Sheavills' F1 race is on, tomorrow.
29th June: We have just received confirmation that Barry Sheavills will be taking on a Formula One car in the Triple R/AEZ Top Fuel Dragster tomorrow (Saturday) at the Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway. Barry will be racing against Martin Brundle's old Tyrrell V10, currently active in the Boss series in the hands of Matthew Mortlock, who will be driving the car tomorrow. The TF v F1 race will take place just after lunchtime, and will be one of two planned runs for the F1 car.

Barry has also announced that the Triple R/AEZ Top Fuel Dragster is to be on display at next week's Max Power Show at the NEC in Birmingham. For more details check out the Press Release page of Barry's web site at www.topfuel.co.uk.

Perfect Light re-starts at £50.
29th June: The Eurodragster Perfect Light Award now stands at £50 again, after Bob Lees took home the £100 pot at Super Series 3. The Perfect Light money is awarded to the first racer to run a perfect Reaction Time (0.400 or 0.500 as appropriate) in either qualifying or eliminations at a UK Championship event, the next being this weekend's Cannonball. If the prize goes unclaimed this weekend, then it will go up to £75 for Super Series 4 in August; if won then £50 will again be posted at that event.

Since we started the Perfect Light scheme we have had three winners, all in Super Street: can a racer from another class break the pattern? Good luck to all racers at the Cannonball.

NSRA Nostalgia Nationals.
29th June: Joining the events around Europe this weekend which we previewed yesterday, Shakespeare County Raceway is hosting the ninth National Street Rod Association's Nostalgia Nationals on Saturday and Sunday. The Nostalgia Nationals is traditionally for pre-1969 street-legal vehicles but also features a large array of exhibition machinery.

Topping the exhibition bill are Roger Goring in the Firestorm Jet Funny Car, and blown altered action from Jim Seward, Mickey Moore, Frank Bennett and Neil Townson. Also featured are the Wild Bunch, Outlaw Anglias, Tot Rods, and much more for the Nostalgia freak.

Action starts at 10:00 am Saturday and 11:00 am Sunday. For more details, contact the NSRA helpline on 01745 356595.

Gardermoen entry forms.
29th June: FIA and UEM invitations and entry forms are now available for the NDRG Drag Challenge at Gardermoen, which take place on 3rd-5th August. They can be found in PDF format on the Svensk Dragracing web site at www.dragracing.se/nerladdning.html.

If you cannot open the PDF documents, or if you would like to order electricity for your pit bay, or to order VIP or sponsor tickets, contact Norsk Dragracing Gardermoen direct at:

NDRG
Post Boks 141
2040 Klfta
Norway

Tel: +47 95 05 79 00
Fax: +47 63 87 99 76

E-mail: erijacob@online.no
Web site: www.norskdragracing.com

NB: Entry closes for the Sko Uno Drag Festival at Mantorp Park this Monday, 2nd July. Entry forms for this race are also available on the Svensk Dragracing web site.

Weekend race coverage.
28th June: With a number events taking place across Europe this weekend, fans have the chance to tune in to several races at once via the Web.

First up is the Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway, which starts tomorrow (Friday 29th). Eurodragster will be covering the whole event. Tomorrow's coverage will be limited, as only one of the team will be at Santa Pod although we expect to post at least pit notes and qualifying standings together with some pictures. The usual full service of pit notes, reports on the on-track action and pictures will be available on Saturday and Sunday. We will post a direct link to our coverage here tomorrow; it can also be accessed via the 2001 Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page. For more details on the Cannonball including ticket prices, check out Santa Pod's web site at www.santapod.com.

Gary and Phil Cottingham will also be posting brief end-day reports and pictures from the Cannonball on their web site Dragster World at www.dragsterworld.com. They expect to have their updates posted between 20:00 and 21:00 on both Saturday and Sunday.

Two races are to be covered in Sweden this weekend. The Aros Nats, the latest round of the Nordic Drag Racing Series, takes place at Västerås on Saturday and Sunday. Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing will be reporting from the event on their web site at www.dragracing.se. You can also check out the web site of the race organisers, SMF Västerås, at www.smf-vasteras.com for more details on the event.

This weekend also sees the Nordic Pro Nationals at Mantorp Park, which is the latest round in the 2001 Nordic Pro Street Cup, and which like the Cannonball starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday. Our good friend Hasse of the Swedish Pro Street News Magazine will be reporting from Mantorp Park; his reports will be available at www.swedishprostreetnews.com/online/index.htm. For more details on the NPSC check out the official web site at www.nitroz.se/motor/street/npsc.

Finally, the Motorsport Gegen Rechts Festival at Eco Dragway in Wittstock, featuring the first round of the Swedish Top Fuel Tour, is already underway although the drag racing starts tomorrow and carries on to Sunday. Our good friend Tommy Nilsson, who runs the European Drag Racing Database, is attending the race; results will be available either during or very soon after the event at www.eurodrag.com. You can find more details on the Festival itself at www.motorsport-gegen-rechts.com.

Sorry and Thanks, says King.
28th June: UK Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King, who currently leads both the UEM Comp Bike and ACU UK Top Fuel Bike Championships, has written to apologise for the lack of activity on his web site recently, and to pass on his thanks to those who have helped him to prepare his bike for this weekend's Cannonball.

"We would just like to say sorry to all of our www.kingracing.com readers for the distinct lack of posts over the last few days. Unfortunately, the problems that arose after the Finland UEM round to the King Racing Top Fuel Bike meant that extensive repairs and modifications had to be undertaken. Consequently, all available time has been spent effecting the repairs and mods in order that we can compete at the Cannonball meeting in England, and the subsequent Euro rounds in Sweden and Norway. At this point we'd like to thank the following people who have been helping us make it back to the track in time:

"Mark Hawkins of North Herts Engineering for the quality welding of a hole in an Aluminium Bronze skull in our main cylinder head, and subsequent machining; Chris 'Cannon' Hannam of Cannon Engineering for fabrication of a new 14mm Primary Drive system to transmit our new found power; Roger Upperton for conversion of a standard FJ1200 head to one capable of withstanding the rigours of a Top Fuel Bike; Dave Beck of Dave Beck Raceparts for import of necessary race items; and Jay Regan of MRE for source of all US raceparts and ancillaries."

Shaver AMX model sought.
28th June: US collector Peter Kane has been in touch asking for readers' help in locating a model of Ed Shaver's Blue AMX car. Peter understands that such a model was available when Ed raced in the UK back in the 1970s, and would like to hear from anyone who has the model or who knows where he could locate one. If you can help, please E-Mail Pete at ptka@chevron.com.

Web site updates.
28th June: UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Andy Carter's web site has been updated with a number of pitside photographs from the Nitro Nationals at Alastaro. You can find Andy Carter's site at www.andycarter.net.

The UK Drag Racing Nostalgia web site at www.ukdrn.co.uk has been updated with more than sixty new photographs from the 1970s and 1980s, including a number of portraits in the Racers Gallery. Webmaster Jon Spoard is now offering a free slide scanning service for any fans who would like their old pictures put onto CD-ROM. "There is no charge for this service, all I ask is that we can use the pictures on the web site", says Jon. You can find full details on the Updates page of the UKDRN site.

Feel-the-noise.com have now completed the uploading of photographs from Shakespeare County Raceway's Super Series Round 3. In all, 127 pictures have been added or replaced and four new sections added, including a "Winners" album to be found under the "People" section.

Bruiser breezes through tests.
27th June: On 20th June we reported that Paul Marston Racing's PT Bruiser was to be taken to a wind tunnel for testing. We have now heard back from Paul Marston who is very happy with the outcome.

"The testing was successful, a lot of extremely useful data was gathered", says Paul. "The facility at MIRA is very secure and no cameras are allowed - you can understand why once you are in, its simply an awesome place! In total we ran about twelve different configurations on the Bruiser to establish what effect different changes had. When conducting these tests you quite often run two or three different tests at once, plus some tests were for changes which will be way in the future. Most importantly we have established a significantly more stable platform in the wind tunnel. We must now try it out on the track.

"In answer to questions regarding changes to the Bruiser's shape - well, you will have to come and see us at the track at Santa Pod this coming weekend! All other preparations are going well for the weekend. I must thank the guys at MIRA, Jon Webster and Danny from Hauser Race Cars for coming along to help on the Bruiser, and Bruiser Crew Chief Dave Kalisz."

Walk on Wildside for Canto team.
27th June: The Canto Consultancy Top Methanol Dragster will be unveiling a new sponsor at the MSA British Top Methanol Championship round at the Cannonball this weekend. Clothing company Wildside Inc are to produce a range of t-shirts which will be on sale at various venues this year. "The shirts go on sale at the Cannonball, and then will be on sale at car shows, bike shows, and other events", says driver Darryl Bradford. "They have a Wildside Inc logo on the front and different designs on the back. All profits from the sale of the shirts will go to the car. We hope that everyone will like them and buy them, and then we can buy a 5.3-second blown Alky car from the States!"

Darryl also tells us that the Canto dragster is for sale, and will be available after the FIA European Finals in September as the team plan to move to a more modern chassis. "It would make an idea Super Pro or Super Comp car", says Darryl. "We can get it to run quicker but to really go faster we need a new car. If you're interested, stop by our pit and see us!"

Sheavills shirts unveiled.
27th June: A new limited-edition Barry Sheavills t-shirt will be available for the first time at this weekend's Cannonball. Priced at £12, the shirts will be available from the C & P Hot Rod Ts stand in the trading area behind the main grandstand.

Colin of C & P also tells us that he still has E-Z Up Gazebos for hire or sale. For more details see our news item of June 6th.

Cannonball FC format confirmed.
26th June: With a few days left before the Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway, track manager Kjell Petterson has been in touch to confirm the format of this year's Funny Car action. The event sees the second round of the UK Fuel Funny Car Championship, which has meant a change in the traditional Cannonball qualifying.

Fuel FC racers John Spuffard, Gordon Smith, Al Bates and Smax Smith will have two qualifying sessions on Saturday and then two rounds of eliminations on Sunday to wrap up the second (of four) round of the Fuel FC Championship. Meanwhile Top Methanol FC racers Urs Erbacher, Lex Joon, Urs Embacher and Dezsoe Krivan will also have two qualifying sessions on Saturday and then two rounds of eliminations on Sunday to decide the winner in TMFC.

Finally, the winner of the Fuel FC elimination and the TMFC elimination will race on Sunday afternoon for the Cannonball title and trophy.

On the subject of the Cannonball, Trakbyte's UK Drag Race History web site at members.aol.com/trakbyte currently contains a fascinating history of the event featuring a roll of winners since its inception, best times and speeds, and much more.

For more details on this weekend's activities at Santa Pod, including the Cannonball, Captain Gumball's bike jump, and the celebrity Run What You Brung, check out Santa Pod Raceway's web site at www.santapod.com.

Lex heads for the Fives.
26th June: Dutch Top Methanol Funny Car racer Lex Joon is looking forward to returning to the five-second zone at the Cannonball. Lex's last pass at the Main Event, in round one of eliminations, netted him a 6.01 and he is confident that this is a springboard for greater things.

