2004 FIA Main Event
Saturday (qualifying)
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23:15
Today's pictures have now been posted, you can reach them from the Event Index page. Christer is kindly doing tonight's pit walk for us as we have finished so late so be sure to join us again in the morning and we will tell you what he found out as well as bringing you all the news from tomorrow's qualifying and Sportsman eliminations.
20:15
We got into the final session of Super Pro ET after Top Methanol Dragster and the rain returned, so we have been called for the day. The final few sessions of Sportsman qualifying will take place tomorrow.
We are now about to start work on today's pictures so stay tuned and we'll be back to let you know as soon as those are available.
19:40
The second qualifying session of FIA Top Methanol Dragster went as follows (left lane first): Dave Wilson 5.607/250.25 bye, Rob Turner 13.167/56.30, Peter Schöfer 5.661/248.55
Dave Wilson's car appeared to leave the line quite softly although given the weather conditions we've had in the last hour that may well have been deliberate. An interesting piece of trivia for you, Dave recorded the same terminal speed as did Peter Schöfer on his first qualifying pass. Long burnouts from both Rob Turner and Peter Schöfer before their match-up; Rob hit shake not far off the line whilst Peter drove through lesser shake and stayed with it.
The qualifying standings after round two of FIA Top Methanol Dragster are as follow:
19:10
As you probably worked out from the long silence and the pictures on the webcam, we have been suffering the attention of the wet stuff in the last hour or so, in fact Dave Wilson was in the burnout box in the American Car Imports TMD as the rain started to fal. The track crew are working very hard on the strip and it is looking very good, hopefully not long before we start again.
Simon has been out in the pits again and has brought us back some more notes.
Pro Mod racer Marc Meihuizen said that he was off the throttle before the eighth mile. "The car was difficult to stage, as the brakes were not strong enough", he said. "There was probably air in the system. The car then shook in first gear".
A very happy Patrick Wikström told Simon that his number one qualifier in Pro Mod came about after fuel had been taken out of the set-up. "We were delighted with this as a great baseline, with more to come", said Patrick, who is not far off his PB of 6.32.
Fellow Pro Mod racer Andy Robinson apologised for the coolant spill on the start line, explaining that the car had not cooled down sufficiently after being shut off on the line, with the result that the radiator cap "expired".
Pro Stock Bike racer Vesa Rautio spent the winter changing the ignition system to an MSD computer-controlled model and also changing the clutch. "We had problems on the test weekend and only made one run, so we haven't been able to dial the clutch/ignition combination", he said. "The clutch was much softer on the last run. We have taken power out and limited the revs off the line in an effort to avoid wheelspin. Tomorrow we will use a conservative set-up to get down the track."
Supertwin racer Stefan Junerud arrived at the track at noon today. "On my first pass the clutch was too loose and the bike was drifting to the left", he said. "The smoke was from the breathers. There was a little leak on the piston rings and we will check it out overnight. The aim is to run mid-sixes after our successful 2003."
Top Fuel Dragster racer Lex Joon was off the throttle at 330 feet on his pass as he was testing a new fuel system. "It felt good, I hardly pressed my foot on the throttle", he said "The result was a sixty foot time much better than at the Thunderball. We will take it it a bit further next time."
Word just came over the track radio that we are about fifteen minutes off starting again so stay tuned.
17:40
The second qualifying session of FIA Top Methanol Funny Car went as follows (left lane first): Urs Erbacher 6.126/234.38, Leif Andréasson 5.906/208.47, Arvid Grødem 5.959/236.89, Dan Larsen 5.995/235.73, Ulf Leanders 6.095/237.64, Niclas Andersson 5.971/237.68
The first outing in Europe for the Kamasa Tools Dodge Stratus, not the straightest run from Leif Andréasson and the chutes were out on the line, but it put him at the top of the tree at that point. A tremendous pass from Arvid Grødem coming back from his earlier troubles, his first-ever five-second pass and a new PB. Dan Larsen drove through shake which judging by the tyre marks didn't quit until about 250 feet. Ulf Leanders had the front wheels up in the IronCAD TMFC, driving through shake, whilst Niclas Andersson went straight and true and into third.
