In second spot, with a 4.011/293.92 carded alongside Nataas’s polesitter, Anita Mäkelä was also debuting a new ride upgraded out of the Snake Racing stable and furnished with sponsorship and new colours from Trade Parts. Frustrated by the lack of track time due to the weather, the flying Finn was nonetheless happy with the potential in the combination with Dom Lagana on hand to oversee the operation again.

Third was Stig Neergaard, and yes this was another new car, this time one of the Dane’s own creation. The 4.078/291.33 from the Eye of the Storm rail came with a few offerings to the aluminum gods in the shutdown area, but the John Bodie Smith ride looked good on debut.

This time a familiar car, but with a new driver behind the butterfly as Tethys (fresh from a couple of outings in Dave Wilson’s A/Fuel entry last season) pulled together the funds to book a ride with the Rune Field Motorsport’s chassis that Jari Halinen (more on Halinen in a moment) had steered over the past few seasons. An opening 4.1745/245 put the British driver in sixth spot in the field, despite flirting with the retaining wall towards the end of the 1000 feet distance.