"After the last run at the Main Event, which gave us the baseline we actually needed in qualifying the day before, we can start work on the five-second runs with the data we now have", says Lex. "Looking at the data the clutch slipped on the whole of that run and we still recorded a 6.01. The major problem with the Funny Cars is tyre shake. If you look at Federal Mogul Funny Car in the States most of the cars have similar problems as we have here.

"As a tuner it's always a battle: tune the car with less clutch or less power, or put in more power so the clutch will slip etc. One of the big factors in this game is the track. My opinion is that Santa Pod have one of the best tracks around, and a crew that will give every racer the best lane they can produce at that time. At the same time, the tuner will add further power because the condition of the track can be good. The line to work on is really thin.

"When you run on a track which is not so good, adding too much will smoke the tyres, which can be adjusted by short shifting etc. Bad tyre shake will hurt parts and you lose vision (as far as it's possible to see anyway!) so you have to abort the run.

"Next year we have to reduce blower overdrive. That means less power, and with the amount of races we run every year it will take at least another year to find a set-up which will bring good performance."

Lex is a previous winner of the Cannonball, and has designs on the trophy again this year. "We as a team are looking forward to running this year's race. We are glad that Kjell and crew are giving us the opportunity to race again for the Cannonball crown this year. As former winners, we know what a great race this is and with the guys from Switzerland in the Methanol class we will provide a good opponent for the big final against the Fuel Funny Car."

You can stay in touch with developments at Lex Joon Racing on their official web site at www.lexjoonracing.nl.

Showtime aim to celebrate ten years.
26th June: The UK's Showtime Fuel Funny Car team, who currently lead the UK Fuel FC Championship, aim to celebrate ten years of partnership between Crew Chief Bob Jarrett and driver John Spuffard with another win at the Cannonball this weekend.

"It might be 'do or die' for Gordon and Shockwave, but it will be 'do and live' for John and Showtime", says Bob Jarrett. "We are confident, and we are there for a single reason...to WIN! Never in our long careers have John and I been more motivated than we are now. This race marks our 10 year anniversary together so let our competitors take note: we mean business."

For the latest news from the Showtime pit, visit their official web site at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.

Racers invited to Charity Classic.
26th June: UK Super Pro ET racer Martyn Jones' seven-second dragster will be on display at a charity event in late July, and there is an open invitation to other racers to join him there.

"The 2001 Charity Classic is at Kimbolton Castle on Saturday 22nd July", says Martyn. "It is organised by the Sporting Bears Motor Club and is raising funds for the CRC Research Project into Childrens Cancer. We've been to this combination car show/country fayre several times in the past. It's always been a fun day out - you can never predict the effects of a dragster starting up on the bunch of heavy horses! - and the race car always gets a lot of attention. If anyone else is interested (Kimbolton Castle is not a million miles from Santa Pod), an email to Mike Norton at Sporting Bears will get you an invitation."

Any racer who'd like to take their vehicle to the Charity Classic can contact Mike Norton at info@sportingbears.freeserve.co.uk.

BJ to exorcise nightmare.
25th June: UK Top Fuel Bike racer Brian Johnson intends to exorcise the memory of his nightmare weekend at the Main Event by bouncing back at this weekend's Cannonball at Santa Pod, which is the penultimate race of his long and distinguished career. Regular readers will remember that BJ fully intends to run a five before retiring, and it is not out of the question this weekend.

"Bearing in mind our performance at the last race, we have checked parts of the bike we had not looked at in some time", says BJ. "For example we have changed the fuel lines because you can't see if they have an internal problem. All of the other maintenance has been done, we have fired the bike up on petrol and it runs just fine. As a team, we are looking forward to the Cannonball. With just two more races before we retire, we are doing all we know to try to put the magic numbers on the board!"

You can stay in touch with the latest news from Brian Johnson and the team on his official web site at www.brianjohnson.co.uk.

Do or die for Shockwave.
25th June: This weekend's Cannonball sees the second (of four) round of the 2001 UK Fuel Funny Car Championship, and the stakes are high for the Shockwave Fuel FC team, who are currently second in the points standings after taking runner-up spot in the first round at Shakespeare County Raceway.

"It would appear that we have identified the problem that caused the problems in the final at Shakespeare County Raceway", says driver Gordon Smith. "After tha meeting we had very little to do to the car, although we have carried out the obligatory full service. Most of the crew's time has been spent rebuilding the tail lift on the trailer and sorting the tractor unit. We have had several discussions with the states about the problem with our mags and hopefully we have solved the problem, although we have ordered plenty of points to see us through the meeting! Dave (Bryant, Crew Chief and joint owner - Ed) has thought long and hard and has identified a minor problem with the new clutch cannon, but we are confident that we can overcome this problem, so hopefully things will come together."

Gordon knows that he is up against it after John Spuffard's blistering performance at Super Series 1, but the Shockwave team are intent on reversing the result of that race. "The Cannonball is a do or die for the Shockwave team as we cannot afford to take second place again in the Championship rounds. We are out to win. Although John's run at Shakespeare was spectacular and we congratulate Bob, John and the rest of the Showtime crew, we feel that all being well we can give them an upset this weekend. It was unfortunate for us that we were not at the FIA Main Event but hopefully all our fans will be at the Cannonball to support us."

There you go, folks: you've been invited. For the latest news from the Shockwave team, check out their official web site at www.funnycar.uk.com.

Another tight spot for Deuchar.
25th June: UK Top Methanol Dragster racer Lyndsay Deuchar faces what is becoming a traditional race against time to put his engine together in time for this weekend's round of the MSA British Top Methanol Championship at the Cannonball.

Lindsay suffered engine damage at Super Series 1, which was itself the return from a long lay-off caused by engine damage last season. During the engine rebuild, Lyndsay and the team discovered that the cylinder bores are not square to the decks. The block is being machined this week, but the LA Racer team face another thrash to make the date.

You can find the full story on the News page of the LA Racer web site at www.laracing.co.uk.

Championship points galore.
25th June: We have a tranche of UK Championship point updates today. First up are the latest (post-Super Series 3) UK National Championship points standings, courtesy of National Points Co-ordinators Simon Groves and Yvonne Tramm. These are available by clicking here or via the 2001 Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Next up are the post-Main Event standings in the Santa Pod Racers Club Championships, which are also available on our 2001 Points Standings page via the above link.

Finally, post-Super Series 3 standings are now available via the Results link of the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries.

The boy done good.
25th June: Yesterday we brought you the story of second-generation racer Max Kinsey, who was making his first foray into drag racing at the wheel of a Junior Dragster at Santa Pod's Run What You Bring. Sharon Hogarth has written with an account of the day of the UK's newest-qualified JD driver.

"Max 'the Force' Kinsey settled himself in to that Junior Dragster like an old pro! He ran a 28-second shakedown pass to prove his stuff in the launch and sixty foot, then came back again to run a series of 16-, 15- and 14-second full passes at almost 40mph. Max's first 14 second pass proved a little hairy at the top end of the track when Max had the dragster on two wheels and ended up in the field. Whilst quick-thinking fellow racers pulled him back out of the corn Max, in true John Force style, shook himself down, wore a smile from ear to ear and was eager to get back in the driving seat to give it another go.

"Max is now gearing up for Competion having had approval for his driving techniques and first competion licence from Ian Marshall. Max is hoping to enter the next Super Series, if he can just shake the loose change from his Dad's pockets!

"Jan and Kinner, Max's proud Mum and Dad, would like to take the opportunity to thank Mike for his advice and expertise and the loan of the Junior and we - Max's fans - would like to thank him for an ace day at the track. Well Done Max!"

Smax goes to press...
24th June: UK Fuel Funny Car racer Smax Smith has announced that he will be attending Tuesday's Cannonball/Captain Gumball Press Day at Santa Pod Raceway to put in a demonstration pass in the Mainline Menace Achieva. The Menace has been reworked by Fuel ace Alan Jackson since the fireball at Super Series 1 and Smax is impressed with the result.

"The car sounds wicked!", said Smax. "Lots of things have been sorted out since the explosion and Alan will be with us on Tuesday, so hopefully we'll strut our stuff! Big thanx to Al for his input - mucho appreciated!"

You can stay in touch with the latest news from Smax and the Ant Hill Mob on his official web site at www.smax.co.uk.

Please note that Eurodragster will not be reporting from the Cannonball Press Day, as we will be attending Alex Brachtvogel's funeral. We will of course be covering the race starting on Friday.

...as Cannonball entry released.
24th June: The official entry list for next week's Cannonball/Captain Gumball at Santa Pod Raceway is now available courtesy of Paula Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club. Click here to view the entry list.

Drag and Rock results.
24th June: Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing have updated their web site with a brief report plus full qualifying and elimination results from this weekend's Drag and Rock event at Finland's Motopark. Check it out at www.dragracing.se.

A new Force hits the track.
24th June: UK Super Comp racers Jon and Sharon Hogarth and their SID Race Car team have announced that the smallest and youngest member of their top 'Vette crew is to the Race Track for the first time, as he warms up the tyres for life in the fast lane. Max 'The Force' Kinsey, son of Jan and Kinner Kinsey who race fans will remember from their Super Gas and Super Comp days campaigning the Uphill Struggle Camaro, will be taking to the seat of a Junior Dragster at today's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod.

"Max, a loyal fan of both the great John Force and of course our very own Jon Hogarth, has loved Race Cars and Drag Racing since he first set foot at the Pod when he was just a few months old, and having just turned that magic eight years old, is itching to put the pedal to the metal and climb into the driving seat of a flamed and fuelled dragster for himself.", says Sharon Hogarth. "No doubt Kinner will be offering son Max words of wisdom and encouragement in the countdown to his big day - that is of course if he can still remember what to do! All Max's fans will be present to see his track debut, and the very best of luck is sent from his Mum and Dad, Sharon and Jon, Jeff and Belinda and Mick the Fish for a very special day. It will be good to see a Kinsey back on the track!"

Web site updates.
24th June: Eurodragster staffer Tog has updated his personal web site Tog's Drag Racing Page with two hundred pictures from the FIA Main Event. Tog apologises for the delay in posting his pictures which was the result of a choice between scanning pictures or going to Alastaro (a choice which Americans refer to as a 'no-brainer'). Check it out at www.togsdragracing.com. Tog has a similar number of photographs from Alastaro which he will scan and post as soon as possible.

Fellow Eurodragster staffer Sharkman has updated his personal web site Sharkman's Top End Tales with an illustrated report from Super Series 3, and his remaining pictures from the FIA Main Event. You can find Sharkman's site at www.eurodragster.com/sharkman.

NPSC Pro Street Champions Blues Dragracing have launched a web site at w1.401.telia.com/~u40118814. The web site by Swedish Pro Street News webmaster Hasse is presented in both Swedish and English and features details on the eight-second car, press cuttings, photographs, guestbook and more.

Cannonball gates open early.
22nd June: Paula Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club has been in touch to inform us of a change in gate opening times for next week's Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway.

