Super Pro ET racer Enrico Bailo's Chevy Nova ran a 8.987 on a 8.80 dial in and was in no.32 position after two sessions. Although he comes from Italy, Enrico races in France as well as Germany.

The German fans of the unofficial Anita Mäkelä supporters club all wear chicken hats and are looking forward to Anita winning and running quick.

Super Street Bike racer Jean Luc Simoes from France ran 7.883/301.75kph to go ninth out of 26 qualifiers in session one. Jean Luc runs a 2006 Suzuki Hayabusa of 1300cc.

Super Street Bike racer Josy Peixoto from France ran 9.3000/252kph and was 20th after the first session. He rides a Suzuki Hayabusa 1340cc.

Super Street Bike racer Steve Mead is helped by fellow Super Street Bike racer Sam Sykes. His first run was a 7.968 which placed him tenth for a field of 16.

Super Street Bike racer Sandro Haldimann ran 9.801 to go 22nd. He rides a Suzuki Hayabusa 1300. Looking at the times it seems that most riders in the class are at least a few tenths off their best as they become acclimatised to the conditions.

Super Street Bike racer Patice Baronová ran a 9.93/242kph to go 23rd.

Super Street Bike racer Dániel Donát Lencsés got more acclimatised to the track than most and ran a 7.31/309kph which compares with his PB of 7.211/304.

Pro ET racer Robert Willinger ran 9.79 on a 9.65 dial in to go 23rd after the second session. Peter Birner is no.1 at this stage (one more session to go) and Brits hold the 9th (Jon Turner), 14th (Glenn Pallant), 24th (Bob Molden) and 38th (Ian Brown) positions.

Top Fuel Dragster racer and Eurodragster.com sponsor Urs Erbacher said his first pass was good, running a 4.37/394kph. 'We slowed because of a head gasket failing at the end, there is not big damage but we are changing the engine all the same.' This event is always a major sponsorship opportunity for Urs and he is hosting in excess of 100 from Victory Motorcycles and Midland Oil over the weekend.

Top Methanol Dragster racer Jndia Erbacher found after failing to start that the car had ignition problems. She said 'We think we solved the issues because the car fired up fine in the pits and we're confident'. Sure enough it did run although car owner Anthony Dicero was keeping a careful watch on it right through the staging process and Jndia ran a .

Top Fuel Dragster racer Stig Neergaard ran a 4.05 in session one and a 4.12/432.10 in session two. He said 'We were watching the track carefully yesterday and made a lot of measurements down both lanes. They were both good, close to perfect so we agreed to try for a 4.0 which turned out right because the tyres spun in the last couple of hundred feet. We are stepping up for the second run and want to run a three this weekend'.

Top Fuel Dragster racer Liam Jones was confident having run a 4.17/451kph in session one. He said 'We didn't set the car up too hard as we didn't know what the track was really like, so we were really pleased to qualify second; the only problem we had was a dropped cylinder at 700ft. We want to try for a 4.0 and the datalog information was sufficient to help set it up'. Liam's second pass was a 4.062/432.18 which was enough to consolidate his second position.

Top Fuel racer Anita Mäkelä has a new wrap on the car based on a photo of the Northern Lights captured by her father. In session one she suffered a broken blower belt. 'The tyres didn't shake so I don't know why the blower belt went. It wasn't the way I wanted to start the event but the launch was promising.'

Top Fuel Dragster racer Micke Kågered blamed his driving for the 4.68/270 in session one. 'The track is good but I thought the tyres were spinning so I lifted when I didn't neeed to. Up to that point the incrementals were better than Liam's so it would have been a very good time'. In session two the blower belt broke leaving him qualified in fifth place.

Top Methanol Dragster racer Rod Harrison was relaxing after session one with (from right) wife Kim, crewman Andy Raw and Crew Chief Karl Harrision. Rod said 'This is the first time I've drag raced at any other track than Santa Pod. So everything about running the car here had to be learned afresh. We gave it a setup that we thought would work and the tyres shook although I did keep my foot in it. I think there is not enough power so we will apply more next time. I also shut off too early and will look for the chequered posts rather than the yellow lines or the scoreboard.' A 6.505/273.80 was followed by a 6.481/315.97 with bad shake again and a pedal.

