FIA European Drag Racing Championships, NitrOlymp’X, Hockenheimring, Germany

Words and pictures Ivan Sansom & Rose Hughes

At the end of three weekends on the trot (three countries, three languages, three currencies – tougher than the fabled Western Swing?) for a number of racers, the 25th Anniversary of drag racing at the Hockenheimring was celebrated at the 2010 NitrOlymp’X. Unfortunately, this third stop would end up in a similar fashion to the first (at Mantorp Park, Sweden) with eliminations only being partially completed thanks to a number of delays largely due to the rain showers that moved in and hung around for Sunday afternoon that pushed the meeting right up against the strict local curfew. This was a real shame as the track had seriously started to come around (the Rico Anthes Quartermile is only used on a couple of occasions each year), and the FIA classes had delivered some solid numbers in qualifying.

Major plaudits go to the promoters this season as, despite the rainout, they decided to split the prize money to the top four qualifiers in each of the sportsman brackets. However, the organizers need to have a serious look at what they want to achieve next season as the number of entries (320+) is surely too many for a meeting hamstrung by the aforementioned curfews, the requirement for a quiet period during each racing day due to noise regulations, and the time allocated for the Nightshow which brings in thousands of paying spectators who wouldn’t necessarily be there for a race. Making the event a four day meeting such as the similar sized events at Santa Pod and Mantorp (noise permits permitting)? Performance cutoffs in the sportsman categories? Or limiting the entries and classes that are run? All of these options need to be considered if the NitrOlymp’X, still one of the premier experiences on the European drag racing tour, isn’t in danger of outgrowing itself.

FIA Top Fuel Dragster

Anita Mäkelä has really found some late season form, low qualifying at the rainout at Mantorp, and repeating the trick at Hockenheim with a 4.800/299.93mph for the quickest and fastest pass of the weekend, and the consistency the team has found in their combination led to another eighty in a first round solo after Timo Lehtimäki (holder of the quickest 8 car bump spot in European Top Fuel history) had problems firing up. Having taken the crown of the ‘Quickest in Vippula’ from her husband Tommi Haapanen, Mäkelä allowed him a chance to take back the bragging rights during the Saturday night show. After a picture perfect launch, Tommi vaporized a motor at half track following a couple of stabs of the throttle, and bragging rights over the breakfast table remain very much with Anita.

When the drizzle hit on Sunday there were a number of racers who were either frustrated by the loss of opportunity or relieved that their points position wouldn’t be too badly damaged. Firmly in the former camp was Urs Erbacher. The Swiss driver had managed to break the deadlock at the top of the championship chase with an opening round defeat of Risto Poutiainen after the latter had clicked it off early as his car had made a move towards the centerline and Erbacher rumbled on through with a 4.883 to a 5.081. Denied the opportunity to make up further ground with the race called with the Top Fuel semifinalists in the staging lanes, Erbacher now has a slender 17 point lead over Poutiainen going into the Euro Finals in September.