Santa Pod's gates will now be open, for racers only, from 6:00 pm-midnight on Thursday (28th June). The midnight closing time is not flexible: "If you turn up at five past midnight, tough!", said Paula. "We are very grateful to Santa Pod Raceway for arranging to open the gates on Thursday", she added.

Final instructions are being prepared now; these will include the new opening times.

We hope to publish the official entry list very shortly. For more details on the event, check out Santa Pod Raceway's web site at www.santapod.com.

Web site updates.
22nd June: Swiss Top Methanol Funny Car racer Dezsoe Krivan's web site has been updated with a report from his appearance at the American Graffiti show in Austria, a very entertaining report from the FIA Main Event, and corresponding pictures in the Photo Gallery. Don't miss Dezsoe's reaction to his redlight at the Main Event! Check it out at www.dragracing.ch. Dezsoe is also very keen that fans go along and say Hi to him at next week's Cannonball at Santa Pod.

The UK1320 web site at www.uk1320.com has been updated with an excellent report from Super Series 3, and some photographs from that race.

Alex Brachtvogel's funeral.
21st June: The funeral of Santa Pod's Chief Marshal Alex Brachtvogel has now been arranged. It is to be held at 3:30 pm next Tuesday (26th June) at Harwood Park Crematorium, Watton Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire. All are welcome to attend. Flowers can be sent, for delivery before 1.00 pm, to Co-Operative Funeral Services, 24 Town Centre, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 0LD.

Malmgren looks for more.
21st June: Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren and his team will be taking their AC Delco-sponsored Camaro to Mantorp Park this weekend in an attempt to find a few more hundredths.

"We want to try some things out to improve our sixty-foot times", says crew member Magnus Cato. Michael set new European bests of 6.971/198 at Alastaro two weeks ago, but Magnus thinks that there must be more to come. "It's kind of a fluke sometimes when new records are set", he says. "At Alastaro we had ignition troubles and threw in everything but the kitchen sink. Luckily a change in the gearbox was the main reason for us running fast. What we want to do is to get more momentum in the 60 foot area, to run something like 1.02-1.04 on a regular basis. The Camaro works extremely well downtrack, the rest is up to horsepower and we don't lack that do we! It's also nice to know that our new crewchief Heikki Parviainen can set the Camaro up to run fast, even after only 15 runs with the team."

Surprise find for Tee Rat project.
21st June: Our Home and News page sponsors ICE Automotive have come up trumps in their project to build a replica of the Stones' Tee Rat Fuel Altered. Nick Davies takes up the story:

"Since the news item was released outlining our plan, encouragement, particularly from those who have been involved in the sport since the seventies, has given an amazing illustration of the depth of support that the original car had.

"Despite this, we are still surprised at the efforts to which people have gone in an attempt to help us to build as close a replica as possible. The appeal for an injector of a similar type brought several offers culminating in the location of what appears to be the original eight-holer from Tee Rat, for which we are extremely grateful to Chris Round.

"Also, we were stunned to learn that our friends from the APIRA F.A.S.T. team responded to the challenge by locating the original Tee Rat body, still stickered and sign-written, which could prove to be a tremendous reference tool. Our thanks to Tony and Jim Usher, in particular.

"On the driving side, a weekend in the hot seat of the Super Comp altered of John McIntyre's Mc's Rat at Super Series 3 was both educational as well as great fun. Anyone who thinks that an unsprung car is the same ride as one with conventional suspension should think again! Cheers, Thug - great weekend!

"Progress in the actual build is currently limited to the parts collection and planning stage, as we are still determining the precise build specification to allow us to clear all appropriate tech requirements. Plans are still to attempt to debut the car around May 2002. We will keep you posted..."

Watson seeks a 9.90.
21st June: UK 9.90 Bike racer Paul 'Grumpy' Watson will also be testing this weekend, at Sunday's Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway, in an attempt to recover his early-season form.

"Due to another rider error I will be testing at this weekend's RWYB", says Paul. "It seems that just as we've got a handle on the clutch settings, we lost the plot for running 9.90. I apologise to my crew Kev, Martin and Jo for letting them down. Hopefully at the Cannonball I can regain the form I started off with. A big thank you to my sponsors DSD, Highpower Nitrous, and a special thank you to Kathy Taylor of Kathy's Cafe. Thanks also to Mark Steen for his help. I have struggled to do all the events so far this year so if anyone feels they could help financially they would be most welcome on board.

"Congratulations to Rachel of Team Pants who did so well at Super Series 3."

Web site updates.
21st June: Our good friend Tommy Nilsson has been hard at work on his excellent European Drag Racing Database. The latest updates include stats from the Deep Forst Nats at Sundsvall, results and records from the Nitro Nationals at Alastaro, FIA Championship standings, and stats from the Spring Championship at Piteå. You can find the European Drag Databse at www.eurodrag.com.

Swiss Comp Eliminator racer Bruno Bader's web site has been updated with a race report from the Main Event, at which he won the class. The report, illustrated with some great pictures by Remco Scheelings, is presented in both German and English and makes great reading. Check it out on the Golden Vette site at www.goldenvette.ch.

The Swedish Pro Street News Magazine at www.swedishprostreetnews.htm has been updated with some new Windows wallpaper files.

The official web site of the UK's Fireforce Jet FC team, at www.fireforce.co.uk, now contains Martin Hill's promised in-depth explanation of the problems with the body of Fireforce 2, plus notes about his first five-second run and an updated team page.

Tributes to Alex Brachtvogel.
20th June: Together with Santa Pod Racers Club we have set up a tribute page for SPR Chief Marshal Alex Brachtvogel, who died yesterday. You can view the tribute page by clicking on Alex Brachtvogel on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

If you would like to send a tribute to Alex then please E-Mail us at alextributes@eurodragster.com, and we will post it on the page.

Larsson hunts for HP.
20th June: Swedish Pro Stock Bike racer Anders Larsson is working on his new Hayabusa machine in a hunt for extra horsepower. Anders ran new PBs of 7.52/178.3 at the Nitro Nationals at Alastaro but is sure that there is more to come.

"We are about to take the engine to pieces and do some maintenance", says Anders. "We're going to do a little bit more work on the head, and then we are off to the dyno for some more tuning. We are currently aiming for approximately fifteen to twenty more BHP. Our goal is now to give Roger Petterson a good fight in Mantorp. We can't set any records at Mantorp but I'll take on Roger even there! Then we will try to set some new records in Gardemoen."

PT Bruiser shoots the breeze.
20th June: Paul Marston has been in touch with the latest news on the PT Bruiser, which missed Super Series 3 but which is expected to return at the Cannonball after spending some time in a wind tunnel.

"The Chrysler PT Bruiser has been back to Hauser Race Cars for some updates which include the provision for a carbon fibre rear wing", says Paul. "It is not definite that the PT Bruiser will need a rear wing, but it is a distinct possibility. It already has a front splitter and a Mopar Performance Parts rear spoiler but there is a possible imbalance in downforce, we suspect the splitter is possibly working a lot better than the rear spoiler - but that is just speculation, we just don`t know. We need data and I simply do not feel justified in subjecting the Bruiser to experimentation on the track when there is a better way.

"So the decision has been made, the Bruiser is booked into the MIRA wind tunnel where we can simulate all conditions and get the answers to our questions. We are pushing the envelope with the Bruiser and need their expertise before we can go to our next stage! Our thanks go out to the guys at MIRA. I am sure their facility will help us out immensely."

Paul's next event is the Cannonball, and he looks forward to meeting fans in the pits. Paul also tells us that the PT Bruiser is the subject of a light-hearted article on page 62 of the July 2001 issue of FHM.

Deep Forest results and pictures.
20th June: Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing have updated their web site with qualifying and elimination results and photographs from the weekend's Deep Forest Nationals, the highly-successful first race at the new Sundsvall strip. Check it out at www.dragracing.se.

Alex Brachtvogel.
19th June: We are sorry to have to report that Santa Pod Raceway's Chief Marshal Alex Brachtvogel died this afternoon after a long illness. Alex had been involved in drag racing for many years, in racing with his brothers Frank and Phil and lately in charge of Santa Pod's track crew whom he supervised with a high degree of professionalism and with his customary good humour.

We are sure that everyone will want to join us in sending our deepest sympathies to Alex's wife Christine, his brothers Frank and Phil, and his family and friends.

SPRC on Cannonball qualifying...
19th June: Paula Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club has been in touch to clear up what seems to be a small amount of confusion about qualifying at next week's Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway. Regular readers will remember that it was announced on 8th June that an extra half-day's qualifying, on Friday 29th June, has been added to the event. Paula tells us that this does not mean that there will not be any qualifying on Saturday.

"Qualifying will definitely be held on Saturday as well as Friday", says Paula. "We can't say how many sessions of qualifying there will be on Saturday, except that there won't be as many as usual, because the anticipated Gumball bracket will be running within the schedule as well. We have to finish by six o'clock on Saturday so that the track can be set up for the bike jump."

Because of the short-notice addition of Friday qualifying, SPRC are still taking entries for the Cannonball although Paula advises that entries are submitted very quickly. You can download entry forms from the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

...SPR on Cannonball Press Day.
19th June: Santa Pod Raceway are still looking for racers to put in exhibition passes and/or to give ride-alongs at the Cannonball Press Day, which takes place at the track next Tuesday (26th June). Expenses are on offer, plus the chance to become a media darling. Any racers interested in appearing are asked to contact Kelly at Santa Pod Raceway by E-Mail at kelly@santapod.fsnet.co.uk or by phone on 08700 782828.

Kelly tells us that the list of celebrities signed up for the Gumball bracket is just about complete; stay tuned and we'll bring you the details as we get them.

Race a pain in Pelle's butt.
19th June: Swedish Top Fuel Dragster racer Pelle Lindelöw took part in a race with a difference last weekend, at somewhat less than his accustomed pace.

Pelle's latest event was the traditional "Vätternrundan" bicycle race. This is a 300 kilometre (186 mile) trip around the Vättern lake in the south of Sweden offering all kinds of terrain, "As well as a lot of pain in the butt", says Pelle. There were 17,000 entrants and the event is said to be the world's biggest bicycle race.

"For a relatively untrained Top Fuel pilot the race took about fourteen hours at an average speed of 22 km/h (13.6 mph)", says Pelle. "The fuel was basically energy drinks of all kinds, and the consumption is a gallon an hour together with bananas and whatever else came my way which was possible to swallow. I started about 11.00 pm on Friday night and passed the finish line about 3.00 pm Saturday, definitely without needing parachutes.

"From the start on Friday night I pedalled south to Jönköping where I challenged the world record for Hot Dog consumption, before it was time to jump up on the bike again for the remaining 220 kilometres. There is about an hour to an hour and a half between pit stops where you are fed with more energy drinks (no 90% rule!), coffee, blueberry soup, more bananas and buns. Its a wonder you dont hydraulic when you go out again for the next leg.

"Technically everything worked well except for a flat tyre. The clutch problem which has been following me for a long time seems to be solved as I never felt anything of it. We need to speed up the blower a little bit and a couple of more degrees of ignition wouldnt hurt.

