a very interesting battle tomorrow, where the three
current top ranked drivers in the FIA points standings are on the same side of
the ladder- Erbacher, Andréasson and Kågered!
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed km/h -

|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
Urs
Erbacher 5.82/395 |
|
|
| 8 |
Arvid Grödem 6.21/372 |
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
Urs
Erbacher 9.92/112 |
|
|
|
M. Kågered
5.89/395 |
|
| 4 |
L. Andreasson - broke - |
|
|
| 5 |
M. Kågered 7.59/246 |
|
FINAL |
|
|
|
M. Kågered
5.93/369 |
|
|
|
Alex Joon
5.89/389 W! |
| 2 |
Alex Joon 5.96/391 |
|
|
| 7 |
Leif Helander 10.99/121 |
|
|
|
|
Alex Joon
6.05/377 |
|
|
|
Dan Larsen 6.07/385 |
|
| 3 |
Ulf Leanders
8.49/179 |
|
|
| 6 |
Dan Larsen
5.98/387 |
|
|
COMMENTS Quarter-finals:
Erbacher still in good shape, took out Grödem.
Andréasson run into trouble and was not allowed to run by the starter. We are
unsure of what the problem was, there may have been an oil leak. Kågered got the sign that he was
alone, but heard bad sounds from what he believed was the engine and made the
run real smooth. After the run it turned out that it was a tube on the body that
had shook loose in a w
COMMENTS Semi-finals:
The run between Joon/Larsen has just been completed after
a delay due to an oil down on the track. Before that Micke Kågered took out
Erbacher, who so far had a car running like a clock, but against Micke got into
trouble. Team Kågered- pleased with the performance in the semi-finals will meet
Lex Joon in the final. Joon has been running as quick as 5.83 during the
qualifications, but a bit slower in the semi-final against Larsen (6.05). It
will be an open matter where both cars sure has the capacity to beat the other
one, but in the end it may be the team making the right setup decisions who come
out winning. The weather is very hot and no clouds are in sight, so the sun is
burning the track a great deal at the moment.
COMMENTS Finals:
It was a tight
final between Kågered and Joon where Joon eventually was first over the finish
line. Mickes car did shake the tires a bit after the start which may have lost
him some time and he was never able to catch up with Joon after that. Our
congratulations to team Joon, who now advance in the FIA points standings. As
soon as we have the information about the points confirmed we will post them on
the latest news page.

Sko Uno Drag Festival
- FIA Round #3
Mantorp Park, Sweden,
July 26-28th
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TF
|
TMFC
|
|
Winner |
Tommy Möller |
Urs Erbacher |
|
Runner Up |
Barry Sheavills |
Lex Joon |
|
Low ET
|
5.01/477 (Gary Page)
|
5.84/394 (Leif Andreasson)
|
|
Top Speed
|
5.01/477 (Gary Page)
|
5.90/395 (Mikael Kågered) |
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
COMMENTS Qualifications:
As we
suspected and wrote in our preview of the Mantorp event, the results improved a
great deal this weekend, compared to the same event last year. The track had
been prepared in a good way and many teams now perform in the 5´s more
constantly. The first six teams between 5.84 and 5.95 shows that methanol funny
car has become one of the most interesting and competitive classes in European
Draf Racing and we are very happy to be a part of it. As team Andréasson damaged
their engines beyond repair they was not able to make the first round of
eliminations, which meant first alternate Magnus Larsson took their spot in the
elimination ladder. Team Helander also experienced major damages during the
qualifications but did get hold of all parts needed to replace the broken parts..
ELIMINATIONS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
- elapsed time sec. and speed km/h -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
Magnus Larsson 6.72/322 |
|
|
| 8 |
Leif Helander 6.06/363 |
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
Leif Helander 10.68/122 (red-light) |
|
|
Lex
Joon broke |
|
| 4 |
Lex Joon 5.98/376 |
|
|
| 5 |
Mikael Kågered 6.02/387 |
FINAL |
|
|
Lex
Joon 7.71/199 |
|
U Erbacher 5.92/389
W! |
| 2 |
Urs Erbacher 5.89/373 |
|
|
| 7 |
Arvid Grödem 6.12/371 |
|
|
|
|
Urs
Erbacher 6.03/379 |
|
|
Dan
Larsen 7.42/185 |
|
| 3 |
Ulf Leanders
6.60/374 |
|
|
| 6 |
Dan Larsen 6.11/384 |
|
|
COMMENTS Eliminations:
As Andréasson was unable to make the first round of eliminations, first alternate
Magnus Larsson took Andréassons spot in the elimination ladder. However,
Helander proved to be a too tough task for Larsson, who lost the quarter finals.
