Super Pro ET racer Brendan Clancy had a huge moment when an ally weld on a fuel injector valve broke during the burnout. About three gallons of raw fuel sprayed out over the engine and a few firey seconds ensued before the onboard system and the Santa Pod startline crew quickly extinguished it. "Thanks to the on-board fire extinguisher and the fire happening on the burnout rather than at speed, damage was minimal. If it happened on the run the car would have been ash. The fire came into the cockpit so I was quick to activate it and then get out of the car." The electrics were slightly scorched but we understand Brendan will be refilling the fire bottles and having the injector valve welded to get back on track tomorrow. (Photo © Ed O'Connell)

Top Fuel Dragster racer Andy Carter has brought as guests racewear and safety equipment company Stand 21. Andy Boakes (pictured right) and Keith Wood (pictured left) are based at Brands Hatch with the UK franchise of the French brand and are looking to expand to the sport in the US. Andy Boakes said "The company has been making racewear for forty years and make firesuits, HANS devices and helmets to the highest SFI standards and for SFI 20, in excess of them." The firesuits are in the two layers for sportsmen and five and six layer to SFI standard 15 and 20 for Pro classes and are made to measure in a range of colours, with the company able to do embroidery of sponsor logos. The suits for Fuel cars are notably lighter and more pliant than others we have seen. Carbon fibre helmets are also made to customer's design and there are also gloves and shoes. Stand 21's web site is www.stand21.fr (English version available).

Dutch Super Comp racers and Paul Vrind (pictured second and third from right) are racing as a team with crew Chris, Huib, Peter and Skip. Paul's orange Chevette now has a 620cu in engine making for some potentially interesting handling for the short wheelbase car. Paul said "We have done a lot of work on the chassis to handle the power and have tested the car in Holland." Eric has run his stealth black '57 Chevy for two years and the car was previously run by Switzerland's Peter Wacker as Roofer's Toy. Eric won the Dutch championship. He said "The car used to run low sevens and can easily run low eights now with a big block and single carb." The team's sponsors are KR8 (based on the Dutch word for horsepower) magazine.

Super Comp racer Martin Curbishley has shared the driving of the points-leading Paul Marston Racing dragster with Paul and will continue in the car here and in the National Finals. Martin qualified no.1 in the very first session with an 8.903. "Yesterday we did maintenance on the dragster so it was running well from the start of qualifying", he said. "Thanks to Paul and his crew for giving me the chance to drive such a good car - they are a fantastic team." After a busy period of work, Martin is looking at bringing out his Brogie Roadster to run in Super Comp and Super Gas.

Pro ET racer Sarah Howells is back in the cockpit after a two year break. She shares the driving of the Ramraider Wild Bunch entry with husband Darryl Howells and car owner and Eurodragster.com sponsor Ed Yates. Sarah tested yesterday to get acclimatised to the car and after a 9 sec checkout pass ran a 9.13, 9.21 and 9.18 off the trailer. This morning the car slowed to a 9.30 on her 9.12 dial-in.

Super Pro ET racer Joe Stevens carried the wheels for a couple of hundred feet down the track without lifting. He said "I ran a PB on that run as well, an 8.88. haven't had the wheels as high as that before but was happy to drive through it. If it keeps doing that I will need to alter the four link! For the next run I just want to alter the dial-in so I am closer to it.

Super Pro ET racer Mark Flavell took his funny car to the Isle of Man to run a demo on the Ramsay Sprint course on the sea front following the Manx GP for motorcycles, and at a meeting by the Manx Drag Racing club held at Jurby airfield. He said "Ian Merryweather, a pioneer Super Gas racer emigrated to the Isle of Man and formed the club and invited us over. We had a brilliant reception, all the residents are petrolheads. At Ramsay the end of the demo burnout I came out of the rood hatch and was in front of a hotel - it was surreal. Jurby is holding a few events and is perfectly smooth tarmac and plenty of hardstanding. They had double the number of racers and spectators attend as expected and the sport will definitely develop - we've already been invited back there next year during TT week." Mark is nursing a slightly wounded cylinder in his motor and has detuned it to make sure it runs reliably over the event.