"Next year I probably need to cut down on smoking and take some exercising before going to the start line. If there is anyone out there who wants to do something really extraordinary and is willing to pay for it, and in return will have to remain standing for a week and suffer knee pain, I will gladly organize a group effort. It's an experience you can't top."

Pelle's next date is in Germany for what he describes as "some sort of acceleration contest" although we happen to know that it's the first round of the Swedish Top Fuel Tour which takes place at the Motorsports Against Racism festival in Wittstock next week.

You can stay in touch with all the latest news from P and G Racing on their official web site at www.pgracing.nu.

Hill bodybuilds for quick return.
19th June: UK Jet Funny Car pilot Martin Hill expects to be back in action very shortly in his five-second Fireforce 2 FC, which suffered body damage after a 5.94 run at the FIA Main Event.

Martin was minding his own business crossing the finish line at 264 mph on that pass when the new carbon fibre body failed and he could suddenly see daylight in all the wrong places. "It was definitely caused by a build up of air pressure within the confines of the body, which was not able to bleed off quick enough", says Martin. "This was due to the high wind speed also encountered on that day. The body is in for modifications and will be ready for the next event, and we should be back running the numbers again and hoping to improve on our existing record."

Martin also tells us that he is now to be the European agent for Deist equipment, if enough interest is generated. "We have a limited amount of catalogues available by request", says Martin. "We hope to stock regular items of safety wear and then expand into specialised equipment. It all depends on demand!"

For more information on Deist products or for a catalogue, contact Martin via E-Mail at martin@fireforceracing.freeserve.co.uk. Martin also tells us that a more detailed explanation of the problems with the body of Fireforce 2 will shortly be posted on the official Fireforce web site at www.fireforce.co.uk.

King thanks Nemesis.
19th June: UK Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King, who currently leads the UEM European Comp Bike Championship, has written to thank the UK's Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster team who gave his bike a lift to Alastaro last week.

"Ian King and the rest of the King Racing Top Fuel Bike team would like to thank Dave Wilson and all of his Team Nemesis Methanol Dragster team for their help and support in getting their Top Fuel bike to Finland for the Alastaro meeting", says Ian. "We could not have done it without you, so a big vote of thanks (and he's not really that grumpy)..."

Updated points standings.
19th June: The official web site of the European Top Methanol Racers Association has been updated with the FIA Championship standings after the Nitro Nationals at Alastaro, together with timing data from that race and updated driver factsheets. Check it out at www.etmra.com.

Post-Super Series 3 standings in the National Association of Supertwins Championship are now available on our 2001 Points Standings page.

Web site updates.
19th June: The News page of UK Top Fuel Dragster racer Barry Sheavills' web site has been updated with an account of Barry's weekend at Alastaro, where he was runner-up in an all-UK final. Barry's web site can be found at www.topfuel.co.uk.

The official web site of the UK's Showtime Fuel Funny Car team has been updated with a great video clip of John Spuffard's 281 mph pass at Super Series 1. Check it out at www.showtimeracing.co.uk.

David Beitler's excellent fan site David's Drag Racing Page has had some minor updates. David's page contains pictures, news, links and much more including some pages for model fans. David's page resides at both www.nitrofan.de and drive.to/nitrofan.

Hi Nitrofans! Seit langem gibt's auf meiner Webseite mal wieder ein Paar Updates! Also schaut mal vorbei wenn ihr Lust habt! Ihr knnt euch ins Gstebuch eintragen, mir e-mailen oder mal im Chatroom vorbeischauen! Also bis dann euer Nitrofan www.nitrofan.de und drive.to/nitrofan.

Weekend race coverage.
18th June: Eurodragster was reporting from Super Series 3 at Shakespeare County Raceway over the weekend. Rain wiped out qualifying which meant emergency qualifying and some exciting racing yesterday. We were struggling against an unreliable phone line but managed to post reports and pictures which you can view by clicking here, or via the 2001 Event Coverage link on the left hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing have posted a report plus qualifying stats from the rain-affected Bike Weekend at Västerås over the weekend, plus brief details of the Deep Forest Nationals at Sundsvall. Check it out at www.dragracing.se.

Lees wins Perfect Light Award.
17th June: Congratulations to UK Super Street racer Bob Lees who has become the third racer, and the third Super Street racer, to win Eurodragster's Perfect Light award with a 0.500 Reaction Time in the first round of Super Street at Super Series 3. Bob wins £100.

The Perfect Light fund has been reset to £50 for the next race, the Cannonball at Santa Pod Raceway on 29th June-1st July.

Post-Main Event UK points.
17th June: The post-Main Event points standings in the UK National Drag Racing Championships are now available via our 2001 Points Standings page, courtesy of National points co-ordinators Simon Groveas and Yvonne Tramm.

Mopar Euronationals moves to SPR.
16th June: This year's Mopar Euro Nationals, which was originally to take place at Shakespeare County Raceway on 28th-29th July (see below), is now to take place at Santa Pod Raceway over the August Bank Holiday.

"It's now official, the Mopar Euro Nationals has been rescheduled for Friday-Sunday 24th-26th August 2001 at Santa Pod Raceway", says Hugh Potter. "Details were finalised today and the news has been posted on the Mopar Muscle Association message board. Gates are open from 10:00 am on Friday 24th. The usual bar facilities, entertainent etc are open on Friday night, and I believe that as usual the resident Mopar Nats band 'Executive Relief', will be doing the musical honours on Saturday night.

"Racing will take place on the Saturday and Sunday, but there will be no racing on the Friday or the Monday. The decision not to continue through to the Monday was taken so as not to risk diluting the event too much. Prices have yet to be finalised, but the usual sign on fee etc. will apply."

For more details check out the Mopar Muscle Association web site at www.mopar.uk.net.

TM minus one at SS3.
15th June: Paul Stubbings, Crew Chief of the UK's Krypton Top Methanol Dragster team, has written to tell us that he and driver Wendy Baker will not be testing at this weekend's Super Series 3 after all.

"Due to several previously unknown problems - worn clutch fingers, suspect roller lifter, non-calibrated data logger to name but a few - we have had to cancel our entry to the meeting while we wait for more parts from the states which will not arrive in time", says Paul. "Same old story - not enough time!"

Read takes TF Championship.
15th June: Congratulations to the UK's Steve Read who has won Australia's ANDRA Top Fuel Championship. Dragster Australia contributor Ivan Sansom writes:

"Steve's weekend, in the Santo's Cranes Top Fueller, proved a notable success - beating Jim Read in the held-over final round from the ANDRA Nationals on the Saturday night, repeating the feat in the first round of eliminations on Sunday and taking the Winternationals trophy over Roy Smith's no-show. Although Steve missed out on his 300 mph goal, he took the ANDRA series championship as a result of winning two finals within a single race. Results, pictures and points are now available through the ANDRA web site at www.andra.com.au, the Willowbank Raceway web site at www.willowbank-raceway.com.au, and Cackling Pipes at members.optushome.com.au/cacklingpipes/mainpage.htm."

Ivan also has news of fellow ex-pat Brit Jay Upton, who competes in Australia in Top Fuel Bike. "Jay headed qualifying in the Top Bike programme with a 7.01, defeated Dave Boreham in round one with a 7.237, but fouled out in the semis over event winner Jeff Smith."

Sko Uno, FIA Finals entry forms.
15th June: The Svensk Dragracing web site is currently carrying FIA and UEM invitation, entry forms and supplementary regulations for the Sko Uno Drag Festival at Mantorp Park on 27th-29th July. You can find the forms at www.dragracing.se/nerladdning.html.

If you have trouble downloading the forms, or if you want a pit bay with electricity, or to arrange tickets for VIPs and sponsors, then contact Motor Events direct at:

Motor Events Sweden AB
Box 60015
SE-216 10 MALMÖ
Sweden

Tel: +46 (0)40 164410
Fax: +46 (0)40 160596
E-mail: info@motorevents.com

The Santa Pod Racers Club web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc is now also carrying FIA and UEM invitation, entry forms and supplementary regulations for the FIA European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway on 14th-16th September. Please note that entries are not being accepted by e-mail, so these forms should be downloaded and then printed and posted or faxed.

Any racers needing to book hospitality for VIPs and sponsors at the FIA European Finals should contact Kelly Ingall at Santa Pod's office at:

Santa Pod Raceway
Unit 5
Airfield Road
Podington
Wellingborough
Northamptonshire
NN29 7XA
England

Tel: +44 (0)8700 782828
Fax: +44 (0)1234 782818
Email: kelly@santapod.fsnet.co.uk

More Alastaro reports.
15th June: The UK's Team Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster team is the latest to post a report of their exploits at Alastaro last weekend. Although race day ended in heartbreak for Grumpy and the guys, Crew Chief Andy Bissett has still managed to write a very entertaining account. Check it out on the News page of the Nemesis web site at www.eurodragster.com/nemesisracing.

SPR hold RWYB on Sunday.
15th June: The latest of Santa Pod Raceway's Run What You Brung events is to be held this Sunday (17th June). Gates open at 8:00 and the track usually opens by about 10:00. Entry to the facility if £8 and a further £10 and the production of a valid DVLC licence buys you as many runs as you can fit in on the famous quarter mile. More details from Santa Pod's web site at www.santapod.com or from the Santa Pod office on 08700 782828.

Weekend race coverage.
15th June: Two races will be receiving the live coverage treatment this weekend.

First up is the Bike Weekend at Västerås in Sweden, which will be covered by our good friends at Svensk Dragracing, who did all of the hard work in last weekend's Nitro Nationals coverage at Alastaro. The Bike Weekend coverage will be available at www.dragracing.se.

Eurodragster will be at Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend covering Super Series 3. Our coverage starts tomorrow morning and when it starts can be viewed by clicking on the Raceday link on the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries, or on the 2001 Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Pro Stock Performance at Alastaro.
14th June: As you may have noticed from the live reports the conditions at Alastaro certainly seemed to be to the liking of the normally aspirated Pro Stock engines. Over the course of the weekend all four Pro Stock European Records were reset. We have updated the European Bests page to reflect these new records, thanks as ever to Andy Marrs of TSI Timers for the information.

On two wheels it was Roger Petterson that has resetting the European bests as he reset his own ET and MPH records, the new marks being set at 7.397 seconds and at 180.33mph.

In Pro Stock car it was Michael Mlamgren that was in dominating form as he drove the AC Delco Camaro to a new ET record of 6.971 and a MPH record of 197.63mph, All four records were backed up within the required 1% rule.

On the subject of Malmgren Racing, crew man Magnus Cato has let us know that unfortunately due to circumstances beyond the teams control they will not be taking the AC Delco Camaro to Le Mans this year. Originally the team had hoped to expand on last years display by performing a burnout with the car, but unfortunately that will not now happen. Magnus says that he would "give my right arm to perform a burnout there! I will probably go there as a spectator, the atmosphere is just addictive"

Carter on Alastaro.
14th June: Following on with the Alastaro theme, UK fuel driver Andy Carter is the latest of the participants at last weekends Nitro Nationals to update his website with an account of the action. Andys website at www.andycarter.net is now carrying a detailed account of the event written by crew chief Eddie Corr, beginning before the event actually started and going all the way through to after the team had clinched their final round victory, which put them right back in contention in the FIA championship standings.

