FIA Pro Modified

The second European race for Melanie Troxel had a much more dominant feel to it than the first round exit at Santa Pod back in May. If anything, dominant underplays the success the R2B2 squad had at Hockenheim, setting low ET of each qualifying round (kicking off with a 6.183/239 then a 6.099/240, 6.052/241 and finishing with a 6.045/241) and the feeling that they really were playing a different game to the rest of the field. The completed rounds of eliminations followed a similar script, defeating first alternate Robert Joosten with a 6.045 and Roger Johansson with a 6.082 before unloading a 6.007/241 on a redlighting Urban Johansson to book Troxel a spot in the un-run final against Micke Gullqvist. The all R2B2 final would have been a barnstormer, and the rest of the European field will need to think up a way of negating the massive top end charge of the Camaro.

Whilst Troxel may have looked as if she was disappearing over the horizon with all the loot (she also picked up the trophy for best appearing car), a few of the European Pro Mod competitors closed up the gap considerably during eliminations. Foremost among them was the pair of Micke Gullqvist (far lane) and Mats Eriksson (near lane). Eriksson had already dipped into the 6.0 zone in the quarter finals with a 6.091 victory over Andy Robinson, and the semifinal between he and Gullqvist was a really tight affair, Gullan just nipping around Eriksson’s holeshot in the lights with a 6.042/236 to a 6.087/235 by just over a foot.