Words and photos Ivan Sansom & Rose Hughes
Thanks to TSI Timers (Europe) for access to the timing data

The freezing cold Easter meeting provided some hints about the potential of the resurfaced Santa Pod track, but everyone knew the real test would come when FIA European Championship tour rolled into town for their season opener. Did it pass? Well, new European records in FIA Pro Modified (ET), FIA Pro Stock (ET and TS) and FIM Super Street Bike (ET and TS) would fall firmly in the positive column on what was still a comparatively green track.

With rounds to come in Sweden, Finland and a newly resurfaced Hockenheimring in Germany, we’ll suggest that many of the existing marks will be reset before the return to Santa Pod in September, a clear sign of the investment that has long been apparent on the racers side is now more evident than ever on the facilities side.

Ex-comp racer Antti Horto made it fourth time lucky in Top Fuel final rounds after placing the Eagle Racing/Rune Fjeld Motorsport entry in third spot during qualifying with a 4.281. This should have led to an all RFM match-up with Risto Poutiainen (more of that below), but the remaining rounds saw a holeshot put Horto at the finishline 3 feet ahead
of Stig Neergaard (4.243/248mph to a 4.230/274mph) and a 4.152/272.61mph (coupled with a class best 0.0483s
RT) defeated fellow Finn Anita Mäkelä’s 4.334/263.84mph to take the laurels
and mark a “great start for the season”.