Dan Larsen, who made his first FIA race for the season unexpectedly took out
Leanders from further competition already in the quarter finals. Team Kågered
had to switch engine for the eliminations as the crank shaft was hurt during
qualifications. The spare engine (similar but not identical to the other engine),
did not not respond to the adjustments we made in the way we had hoped for and
although Kågered´s run vs. Joon was a close side by side run in the end
Joon had the margin on his side. The semi-finals between Joon and Helander
turned out odd, when Helander red-lighted and Joon´s engine broke so bad
half-track, that he was unable to pass the finish line. FIA judges had to to
look into the rules to rule the winner of the run. In the end the win was judged
to Joon´s favor as Helander was the one who faulted first and was disqualified,
no matter that Joon did not cross the finish line. Joon´s crew had a hectic time
changing engine for the final, made it just in time, but eventually lost to the
Erbacher in the finals. A well deserved win for team Erbacher, who managed to
perform consistent throughout the entire event without major damage and
that payed off well in the end.
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
Top Fuel Dragster
E.T. sec/speed km/h |
Final qualification |
Barry Sheavills
 |
5.06/473 |
Mikael Kågered
 |
5.07/471 |
Kim Reymond
 |
5.10/446 |
Gary Page
 |
5.28/352 |
Susanne Callin
 |
5.97/277 |
Peter Lantz
 |
6.85/191 |
Tommy Möller
 |
9.77/131 |
COMMENTS Qualifications:
Barry Sheavills only performed one qualification run, but with car owner Rune Fjeld´s
ability as a tuner, that showed to be enough to take the number one qualifying
spot. Impressing.. Fjeld´s other car, this weekend piloted by Gary Page
qualified number four. Rookie Susanne Callin has proved that she can drive the
top fuel dragster as well as any of the "big guys" and she performed her duty as
a driver well during the event. Mikael Kågered missed the number one spot by a
mere hundred of a second, but thought the qualifications was OK anyway. Both
Möller and Lantz did have problems with the traction and smoked the tires
througout most of the qualifications, which made them the slowest cars in the
field at the time being. Since the number eight spot in the elimination ladder
was vacant, number one qualifier Barry Sheavills had the advantage of a bye run
in the quarter finals.
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed km/h -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
B. Sheavills 11.26/162 |
|
|
| 8 |
- bye - |
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
Barry Sheavills 5.02/464 |
|
|
Gary Page - no show - |
|
| 4 |
Gary Page 5.01/477 |
|
|
| 5 |
Susanne Callin 5.38/390 |
FINAL |
|
|
Barry Sheavills 8.86/149 |
|
T. Möller 5.78/269
W! |
| 2 |
Mikael Kågered - broke - |
|
|
| 7 |
Tommy Möller 5.04/437 |
|
|
|
|
Tommy Möller 8.41/179 |
|
|
Kim Reymond
5.14/460 |
|
| 3 |
Kim Reymond
5.24/438 |
|
|
| 6 |
Peter Lantz 12.99/111 |
|
|
COMMENTS Eliminations:
Team Kågered
failed to run the first round of eliminations as we did get an oil leakage when
starting the engine in the line up just before the run. The problem did not
occur during the "warm up" in the pit area, so the fault could not have been
detected earlier. It was a real disappointment for us as we had worked harder
than ever with the car and everything around it to perform well at our "home
track" Mantorp Park. Peter Lantz had continued problems and did loose in the
first round against Reymond. Reymond, the current leader of the FIA points
standings red-lighted in the semi-finals against Möller and did not make it
further than that. As Micke Kågered was unable to run the
quarter finals, Möller got a bye run that he used well to perform a great time
of 5.04 seconds. Micke would have loved to give him a good match there.. A bit
of luck also took Möller past the semi-final. Reymond´s red-light meant
Möller was in the final despite the slower E.T. The final was not quick
side-by-side run we would have expected from Sheavills and Möller took an easy
win running 5.78 sec.

