Alastaro Circuit, 3rd-6th July 2014
Thursday
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The latest updates are at the top of the page. Click on your Browser's Refresh key to be sure of seeing the latest news. Sportsman results are in links to pdf files. Click here to go back to the event index 19:10 Today's pictures have now been posted and can be viewed via the Event Index page. There are 75 pictures in all; if you do not see all 75 updated thumbnails when you load the gallery page then click on your Browser's Refresh button.18:10 Qualifying after session 3 (Cars continued) There was rain during the third session of Outlaw but the track team worked hard to dry the track to complete the session. Then as Sportsman ET/Pro ET came out for the start of the fourth session, there was more rain which, with a curfew of 18:00 Finnish time, has put an end to the day's activities. Many thanks to Petteri Haapaniemi of the timing crew who has gone out of his way to supply scanned pdfs of qualifying lists. Stay tuned as we will be shortly uploading today's photo gallery kindly provided by Eero Saarela of www.zegetion.com. 15:45 Qualifying after session 3 (Bikes) 15:15 Qualifying after session 3 (Cars) 15:05 Qualifying after session 2 (Cars continued) We're now into session three of sportsman qualifying. 14:00 Qualifying after session 2 Super Gas Bike 12:45 Qualifying after session 1 (Cars continued) Super Pro ET Super Pro Street We're now into session two of sportsman qualifying. 12:20 Qualifying after session 1(Bikes) Note that Junior Bikes and Street Bikes qualify on reaction times in FHRA competition. 11:40 Qualifying after session 1 Note that Sportsman ET/Pro ET, which are combined for this event, qualify on reaction times in FHRA competition. 11:05 We had a walk through the pits yesterday evening and saw several of the Pro teams that had arrived and were setting up. In Top Fuel there are four cars from the RFM stable, whose trailers left their Santa Pod home last Sunday. Jari Halinen will be racing the Lucas Oils car usually driven by UK Top Fuel racer Chris Andrews who is still recovering from an off-track shoulder injury sustained at the FIA/FIM Round One in May. Chris will be here during the weekend and we will get an update from him on when he is able to return to the driving seat. There are eleven cars entered in Top Fuel Dragster and the class is expanded by two entries from the chicken farmers Anita Mäkelä and Tommi Haapanen. Tommi said 'This is my first Top Fuel drive since 2008 and I will be really busy as I will be working on the cars as well'. Anita remarked 'We are doubling up with everything, more crew, more crew uniforms, more catering as well as more equipment. But we are here to have fun and to go fast. It would be great to race alongside Tommi but I really don't mind who wins as long as it is one of us'. The long distance award could go to Chris Polidano or Manty Bugeja from Malta or Filippos Papafilippou from Greece. Chris Polidano has updated his A/Fuel car with new front and rear wings and new front wheels with narrow track. He will be joined once again by the storied US A/Fuel tuner Jerry Darien. 10:30 The track is dry and the first class of the day is ready to start. The running order will be Sportsman ET/Pro ET, Real Street, Top Street, Junior Dragster, Junior Drag Bike, Street Bike, Super Gas Bike, Pro HD, Funny Bike, Stock/Super Stock, Super Pro ET, Outlaw and Super Pro Street. The first pair are ready to stage! 09:55 Good morning and welcome from Alastaro Circuit for our coverage of day one of the FHRA Nitro Nationals brought to you in association with Alamo Rent-A-Car. Our coverage is dedicated to the memory of our colleague Ed O'Connell who sadly passed away on Tuesday. It's a sunny morning with hardly a cloud in the sky and temperature of 15 degrees. Today is an all-sportsman qualifying day which will give the opportunity for the new surface to acquire more rubber as last weekend's sportsman race got rained off on Sunday. We will post pdfs of qualifying as we receive them. There are still webcam photos available at Alastaro's web site and on Sunday there will be a free web broadcast via Livestream which we will link to on the day. A few words about our team's loss of Ed. He was a lifelong supporter of the sport and remarkable for his ability to get on with everyone he met. He worked selflessly as U.S. correspondent for Eurodragster.com travelling thousands of miles in the US to report on European racers at various events around the country. His visits to Europe to report on racing and to travel with wife Kathy were occasions where his presence lifted the spirit of us all. We will miss him greatly. Reports and pictures ©Eurodragster.com |