Super Pro ET racer Paula Atkin is here with her ex-IHRA Pro Stock Mustang. "We made a burnout and soft launch a couple of weekends ago but had starter problems at the test session - just new car gremlins. We tried a 330ft launch without nitrous initially today as it is a new environment for me", said Paula after around twenty years racing a 100E. The car has a new Ford Hemi of 615cu in (up from 500cu in before). The car was constructed by Jerry Haas and Paula plans to carry on development work at the National Finals.

Sixteen year old Super Pro ET racer Jayne Kay is getting her Methanol Funny Car lower in the times and licensed with a 9.1/145mph run in 2nd gear. She said "There has been a lot of work to do but I am getting used to the car now. Thanks to Dan Larsen and Danny Bellio for their help in getting me on the track." Dad and crew chief Gary said "There is a lot to learn so we have a two year programme to get Jayne ready for TMFC competition. The engine is a JP-1 which is probably the only one in racing in the country and it has a 6/71 blower and Enderle fuel system. The clutch weights were still on it on earlier passes which was causing the car to bog off the line so we have taken them off. Also we have a smaller blower pulley on for more compression."

Super Pro ET racer Rod Harrison said "I was 0.009 off being no.1 qualifier but unfortunately it was the wrong way and I broke out (7.4408 on a 7.45 dial). We had to do a full rebuild of the engine after the cam went at the last meeting and it improved to a best ever 1.04 sixty foot time." Son Karl in the pictured funny car, was not so fortunate. "The clamp holding the coupling on the prop shaft slipped and the prop shaft disengaged. Thanks to Andy Robinson we had the guard rewelded and will be out later."

Super Pro ET racer Barry Giles was in unusual circumstances after the convertor slipped going down the track in session one. He said "This is fixable with spares or there are several racers here with spare convertors - Steve Johnson has already offered to lend us one." Giles and Hartley have once again won the APIRA championship (see our points page for other winners) - he said "We didn't expect to win the championship as we did not do so well at the first race."

Super Pro ET racer Ashley Bell is being helped by usual crew Tony de Luca and Johnny Hall (pictured right) this event. "We think we have a wheel problem - the car is becoming skittish at three quarter track and is always on the edge even when it is in the groove. It needs track time to get sorted and we will try to eliminate one thing at a time. We have checked the four link and have all new rod ends and baselined the chassis. We want to try new wheels as the existing ones may be slightly out of true."

Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator racer Colin Lazenby said "My season has been thwarted by a lack of funds. I work in the industry that supplies constructors with new kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms and we are two years into a recession in that part of the exonomy. So I have only been able to attend two points races out of eight and with hindsight I have really missed it. We have changed the nitrous system and took our best pass at Easter, an 8.19 as a benchmark. We are now 115hp from maxing out the nitrous. The trick with nitrous is feeding it in. The two stage system is fully controllable but the torque curve produced is difficult to control. At the hit there is massive torque and the tyres are unforgiving. But we wont shy away from it and will load it up." Colin's best today was 8.37, good for fourth in the 13 car field.

Super Pro ET racer Robin Orthodoxou started by sorting problems out with his model T and later recorded a 7.48, 7.38 and 7.34. "On the first it died on the launch and on the second I just shifted too early into second. I have new gear ratios - the gearbox is a air-shifted Liberty (pictured) like a Pro Stock and first gear was too short." The engine is a Steve Schmidt "King of the Hill" with 632cu in and twin carbs running on Sunoco Maximal C14 spec fuel. Robin is aided by sons Darren and Lee.

