The Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway

FIA European season begins

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

With cool conditions giving the opportunity to make huge amounts of horsepower, the season opener for the FIA European Drag Racing series kicked off in record-breaking form at Santa Pod Raceway. New marks were set in FIA Top Fuel Dragster, FIA Pro Stock Car and FIM-E Super Street Bike, accompanied by a slew of PBs across the piece. A pretty solid start to the 2015 season following a winter that once again has been beset with further splits in the sport across the continent.

FIA Top Fuel Dragster

Fan favourite Anita Mäkelä dominated the proceedings in the premier class, wheeling her FIA Top Fuel Dragster to low qualifying spot (with a 3.9607/301.78mph from the 'happy engine'), low elapsed time (3.9126/295.85 in the first round over Tethys with the 'happy engine' back between the rails for eliminations) and top speed (305.86mph on a 3.9227 in the semifinals against fellow Finn Jari Halinen's 4.1390/298.82) of the meeting, resetting the European ET record into the bargain, before taking the event win over Dane Stig Neergaard with a superbly consistent and quick 3.9893/300.01mph. Tuning advisor Dom Lagana was again on hand to oversee a breathtaking performance over the weekend and was full of praise for the track prep and Anita's driving.

Unfortunately Neergaard wasn't able to contest the final when a fuel haze (actually, it was more than a haze) emerged from the front of the blower on the burnout. The Dane had qualified behind Mäkelä with a 4.0449/293.96 and didn't quite manage to dip into the threes, but the Eye of the Storm team will clearly be a player in the championship this season.