The United Service Organizations in Europe (USO) hosted the MPM Oils and Marshall Funny Car teams and their drivers Gordon Smith and Jason Phelps at Kaiserslautern on the Wednesday before the event. USO is a charity that supports America's troops and their families around the world. Operations manager (Entertainments) Jake Jacobs said "The show was set up through contact with Jeff Kline and Kenny Youngblood who put us in touch with Richard Stevens. Richard said he would love to support our troops in Germany. So the Funny Cars and Thaliah Gibb's Junior Dragster appeared to a crowd of over 200 military and their families." In addition, race director Jerry Lackey kindly made it possible for a group of recovering wounded troops and medical support to visit the race on Saturday and watch the legendary night show.
As part of the visit to USO Europe, Jason, Gordon and Thaliah visited the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Ramstein Air Base. Jake Jacobs said "The USO centre was set up in 2008 as a respite unit for wounded US and NATO outpatients and has facilities for entertainers. We have recently hosted Angelina Jolie, Brad Pit and Kim Rock to entertain the patients. We appreciate the generosity of Hockenheim staff donating tickets and for Richard Stevens arranging the tour of the facility."
Top Fuel Bike racer Steve Woollatt is in the final against Ian King, with Ian having lane choice. Some conservative settings and finely judged throttle use by Steve helped him in wins against Rikard Gustafsson and Nils Lagerlöf whose Funny Bikes went up in smoke against the much more powerful nitro-fuelled bike of Steve.
Top Fuel Bike racer Peter Svensson (pictured in a TV interview with Darryl Bradford) ran a bye against a broken René van den Berg in round one but he lost lane choice against Ian King. A tyre-smoking 7.22 was not enough against Ian's 6.85. Crew chief Soren Svensson said "We are sure our rev limiter on the MSD ignition is working. We made drastic changes to the setup, taking out 45% of fuel, retarding the ignition by 7-9% and reducing clutch weight by 55%. We haven't lost in some time so I suppose it makes you more hungry for the next event."
Nostalgia Funny Car racer Wendy Baker was pleased to have given the crowd a show last night, running alongside Ramon van der Weurf in a smoke-fest. The run was not without its dramas. Wendy said "Just before us Eric Teboul made a run with the Rocket Bike and there was a fuel spillage. When we did our burnout the hydrogen peroxide caught fire and the tyre was alight as well as spinning." Wendy is looking forward to the Drachten International next weekend which is now confirmed as definitely happening.
Supertwin racer Christian Jäger qualified no.4 with a 7.47 and ran a clean 7.33 against Ismo Mäepaa and a superb 6.95 against Roman Sixta. The bike was trouble free. In the final he ran 6.86 against a red-lighting Nate Gagnon for his first UEM Supertwin win.
Competition Eliminator racer Robin Sattler races a Cosworth engined dragster without power adders and was able to run competitive times without making major changes. Crew chief and father Peter Sattler said "We had a problem with the compressed air for shifting our Liberty gearbox leaking. We need a minimum of 40 bars and now got a new bottle which will deliver 170 bars which is plenty."
Funny Car racer Gordon Smith and Crew Chief Dave Bryant were discussing the warmup when we arrived. Gordon said "We were pleased to entertain the crowds. When we turned off after the run I saw a light but turned a little early and went on the grass. Fortunately there was only grass on the wheels. We are running using a throttle stop as we want to put on a show but not to hurt the car."
Pro Stock Bike racer Fredrik Fredlund was event winner after defeating Elvira Karlsson with 7.34, a 7.30 bye in round two, winning against Eurodragster.com blogger Kalle Lyren in the semis with 7.30, and stepping up to 7.18 against Gert-Jan Laseur in the finals. He said "Lane choice was crucial so we tried to run well in every round. We still don't have a Racepak system that works as we had problems with the download. We have therefore had to run the bike rich." Fredrik will be teaming with Kenneth Vik and Anders Larsson at Tierp, Anders having acquired a new engine.
Pro Stock Bike racer Gert-Jan Laseur is pictured with crewman Patrick Brouwer, daughter Jasmign and father Job. He said "This is my first final in Pro Stock Bike and it's against my friend Fredrick - we went to Pomona together last year. I beat ulf Ögge in round two which was big even though I have been having a misfire at 300m. We found a sensor wire broken and have fixed that and am looking to run quick. We can't do Tierp as I have spent money on cylinder heads and a new injection system and blew the engine at the Main Event. I would like to thank Zodiac for their support."