The qualifying standings after round two of FIA Top Methanol Funny Car are as follow:
17:20
The second qualifying session of FIA Pro Stock went as follows (left lane first): Kenneth Soderström 10.411/86.70, Jackie Hansen 7.065/192.33, Magnus Hansson 7.058/195.68, Tommy Leindahl 7.205/191.50, Michael Malmgren 6.991/198.30, Jimmy Ålund 6.943/198.05
A new Personal Best for Jackie Hansen, the chutes out on the finish line so there is more to come. Improvments also from Magnus Hansson and Tommy Leindahl. Congratulations to Jimmy Ålund who backs up new European ET and speed records of 6.938 and 199.19 with this pass.
The qualifying standings after round two of FIA Pro Stock are as follow:
17:00
The second qualifying session of FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike went as follows (left lane first): Antonio Ferretti 7.257/172.50, Shaun Branch 7.672/170.53, Neil Midgley 7.020/179.83, Sandra Chaplain 10.441/114.20, Gary Jones 10.838/108.42, Roel Koedam 6.293/218.53, Martyn de Haas 8.117/166.07, Nils Ole Lund 7.334/184.43
Neil Midgley and Shaun Branch got their first times of the weekend onto the board, Shaun after sorting out an ignition problem. A slight improvement for Neil Midgley keeps him in the top half. Gary Jones headed for the centre line from the start, he feathered the throttle, straightened the bike again but it didn't want to go straight so he aborted the run. A superb, straight run from Roel Koedam picking up where he left off last year, whilst Nils Ole Lund had to abort his pass after heading for the guardrail.
The qualifying standings after round two of FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike are as follow:
16:45
The second qualifying session of FIA Top Fuel Dragster went as follows (left lane first): Micke Kågered 10.357/52.37 bye, Jon Webster 6.007/156.25 bye, Lex Joon 7.660/102.98 bye
Micke Kågered's first pass of the weekend started with a very strong launch, 0.881 to sixty feet, but then he got off the throttle and one of the chutes deployed. The Bahco Tools dragster left a trail of fuel down the track, it transpires that the main fuel line became detached. Next up was the first of Eurodragster's two webcam sponsors, Jon Webster in the Canto Recruitment dragster. The dragster looked to be set pretty soft, Jon was on the throttle to half-track, 221 mph at that point. Then came Lex Joon with the dragster backed by the second of our webcam sponsors MPM Oil with a planned half pass, 0.874 to sixty feet and off the throttle at 330 feet after the car made a move to the right.
The qualifying standings after round two of FIA Top Fuel Dragster are as follow:
16:20
We're just stopped for cleanup after Stefan Junerud's pass. Top Fuel Dragster is next up, but in the meantime Simon Groves has been out into the pits again for us.
Top Methanol FC racer Arvid Grødem described his guardrail encounter. "The car started to drift out of the groove, when I got off the throttle I was too close to the barrier and it just moved over more. When I touched, I thought 'How much of my body will I lose'. It was a gentle touch but slightly dented the headers, but the body is intact. The run had my best-ever sixty foot and eighth-mile times. After a severe leakdown yesterday my guys worked through the night to change the block and I would like to thank them for their hard work."
Fellow TMFC racer Niclas Andersson said "This was our first run of the season and we hope for a 5.85 in the next session". The only major change from last season's set-up is a change of tyres to Mickey Thompson.
TMFC racer Ulf Leanders told Simon "We made a little too much power for the track. We shook the tyres and almost went up in smoke. Jorgen set the car up for a high 5.6 pass but unfortunately the track couldn't take it."
Jöran Persåker, who we last saw being chased down the shutdown area by the fire crews, said that his run in the Top Fueller earlier today felt easy as it was so straight. "The car shook, firstly tyre shake and then engine vibration and my vision blurred", he said. "I felt no heat from the fire but my helmet needed cleaning as oil had sprayed from the front of the motor. So far we have only discovered one leaking bolt on the head gasket, but we'll need to look a little closer. My previous fastest run was a 6.95 with the Camaro!
Rob Turner told Simon that the Netcall Top Methanol Dragster shook pretty hard in first gear. "The run was what we were looking for as a starting point", he said. "We expect that the track will come in as more cars go down it."
