DRAG RACING
Fast Finn Makela wins it from the grandstands
Organiser: Santa Pod Racers Club When: September 8-11
The FIA European Drag season ended in highly dramatic fashion, with the Top Fuel championship being decided in the penultimate runs of the campaign at Santa Pod last weekend.
The semi-final stage would provide the silverware with a home. Finnish fan favourite Anita Makela lost out to a 3.896s/312.18mph from RFM racer Duncan Micallef.
However, despite that, Makela was able to retain her slender points lead.
In the next pairing Stig Neergaard, who needed the 20 points on offer for winning to claim the title, lost out to Micke Kagered’s 4.059s/278.51mph run.
Unfortunately, engine damage prevented Micallef from reaching the final showdown, which left 2015 champion Kagered to the event win with a solo run. All of that was enough for the spectating Makela to claim the crown.
The combined FIA and MSA Pro Modified category proved to be a challenging one for the Uk-based teams as only Kevin Slyfield and Andy Robinson progressed to the quarter-final stage.
Slyfield would end up losing out to Mats Erkisson while Robinson damaged a camshaft and failed to make it to the start for his later contests.
Eriksson formed one part of the all-swedish event final with opponent Michael Gullqvist. Gullqvist narrowly missed out on resetting the Santa Pod elapsed time record for the class over the quarter mile with a 5.889s/243.83mph to defeat Eriksson’s 6.113s/234.05mph and that was enough for him to clinch his fifth FIA Pro Modified title. The MSA version title still has one round left to run in 2016.
Other championship winners included Jimmy Alund (FIA Pro Stock Car and runner-up to event winner Bengt Ljungdahl), Jonny Lagg (FIA Top Methanol Dragster with Dennis Habermann picking up the event spoils).