Supertwin racer Martijn de Haas said that in order to try to run a good time, he had to burn plenty of clutch discs. He said "It was so important to get off the line but the track is like a casino. We have plenty of clutch plates, had hoped for a 16 bike field at Tierp, but it will probably be eight, and will travel to Tierp the week after this to run better." Martijn's best time was 8.78 for no.12.
Super Pro ET racer Jan Scheppers was out of competition after round two but wanted to make a burnout. He said "I was not so lucky and had the left lane blues. Everyone in that lane was re-lighting but after the officials adjusted the guard beam and then it was ok. We took out power, turned the nitrous off, altered the shocks and softened the clutch. My drivetrain is from a Pro Mod so I can run quick and have a best of 7.7. The transmission is a four speed Lenco but at 1500kg the truck is not easy to drive. I would like to come to Santa Pod and run a 7.5 next year." Jan has bought Henri Joosten's bus and Henri joined the team and drove the bus this weekend. He is doing some off-road racing in Holland following the loss of his car last year in a nitrous fire at the Main Event.
Junior Dragster racers Joe Kellett and Jacob Kopasz were in an all-British final which Joe won. He said "The track has been no problem for junior dragsters and my car is consistent and produces good reaction times. We will return to Sweden next year but our next races are in the UK at Shakey where I am second in the championship and leading the National Championship. We may do the final of the French season as the French juniors here have been very competitive and also very sporting." Jacob said "This is my first race outside the UK and it has been great to race against a field with so many different countries competing."
Super Gas racer Ronald van Let who runs a car repair, engine building and hot rod shop RCS, has been racing since 1989 and bought his current Vega in 1999 and finished it in 2002. He said "When I bought it I had to rebuild the frame, roll cage and change the front suspension. I built the 385cu in engine myself and was runner-up in 2005 and won Super Gas in 2010." Ronald was runner-up again this year and is pictured with crew members Henry Schouten and Rolf Kruger.
Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King made a demonstration pass at the night show. Co-owner Gerard Willemse said "The last time I can remember a track like this was when we ran in France in 1994. We are happy to have lane choice in round one as the right lane is definitely better. We changed a piston after a small problem, but otherwise the bike is running well."
Funny Car racer-in-waiting Horst Schön brought his nearly-finished car to show and the display on pit road raised a lot of interest.
Super Comp racer René Kloss is running his dragster for the second year having acquired it in 2011 from Vic Ferrer in the US. Last year ex-pat racer and carburretor expert Tony Morris was on hand to work out the bugs. RRené said "Although Tony can't be here he is helping out over the phone. We are trying to figure the track out. It will run close to the index but spun the tyres in the last run. So we are leaving the line at lower rpm and bringing the throttle stop in earlier." René is supported by main sponsor Cedros, O2, Main Graphix and Innomea; representatives from all these companies have visited the event.
Super Gas racer Rudi Fussel's car was built by Tony Morris's father and Rudi bought it in 1999. Rudi said "When I bought the power output was 500hp and now it has a blown SBC putting out 1300hp. Although I have attended the race for the last 12 years and usually run Super Pro ET, I went into Super Gas this year but did not have a muffler so unfortunately I was disqualified."
Super Gas racer Oscar Scappocin has been racing his Nova since 1994 and comes from Villanova di Camposampiero in Italy. The small block Chevy engine has Brodix heads and Powerglide trans.
Super Pro racer Beat Rechsteiner and Pro ET racer Nicole Rechsteiner are from Otelfingen, Switzerland. Nicole's car has a fibreglass '53 Vette body and aluminium BBC of 540cu in with Powerglide running a best of 9.12/237kph. Beat's '58 Vette has a aluminium 620cu in BBC with Brodix heads and Powerglide and has run a best of 8.65/263kph.
Super Pro ET racer Andy Raw and team of Steve Taylor, Chunky and Tom Pearce were upbeat despite limited running. He said "We have done the trip over a week and had a great time at RAF Spangdahlem looking at A10 tankbusters and F16 Fighter planes. The fans love the car and many thanks to Charlie Draper without whom we wouldn't have been able to run at all. This is a once in a lifetime experience, we thank Jerry Lackey for including us and it has banished the memories of my accident on the way here last year, particularly as Steve has done all the driving." The team's next outings are possibly the Euro Finals, and then the UK National Finals.
