Preview NitrOlympx HockenheimRing Germany august 12-14th

photo: Kalle Lyrén Pro Stock Bike from Sweden is one of the UEM riders who is happy to have NitrOlympx in the championship


ABOUT NITROYLYMPX:

The event is included in the FIA & UEM European Drag Racing Championship. It is round #4 for the FIA car teams and round #5 for the UEM Drag Bike teams. The event is also included in the NDRS Dragracing Series points system for sportsman classes which is administered by Speedgroup. 


 EVENT REPORTING:
- Online report from the event published by Eurodragster.com www.eurodragster.com incl.instant live reports of results. Photos and interviews posted a few times per day.

In addition Speedgroup publish the  NitrOlympx newsletter the week following the event

TV-PRODUCTION
The event is filmed by the assigned TV-production company. It will result in two x 52 min shows featuring the championship classes on track and including interviews and footage form the pits. The production is  distributed to the assigned TV-channels as well as published online at the Speedgroup website as a web-TV show after editing


 www.speedgroup.eu

SPEEDGROUP SERVICE CENTER
The service center of championship administrator Speedgroup  is located in the pit area close to the line up. Look for the Speedgroup flags and banners. We provide the following services on site:

- Contingency Program handling
Any team missing stickers is requested to come and visit us at the Speedgroup Service Center (look for the Speedgroup and NDRS Flags)

- Information about drag racing and also in event- and championship matters to spectators and media

- Sign up for the online Speedgroup  News letters

- Speedgroup Drivers & Riders Club sign-up for NDRS sportsman teams

- Sales assistance for team merchandise 

- Support to teams and the organizers in misc. event- and championship related matters  

FACTS ABOUT THE EVENT can be found at http://www.hockenheimring.net/dragster

Championship Classes Preview:

 


Top fuel pilot Urs Erbacher is very popular with the crowd at Hockenheim has a busy time caring for the many invited guests at his private VIP-area 

FIA Top Fuel Dragster:
 10 teams entered for an 8 car elimination ladder
Competition distance: 1/4 mile (402.33 meters)


Tommy Johnson Jr. has done well for team Andersen from Denmark

Notes: Tommy Johnson Jr is in championship lead (247 points) before the event with Urs Erbacher and Risto Poutianien on the same points (126) as 2 nd and 3rd. In 2010 Anita Mäkelä set the low ET of the meet last year and was no 1 qualifier at 4.80 sec. No winner was crowned as part of the the eliminations was rained off. 

Kenni Neergaard is on site with the mission to complete his Top Fuel license, if he get it done friday and have one or more qualification runs after that, he can be in competition (providing hes runs among the top 8). In the saturday night show 4 top fuel teams are scheduled to participate; Urs Erbacher, Anita Mäkelä, Stig Neergaard and team RF Racing with Shelly Pearson or Risto Poutiainen behind the wheel (Timo Lehtimäki will be standby as alternate if needed) 

FIA Top Methanol Dragster:
 10 teams entered for an 8 car elimination ladder

Notes: In the championship lead Fred Hanssen (234) followed by Dave Wilson (196) and Timo Habermann (132). Wilson tested at Tierp last weekend

At last years NitrOlympx Hanssen was quickest with 5.37 sec. Since then the 5.30 sec barrier have been passed by Wilson and we expect the low ET to be in the region of the low 5.30´s. Oliver Azzopardi from Malta rejoins the championship as do Peter Schöfer and Paul Ingar Udtian.


Methanol funny carUlf Leanders is quickest and is in split lead in the championship, wife Karin and Ulf are also busy at the events with their childrens particippation in Junior Dragster and the Leanders Clutch business. Their team is proof that the clutches work well!

FIA Top Methanol Funny Car:
7 teams entered for an 8 car elimination ladder

Notes:  It is a tie in the championship lead before the event. Ulf Leanders and Arvid Grödem both at 169 points. Staflund in 3rd place is not entered but Jarmo Kuutniemi is and he is currently 4th with chance to end top 3 in the championship. Low ET of the event last year was set by Dan Larsen at 5.85 sec. Leanders will no doubt want to improve on that and the team sure has the capacity havinh just set at new personal best ET at 5.62 sec during the tests at Tierp last weekend! The class is not the biggest but competitive and close racing can be expected.



The NitrOlympx is a well established event where people from many countries in Europe meet for top class championship drag racing and a spectacular night show on saturday aug. 13th

Mats Eriksson Pro Modified

FIA Pro Modified:
21 teams entered for a 16 car elimination ladder

Notes:  At the recent Swedish championship final at Tierp Arena, Micke Gullqvist and Johan Lindberg performed the quickest side by side Pro Mid run in Europe. Gullqvist won the final and became swedish champion while Lindbergh set a new Swedish record at 5.922 sec. Low ET at the 2010 NitrOlympx was set by Melanie Troxel with 6.007, the same car now owned by Micke Gullqvist who shows good form and will be eager to continue to run in the 5´s. And so will the Lindberg Bros and Mats Eriksson and Adam Flamholc.. All are members in the exclusive 5 sec club. Marc Meihuizen is eager to be the next member, he has taken a step up performancewise this season, tried at Tierp last weekend but failed at that time. Luckily he has a new chance to achieve good numbers and win runs at the fine Hockenheim quartermile. The entry list include a few german drivers that may be able to take points from the teams that run the full championship. No doubt in our minds we will se more 5-second runs in Hockenheim. 