Top Methanol Funny Car racer Jürgen Nagel is joined by his son Patrick who is 18 years of age and has grown up with the family race cars. Jürgen said 'We started with a very soft setup which launched fine but then we got tyre shake after the gearchange into second and third. We also had some oil come out of the heads so we have decided to miss the second session while we check the engine over. We have five sponsors coming tomorrow including our principal Classic German Motor Oil, US Autoparts and S&D Webeartikel and need to impress them. So we have a baseline of 5.9 and will see how the track is tomorrow.' Jürgen is building Patrick a '98 Mustang in Pro Street style.

Top Methanol Funny Car racer Johnny Oksa came to Hockenheim when his late father Jarmo Kuutniemi was racing here. He said 'It's good to be back, the crowd are good and I remember quite a few years we raced here'. Johnny is now the driver and leading the championship. 'We were fortunate to have a good quick run in the in the first session and it's great to lead the championship, but I don't think we have enough money to attend the Finals. I need to do more rounds to find the tuning window but travel is expensive.' A 5.693/407.84 was followed by a 5.700 in session two.

Top Methanol Dragster racer Dennis Habermann is at his first meeting since last year's NitrOlympX. He said 'We had a long winter break and decided not to run for the championship but instead race here and at the Finals. We have made little changes on the car, mainly a new wing from Peter Schöfer although it was sad to see Peter having to stop racing.' Dennis's run was a 5.64 with tyre shake. 'It could have been quicker', he concluded. In the second session he improved to a 5.59/422 which placed him third.

Top Methanol Dragster racer Timo Habermann was quick to get back his performance advantage from last year, running a 5.39 in session one and a 5.43/428 in session two. 'We started preparing the cars four weeks ago and did a complete rebuild, a lot of work. The car ran perfectly last year to a 5.209 so we didn't need to change much. I have my eye on the 5.38 track record for the class as my initial target.'

Top Methanol Funny Car racer Danny Bellio is back after a long break as a new engine had to be sourced and built up following catostrophic engine damage at the 2015 Main Event. Crewman Sandro Bellio said 'If the clutch was working as it should the run would have been an easy five. But it was too tight and caused the car to move around the track. It looks as if we have solved our problems that plagued us for three or four years. The car now reacts to tuning changes whereas before we couldn't do anything to make it change. We baseline dynoed the new engine and are now looking for the tuning window and we think we are close'.

Top Methanol Funny Car racer Ari Pietilä ran a 5.71 in the first session and then a 5.68 to go no.1, both new personal bests. Tuner Harry Räikkönen said 'Our target is 5.6 and we have got there after two runs.' Former F1 engineer and Technical Director of DTM Audi Sport Team Rosberg, Ossi Oikarinen has joined the team this year.

Top Methanol Funny Car racer Leif Andréasson had some trouble with new slicks causing shake at the start and two aborted runs the result.

The line-up of jet cars here for performing in Saturday's night show is awesome. Martin Hill leads the way with SPR's Fireforce 3 and Gerd Habermann has bought no less than four jet cars. Then Julian Webb's Split Second dragster is here and (pictured) Donald Pottier's Armageddon which has run a best of 5.958/292mph powered by a JT12 Pratt & Whitney.

Fuel Altered racer from the US Ron Hope is joined by Stewart Bassett of Eurodragster.com sponsor and fellow BDRHoF Sponsor US Automotive. Only three days ago Ron and Stewart were at Bonneville helping BDRHoF principal sponsorship partner Geoff Stilwell obtain his license. Ron said 'We were delighted for Geoff who got his license running 180mph and we want to get him over 200mph in my rear engined roadster. He will be using the long course for vehicles capable of more than 175mph.' Ron reflected on his pass at Dragstalgia where he ran a PB speed of 231mph but then had challenges at the end. 'The new heads on Rat Trap gave out oil which went on my visor. So it was lights out and I had no chute in the dark. I could feel the car hopping and when I finally stopped I found the front tyres were right on the edge of the track and field'. Ron is pitted next to German FC racer Karlheinz Kleider and they quickly found they had both raced at the same track in Iowa.

We found the rat rods that so memorably had head to head tyre-destroying burnouts a couple of years ago and put a smile on many a face for the sheer entertainment of it.