16:10
The second qualifying session of FIM/UEM Supertwin went as follows (left lane first): Ronny Aasen 6.997/198.30, Anders Karling 6.604/182.11, Willem Been 8.880/128.14, Ton Pels 6.791/191.33, Joachim Riemer 10.446/126.72 bye, Hans Olav Olstad 7.807/157.91 bye, Svein Gottenberg broke , Stefan Junerud 9.148/99.06
Anders Karling did a tremendous riding job as the Uddeholm-sponsored machine headed towards the centre line, Anders kept it in his lane and improved his earlier time. Ton Pels put in a superb, straight pass on his new bike to take second spot. Joachim Riemer feathered the throttle on his pass, the bike heading for the centre line. Svein Gottenberg shut off his bike after his burnout, Hans Olav Olstad improved on his earlier time but stayed where he was in the standings. Stefan Junerud's first pass of the weekend started very well but a cylinder appeared to go out and he got off the throttle at about half track.
The qualifying standings after round two of FIM/UEM Supertwin are as follow:
15:50
The second qualifying session of NDRS Bilsport Pro Modified went as follows (left lane first): Marc Meihuizen 7.540/132.77 bye, Mats Eriksson 6.820/197.42 bye, Peter Wacker 6.837/192.50, Håkan Nilsson 6.460/213.51, Henri Joosten 15.002/48.69, Norbert Kuno 8.117/119.67, Henri Joosten 15.002/48.69, Norbert Kuno 8.117/119.67, Freddy Fagerström 6.527/213.00 bye, Patrick Wikström bye 6.382/215.63, Roger Johansson 6.790/210.28, Bert Englefield 6.685/210.23, Christer Jacobs 26.710/22.21, Andy Robinson 25.932/68.14
Marc Meihuizen made his first pass in the ex-Batmobile car, a three-quarter pass and looking very confident in the car. Christer Jacobs and Andy Robinson were shut off on the line before their first attempt at a match-up as Marc Meihuizen's car had to be pushed from the end of the track. Robert Koper had a nitrous burp in the burnout box and went back to the pits. Mats Eriksson drove through shake and pedalled briefly at the top end to move a couple of places up the standings. Peter Wacker and Håkan Nilsson had a great match-up, Peter left first and Håksn drove round him to take #1 spot from Roger Johansson, briefly. Henri Joosten hit shake and was off the throttle early, the track crew were looking for pieces on the track, Norbert Kuno in the other lane was going great guns until he got off the throttle after half track and put the chutes out. Freddy burnt out to about 330 feet before his pass, which was one of the straightest passes I've seen that pick-up make. Not to be outdone, Patrick Wikström also burnt out to 330 feet and then got within seven thousandths of the European ET record. Bert Englefield drove through shake to improve his earlier time but stayed where he was in the standings, whilst Roger Johansson drove down the left-hand side of his lane and looked to lose time to shake. One of Andy Robinson's crew noticed fluid leaking from his Studebaker just as he pulled into stage, when Andy hit the throttle both tyres started to spin and there was a huge pool of water on the track. In the other lane Christer Jacobs' engine banged and he rolled down the track. Micke Lindahl and Peter Kunc came to the collection area but did not run.
The qualifying standings after round two of NDRS Bilsport Pro Modified are as follow:
Trackside conditions right now are 18.0 C, 67% humidity, 30.12 inches of air pressure, and track temperature of 84 F.
15:25
The second qualifying session of FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike went as follows (left lane first): Vesa Rautio broke (bye), Herman van Driel broke, Michal Ponca 9.977/130.39, Remo Nasci 8.048/156.26, Chris Hope 8.262/156.81, Len Paget 8.255/152.72, Martin Bishop 7.821/162.55, Paul Watson 7.758/166.63, Roger Pettersson 7.483/171.66, Richard Gipp 7.804/161.85
Vesa Rautio's engine cut out as soon as he left the start line. Herman van Driel broke in the bleach box. A nice pass from Remo Nasci, looking very comfortable on the Veidec bike. Chris Hope's bike sounded as if it hesitated just a moment between gear shifts, whilst Martin Bishop and Paul Watson had a good side-by-side match-up with Paul moving to second spot. Richard Gipp moved up the standings too.