Midnight
Sun International
-
Top Fuel Tour Round #1
Pite Raceway, Sweden,
July 13-14th

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TF
|
|
Winner |
Peter Lantz |
|
Runner Up |
Tommy Möller |
|
Low ET
|
4.93/491 (Mikael Kågered)
|
|
Top Speed
|
4.93/491 (Mikael Kågered)
|
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
Top Fuel Dragster
E.T. sec/speed km/h |
Session #1
|
Session #2
|
Session #3
|
Mikael Kågered
|
4.93/491
|
5.22/410 |
4.99/469 |
Monica Öberg  |
5.28/414 |
6.54/218 |
5.10/466 |
Peter Lantz  |
5.41/322 |
15.14/116 |
18.21/74 |
Tommy Möller  |
14.20/109 |
- no show - |
- no show - |
COMMENTS Qualifications 1st session:
Stunning run by Micke Kågered who by this
joined the 300 m.p.h club running 4.93/305 mp.h!
Peter Lantz smoked the tires right from the start and shut off soon after
that. Monica Öberg´s 5.28 looked good and she will probably be able to improve
the performance further later today. As Tommy Möller ran in the same pair as
Micke, we really did not notice much what went on in his lane, but for sure
there is more to come out of his car as well. This was the first 4-second run,
300 m.p.h performed in Scandinavia. With this Micke Kågered joins the
exclusive club of drivers that has crossed the magic 300 m.p.h limit (Barry
Sheavills and Andy Carter did it in May at Santa Pod).
We will be beck with more comments and results this evening. Still two more
sessions scheduled and the work in the pit area proceeds as planned at this
very moment (1.30 p.m. local time).
COMMENTS Qualifications 2nd session:
Two spark plugs broke on Micke´s engine, which
meant the engine only fired on 6 cylinders from the start, the E.T despite
this was 5.22 sec/410 km. It was not a full pass, as Micke shut off early when
he felt the engine losing power.
Tommy Möller had major maintenance work to do on their car and team Möller did
not make it in time for this second session. As for Peter Lantz, once again
the car experienced traction problems and smoked the tires. Monica Öberg,
broke her clutch badly during her run, stopping the clock on 6.54 sec, which
makes her second quickest overall so far. A last session is scheduled to 8.15
p.m. and the mechanics have a hectic time getting everything ready again at
this time.
COMMENTS Qualifications 3rd session:
Micke Kågered, again
running in the 4-´s was one hundred of a second from backing up the 4.93
second run and making it an official Swedish record. For this run we had
changed engine, since the crank shat in the "4.93"-engine had some cracks on
it and we did not want to risk anything. It was not a full pass, so we are
really pleased with the E.T. anyway.
Tommy Möller again smoked the tires and shut off early. Monica Öberg did not
manage to fix the "clutch disaster" that occured last run in time for the last
session, but we hope team Öberg will have everything ready by tomorrow. It
going to be a long nights work for most teams. One more change of engine is
due for team Kågered as the crank shaft cracked again during the last run.
Peter Lantz improved his performance quite a bit and in sunday´s eliminations
he is up against Monica Öberg, while Micke Kågered takes on Tommy Möller.
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed km/h -
|
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
| 3 |
Peter Lantz 7.39/174 |
|
| 2 |
Monica Öberg - broke - |
FINAL
|
|
|
Peter Lantz 5.08/468 |
|
|
Tommy Möller 9.58/136 |
| 1 |
Mikael Kågerd 6.01/288 |
|
| 4 |
Tommy Möller 5.10/460 |
|
COMMENTS Elimination:
After
a brilliantly performed qualification saturday, the car was setup to run a new
4-second run today in the first round of eliminations against Tommy Möller.
Unfortunately, for the first time during the weekend the car lost traction and
smoked the tires. Micke was ahead of Tommy Möller half track, but after that
the only thing the spectators could see of him was a huge cloud of smoke and
he shut off as soon as he could. Möller´s E.T 5.10/460 was by far his best
performance for the weekend and it will probably be a very interesting final
between Peter Lantz (who qualified with 5.10 yesterday) and Tommy Möller. As
the top fuel tour concept includes a run for 3rd and 4th
place.