Supercharged Outlaw racer Walle Strobel's Camaro is due to be making demonstration passes during the weekend although they will not be an official elimination category.

Jet car racer Gerd Habermann is racing his new Dragon Hunter II Funny Car, with Pratt & Whitney J-60 engine that outputs 15000ps.

Gerd Habermann also has this jet powered school bus with 25000ps from a Westinghouse J-34 jet engine.

Top Fuel Bike racer Rene van den Berg was pleased to run a 6.27/367 to go quickest in the first session. He said 'We went back to the old routine and it worked for us'. There are five nitro powered TFBs on the property although Otto Knebl has not made a pass yet.

Super Gas racer Sylvie Lavaud in Lady Marmelade ran a 9.999/223 to go fifth in session one. In session two the quick machine got out of shape, crossed lanes and hit the left guardrail. Sylvie appeared ok but was taken to the medical centre to be checked out.

Electric Dragster racers Kristaps Dambis of Drive EO and driver Maris Ozolins from Latvia have built an electric dragster which they hope will be the first to 200mph and beat Don Garlits' record of 7.24/186 which heads the list published on NEDRA.com. Kristaps said 'We built the car this summer using a Hauser Race Cars chassis. This is our third race after Tierp and the Public Race here last weekend'. Kristaps' background is racing electric cars in the Dakar Rally and Pikes Peak Hill Climb where he was a winner. Maris is a Latvian drag champion so the pair planned to make a challenge on the record books.
The lithium ion battery is rated at 800v and the peak power drawn from it is 1500amps. The battery pack and controller have been built in-house and the power goes to six Yasa motors from the UK and place in a V formation. Power goes to a transfer box which then goes through a permanently engaged rear end. The output is equivalent to 1400hp in a car weighing 725kg. Liquid coolant is employed to prevent over-heating. On their first pass Maris went 7.637/280.44kph.

Pro ET racer Dirk Kunold went 12.018/176kph on a 11.83 dial in to go 13th in session one.

Pro ET racer Karin Becker's VW was originally run in the US by Angie Vandenhorst and went eighth in session one with 11.31/187 on a 11.18 dial. The car has a 2300cc engine producing 240hp on 100 octane fuel. Best ET to date is 10.80/196kph.

Pro ET racer Bjorn Szczendrzina didn't manage to complete his first qualifying run following axle tramp.

Pro ET racer Guerrino Gabucci's Fiat Uno Turbo went 9.817 on a 9.20 dial to go 22nd after session one.

Pro ET racer Tim Städter's Plymouth Duster ran a new PB of 9.514 on a 9.60 dial to go 36th in a field of forty cars. Only the top 32 will go through to eliminations, so we are sure there will be much excitement in qualifying. The car is powered by a 605ci Hemi engine producing 900hp on 102 octane fuel. The trans is a Powerglide. Tim is in his first year of Pro ET previously having raced Junior Dragster.

Pro ET racer Glenn Pallant was here last year and qualified 14th. This time he improved in the first session to eighth place with a 9.489 on a 9.40 dial.

Pro ET racer Pierre Wolf has a '78 VW Golf powered by a Wankel rotary engine but didn't get a time in session one.

Super Pro ET racer Elodie Dubois had a successful first year in Pro ET running a best of 9.07/250kph in the Custom Gang Racing dragster which has been re-liveried for 2016.

Pro ET racer Marco Meroni from Czech Republic ran a 13.116 on 11.95 dial in to go 29th.

Pro ET racer Jon Turner broke out in session one by the least to go 30th. His ET was 9.858 on a 9.60 dial.

Pro ET racer Bob Moldenwas 18th with a 9.907 on 9.55 dial in his Peugeot 205.

Pro ET racer Mike Hollaar's, 1980 Chevy Malibu broke out with a 10.85 on 10.90 dial to go 34th.

Pro ET racer Ian Brown ran 11.845 on a 10.85 dial to go 25th.

Pro ET racer Bert Gorzelitz in his Audi Eigenbau 2012 went 11.845 on 10.85 to go 21st. His car has a 384ci engine and Powerglide gearbox and runs on E85 to give 1000hp, capable of running under the 9.00 cutoff for the class.