Methanol Bonus at SS3.
14th June: Top Methanol fans could do a lot worse than head for Shakespeare County Raceway this weekend, where a Top Methanol Funny Car and a Top Methanol Dragster will be testing at Super Series 3.

In TMFC, Doug Ripley will be continuing his licencing which was curtailed by a transmission failure at a Run What You Brung at Santa Pod Raceway earlier this season. Doug escaped injury even though the transmission ended up resting against his leg after letting go, and is back this weekend intent on leaving his problems far behind.

Wendy Baker and Paul Stubbings will be running Dave Wilson's Krypton TMD in Super Pro ET. We understand that the thinking behind this is that the class is guaranteed a certain number of qualifying sessions on Saturday and then eliminations on Sunday which makes it easier for the team to plan their schedule. Super Pro's lower limit is 6.30 seconds and the Krypton team will be hoping to break out in spectacular fashion.

If you are going along to Shakespeare County Raceway then action starts at 10:00 am Saturday and 11:00 Sunday. For more information including the official entry list, check out the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries.

Perfect Light up £25.
14th June: With nobody cutting that perfect reaction time at The FIA Main Event it means that Eurodragster's Perfect Light fund goes up again for round 5 of the National championship at Super Series 3 this weekend. For the first time the prize fund has made it into 3 figures with £100 now up for grabs. The first racer to record a perfect Reaction Time, 0.400 or 0.500 (depending on their class), during either qualifying or eliminations (but not open practice) takes the money.

If nobody records a perfect reaction time the fund will increase to £125 for the Cannonball, if we get a winner at Super Series 3 the fund will reset to £50 for the Cannonball.

We of course wish the best of luck to everybody taking part in Super Series 3.

Thanks to Everyone - Svein.
14th June: Ian King has asked us to pass on Svein Gottenberg's thanks to everyone for their concern and good wishes after his Supertwin Top Fuel crash at Alastaro.

Ian has also updated his excellent King Racing website with a report on the UEM bike classes at Alastaro, where the King racing team recorded a new personal best of 6.52 seconds. The report is available via the "Pit Lane Gossip" page.

Web site updates.
14th June: The Finnish language only website at www.paalupaikka.com has now been updated with a report and pictures from Alastaro. For those of you who like me don't speak a word of Finnish, you can get to the pictures via the "kuvagalleria" link at the bottom of the report!

The crew at feel-the-noise.com have finished uploading their photo's from Super Series 1 and 2, just in time to start all over again at this weekends Super Series 3.

More Team Reports from Alastaro.
13th June: Hot on the heals of yesterdays summary report from Kagered Racing, we have two more reports for you. Both Top Fuel Team Switzerland and Anita Makela have updated their websites with accounts of the weekends action.

The TFTS website has been updated by crewchief Horst Pauli and gives a great insight into what the team went through in order to make the race following terminal engine damage at the Main Event two weeks ago. The team spent the first day of qualifying rebuilding the motor and only got one qualifying run in before being eliminated in the first round. Despite all this the team are upbeat about the event and as Horst say "The weekend allowed us to collect important data that we can use to adjust the engine for the next events. Also we had the chance to meet a mechanic of an NHRA Top Fuel Team, who gave us additional information about our slide valve(fuel management). This information we can now use to find an engine setup to run save and nevertheless fast. As soon as Peter and Regula are back from Finland I will spend some time with Peter to discuss and analyze. We now have a few weeks before the next race, we will use the time to prepare ourselves and get everything in optimal position for thenext race."

Be sure to check out the full story at www.topfuel.ch.

Anita Makela has updated her site (www.anitamakela.com) with an update of how her weekend went. As the headline of the piece tells you it was a story of tyre smoke and blower belts for Anita, both qualifying runs going up in tyre smoke before a broken blower belt sidelined her in eliminations. Currently the English and Finnish news pages have been updated and we understand the Swedish version will be posted very shortly.

FIA points following Alastaro.
13th June: Thanks to Kjell Petterson for sending us the updated FIA points following round 2 in Alastaro. The updated points are now available from our Points Standings page.

Tog's Alastaro thanks.
13th June: As we are sure you are aware by now, Eurodragsters very own Tog spent last weekend in Finland helping out our great friends at Svensk dragracing with their reports and pictures. This all happened at fairly short notice (sorry I didn't have time to warn you properly - Stand in ED) Now that Tog is back in the country he has asked me to pass on a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the great weekend he had at Alastaro:

"Firstly I must thank Dave Wilson and the Nemesis team who invited me along, organised my plane ticket and then fed and watered me throughout the weekend; thanks also to FHRA President Tapio Valja who organised my media accreditation at very short notice; all of the FHRA, FIA and UEM officials for their help and facilities; and to all of the racers for their ready assistance and information - and for their coffee and other refreshments!

And finally I must say a very big Thank You to my good friend Christer Abrahamson of Svensk Dragracing. Christer and I worked together on the live updates on the Svensk Dragracing web site although Christer did the vast majority of the work. I had a relatively easy weekend taking pictures and doing the odd bit of typing (after I'd worked out the Swedish versions of Windows menu options), so the fact that the live updates were hugely popular was in the main down to Christer. Svensk Dragracing and Eurodragster will continue to work together at races which we both attend, and on last week's form this can only be a good thing!"

NGK and Lucas in Time Machine deal.
13th June: Adam Gleadow has been in touch to let us know that the Time Machine Junior Drag racing team are proud to announce that they have agreed sponsorship deals with NGK Spark plugs and Lucas Oils.

Adam says that "NGK spark plugs will be supplying the team with spark plugs and Lucas Oils will be providing a range of their products. We are very grateful to both companies for their involvement.
These deals commence at Super Series 3, Shakespeare County Racway, this weekend."

Web site updates.
13th June: Hasse from Swedish ProStreet News has been very busy with what seems like his third update in a week. This time the site has been updated with pictures from the South Cup race. the pictures can be accessed via http://www.swedishprostreetnews.com/Foto/index.htm.

Another webmaster who has been busy recently is Dave Nelson. Dave has updated the Fantasy Drag racing standings on his Drag Torque website.

Kagered Racing on Alastaro.
12th June: The ever professional team at Kagered Racing have already updated their website with a full report from last weekends Nitro Nationals in Alastaro.

It was an eventful weekend for the team, heres a summary from team manager Åsa Kinnemar: "This race weekend did not start well for team Kgered, who suffered a defective transmission during the first day of qualifications, that made the car lose drive. On the second day of qualifications, after repairs had been made, we were a bit unsure exactly what adjustments were needed now that the transmission was OK again. We were counting on one more qualification run, but a rain shower put an end to the day an hour early. We finished up in the third qualifying position, which is not good in a 5-car ladder, which this was going to be.

However, we made the right decisions all the way until the engine broke in the finals. The key to success this weekend was mainly managing to adjust the clutch and fuelsystem after the track conditions that changed all through the eliminations. The Alastaro track is known for this and we have had problems with it in the past. We would very much like to have won the finals, but anyway consider our performance was OK. There was nothing we could have done to prevent the breakage. Judging from the data printouts and a quick look at the engine, we have a pretty good idea of what happened although we have not yet had the time to take the engine completely apart."

For the full report, and pictures from the Main Event as well be sure to head over to www.kagered-racing.com.

Mopar Euronationals Postponed.
12th June: Jerry Cookson, press officer for Shakespeare County Raceway has issued the following statement regarding the Mopar Euronationals event:

Due to circumstances beyond the control of Shakespeare County Raceway, Mopar Muscle Association and APIRA, the Mopar EuroNationals scheduled for July 28th/29th has been postponed. A revised date will be announced in due course.

No Bruiser at SS3.
12th June: Paul Martson and the PT Bruiser team have issued the following press release to update fans on the progress of the team and to explain their non attendance at this weekends Super Series 3.

Unfortunately we will not be attending Super Series III with the PT Bruiser, we made this decision some time ago and is the only meeting we should miss this year. Crewchief Dave Kalisz has a family wedding to attend so without such a vital crew member we decided not to attend. Being still in a sharp learning curve with the PT Bruiser, it is vital that all the essential members of the crew learn at the same rate. That said we are making very good use of out time off as I had another moment at the first round elimination of Super Comp at the Main Event against Zane Llewellyn, says driver Paul Marston. After completing the pass the back of the PT Bruiser got loose and I had to fight to get her slowed down and pointing in the same direction, luckily I won!

I must thank Zane for his quick thinking as he stood on the brake pedal to give me room as soon as he saw me get loose. It is at times like this that running against an experienced driver like Zane really helps, it kept us both safe, Zane has had his share in the past to deal with and knows the signs only too well. The Bruiser veered over into Zanes lane in the shutdown area as I fought with it, the slight bump in the right hand lane across the finish line, a strong headwind, combined with the end of the spectator banking all played their part. The cause was entirely different to the one at Shakespeare County but the outcome was the same. "It was great fun, she nearly got away that time, it was a close one " Paul was heard saying afterwards As luck would have it we had a crewmember at the top end of the track on the tv camera tower and caught it all. With this valuable information we will be carefully looking at all contributory factors over the next couple of weeks to see if we can determine exactly what is causing this apparent susceptibility to certain conditions. We need to have a stable platform before we can move to our next stage, we will succeed, the whole crew are highly motivated and enjoying themselves which is key, we have a great team spirit. "I could not do it without these guys they are just such great fun to be with" says Paul. At every event we learn more and more about the PT Bruiser, the development is coming along really well.

We also ran our fastest pass ever an 8.77, quite surprising as it was dialed to run an 8.93! This little car is just full of surprises. Zane was upset, even though he won the race with a very tight package, we have taken his King of Speed crown in Super Comp. Here we come!

But thanks to Rockingham.
12th June: At the same time as bring us up to speed on their on track efforts, the PT Bruiser team have also found time to keep us informed of whats happening away from the drag strip. As you may remember from last weeks news item the team were invited to attend the Power Tour event at Rockingham Motorspeedway. Paul Marston takes up the story:

"We would like to thank Rockingham Motor Speedway for their hospitality at last weeks Power Tour round. We were given as much pitspace as we needed and sited directly behind the main grandstand beside Power Tour Radio Centre and the Winners Circle Rostrum. We had lots of visitors to our pits and undoubtedly were the crowds favourite attraction, outside of the action on the racetrack of course. Nearly all our time was spent talking to the public, at times every crewmember was talking to a different group of spectators. We fired up on both days, which bought a lot of smiles to a lot of faces and a lot of fingers in ears! Little did I know but the crew had noticed when running the motor and blipping the throttle the entire, quite sizeable crowd ducked. I was in the Bruiser so completely oblivious to this the crew played a somewhat amusing game of crowd ducking, taking a lot longer to check the pump shot on the carbs, but the crowd didn`t mind, they loved it.

