Aches and pains kept Koedam and the Zodiac supercharged Godfather VII in the pits for the first day of qualifying, and a blown burst panel during the burnout during the third session on Saturday morning meant a single shot at making the field. No worries for Cool Roel as he wrestled the bike down the quarter to take the top spot by a tenth with a 6.562/199. Unfortunately, the tune-up for the first round of eliminations didn’t quite have enough to cover the surprising performance step up from Kemppainen, but with the rest of the points chasers (including Per Bengtsson and Hans Olav Olstad) also going out in the first round, Koedam is still very much in contention for a title in what the Dutch veteran confirmed would be his final season of competition.

UEM Pro Stock Bike

It took a bit of time after the event, but Jesper Thiel was confirmed as the 2011 UEM Pro Stock Bike champion in the first season of the Sovereign PSB team. Although Thiel would have to settle for third spot on the ladder (behind team mate Rasmus Olesen, near lane, who clicked off a 7.108/190.19, and Fredrik Fredlund) with a 7.170, Thiel’s final round berth alongside Olesen gave him enough points take the title with one event remaining.