The teams lined up for the night show. There were passes by both wheel driven and thrust vehicles and entertainment by stunt drivers and riders and a scary fire-eater in front of a packed crowd of over 30,000.
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As part of the visit to USO Europe, Jason, Gordon and Thaliah visited the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Ramstein Air Base. Jake Jacobs said "The USO centre was set up in 2008 as a respite unit for wounded US and NATO outpatients and has facilities for entertainers. We have recently hosted Angelina Jolie, Brad Pit and Kim Rock to entertain the patients. We appreciate the generosity of Hockenheim staff donating tickets and for Richard Stevens arranging the tour of the facility."
Top Fuel Bike racer Steve Woollatt is in the final against Ian King, with Ian having lane choice. Some conservative settings and finely judged throttle use by Steve helped him in wins against Rikard Gustafsson and Nils Lagerlöf whose Funny Bikes went up in smoke against the much more powerful nitro-fuelled bike of Steve.
Top Fuel Bike racer Peter Svensson (pictured in a TV interview with Darryl Bradford) ran a bye against a broken René van den Berg in round one but he lost lane choice against Ian King. A tyre-smoking 7.22 was not enough against Ian's 6.85. Crew chief Soren Svensson said "We are sure our rev limiter on the MSD ignition is working. We made drastic changes to the setup, taking out 45% of fuel, retarding the ignition by 7-9% and reducing clutch weight by 55%. We haven't lost in some time so I suppose it makes you more hungry for the next event."
Nostalgia Funny Car racer Wendy Baker was pleased to have given the crowd a show last night, running alongside Ramon van der Weurf in a smoke-fest. The run was not without its dramas. Wendy said "Just before us Eric Teboul made a run with the Rocket Bike and there was a fuel spillage. When we did our burnout the hydrogen peroxide caught fire and the tyre was alight as well as spinning." Wendy is looking forward to the Drachten International next weekend which is now confirmed as definitely happening.
Supertwin racer Christian Jäger qualified no.4 with a 7.47 and ran a clean 7.33 against Ismo Mäepaa and a superb 6.95 against Roman Sixta. The bike was trouble free. In the final he ran 6.86 against a red-lighting Nate Gagnon for his first UEM Supertwin win.
Competition Eliminator racer Robin Sattler races a Cosworth engined dragster without power adders and was able to run competitive times without making major changes. Crew chief and father Peter Sattler said "We had a problem with the compressed air for shifting our Liberty gearbox leaking. We need a minimum of 40 bars and now got a new bottle which will deliver 170 bars which is plenty." 
Funny Car racer Gordon Smith and Crew Chief Dave Bryant were discussing the warmup when we arrived. Gordon said "We were pleased to entertain the crowds. When we turned off after the run I saw a light but turned a little early and went on the grass. Fortunately there was only grass on the wheels. We are running using a throttle stop as we want to put on a show but not to hurt the car."
Pro Stock Bike racer Fredrik Fredlund was event winner after defeating Elvira Karlsson with 7.34, a 7.30 bye in round two, winning against Eurodragster.com blogger Kalle Lyren in the semis with 7.30, and stepping up to 7.18 against Gert-Jan Laseur in the finals. He said "Lane choice was crucial so we tried to run well in every round. We still don't have a Racepak system that works as we had problems with the download. We have therefore had to run the bike rich." Fredrik will be teaming with Kenneth Vik and Anders Larsson at Tierp, Anders having acquired a new engine.
Pro Stock Bike racer Gert-Jan Laseur is pictured with crewman Patrick Brouwer, daughter Jasmign and father Job. He said "This is my first final in Pro Stock Bike and it's against my friend Fredrick - we went to Pomona together last year. I beat ulf Ögge in round two which was big even though I have been having a misfire at 300m. We found a sensor wire broken and have fixed that and am looking to run quick. We can't do Tierp as I have spent money on cylinder heads and a new injection system and blew the engine at the Main Event. I would like to thank Zodiac for their support." 
Supertwin racer Martijn de Haas said that in order to try to run a good time, he had to burn plenty of clutch discs. He said "It was so important to get off the line but the track is like a casino. We have plenty of clutch plates, had hoped for a 16 bike field at Tierp, but it will probably be eight, and will travel to Tierp the week after this to run better." Martijn's best time was 8.78 for no.12. 