British motorsport enthusiasts know their stuff, the questions were informed and diverse with a lot of people asking where they could see the Chrysler PT Bruiser in action next, to which we told them at the Cannonball at Santa Pod. Old faces like Liam Churchill ex-EuroSting Capri Funnycar pilot who Jeff Hauser no less, used to crew for looked us up, plus many many others. The other teams from Porsche Cup, TVR Tuscan Challenge, Formula 3, many others and of course the Chrysler Viper GT guys also visited us, were very impressed at the Build quality of modern Drag Race cars. Astounded at the horsepower our Jari Konola Pro Stock Motor developed and complemented us on our professionalism and presentation, in such company that is high praise indeed. We have always found everyone very friendly at these kinds of venues and were made to feel very welcome. Rockingham is simply the best motor racing facility I have been to, you really can see 95% of the circuit from any seat and it was a joy to see Tim Harvey muscle, fight and eventually secure a well deserved 2nd Place in his GT1 Class Dodge Viper.

Special thanks go to Dan Mayo for looking after us, the Viper Club for inviting us everyone at Paul Marston Racing for their time in making it happen, our Principle Sponsor Chrysler UK and associate sponsors Mac Tools, ATI Transmissions, Individual Clothes Company, Redline Oils. Watch out for some special announcements in the future."

Jade Racing record hunting it at SS3.
12th June: Our good friend Ozzy has stopped by in his guise as PR man for World Record holding 2-Stroke team Jade Racing to give us an up date on whats happening.

The team had a very successful Test and Tune weekend at Shakespeare County raceway at the beginning of June with Jerry Collier going faster than his current record and taking the bike into the 9.50's for the first time. The runs didn't count as a record as it wasn't a sanctioned event. The aim at this weekends Super Series 3 is to hopefully reset the record down into the 9.50's for the first time officially.

Ozzy would also like to remind all Racers "don't forget if you need any Red Line Oil brought to Super Series 3 this can be ordered direct from Jade Racing. All enquiries to Ozzy via info@jaderacing.com and if anyone would like our current price list then include RLPL in the subject line, all orders received by Wednesday to ensure delivery at the track this weekend."

Nitro Nationals results.
11th June: The FIA- and UEM-class winners, at the weekend's Nitro Nationals at Alastaro were:
  • FIA Top Fuel Dragster: Andy Carter (England)
  • FIA Top Methanol Dragster: Rob Turner (England)
  • FIA Top Methanol Funny Car: Ulf Leanders (Sweden)
  • FIA Pro Stock: Michael Malmgren (Sweden)
  • UEM Comp Bike: Sverre Dahl (Norway)
  • UEM Supertwin Top Fuel Bike: Per Bengtsson (Sweden)
  • UEM Pro Stock Bike: Roger Petterson (Sweden)
It was certainly an all action weekend at Alastaro, with new European records in both Pro Stock classes, Åke Bagarn Persson, Kenneth Söderström and Svein Gottenberg all walking away from nasty looking accidents and the event getting completed despite rain interrupting qualifying.

Eurodragsters very own Tog made the journey, thanks to Dave Wilson and the Nemesis team and spent the weekend helping out our great friends at Svensk Dragracing with their live reports and pictures from the event. these proved to be so popular that Svensk's ISP was forced to add additional capacity to their server to cope with the demand! To read all the stories from the weekend and catch up with the photo's of the action, head to the Svensk web site at www.dragracing .se.

Web site updates.
11th June: Zane Llewellyn has updated the Bristol Doorslammers website with a whole host of news about whats going on with the numerous racers based out of planet Bristol and also a report of the Main Event race meeting. In addition to all that Zane has given the site a "spring clean"

Zane has also had a message for Andy Carter following his win in Alastaro: "The Bristol Doorslammers would like to congratulate our old Anglia Doorslammer mate Andy Carter on his win at Alastaro. Well done Andy!"

Also getting in on the spring cleaning act are Gary and Phil Cottingham who have completed the relaunch of their website. The site which was previously hosted at www.dragracing.atfreeweb.com has been retitled Dragster World and is now hosted at its own url, www.dragsterworld.com.

Ian Hook has again been busy with the FB Racing website, with updates to the news section and a highly entertaining race report from Santa Pods Main Event, as well as updated points standings for the Custom Car Street Eliminator series. Ian's web site really has become one of the focal points for Street Legal racing carrying info on the Northern Street Car Challenge and the Street Machine Street Racer Sunday series in addition to all the Custom Car Street Eliminator info. We can strongly recommend waiting until the boss has gone out, grabbing a cup of coffee and spending half an hour reading through this excellent site! Its all at www.fbracing.co.uk.

Poms Progress.
10th June: A big thanks to Dragster Australia's European correspondent, Ivan Sansom, for the heads up on what two ex-pat Brits are doing on the Australian scene.

As we reported back in March, relocated Brits Steve Read and Jay Upton are stars of Australian drag racing in the Top Fuel Dragster and Top Bike brackets respectively. Steve is in a very tight race for the ANDRA Top Fuel championship which will be resolved this weekend at the series ending Konica Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway outside of Brisbane. As well as looking for a 300mph ticket, Steve is tied for the points lead with Australian veteran Jim Read, and will face Jim in the Top Fuel Final carried over from the rained out ANDRA Nationals in March, as well as competing in the Winternationals eliminator. You can keep in touch with Steve and Jay's progress through the Winternationals results link at http://www.andra.com.au/

Draging at Rockingham.
9th June: Paul Marston will become the first and quite possibly only drag racer to take his race car to the new Rockingham Motor Speedway complex this weekend, and if you have access to the Eurosport TV channel you can watch him in action. Paul takes up the story:

The Paul Marston Racing Super Comp Chrysler PT Bruiser will be appearing at the Power Tour Series that goes out on Eurosport this weekend. I believe the Power Tour features Formula 3, TOCA British Touring Car, the GT Series that features the Dodge Vipers and a full supporting programme. We will be part of the pre-race show which includes doing a parade lap of the track prior to the race on Sunday. It is believed that we will be actually be the first ever Drag Race car to appear at Rockingham and do a lap. We will be representing Chrysler and Drag racing, escorting the largest ever gathering of Dodge Vipers ever assembled outside of the States. As most of us know Rockingham is a brand new one mile oval Super speedway in Corby built to American spec, this is the first major meeting the new track has staged. We were invited at extremely short notice, in fact I stepped off of a plane from a short break Friday and went straight to the Paul Marston Racing workshops to prepare the Bruiser. Crewchief Dave Kalisz picked me up from the airport only on the condition that we went to PMR before he took me home! I obviously agreed, what else could I do, I was 2,000 miles away and he had my car keys and the car! As luck would have it Bruiser was still in one piece, she is scheduled for a major service and inspection Although it is at short notice the crew are all very excited about being there, I must thank Crewchief Dave Kalisz & Mick in particular for rearranging their weekends around this very special event. If you are going come and say hello.

We are sure the Bruiser will make a huge impact on our circuit racing friends and look forward to seeing the TV coverage.

Matchrace Madness at the Gumball.
9th June: As we mentioned in the previous news item, the Cannonball (Gumball) Event at Santa Pod has been extended to 3 days to allow for some extra on track activities. Caroline Day of Santa Pod Raceway has been in touch to reveal a bit more about those events. In addition to the already revealed World Record Jump attempt and the "Celebrity RWYB race" there is now news of a very interesting match race.

Caroline says the plan is to run "Damon Hill, in a formula one car v Barry Sheavills, in his Top Fuel Dragster." Both drivers are previous FIA Champions in their choosen sports and Barry has already showed this season that he his back to his best with his 5.008 pass at the Main Event.

Maximillion Cooper, founder of the famous Gumball Rally and organiser of the celebrity element of Santa Pod's event said today "This has not been totally confirmed but Damon Hill is up for it, so are his management - it's just a matter of logistics and getting a car organised." Barry Sheavills is of course in Finland this weekend competeing at the second round of the FIA championships so we will try and speak to him on his return to find out how he feels about the chance to race Damon Hill. The Cannonball will still feature the funnycars, as is traditional, with the second round of the Nitro Funnycar championships.

For more information on the event, stay tuned to the Santa Pod web site at www.santapod.com.

Hockenheim for Gleadow.
9th June: Adam Gleadow has let us know about an exciting addition to the teams plane for this season.

"We have been invited to race at the Nitro Olympics, Hockenheim on August 17-19, with our junior dragster. We think that we are the first UK junior dragster team to be invited to race at Hockenheim. We are looking fowards to going to this excellent event."

We also understand that the team hope to have their new web site up and running shortly.

3 Days for Cannonball.
8th June: Santa Pod Racers Club have issued the following statement advising competitors of a change to the format of the Cannonball meeting. The meeting will now be held over 3 days, not the 2 days of previous years.

Due to previous years' limited success at the Cannonball events, it has become necessary to change the format of this particular event. Therefore, in addition to our regular Championship racing format there will also be some extra track activities, which, unfortunately, will limit the amount of time to run the amount of qualifying you usually expect at Santa Pod Raceway. Due to this the Santa Pod Racers Club and Santa Pod Raceway have felt it necessary to open the event from Friday, 29 June. The gates will open at 9 am (please check your Final Instructions closer to the time of the event for definite confirmation) and scrutineering will commence at 9.30 am. The track will open for qualifying at 1.30 pm.

We realise that this is short notice and hope it will not inconvenience you too much.

Thank you for your understanding.

Santa Pod Racers Club & Santa Pod Raceway

The Santa Pod Racers Club website has now been updated with downloadable entry forms for the Cannonball, the Bug Jam and also for the FIA European Finals. In addition to the usual forms, SPRC are also asking all Sportsman racers to complete a pit space form to enable them to more accurately assign pit space to everybody. All forms are in a Word format and should be returned to SPRC at the usual address (its shown on the forms). Any queries regarding entry, or about the addition of an extra day to the Cannonball should be addressed to Paula Marshall at Santa Pod Racers Club, paula@sprc.fsnet.co.uk.

Web site updates.
8th June: Our good friend Hasse from Swedish Pro Street News has updated the site with a batch of pictures taken at the NPSC Feringe.

Dave Nelson has updated the points standings in his Fantasy Drag Racing competition following a late entry from Dan Bennett. Dave takes up the story:

"There has been a new entrant into the championship, Dan Bennet, currently sat on 47 points, from a possible 63 for late entrants. If he had entered earlier, he would now be on 94 points, which would be 2nd place.
Darren Prentice got the highest at 95 from a possible 126, which means there is still a chance for anyone to take the league at this stage."

If you are interested in taking part, there is still just enough time to enter, the deadline being midnight tonight. For more details, including how to enter, check out www.dragtorque.co.uk.

TFTS head for Finland.
7th June: Horst Pauli, Crew Chief of Top Fuel Team Switzerland has contacted us to lets us know that the Peter Beck and the team are going to be competing in the second round of the FIA European Drag racing championships, being held at the Nitro Nationals at Alastaro Raceway, Finland, this weekend.