The qualifying standings after round two of Pro Stock Bike are as follow:
15:10
Pro ET final top five qualifiers
1. Bob Doyle +0.000 10.350/132.19
2. Rock McCann +0.000 10.250/129.30
3. Wayne Hiscock +0.002 10.872/125.45
4. Kev Slyfield +0.002 11.722/115.41
5. Keith Ridley +0.003 10.703/127.45
Super Gas final top five qualifiers
1. Peter Lane 9.904/141.96
2. Tim Adam 9.905/144.65
3. Conrad Stanley 9.908/134.80
4. Stuart Doignie 9.913/125.38
5. Pete Creswell 9.916/142.35
Super Street final top five qualifiers:
1. Mark Watkins 10.901/114.18
2. Paul Marston 10.902/119.73
3. Bob Lees 10.902/124.33
4. John Grant 10.905/134.30
5. Mike Bentley 10.907/130.73
We're now going into cycle two of Pro qualifying, stay tuned.
14:40
We had no changes to the top five of Sportsman ET after session six: 1. Linda Platt +0.001 12.851/108.46, 2. Tanya Partridge +0.013 14.263/96.57, 3. Mark Anderson +0.021 12.701/105.66, 4. Rick Denny +0.029 13.529/97.57, 5. Mick McGough +0.032 13.782/97.40
Junior Dragster was similarly unchanged after session six: 1. Nick Mugridge 0.003, 2. Kane Jones 0.005, 3. Holly Mitchell 0.007, 4. Andy Herron 0.007, 5. Ross Norris 0.011
We're now going into cycle seven of some Sportsman classes, stay tuned.
14:30
Martin Hill followed up the first Pro cycle with a 6.147/240 in the Fireforce 2 Jet FC.
Simon has been out into the pits again and here's what he found out. Pro Stock #1 qualifier and prospective record holder Jimmy Ålund said that this was his first pass on his new Bob Ingles engine. "We have previously only run this engine for five minutes in the workshop", he said. "The data from the qualifying run looks really good and the only damage is a broken pushrod. We had to modify the chassis set-up for the extra power, and we are pleased with the baseline from the run. I would like to thank Bob Ingles for all his help."
Pro Stock #2 qualifier Michael Malmgren said that the car was staged slightly out of the groove and that it then went out of the groove after launching. "There was no tyre shake", said Michael. "We need to do some more work on the fuel system."
Top Fuel #1 qualifier Andy Carter told Simon that the GoTalk team had a soft set-up in the car to get it down the track after the earlier sprinkles of rain. "We had no damage and we will step it up for the next run", he said.
Top Fuel #2 qualifier Tommy Möller said that there was no damage and that he can go faster. "We expect a 4.8 tomorrow", he said. Simon asked Tommy about the Championship and he replied "We're working on it".
We're now back into Sportsman qualifying, stay tuned.
14:20
The first round of Fuel Funny Car qualifying went as follows (left lane first): Leif Helander broke, John Spuffard 19.087/50.95 bye, Gordon Smith 9.732/92.96 bye
Leif Helander didn't get the tyres to light in the burnout and he shut the car off almost immediately. Spuff took the bye but the rear tyres went straight up in smoke at the hit and Spuff cruised through. A nice burnout by Gordon Smith and then 0.877 to sixty feet, the car headed towards the centre line and Gordon got off it.
The qualifying standings after round one of Fuel Funny Car are as follow:
14:10
The first round of FIA Top Methanol Dragster qualifying went as follows (left lane first): Rob Turner 5.535/233.23 bye, Peter Schöfer 5.668/250.25, Dave Wilson 5.587/242.95
Rob Turner drove through shake - he told us last night that there is an acceptable level of shake and I guess that was it! The Netcall car headed towards the right hand side of its lane but Rob guided it back. The car left something on the shutdown area just past the finish line but no word on what it was. A great side-by-side match-up from Peter Schöfer and Dave Wilson; Peter got away first and the ACI car looked to leave the line very gently although the sixty-foot would tend to contradict that. Peter's car was visibly accelerating very hard at the top end.
