Outgoing champion Andy Carter and the Andersen Racing/Lucas Oil team were a very long shot to get past Erbacher in the points but co-crewchief Karsten Andersen had told us they would run 4.5s at this meeting back in May and came into the Finals with a determined mindset: “we kind of knew that the championship race was over, so why not try and go for some records instead!” When the Andersens make a prediction then you’d better not bet against them, and off the trailer in the sole session on Friday, Carter flew down track to a 4.613 at only 298.83 mph besting the 4.645 European ET marks that the Andersens had tuned Kim Reymond and Carter to in 2003 and 2007 respectively. The low terminal came as the car ran out of fuel just before the finishline, fortunately only at the expense of some pistons rather than the nuclear meltdown that usually follows. Third session, and the Lucas Oil rocketship sent the crowd into raptures with a 4.572/320.19 for the quickest and fastest Top Fuel pass seen in European history (1000 foot coming up in 3.886/309.19mph). “I knew it was on one as my head was forced back in the rollcage all the way down track” commented Carter, and the team handed over a bottle of champagne to the Santa Pod track crew to thank them for delivering the surface on which to make history. Unfortunately the assault on the record books ended in the first round of eliminations, as Carter collected the timing blocks disqualifying a very early shutoff 4.962/236, but despite his disappointment that Saturday evening blast will live long in the memory.

Making the transition from championship winning ski jumper to major threat on the FIA Top Fuel tour has taken some time for Janne Ahonen, but the Euro Finals represented something of a coming of age for the Eagle Racing team. Crewchief Tony Pearson gave Ahonen a solid 4.910 tune up for fifth spot on the ladder, and a 5.032/281 was enough to outrun a smoking and sideways Stig Neergaard in the first round of eliminations. Semifinals and Ahonen’s 5.111/265 was enough to get past a tyresmoking Micke Kågered, but a 4.986/270 wasn’t enough to hold off Erbacher’s championship underlining blast.