"We were thinking about skipping the race in Alastaro, after we lost an engine and a lot of parts in the engine explosion in the semi-final at the Main Event. When we got home we made a lot of phone calls and managed to get the parts we needed, so Peter and Regula started to drive the trailer northwards. All the parts will arrive at Alastaro hopefully today or early tomorrow. We will build the engine during the first day's qualifying. It means that we will not be as well-prepared as usual, but at least that we will be able to participate. It also means that we will have to take a small step backwards - we have to use some of last year's set-up. Our goal can't be to win the race at Alastaro, and that is really hard to accept, but at least we will learn how to run the rest of our season. From the next few runs we hope to get the the data to build as competitive a combination as possible. We need all the luck we can get!"

For more information on this popular team and for more of an insight into what happened at the Main Event check out their website at www.topfuel.ch.

Svensk and Eurodragster at Alastaro.
7th June: The Svensk Dragracing site at www.dragracing.se is currently carrying a preview of this weekend's Nitro Nationals at Alastaro Raceway, Finland. As well as being a Nordic Drag Racing Series round, the Nitro Nationals is the second round of the FIA and UEM European Drag Racing Championships.

Svensk Dragracing will be posting qualifying and elimination notes, results and pictures over the weekend, starting on Friday afternoon.

We are pleased to announce that Eurodragster will also have a presence at Alastaro at the weekend. Raceday reporter Tog will be working with Svensk Dragracing's Christer Abrahamson on the live updates from the event. We are very grateful to Dave Wilson of Team Nemesis for making Tog's trip happen, and to Christer and FHRA president Tapio Vlj for arranging media access at very short notice.

If you see Tog at Alastaro then be sure to say hello, and stay tuned to Svensk Dragracing over the weekend for the latest news from the Nitro Nationals.

For Sale, Going Quick.
7th June: Brian Johnson has put the quickest and fastest Top Fuel Bike in Europe up for sale. Full details and specifications of the bike are available on Brian's website at www.brianjohnson.co.uk. Included in the sale are all the spares, tools & accessories. Interested parties should contact Brian at brian.j@btinternet.com or via +44 (0)1344 625182

Fix one, Find another.
7th June: Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Ian Hook has been in touch to let us know the latest update on the 8 second street legal '34. As some of you may remember the Main Event saw the team record their first 8 second pass before being dogged by transmission problems.

Ian takes up the story: "We have found the fault in the transmission. Hooray! We stripped the box last night & discovered that the drum onto which the first gear band applies was undersize. This meant that the band could not fully apply as the two ends would butt up against each other. The drum is three seasons old but the problem had not previously reared it's head as previous bands had a thicker lining. The new Kevlar band we fitted after the torque converter blew had a thinner lining giving rise to the first gear clutch burnout. The box is currently in my garage being re-assembled and Trev & I hope to refit it on Friday."

The story doesn't end there though as is so often the case, just when you think you have final got to the bottom of things, something else crops up. "Unfortunately we now have another problem (it's been one of those seasons!). Whilst running the engine at Halfords on the weekend the oil pressure dropped to 25 psi and stayed there. Even at 4,500 rpm. There are several possible causes which we will investigate over the weekend and I am feeling confident that we can fix it before Super Series 3."

Web site updates.
7th June: Bob Valder, webmaster of feel-the-noise.com has sent us the latest news about the site.

"feel-the-noise.com has been updated to include an all-new section devoted to the Junior Dragster class. The "menu" system has been revised to speed up searching for those sections of interest, and a completely revised section for bikes now has over 80 photographs covering most classes of bikes. Following a number of requests, Anni has promised to pay more attention to the 9.90, 10.90 and competition bikes at SS3, just ensure your bike is colourful, mean, or both! There are still loads of photos from SS1 & 2 to be added to the site, we are working as fast as we can, so readers are urged to check back regularly."

Tommy Nilsson has been busy keeping the excellent European Drag Racing Database at www.eurodrag.com up to date with all the latest results. The latest update includes results from the 14th Grand National at Alteno Raceway in Germany, Islanders Speed Weekend at Frya Raceway in Norwayand from Super Series 1 & 2 at Shakespeare County Raceway, UK. In addition to all this the latest FIA Championship standings are also available.

And finally Eurodragster staffer Sharkman has finally managed to get his website updated with a report and pictures from the Main Event. In addition to this there are also some new video clips and new wallpapers from the Main Event. It can all be found at www.eurodragster.com/sharkman

Project X takes shape.
6th June: UK Supertwin Fuel racer Steve Clutterbuck is making good progess with his new bike, which is currently dubbed Project X.

"It's all very low budget", says Steve. "The motor is a 114 cc single cam EVO, it's been freshened up by Willem Been who let me have motor plates, outrigger plates plus full body. Plus, for a moderate sum, a primary drive and clutch set-up. The chassis is being put together by Zane Llewellyn, who lives about a mile from me - this will be his first bike frame. The rest I will do myself. We hope to bring the hole thing to the track for around £6000: like I said, real budget stuff!

"By now quite a few people know that my team is a family thing. My son and daughter are my crew, and my daughter does a lot of the setting-up and general spannering. We are all learning together, though she is pushing very hard for a ride, look out at a Test and Tune soon!"

Steve also pays tribute to Willem Been and Karl Thiecke, who have helped him with the project. "They really are nice people (hear, hear - Ed). We met them in Hockenheim last year, they helped us out and by the end of the weekend it seemed like we had known them for years."

Stay tuned for further news on the progress of Project X.

European SSB Challenge points.
6th June: Post-Main Event points standings in this year's European Super Street Bike Challenge are now available by by clicking here, or via the 2001 Points Standings link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster page.

Super Series 3 entry list.
6th June: The official entry list for next week's Super Series 3 at Shakespeare County Raceway is now available by clicking here, or via the Entry List button of the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries.

More gazebos for sale/hire.
6th June: Colin of C & P Hot Rod Ts fame has been in touch again to offer racers gazebo sales and hire. "I now have more E-Z Ups in stock", says Colin. "They measure ten feet by ten, or you could put two together for twenty feet by ten feet. A ten by ten is £200, but rental will be cheaper."

Interested parties can E-Mail Colin for details at colinhotrodts@btinternet.com, or call 01992 634262.

Bartlett on Motorsport News article.
5th June: We've received the following press release from FIA Championship promoter and Trakbak Racing CEO Keith Bartlett, which refers to an article in last week's Motorsport News.

"I would like it to be known that the article in Motorsport News on Wednesday 30th May in which it was stated that I would move drag racing away from Santa Pod is not correct. The article indicated that if certain planning consents were not forthcoming then I would have no alternative but to move drag racing away from Santa Pod Raceway. Firstly, this is not the situation at all and has never been the case. Both my companies and myself intend to remain at Santa Pod Raceway (bearing in mind one of the companies owns Santa Pod Raceway) and continue to develop both drag racing and the facility over the next ten years. What I actually told to Motorsport News was that the sport of drag racing needs more tracks across the UK and that at various times over the past five to seven years I had discussions with a large potential facility in the North East of England, which is where I personally believe a large market exists for drag racing.

"I have been in touch with the editor of Motorsport News and we are seeking a way to address some of the comments made in that article.

"Most people who know me also know that, as a rule, I never react to any articles or press about either Santa Pod Raceway or myself whether positive or negative. However, I felt it was very important to put the record straight on this one."

New Chief Starter at SCR.
5th June: Last weekend's APIRA Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway saw the first appearance of a new member of the start line crew. Clerk of the Course Richard Warburton takes up the story:

"The gentleman concerned is usually behind a camera or a laptop but decided to get his hands dirty this weekend at our Test and Tune. He did a tremendous job under sometimes difficult circumstances and APIRA would like to send him a big THANK YOU. The gentleman in question... Eurodragster's Sharkman, or as he is now known 'Startman on the Shark Line'! Thanks Sharkie, excellent job."

A big thank you from me to everybody at Shakey County for having the faith in me to put me on the startline in the first place and for all their help and encouragement over the two days. It was a pleasure working with you all. - Sharkman

Kågered's singles match.
4th June: Swedish Top Fuel Dragster and Top Methanol Funny Car pilot Micke Kågered has announced that he will not be driving both cars at this weekend's Nitro Nationals at Alastaro. Micke will be racing the TMFC at the Alastaro event and will take his next trip in the Top Fuel Dragster at the first Swedish Top Fuel Tour round at Wittstock at the end of this month.

"We will take one event at a time, mostly running the cars separately", says Kågered Racing Team Administrator Åsa Kinnemar. "We are considering running two cars again at Mantorp Park and at the European Finals, but no decision has been made yet - this has to be decided between Micke and Knut Soderquist, who owns the Top Fueller."

You can stay in touch with the latest news from Kågered Racing on their official web site at www.kagered-racing.com.

Lindelöw's Final Strike.
4th June: Fellow Swedish Top Fuel Dragster racer Pelle Lindelöw has announced that he is to retire from racing at the end of the 2001 season. Pelle, who makes his first appearance of the year at Alastaro at the weekend, started drag racing in the 1970s and has become a fixture on the European scene.

"The race in Alastaro will be the start of our twenty eighth season and at the same time the last for P & G Racing in it's present form", says Pelle. "There are several reasons why we will 'put the helmet on the shelf' after this season, but to make a very long story very short there are two reasons behind our decision more than any other: time and money.

"We have always tried to have the best possible equipment, to invest in only the best stuff to be able to fight at the top level, but with the current exchange rate it's more or less impossible to maintain that standard and pay from your own pocket. To find funding from sponsorship takes time and that's the second problem - there isn't enough time, it's a true Catch 22 situation. When your daily work takes more and more time from racing, it's time to make a decision in which direction to go and that is what we have finally done.

"I say 'in its present form' is because we don't know what will happen after the season, and we want to keep all doors open. We've said that we shall run six races this year: Alastaro next weekend, the four races in the Top Fuel Tour, and the big Final at the Pod in September. That's our commitment and that is what we will do. Everything is for sale at this moment: the race car with spares, truck and trailer, equipment, the whole lot. But there will be no deliveries until after the European Finals.

"Over the years we have worked with people who gave us high hopes but when it's time to pay the bills we have to find the funds ourselves, as it's very hard to pay with promises. Thanks to the Top Fuel Tour we have been able to stay around for a couple of years more than we thought, but we have now we reached the point of no return. We are not going to run another 'last season' and then be back again like others have done, this is it!

As far as the race at Alastro is concerned, all I can say at this moment is that we have never spent so much time in preparation, so we are really looking forward to it. There are going to be seven good cars there so we need to be on top to be able to stay in competition. As it's our first outing with the 90% setup, there are going to be a lot of unknowns so we actually don't expect to run the really low figures immediately. Of course I wouldn't mind if that happened, but we're not counting on it, yet..."

For more information from P & G Racing, visit their official web site at www.pgracing.nu.

Smax strips for world record.
4th June: UK Fuel Funny Car racer Smax Smith and his team set a new world record at the Billing Rod and Custom Show yesterday. In the presence of adjudicators from the Guinness Book of Records, the Mainline Menace team stripped and re-assembled the engine of the Fuel FC in record time.