Pro ET racer Til Schöninger in his Honda Prelude ran 9.976 on a 9.96 dial to go second. The car has a 434ci engine, Powerglide and runs C12 fuel to give 800hp.

Super Pro ET racer Daniel Vetterl's Fast Forward is show quality and we hope to see it at Dragstalgia. He qualified 33rd with 9.508 on 9.55 dial in. The car runs on methanol with an injected 355ci SBC engine and Powerglide gearbox. Daniel brought the rebuilt car out for the first time in 2015.

Pro ET racer Laurant Levi's Mercury Comet is running in Pro ET but wasn't able to put a time in session one. His PB is 10.60/204kph and the car runs on C12 fuel. There are three planned qualifying sessions for Pro ET and Super Pro ET classes (both of which have over 40 entries) and eliminations are on Sunday.

Pro ET racer Andrea del Rio's Lancia Delta Evo powered by Lancia, ran a 11.312 on a 10.30 index to go 26th. The team are from Italy.

Pro ET racer Horst Koch's AMX was ninth with 10.482 on a 10.35 dial in. The car's best ET is 10.27 and it runs a 421ci engine and TH400 gearbox.

Pro ET racer Beat Rechsteiner's '53 Vette has been repainted yellow from its original red and went 10.737 on 9.96 dial to go 23rd. Beat's car has a 434ci engine running on 95 Octane with the 700hp going through a Powerglide gearbox.

Super Pro ET racer Preben Baerentzen's '41 Willys was built in 2002. He runs it mainly at Tierp where it has been in the sevens, and Malmö. He dialled in a 7.60 and ran 7.996 to go 26th.

Super Pro ET racer Alex Halter ran his tube chassised '70 Plymouth Roadrunner to a best of 8.17 at the Public Race Day held here last weekend. He ran a consistent 8.162 on a 8.00 dial to go 15th.

Competition Eliminator racer Sebastien Lajoux races also in the French Association Trophée Dragster series and the Hills Race in Italy. He was sixteenth in the standings after the first session with a 7.271 on 7.10 dial in with his 2002 Worthy Race Cars-built dragster.

Competition Eliminator racer Patrick Dubois is part of a growing French contingent at this event. He ran the fastest speed in the first session at 300kph, going 7.23 on 7.10 to qualify 12th in the 781ci engined American Race Cars built dragster.

Super Pro ET racer Pel Norman had smoke out of his car going down the track. He qualified 10th with 8.121 on a 8.00 dial but we will see whether there is any damage. Pel also raced at Tierp in June so has lots of travel miles under his belt this year.

Super Pro ET racer Joe Kellett has a Peter Walters-designed and Richard Walters-applied paint job on his Hauser Race Cars-built dragster which carries through and develops the theme from his Junior Dragster days. Joe was 19th with 8.363 on a 8.19 dial in.

The '37 Chevy pickup raced in Super Comp by Jeremy Prince and Super Pro ET by Reinier van Schelt with great burnouts each. The car is drivable in the pits despite its low eight second performance.

Super Pro ET racer Simon Rudiferia, like several local racers, takes part in the Super Pro ET challenge which you can see more about at www.suproet.de. The cars also race at Rivanazzano in Italy, Beychene in the Czech Republic and Drachten in Holland. Simon qualified eighth in session one with 8.716 on 8.61 dial. The car has a supercharged 502ci engine producing 900hp on C14 fuel and through a Powerglide gearbox.

Super Pro ET racer Bob Hawkins has both Time Traveller dragsters here with a twin flame burnout in the night show planned, the second car being driven by Sarah Howells for the demo only. In session one, he broke out with a 7.152 on 7.29 dial in and was 42nd in the order. Bob told us yesterday he is working on a number of different capacity engine configurations for his SBC dragster and is thinking about running in Comp Eliminator at some future stage.

Super Pro ET racer Mark Todd is back with memories of 2014 hopefully fading fast. He was in the line-up but didn't post a time in the first session.

Super Pro ET racer Florian Uebel's '98 Mustang ran 8.414 on 8.29 dial to go 11th. The car has a 620ci engine.

Super Pro ET racer Heinz Peter Amerer has a Frameworks Rear Engine Dragster built in '96 and he was 17th after one session with 8.571 on 8.40 dial in.