Super Pro ET racer Leon Green is usually seen running in the HKS Series where he won the HKS Pro class in 2009 and has 900 points compared to the nearest competitor's 480 points this year. "My best is a 7.42 but I am running consistently in the mid sevens with a 7.58 and 7.7 here. My goal is to run a six. The car has a 2JZ Toyota stock block six cylinder (with modified oilways) and a single stage of nitrous to get the torque off the line and a turbo for further down the track. The transmission is a tried-and-tested Powerglide. Leon's firm is JPSmotorsports.com.

Super Pro ET racer John Everitt's car shows his event is dedicated to son Oliver on the sixth anniversary of his passing. John's day started with the car not going straight. Team member Kirstie said "The car refused to go straight at Shakey, apart from round one of eliminations, and here almost hit the 330ft blocks. This event, we are back on Toyo tyres now, which are difficult to get hold of but help John win the championship last year. Thanks to Andy Robinson for the wheel balancing." Later in the day John improved to an arrow-straight 7.9572 on a 7.95 dial-in.

Super Pro ET racer Matt Glassup is in the seat at the race but when sister Holley ran the car yesterday to license an oil pipe failed leaving trans fluid on the line. It then rained before Holley's first observed run. The team's luck changed when after a launch in first gear only, Matt ran a full pass to a 7.79. "I was really pleased because it was my first full pass since the 2008 Summernationals and we have taken 10% out of the blower. Thanks to Mum and Dad for letting me have a go and to Richard and Lee from J&W in preparing it. Next year we want Holley to get familarised and we will run selected events where the altered is not running." In the meantime the car, with its new engine parts and Powerglide transmission, is available for sale. Pictured are crewman Lee, Matt, Cathy and Bob.

Super Pro ET racer Peter Walters had to buy a new engine quickly when on the third qualifier at SCR, a rod exited the sump. Some of the parts are salvageable but we had an offer of a complete engine from Nigel Turner; it's not quite as good spec so we have detuned the blower to keep it safe. At the same time the gearbox won't go into second - we can't find anything wrong and may need to pick a spare up from Tom's house. We wouldn't have normally gone to all this effort but we are high up in the points."

Super Pro ET racer Rene Ehrismann from Switzerland is at Santa Pod for the first time and in session one ran a 8.8518 on an 8.85 dial-in to go no.1 where he remained for the rest of the day. "It was luck", he said modestly. "My nearest track is Hockenheim with two races a year where I run Super Comp." Rene's engine is a 360cu in small block Chevy with nitrous and Powerglide and the car is named Orangli.

Super Pro ET racer Rick Garrett suffered transmission woes over the last few days that apparently disappeared by the third and fourth session with 8.48 and 8.53 on his 8.50 dial. "Our convertor broke on the test day and Jon Giles gave us an ex-Jeff Bull convertor. We think that at Hockenheim we broke the wheelie bar brackets and think the shock damaged the trans. Thanks to Andy Frost for rebuilding the trans in one day. On the first pass the nitrous burnt the rotor so we will run without nitrous." Pictured are Rick with sons Nick and Ryan (step-son Daniel is not pictured).

Super Pro ET racer Rob Smallworth said his Super Mod car with clutch trans is hard to turn round for qualifying sessions. "We ran 7.718 on a 7.2 dial-in and had to miss the third session. We worked at home on fuel flow with help from Rob at I.C.E. to try to get the ETs lower. This weekend is more of a test session to get five or six runs over the weekend and only change one thing at a time. But we need to go quicker for Pro Mod - Fred is a couple of tenths quicker with essentially the same setup. We are 80lb over weight but the main weakness is our 60ft times - more clutch weight is needed. Pictured are crewmen Malcolm Herridge, Barry Grimes, Brian Wilby and Jim McGhee.

Dutch Super Pro ET racer Marck Harteveld has changed his car from a Roadrunner to this Superbird, out for the first time here, for which he constructed the body in fibreglass from an original. "It's much lighter than the other car and even with the same power train the times have gone from 8.9 to 8.1s. Our objective here is to run a seven.