"The rules were that the engine had to be started and run for thirty seconds, then stripped down and all push rods, pistons and bearings placed on a table next to the adjudicators", says Alex Leighton. "With this done the timer was stopped for a five minute breather for the crew. After five minutes the motor was re-assembled and fired up for another run of thirty seconds. Smax and the team set a record for using power toolsof one hour, two minutes and twenty five seconds."

Congratulations to Smax and the team. A report will be published in due course on Smax's web site at www.smax.co.uk.

SPR seek Press Day help.
4th June: Santa Pod Raceway have asked for racers' help with appearances at the Press Day before the Captain Gumball/Cannonball race at the end of June.

"The Press day for this event will take place on Tuesday 26th June, not on a Wednesday as we normally do", says Santa Pod's Caroline Day. "I am keen to hear from any racers who would like to come along and put in a couple of demonstration runs for the press. Good looking cars or unusual looking vehicles always go down well, and the invitation applies to drag bikes aswell. I am particularly interested in cars which can run passenger seats - it normally guarantees a sizeable article or feature for the driver, Santa Pod Raceway, and the sport as a whole if we can offer the experience of a fast ride!"

Any racers interested in appearing at the Press Day should call Caroline Day or Kelly Ingall at Santa Pod Raceway on 08700 782828.

Davies accepts big Mac offer.
3rd June: Following last month's announcement that our Home and News page sponsors I.C.E. Automotive are to build a replica of the Stones' 1970's AA Fuel Altered Tee Rat comes the news that Nick Davies will be driving John MacIntyre's Super Comp altered Mac's rat at Super Series 3 at Shakespeare County Raceway on 16th-17th June.

"We'd like to thank John for his very generous offer of a weekend racing the Mac's Rat altered in Super Comp", says Nick. "I've never driven an unsprung race car, so it will prove invaluable to experience the driving position and reaction of the car on the race track. It will also help in the build of Tee Rat with respect to seating position and layout of controls."

Nick is at pains to stress that this is a one-off, as his primary efforts continue to be concentrated on the support of Tim Adam's dual attack on the UK Super Gas and Super Comp National Championships.

Nick and Rob Loaring are also grateful for the support of Eurodragster readers, and for their help in locating a genuine Crower injector for the Tee Rat. "We would also like to thank everyone who e-mailed with messages of support for the Tee Rat project, which is continuing on schedule. Following the appeal for information on the Crower injector, we believe we may have made a significant breakthrough. We'll announce more when things become concrete."

More points posted.
3rd June: The remaining post-Super Series 2 points standings, which include ACU bike classes and Custom Car Street Eliminator, are now available via the Results page of the Super Series web site at www.eurodragster.com/superseries. Many thanks to APIRA Points Co-ordinator Simon Groves for providing the points.

The European Top Methanol Racers Association web site has also been updated with FIA Top Methanol points standings and TM timing data from the Main Event. Check it out at www.etmra.com. The ETMRA site also has a new feature in the form of a Manufacturers Mall. "Any manufacturer who would like to see their products added to this site, which is the site for Top Methanol Racing in Europe and checked frequently by all the racers, please get in touch with me at dave_ale@etmra.com says ETMRA's Dave Alexander.

Web site updates.
3rd June: The web site of the UK's Team Nemesis Top Methanol Dragster operation has been updated with a detailed report from the Main Event, written by Crew Chief Andy Bissett. As is to be expected with Andy's reports the account is both informative and highly entertaining. You can find it on the News page of the Team Nemesis web site at www.eurodragster.com/nemesisracing.

Eurodragster staffer Tog has updated his personal web site Tog's Drag Racing Page with photographs from the pre-Main Event testing and Press Day. TDRP can be found at www.togsdragracing.com. Tog has more than two hundred photographs to scan and post from the Main Event itself and promises that he will get it done just as quickly as he can.

Darren tops Fantasy stakes.
3rd June: With the first round completed, there are those who may find it a little suspicious that an International Race Director should be leading Dave Nelson's 2001 Fantasy Drag Racing championship. We of course would dismiss such people as conspiracy theorists, but any racers DQ'd on questionable grounds last week should of course feel free to contact us at the usual address. Contest organiser Dave Nelson takes up the story:

"Currently Darren Prentice's team, Hemmingwell Motorsport, is in the lead with 95 points, closely followed by Spencer Tramm's team, Quantum Leap, at 93 points and Ian Highfield's team, Fantasy-sports-web, at 92 points. The championship is wide open at this stage, after a few upsets at the Main Event. It is still possible for a new team to take the championship. I am trying to get more players to make the championship more fun, and also as the championship was not advertised until the week before the Main Event I am going to offer a new 'late entry' deal for the season, in which any new team to register will get half the points which they would have got for the Main Event, meaning that they could still be very competitive.& The results from the first round of the Fantasy Drag Racing Championship, and details of how you can enter, are available at www.dragtorque.co.uk.quot;

Dave also promises an update to the Drag Torque site very soon, including photographs from the Main Event and team features.

Live coverage from Feringe.
2nd June: Our good friend Hasse, webmaster of the Swedish Pro Street News magazine, is posting live updates from this weekend's Nordic Pro Street Cup round at Feringe. Hasse hopes to post reports at 12:00, 16:00, and after the race on each day.

To view the coverage, go to http://www.swedishprostreetnews.com/online/index.htm and then click on Feringe at the bottom of the page.

Alastaro entry list.
2nd June: The entry list is now available for next weekend's FHRA Nitro Nationals at Alastaro, which is the second round of the FIA and UEM European Championships. The list currently stands at eight Top Fuel Dragsters, five apiece in Top Methanol Dragster and Top Methanol Funny Car, ten in Pro Stock, three Comp Bike, six Supertwin Top Fuel Bike, and four Pro Stock Bike. There are also sizeable and in some cases huge fields in all Sportsman classes including nine Pro Modified.

To view the Nitro Nationals entry list, go to www.datart.fi/fhra, click on the large Nitro Nationals logo, and then click on Osallistujat.

Lex seeks Crew Chief.
2nd June: Dutch Top Methanol Funny Car racer Lex Joon is looking for a new Crew Chief after Bernie Hepworth left the Splitfire-sponsored team after the Main Event.

"Following the last event I informed Lex Joon that I couldn't continue with his team citing the usual euphemism 'business reasons' . I wish Lex all the best for the coming season. Unfortunately some things don't work out.", said Bernie.

Lex is stepping into the Crew Chief role in the interim, but would like to hear from any interested parties.

You can find more details on the Lex Joon Racing web site at www.lexjoonracing.nl.

UEM Championship points.
2nd June: Post-Main Event points standings in the UEM European Drag Bike Championships are now available on the King Racing web site at www.kingracing.com - click on the FIM Championship link.

Web site updates.
2nd June: Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Allen Curtis has updated his No Manners Racing web site with a short report about his weekend at the FIA Main Event. Check it out at www.nomannersracing.co.uk.

The UK1320 web site at www.uk1320.com has as promised been updated with Gareth Evans' photographs from the FIA Main Event.

Ulf: I'm perfectly OK.
1st June: Swedish Top Methanol Funny Car racer Ulf Leanders has reassured his fans that he is fine after his accident at Santa Pod on Monday, and that the Leanders Brothers team will be back in competition in Finland next week. Ulf's TMFC broadsided the guardrail in what appeared to be a bad attack of tyre shake, but what looked to be an effect - a failed rear wheel - was in fact the cause.

"I am perfectly OK, I just got some double vision for a second", says Ulf. "What seemed to happen was that the welding betwen the rim and the beadlock ring cracked and broke loose, and deflated the tyre. To me, it started to shake like the onset of tyre shake and I pedalled like I usually do. When the power came back on it sent me right into the wall."

The team have already started work on the car. "The chassis is at Mats Eriksson's ME Racing in Sweden for a check-up and repair, and the body is also going to be OK. Unless anything bad comes up, we are going to Finland", says Ulf.

Everyone will agree with us that that is great news. You can stay in touch with all the latest news from Leanders Brothers Racing on their official web site at www.leandersbros.com.

Nitrolympics information, entry forms.
1st June: Hockenheim Nitrolympics organiser and Top Fuel pilot Rico Anthes has been in touch to let us know that entry forms, driver information forms, team forms and other documentation is available on the official Nitrolympics web site at www.nitrolympics.de. The PDF-format forms are bilingual and can be downloaded via the Teilnehmer-Info/Drivers Info link.

"Our new Nitro Bike Challenge, a new race format for the big bikes, might be interesting to some British riders", says Rico. "Although we have four invited teams in each category (Supertwin Top Fuel and Comp Bike), other teams are still welcome to qualify for the numbers 4-8 spots of the round money payments and take a chance to advance into the overall final."

More details on the Nitrolympics web site, which also includes information for fans and media.

Shell Racing at APIRA Test and Tune.
1st June: The UK's Shell Racing Top Methanol and Junior Dragster team will be back in action this weekend at the Avon Park International Racers Association Test and Tune at Shakespeare County Raceway. "We will have a new Fuel System on the Top Methanol Dragstercar", says Crew Chief Martyn Hannis. "Derek Annable will be having a couple of passes so that we can set it up, before Doug Bond makes the Final pass. Joe Bond will also be there with the race motor back in his Junior Dragster."

The Shell Racing web site at www.eurodragster.com/shellracing has been updated with an account of the team's weekend at the FIA Main Event.

Martyn also tells us that the team are on the look-out for a computer for the TMD; you can find full details on the Car Parts Wanted page of our Swap Meet.

You can get more details about this weekend's APIRA Test and Tune on the APIRA web site at www.eurodragster.com/apira.

FIA/CCSE points.
1st June: The post-Main Event standings in the FIA European Drag Racing Championships are temporarily available on our Points Standings page. Our good friends at Svensk Dragracing traditionally post the FIA Championship points and once posted on their site we will remove them from our page out of courtesy. Many thanks to Kjell Petterson for providing the points.

The post-Main Event Custom Car/Brantwood Breakers Street Eliminator points standings are now available on the FB Racing site at www.fbracing.co.uk. There is also a brief report on the weekend's CCSE action. Driver Ian Hook hopes to post a full report by the weekend.

Latest Main Event updates.
1st June: As teams get home from the FIA Main Event, more reports are being posted on web sites.

Latest is the official web site of Top Fuel Team Switzerland, whose Crew Chief Horst Pauli has posted a detailed account of Peter Beck and the team's week-long residence at Santa Pod. Check it out on the excellent TFTS web site at www.topfuel.ch.

Tommy Nilsson's excellent European Drag Racing Database at www.eurodrag.com has been updated with qualifying and elimination details from the Main Event. Tommy has also added Swedish race results from the 1996 season, and updated the Competition Eliminator index page.

The UK1320 web site at www.uk1320.com has been updated with a detailed report and results from the Main Event. Webmaster Gareth Evans tells us that his photographs will be posted shortly.

Earlier news


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