By
that team Kågered got one more
shot sunday afternoon to back up a new record.
Micke was to meet Monica Öberg in the run but as their clutch broke bad during
qualifications, team Öberg were not able to get hold of the spare parts needed
to make it for the eliminations. By this Kågered got solo run and one last
shot at backing up a new official record,
but once again the car lost
traction and smoked the tires (this time further out on the track) and Micke
had to shut off.
The final between Möller and Lantz was won by Peter Lantz as Tommy Möller
smoked the tires. Lantz E.T. was 5.08 sec., which we believe also is a new
personal best for him.
Car owner Knut Söderqvist´s comment after the last
run (and after having checked the computer printout), was that we overpowered
the track slightly, but was real close to making another quick run.

FHRA Nitro Nationals -
FIA Round #2
Alastaro Circuit,
Finland, July 5-7th
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TMFC
|
|
Winner |
- |
|
Runner Up |
- |
|
Low ET
|
5.88/388 (Ulf Leanders)
|
|
Top Speed
|
5.93/394 (Mikael Kågered) |
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
Top Fuel Dragster
E.T. sec/speed m.p.h. |
Final qualification |
Ulf Leanders
 |
5.88/388 |
Urs Erbacher
 |
5.92/391 |
Mikael Kågered
 |
5.93/394 |
Leif Andreasson
 |
5.94/381 |
Leif Helander
 |
6.02/375 |
Magnus Larsson
 |
7.28/232 |
Arvid Grödem
 |
(5.72/366) |
COMMENTS:
Kågered started the day by
running 6.08 sec with bad tire shakes starting after 1.5 seconds. The setup we
had chosen to start with proved to be too aggresive and we adjusted the clutch
and fuel accordingly for the second run and it turned out well. During the
second session Micke Kågered was quickest with his 5.93 sec and a good speed
of 394 km/h. All other teams set their quickest time during thefirst session
today.
Yesterday it rained so bad all day that qualifications in all classes had to
be cancelled. Today two sessions was run with the above outcome. Timing
system error meant Arvid Grodem got the E.T of his first run cancelled.
During the run he broke the engine and could not get that fixed in time for
the second run. He will be placed in the ladder as he could not be responsible
for the problem with the timing system. Since his E.T was disqualified, he
will be put in the last qualifying spot (no. 7). Jörgen Johnsson, who was
among the team who entried this event had to cancel the event and is not
present in Alastaro.
The above qualification standings mean the elimination ladder sunday will
look like this;
July 7th: All eliminations at Alastaro
was cancelled to to rain .
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed m.p.h. -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
Ulf Leanders |
|
|
| |
- bye - |
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 4 |
Leif Andreasson |
|
|
| 5 |
Leif Helander |
|
FINAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
Urs Erbacher |
|
|
| 7 |
Arvid Grödem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
Mikael Kågered |
|
|
| 6 |
Magnus Larsson |
|
|

FIA The Main Event -
FIA Round #1
Santa Pod Raceway, England,
June 1-3rd
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
TF
|
TMFC
|
|
Winner |
Kim Reymond |
Mikael Kågered |
|
Runner Up |
Andy Carter |
Leif Andreasson |
|
Low ET
|
4.87/302 (Andy Carter)
|
5.82/246 (Leif Andreasson)
|
|
Top Speed
|
4.98/304 (Barry Sheavills)
|
5.82/246 (Leif Andreasson) |
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
COMMENTS:
The quickest ever side by side
run in Europe was performed by Barry Sheavills and Andy Carter during the
first qualification session sunday. A stunning 5.87 for Carter against
Sheavills 5.89 was really something! Sheavills set a new speed record of 304
m.p.h. at the same time and Carter as well crossed the magic 300 m.p.h.
limit.
Micke Kågered´s 5.09 and Kim Reymond´s 5.08 should have been enough to qualify
number one on most previous events, but this weekend it did not do the job for
them. Micke´s second try sunday looked real good out from the starting line up
to half track where he smoked the tires and shut off early.
It will be a six car field elimination monday with Carter against rookie
Bradford, Sheavills against Susanne Callin, who also got her TF license this
weekend. Kågered vs. Reymond will probably be a thriller and since it is
racing it is not certain at all that the number one qualifier will come out as
the winner of the event...