The Championship is lead held by Michael Gullqvist at 247 points, followed by Bruno Bader (204) and Mats Eriksson (185)

Click the link to read Pro Mod editor 
ROBIN JACKSON´s PRO MOD PREVIEW!


Jimmy Ålund Pro Stock championship leader

FIA Pro Stock:
 11 teams entered for an 8 car elimination ladder

Notes: Jimmy Ålund is in championship lead (216 points) before Sampsa Palos (164) and rookie Thomas Lindström in 3rd with 146 points. Low ET of the event in 2010 was set by Ålund at 6.74 sec, that is one tenth of a second slower than his personal best but is a level where he performs consistent and win runs. Many of the Pro Stock teams were in Tierp last weekend to test new parts and find a baseline that can also work at Hockenheim. First time rookie Thomas Lindström enter the Hockenheim track in a Pro Stock car, he has been competitive since day one and Lindström and Palos have changed the scene compared to last year, when teams Callin, Palmqvist and Malmgren took turns in the winner circle. But it is Ålund that for entering the NitrOlymps is in a big advantage leading the championship comfortably.  



 UEM European Drag Bike Championship

The NitrOlympx host the UEM championship this time as a new feature joining the FIA Cars to form a full championship event. The UEM classes are at Gardermoen for round #5 of the championship just the weekend before Hockenheim (aug 5-7th) so riders might well changes places in the points standings one more time before Hockenheim. for the coverage of the event in Norway please check Eurodragster.com where Speedgroup will post reports from the track in cooperation with Eurodragster.


Peter Svensson and team is the quickest in Top Fuel Bike this season with 6.00 sec.

 UEM Top Fuel Bike:
7 teams entered for an 8 bike elimination ladder

Notes:  Nate Gagnon from Canada enters the NitrOlympx and it is his 3rd event in the championship this season. Kai Selkämaa makes his first entry in the championship for the season. Performance in the class have so far been a bit scattered but we expect that can change at the coming event at Gardermoen, Norway or at Hockenheim. As the teams get more runs on their new bikes or setups racing will get tighter and ET:s lower. Peter Svensson and team Kendall ran 6.006 sec in june at the championship event in Sweden and is on paper a strong candidate for an event win at Hockenheim. 
 
Ian King leads the championship (155 points) before Petri Paljakka (115) and Peter Svensson (86) with the event at Gardermoen Norway remaining before Hockenheim.


Job Heezen Super Twin Bike is one of the riders in the nightshow

UEM Super Twin Bike:
13 teams entered for an 8 bike elimination ladder

Notes: Quickest this season Jaska Salakari 6.39 sec set at the event in Finland at the beginning of july, an ET which he did not back up to be a valid record that time. Salakari doubles in Super Twin and Top Fuel Bike at Hockenheim.  

The top trio in the points standings before Gardermoen are Jan Sturla Hegré Norway (159 points) , Per Bengtsson Sweden (168) and Roel Koedam the Netherlands  (155). Very tight and competitive class where the  teams seemingly take turns in ending in the winners circle. German rider Christian Jäger is on home turf, new in the class this season but familiar with the track. Roman Sixta make his first entry in the class and like Jäger he is a skilled rider with experience from the funny bike class. Samu Kempainen was in the winners circle in top fuel bike at Alastaro, in Hockenheim he focuses on Super Twin and will be host and team mate with Nate Gagnon (Kemppainen om Gagnon´s ex-bike) and both will be advised by Ron Houniet, legendary tuner who joins Nate Gagnon on his two race tour to Gardermoen and Hockenheim.

UEM Pro Stock Bike:
14 teams entered for an 8 bike elimination ladder

Notes:  Championship points situation in the class is that Jesper Thiel is in a stable lead (322 points) before Kalle Lyrén (209) and Fredrik Fredlund (200) and. Fredlund had bad luck during the last event in Finland where he performed well during qualifications but broke in the first round. Lyrén passed him in the points but it is still tight and three events to go when we write this. Jesper Thiels team mate Rasmus Olesen also still has a chance to advance into top three as has theoretically Martin Bishop.

Performancewise it has been Thiel and Fredlund in a class of their own - Fredlund quickest in Europe with 7.04 sec and Thiel follows at 7.08 sec. First entry this season in the class for Italian rider Davide Ricci and great to see riders from Greece enter the NitrOlymps Stavros Svracnhos and Charalambos Bousinis. Reigning champion Ulf Ögge not on the entry list, the season for him have included a series of parts failures and he has withdrawn from the upcoming event at Gardermoen as well. 

Although the champions title sure looks like it is going to Denmark and Jesper Thiel, the event win at Hockenheim is a wide open matter.  


Jesper Thiel - Pro Stock Bike team Sovereign from Denmark is championship leader


 
HockenheimRing quartermile by night. The spectacular saturdat night show include participation repesenting the FIA and UEM classes in form of Top Fuel Dragster and Super Twin Bike. Selected teams show run and although it is not part of the championship, it is a nice feature to promote championship dragracing


.. and this is how it can look when one of the top fuellers lauch during the night show. Here Micke Kågered Bahco Tools Dragster, who is one of the teams on site for the championship round.


View from the grandstands of the track with the pretty scenery of the mountains in the far distance


Text: Åsa Kinnemar for Speedgroup
Photos:  Lena Perés, Ivan Sansom & Rose Hughes, Remco Scheelings and Speedgroup

This article is part of the Speedgroup Club Europe Newsletters #12/2011

Published by Speedgroup www.speedgroup.eu
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Any use of the above requires permission from Speedgroup
email: asa.kinnemar@speedgroup.eu
© Speedgroup 2011