The qualifying standings after round one of FIA Top Methanol Dragster are as follow:
13:55
The first round of FIA Top Methanol Funny Car qualifying went as follows (left lane first): Arvid Grødem 6.438/155.35 bye, Jurgen Nagel 8.610/123.35, Niclas Andersson 6.074/235.43, Ulf Leanders 6.142/240.94 bye, Dan Larsen 8.616/102.35, Urs Erbacher 6.270/203.60
A dramatic return to the track for Arvid Grødem as the FC headed right and just kept going that way until it sideswiped the guardrail at about 900 feet - having just gone through half track at 189.83 mph. Lots of pieces flew into the air which we feared was the body breaking, but Sharkman happens to be photographing at the top end and got a look at the car as Arvid turned off. The damage to the body is some scraped paintwork and flattened headers, so we would guess that the flying pieces were advertising boards. We are awaiting word on whether Arvid's run stands. Niclas Andersson got a little out of the groove on his pass, the car drifting right, but Niclas stayed with it and got it back in the middle of his lane towards the top end. Ulf Leaders' rear tyres went up in smoke at about 200 feet - which is just about where his burnout ended - but he pedalled and then the IronCAD FC hooked up and shot down the track. Dan Larsen looked to be driving through shake to about 250 feet but then there was a puff of smoke and he was off it. Urs' car didn't sound at all right, maybe a misfire and there was smoke from the headers towards the top end, probably as he got off the throttle.
The qualifying standings after round one of FIA Top Methanol Funny Car are as follow:
13:35
We're on a hold at the moment cleaning advertising boards off the track after Arvid Grødem sideswiped the guardrail in Top Methanol FC qualifying. Ardem and his car are quite OK.
Our pitside reporter Simon Groves stepped out to talk to some of the racers who have already run today, and here's what they had to say:
NDRS Bilsport Pro Mod #1 qualifier Roger Johansson: "This was a safe run with the clutch set fairly soft. The track is a little cold, the start line temperature was 75 F. We are looking to step up next time."
NDRS Bilsport Pro Mod #4 qualifier Freddy Fagerström: "I drove 200 metres to test the clutch and I lost the throttle on a short shift. I have a new clutch and I didn't want to hurt it. The track is good but the driver made a mistake!"
NDRS Bilsport Pro Mod #9 qualifier Andy Robinson: "This was a test launch only. Malcolm Francis shipped in a new Eagle engine which arrived on Tuesday. The crew worked with very litle sleep from Wednesday and we only arrived at the track at 11:00 last night. I would like to thank the team for all their hard work."
FIM/UEM Supertwin #1 qualifier Anders Karling: "This was the bike's first pass since last year and we have only made small changes, mainly modifying the ignition. There was no damage and I would like to run a 6.50 this weekend."
FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike #1 qualifier Roger Pettersson: "The bike has totally new bodywork and I have to crouch down much more than before. I am still not really comfortable with that position. I over-revved in third gear as well". Roger told Simon that he thinks a 7.2 is still attainable.
13:10
The first round of FIA Top Fuel Dragster qualifying was held up for a short while by a sprinkle of rain in the shutdown area. The qualifying session went as follows (left lane first): Jon Webster broke (bye), Andy Carter 4.987/284.34, Tommy Möller 4.997/266.09, Jöran Persåker 5.295/209.25 bye
Jöran Persåker was in pre-stage on his first attempt at a run when he was shut off on the line for rain in the shutdown area. Jöran then waited to run until Pro Stock had run. Jon Webster's first attempt at a pass was also curtailed, when Jon rolled through the water he hit the throttle for the burnout, the engine revs started to raise for a fraction of a second then dropped back down again and Jon shut it off and went back to the pits. In Andy Carter and Tommy Möller's match-up, Andy's car took a couple of attempts to start by which time Tommy was on his way back from his burnout. Andy returned to the line very quickly and both cars were ready at the same time. Tommy pulled a huge red light, -0.266, and the car was all over his lane, judging by the speed Tommy was off it a touch early. Andy waited on the green and went straight down his lane, blackstriping to about 250 feet and then no hint of shake or any other problem.
Jöran Persåker put in his pass after the Pro Stock qualifier, flames started to appear from the car at about half track but it must have felt good to Jöran as he stayed with it for awhile longer, the fire got bigger as he passed the finish line and the fire crews chased him down the shutdown area.
The qualifying standings after round one of FIA Top Fuel Dragster are as follow:
13:05
The first round of FIA Pro Stock qualifying went as follows (left lane first): Tommy Leindahl 7.262/190.84, Magnus Hansson 7.118/194.96, Jackie Hansen 8.014/138.05, Kenneth Soderström 7.391/182.09, Jimmy Ålund 6.938/199.19, Michael Malmgren 6.956/197.34
Jimmy Ålund is on new European ET and speed records of 6.938 and 199.19 if he can back them up, which needs a pass of 7.007 or quicker, and 197.20 or faster.