Super Pro ET racer Jan Scheppers was out of competition after round two but wanted to make a burnout. He said "I was not so lucky and had the left lane blues. Everyone in that lane was re-lighting but after the officials adjusted the guard beam and then it was ok. We took out power, turned the nitrous off, altered the shocks and softened the clutch. My drivetrain is from a Pro Mod so I can run quick and have a best of 7.7. The transmission is a four speed Lenco but at 1500kg the truck is not easy to drive. I would like to come to Santa Pod and run a 7.5 next year." Jan has bought Henri Joosten's bus and Henri joined the team and drove the bus this weekend. He is doing some off-road racing in Holland following the loss of his car last year in a nitrous fire at the Main Event.
Junior Dragster racers Joe Kellett and Jacob Kopasz were in an all-British final which Joe won. He said "The track has been no problem for junior dragsters and my car is consistent and produces good reaction times. We will return to Sweden next year but our next races are in the UK at Shakey where I am second in the championship and leading the National Championship. We may do the final of the French season as the French juniors here have been very competitive and also very sporting." Jacob said "This is my first race outside the UK and it has been great to race against a field with so many different countries competing."
Super Gas racer Ronald van Let who runs a car repair, engine building and hot rod shop RCS, has been racing since 1989 and bought his current Vega in 1999 and finished it in 2002. He said "When I bought it I had to rebuild the frame, roll cage and change the front suspension. I built the 385cu in engine myself and was runner-up in 2005 and won Super Gas in 2010." Ronald was runner-up again this year and is pictured with crew members Henry Schouten and Rolf Kruger.
Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King made a demonstration pass at the night show. Co-owner Gerard Willemse said "The last time I can remember a track like this was when we ran in France in 1994. We are happy to have lane choice in round one as the right lane is definitely better. We changed a piston after a small problem, but otherwise the bike is running well."
Funny Car racer-in-waiting Horst Schön brought his nearly-finished car to show and the display on pit road raised a lot of interest.
Super Comp racer René Kloss is running his dragster for the second year having acquired it in 2011 from Vic Ferrer in the US. Last year ex-pat racer and carburretor expert Tony Morris was on hand to work out the bugs. RRené said "Although Tony can't be here he is helping out over the phone. We are trying to figure the track out. It will run close to the index but spun the tyres in the last run. So we are leaving the line at lower rpm and bringing the throttle stop in earlier." René is supported by main sponsor Cedros, O2, Main Graphix and Innomea; representatives from all these companies have visited the event.
Super Gas racer Rudi Fussel's car was built by Tony Morris's father and Rudi bought it in 1999. Rudi said "When I bought the power output was 500hp and now it has a blown SBC putting out 1300hp. Although I have attended the race for the last 12 years and usually run Super Pro ET, I went into Super Gas this year but did not have a muffler so unfortunately I was disqualified."
Super Gas racer Oscar Scappocin has been racing his Nova since 1994 and comes from Villanova di Camposampiero in Italy. The small block Chevy engine has Brodix heads and Powerglide trans.
Super Pro racer Beat Rechsteiner and Pro ET racer Nicole Rechsteiner are from Otelfingen, Switzerland. Nicole's car has a fibreglass '53 Vette body and aluminium BBC of 540cu in with Powerglide running a best of 9.12/237kph. Beat's '58 Vette has a aluminium 620cu in BBC with Brodix heads and Powerglide and has run a best of 8.65/263kph.
Super Pro ET racer Andy Raw and team of Steve Taylor, Chunky and Tom Pearce were upbeat despite limited running. He said "We have done the trip over a week and had a great time at RAF Spangdahlem looking at A10 tankbusters and F16 Fighter planes. The fans love the car and many thanks to Charlie Draper without whom we wouldn't have been able to run at all. This is a once in a lifetime experience, we thank Jerry Lackey for including us and it has banished the memories of my accident on the way here last year, particularly as Steve has done all the driving." The team's next outings are possibly the Euro Finals, and then the UK National Finals.
The teams lined up for the night show. There were passes by both wheel driven and thrust vehicles and entertainment by stunt drivers and riders and a scary fire-eater in front of a packed crowd of over 30,000.