ELIMINATIONS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
- elapsed time sec. and speed m.p.h. -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
Andy Carter 4.92/288 |
|
|
| 6 |
D. Bradford 5.30/250 |
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
Andy Carter 18.42/66 |
|
|
|
- bye - |
|
| |
- bye - |
|
|
| |
- bye - |
|
FINAL |
|
|
|
Andy Carter 5.16/224 |
|
|
|
Reymond 4.99/293
W! |
| 2 |
Barry Sheavills
4.95/301 |
|
|
| 7 |
Susanne Callin 12.84/58 |
|
|
|
|
Barry Sheavills -
broke - |
|
|
|
Kim Reymond 5.22/233 |
|
| 3 |
Kim Reymond 5.22/233 |
|
|
| 6 |
M. Kågered 5.85/219 |
|
|
COMMENTS Eliminations:
Unfortunately the event ended already in the first round for team Kågered,
mainly due to problems with the fuel system. Carter did a great two days of
qualifications, an excellent first run against Bradford, got a bye run in
semi-finals and ended the event by blowing the engine in the finals which
probably cost him the win to Kim Reymond. Barry Sheavills, who run so well
during the qualifications backed up the new speed record of 301 m.p.h, which
makes him the fastest man in Europe at the moment. In the semi-finals against
Reymond, the bad luck hit and one of his parachutes came out after the burnout
and his crew never had time to fold it again. Susanne Callin´s blower belt
came off just after the start and she never got a chance to prove herself
today. At least she now has the TF license in order and we are sure we will
see more of her in later on this season.
QUALIFICATION RESULTS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
COMMENTS Qualifications:
Much
happened during the qualifications on this first event. Most teams did not run
consistent and struggled with all kinds of difficulties. Both Andréasson and
Kågered run their quickest E.T. first round out on saturday. Lex Joon run his
quicest time ever during the last qualification run saturday and by that put
down Micke Kågered in the third qualification spot for the eliminations monday.
Kågered meets Erbacher, who has not been running real quick so far, but we
know the car is capable to run low 5.80´s so anything can happen. The word is
that Arvid Grödem will not be able to make the eliminations due to engine
failure and lack of spare parts, which in that case means Stephanie Milam will
run against Lex Joon in Grödem´s place.
ELIMINATIONS TOP METHANOL FUNNY CAR
- elapsed time sec. and speed m.p.h. -
|
|
QUARTER-FINALS
|
|
|
| 1 |
L. Andreasson 5.87/245 |
|
|
| 8 |
Ulf Leanders 5.85/239 |
SEMI-FINALS
|
|
|
|
L. Andreasson 5.92/239 |
|
|
|
Leif Helander 5.95/234 |
|
| 4 |
Deszoe Krivan 6.07/232 |
|
|
| 5 |
Leif Helander 5.94/233 |
|
FINAL |
|
|
|
L. Andreasson 6.01/213 |
|
|
|
M. Kågered 5.89/243 W! |
| 2 |
Alex Joon 6.14/211 |
|
|
| 8 |
Stephanie Milam 6.95/206
(alternate for Grödem) |
|
|
|
|
Alex Joon 6.95/171 |
|
|
|
M. Kågered 5.91/239 |
|
| 3 |
M. Kågered 5.92/238 |
|
|
| 6 |
Urs Erbacher 6.00/241 |
|
COMMENTS Eliminations:
It felt real good to win,
that´s for sure! We did not win an event with the funny car all last season
although we were in the finals several times, but this time there was no doubt
what the car was capabale of. We struggled som during the qualifications, but
when it all came down to it, we had everything in order to run well enough to
win. Andréasson lifted the blower in the finals against Micke and did not
stand much of a chance against Micke this time. Leanders Bros. got it all
together well at last but was beaten on the starting line by Andréasson in the
quarter finals. Leif Helander run well during the eliminations after having
two quite mediocre days of qualifications. The only thing they did to start
run well again, was to change the brand of fuel. As a summary we can say that
it looks like this season one will have to be in the 5.80´s to be among the
top teams, both during qualifications and eliminations. The coming event in
Finaland will prove if we are right about that or not..
|