The qualifying standings after round one of FIA Pro Stock are as follow:
12:15
FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike went before Top Fuel and their first qualifying session went as follows (left lane first): Martyn de Haas 8.013/164.05, Neil Midgley 7.086/188.16, Sandra Chaplain 11.831/94.27, Steve Woollatt 6.561/211.45, Nils Ole Lund 6.898/193.12, Eric Teboul 7.029/137.16, Gary Jones 8.184/145.64, Roel Koedam 6.726/215.39, Antonio Ferretti shut off on line.
A nice baseline pass from Neil Midgley, straight as you like for the Funny Bike. Steve Woollatt's bike also went straight as an arrow and it looks like the new clutch is working just fine. Eric Teboul was really on one, the bike swaying side to side but Eric stayed with it until something came off the bike at half track, which he reached at 4.134/175.70. Roel Koedam's tyre went up in smoke at about eighty feet, Roel feathered the throttle and then the bike really hooked up and went, as the speed shows.
The qualifying standings after round one of FIM/UEM Top Fuel Bike are as follow:
11:50
Whilst the next Pro racers are collecting - Top Fuel is scheduled to run next - let's catch up with the last couple of sessions of Sportsman qualifying. After round 6, the top five of 9.90 Bike stands as follows: 1. Dave Warren 9.915/127.15, 2. Andy Bird 9.916/130.37, 3. Andy Burfitt 9.920/133.97, 4. Steve Coombs 9.921/133.18, 5. Geoff Connor 9.931/117.81
No changes in the top five of Super Comp after session six: 1. Paul Ingar Udtian 8.902/129.02, 2. Zane Llewellyn 8.906/152.50, 3. Phil Bennett 8.919/143.71, 4. Shaun Lathan 8.919/151.46, 5. Mark Fairhurst 8.920/150.52
Stay tuned.
11:45
The first qualifying session in FIM/UEM Supertwin went as follows (left lane first): Anders Karling 6.638/182.23, Ronny Aasen 6.902/189.80, Svein Gottenberg 7.597/186.81, Hans Olav Olstad 8.113/174.45, Willem Been 8.819/108.69 bye
A fine return for Anders Karling, taking up where he left off in 2002. It was a great side-by-side with Ronny Aasen, shaking race control almost to pieces as they left the line. Anders got a bit close to the centre line at the top but had it covered. Svein Gottenberg's run looked quicker than it was whilst Hans Olav Olstad was heading for the centre line and feathered the throttle. Willem Been took a half pass on his old bike which he is riding for Benrie Hepworth.
The qualifying standings after round one of FIM/UEM Supertwin are as follow:
11:35
The first qualifying session in NDRS Bilsport Pro Modified went as follows (left lane first): Patrick Wikström 6.615/194.05 bye, Bert Englefield 6.802/208.27, Robert Koper 7.794/141.07, Norbert Kuno 8.972/88.92 bye, Andy Robinson 8.208/104.88, Peter Wacker 6.884/194.09, Micke Lindahl 11.529/91.65, Henri Joosten 6.835/200.07, Freddy Fagerström 6.830/205.39, Mats Eriksson 6.957/198.46, Håkan Nilsson 9.957/94.68, Roger Johansson 6.552/215.39
One of Marc Meihuizen's 'chutes deployed as he pulled into the burnout box, he was towed back to the pits. Patrik Wikström's car appeared to be struggling some in the first couple of gears, not much sign of shake, he had the chutes out before the finish line. A nice looking run from Bert Englefield, slightly long way round but no problems. Robert Koper pedalled at about 200 feet and had the chutes out well before the finish line. Norbert Kuno looked to be on a planned half-pass, chutes out at half-track. Andy Robinson shut off at half track whilst Peter Wacker went all the way, a nice pass for Peter. Micke Lindahl hit shake off the line, a nice straight pass from Henri Joosten in the other lane. Freddy 'only' burnt out to 200 feet before his pass, on his run Freddy pedalled towards the top end, in the other lane a solid baseline pass for Mats Eriksson. Håkan Nilsson hit shake off the line whilst Roger Johansson went straight as you like to take #1 spot.
The qualifying standings after round one of NDRS Bilsport Pro Modified are as follow:
11:15
The first qualifying session in FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike went as follows (left lane first): Len Paget 8.270/156.25 bye, Remo Nassi 8.245/160.05 bye, Michal Ponca 20.706/69.34 bye, Paul Watson 7.866/168.08, Herman van Driel broke, Helen Curran 8.346/145.14, Martin Bishop 7.782/170.38, Richard Gipp 7.862/163.15, Chris Hope 7.835/167.28, Vesa Rautio broke off line, Roger Pettersson 7.470/179.09
We got our first looks at the new paintjobs on Paul Watson's and Chris Hope's bikes and they both look very nice indeed.
The qualifying standings after round one of Pro Stock Bike are as follow:
11:05
The top five in Super Pro ET changed after session 6 with a bunch of new names including Barry Giles on his first pass of the weekend: 1. John Everitt +0.007 8.877/149.92, 2. Gary Malin +0.009 7.659/173.94, 3. Barry Giles +0.010 7.610/171.72, 4. Kev Taylor +0.011 9.001/147.06, 5. Steve Neimantas +0.017 8.667/160.64
No changes in 10.90 Bike after session 6: 1. Phil Pratt 10.925/123.99, 2. John Hackney 10.970/104.66, 3. Shaun Spiers 11.042/128.55, 4. Lizz McCarthy 11.505/127.54, 5. Andrew Grant 12.242/116.60
We've now gone into Pro qualifying so stay tuned and we'll bring you all the latest news.
10:30
Well, here we go. We had a delay for a sprinkle of rain at the top end but we're off and running now. The top five in Pro ET after session 6 is: 1. Bob Doyle +0.000 10.350/132.19, 2. Rock McCann +0.000 10.250/129.30, 3. Wayne Hiscock +0.002 10.872/125.45, 4. Kev Slyfield +0.002 11.722/115.41, 5. Keith Ridley +0.003 10.703/127.45
No changes to the top five in Super Gas after session 6: 1. Peter Lane 9.904/141.96, 2. Tim Adam 9.905/144.65, 3. Conrad Stanley 9.908/134.80, 4. Stuart Doignie 9.913/125.38, 5. Pete Creswell 9.916/142.35
The top five is similarly unchanged in Super Street: 1. Mark Watkins 10.901/114.18, 2. Paul Marston 10.902/119.73, 3. Bob Lees 10.902/124.33, 4. John Grant 10.905/134.30, 5. Mike Bentley 10.907/130.73
8:00
Good morning and welcome again from Santa Pod Raceway for our coverage of day two of qualifying for the FIA Main Event in association with American Car Imports.
The Webster Race Engineering/MPM Oil webcam is on-line and broadcasting a picture every two minutes. You can reach the webcam from the Event Index page.
We took a stroll round the pits after we finished last night, as did our good buddy Christer Abrahamson of Svensk Dragracing.
Top Fuel Dragster racer Jöran Persåker and his team spent all of yesterday working hard on the Persåker Speed Shop dragster ready for what should be his final licencing pass today. "I hope we'll be ready to go in the morning, I need to get that licence done as soon as I can", he said. Jöran's wife Carina told us that she didn't think he was nervous. "He has been racing since 1978", she said.
Right next door, 2003 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion Smax Smith and his team were also working feverishly to get the Promise-sponsored car ready. "I picked up the body panels from Lee Stone at seven this morning!", said Smax. "Teng Tools couriered their decals here this morning, and I have also done deals with SP Holding Services, who move anything, and TFZ", he said. Smax had a long list of jobs still to do on the dragster but he was confident that everything would be ready in time.
The American Car Imports Racing team were at dinner when we passed last night, but if you're at the track this weekend then be sure to check out the new ACI Racing T-shirts which are very snazzy.
Turner Racing Top Methanol Dragster Crew Chief Steve Turner said that Rob Turner's first qualifying pass today would use a set-up from last year's European Finals for a base. "We have a new pneumatic system to try for the second pass", he said. "We are hoping that it will even things out over the run. Between 330 feet and the eighth we've been losing time". "We don't shake any more", said Rob Turner. I asked how they had achieved this before I remembered that it's the sort of thing which teams like to keep under their hats. "It's a case of calming it down at the shake point, but now we want to pick it up from there", said Rob. Steve confirmed that the Netcall-sponsored team would be contesting all European rounds this season.
2003 FIA European Pro Stock Champion Michael Malmgren showed me round his new AC Delco-sponsored Pontiac Grand Am and a more immaculate piece of work you'll never see. The attention to detail is everywhere. "The chassis is powder coated and lacquered", said Michael. "You'll find no aluminium panels anywhere, it's all carbon fibre. The gauges are digital and the four link has about five hundred combinations!". Michael is promising something special today. "You will see some numbers on the scoreboards that you haven't seen before!", he said.
Michael's daughter Michaela has a double celebration this weekend as today is her seventeenth birthday and she ran a PB of 11.20 in her Junior Stock Dragster yesterday. Happy Birthday Michaela!
Pro Stock racer Magnus Hansson is planning more of the same after his 6.9-second pass in testing last weekend. "The six was with the ex-Jan Murén engine", said team member Lasse Bodén. "We have put other engine on the dyno, and it is almost as good. There is much more to come, at least a couple of hundredths, and the track will help us too."
Fuel FC racer Leif Helander and his team took the opportunity to put together the Starkotter FC at their own pace yesterday. "It's starting to be in one piece", said Leif. "Everything got mixed up today! We have a lot of parts from Gwynn Racing like wheels, con rods, wrist pins and parachutes. "It's just the same old driver!", said team member L-O Jonsson.
Pro Stock Bike racer Martin Newbury told us a little more about his stunning new bike which he unveiled on Eurodragster in the last week. "It's a PMFR roller from the USA", he said. "Beasley did the body. It has last year's electrics but with more sensors, and at the moment it has last year's engine. From the crank centreline to the back is five inches more than anyone else's bike, it's the same set-up as Geno Scali is running in the USA". Martin's wife Cindy added that their PSB and Richard Gipp's bike attracted a lot of interest at the BMF Show last weekend, where they were appearing to promote the Main Event for Santa Pod.
Returning (to Europe) Supertwin racer Anders Karling, who spent last year racing in the USA, told Christer that he would not be running either of his new engines. "I worked really hard to get it all together but there wasn't enough time", he said.
Fellow Supertwin racer Svein Gottenberg told Christer that there is not even a single screw from his old bike on his new machine. "This new bike would not have been possible without the help of Ton Pels and Zodiac", said Gotten.
There was a lot to talk about in the Veidec Racing Pro Stock Bike pit where Crew Chief Roger Lyrén was showing off the new paint on the new TL1000 bodywork of 2003 FIM/UEM Pro Stock Bike Champion Roger Pettersson. "The Veidec scheme was designed by Lörs who designed the paint for Håkan Nilsson's Pro Mod", said Roger. "Michael Westborne painted the bodywork. Everything else will be painted the same but you know how it is in drag racing, we ran out of time". Roger added that the Veidec team had donated Roger Pettersson's race leathers to the auction for Sarah Jane Head which is taking place this weekend.
Roger Pettersson told Christer that one of his crew had said "If the rider doesn't shine this weekend then the paint will!". Roger commented that he is paid by Social Welfare to have these guys around, which probably loses a little in translation into English.
Fellow Veidec PSB racer Helen Curran told Christer that she is racing a completely different bike to last year's. "Last year it was Øivind's bike, this year it is Roger's old chassis which is completely updated", she said.
Super Street Bike racers Graham Dance and Brad O'Connor, who swapped Biggest Breakout in 9.90 Bike yesterday, paired up a couple of times during qualifying and Brad had some news for Graham on their last run. "Brad told me I had run 8.05 and I said 'How do you know?'", said Graham. "He said 'You were so far in front of me that I saw the scoreboard!'."
Super Street racer Dave Cherrett is out of competition this weekend. "I had a lot of vibration coming out of the burnout and I thought it was a fouled plug", he told Simon Groves. "On the run, though, a rod came through the sump. It's not repairable this weekend as although we have a spare block we don't have a spare crank. This is the first time I've had to pull over in four years". On a brighter note Dave confirmed that he would again be contesting the Veidec Nitro Nationals at Mantorp Park in July.
It's not just Michaela Malmgren's birthday today; we would also like to wish a very Happy Birthday to track announcer John Price. Have a good one, John!
Right now the trackside conditions are 16.2 C, 62% humidity and 30.12 inches of air pressure. Qualifying is scheduled to start at 9:00 again this morning, with the first FIA, FIM/UEM and NDRS Bilsport Pro Mod session set for 10:45. Stay tuned for regular updates.