Speedgroup Club Europe

ABOUT the 27th NITROYLYMPX:

The event is included in the FIA & UEM European Drag Racing Championship. It is round #4 for the FIA car and UEM Drag Bike teams. The event is also included in the EDRS European Drag Racing Series for the Funny Bike class.

Sad news reached the drag racing community recently, that successful Top Methanol Funny Car driver Jarmo Kuutniemi passed away on July 24th after a short period of illness. Jarmo "Jaapa" Kuutniemi will be remebered and missed during this event as well as many more to come. Rest in piece Jaapa.

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.

TV-PRODUCTION

A Live web-TV show provided Saturday-Sunday $10 for both days. Sign up at www.nitrolympx.de

The event is filmed by the assigned TV-production company. It will result a 52 min show featuring the championship classes on track and including interviews and footage from the pits. The production is distributed to the assigned TV-channels as well as published online at the Speedgroup and organizers 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

- 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 EDRS European Drag Racing Series 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:

FIA European Drag Racing Championship

Risto Poutiainen

FIA Top Fuel Dragster:
9 teams entered for an 8 car elimination ladder

Please note the Competition distance in Top Fuel Dragster is 1000 feet (304.80 meters)

Notes: In championship points lead Risto Poutiainen (250) followed by Jari Halinen (188) and Antti Horto (138)

3rd placed Horto is not entered, which means a driver behind him will advance to take the 3rd position (or higher).

It should have been Poutiainen against Ahonen in the rained out finals at the last championship event in Finland. They are both very stable and high performing, which we believe will be visible also at Hockenheim. Ahonen just like Erbacher is very famous and popular among the crowd, already from his ski jumping career. Erbacher make his first championship entry this season at Hockenheim. As reigning champion for a while longer, we will just have to wait and see what Erbacher with less track time than the others can do at Hockenheim (which is his home track just a few hours away from the home base in Switzerland). Don´t miss the separate article about Urs in this edition!

Micke Kågered has won at Hockenheim before. His team has recently resolved technical issues that they have been struggling with for a long period. Our hope is that the team can finally start working with the setup rather than having to make repairs after most runs. Mäkelä and Halinen can be counted among the favourites, not the quickest but mostly consistent which in drag racing and especially in Top Fuel racing is equally, if not more important.

In the Saturday night show four top fuel teams are scheduled to participate; Urs Erbacher, Anita Mäkelä, Risto Poutiainen and Janne Ahonen (where a 5th car piloted by Micke Kågered will be standby as alternate if needed )

Monty Bugeja

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

Notes: In the championship lead Monty Bugeja from Malta (224) followed by Dave Wilson (214) and Timo Habermann (166).

There is a good possibility that the European Champions title in Methanol Dragster 2012 will end up at Malta. But there is also a good possibility that it won´t. Not if Wilson and the Habermanns get to have a say. And at this point all three at the top has the perfromance level needed to win rounds and events. Krister Johansson, Peter Schöfer and Chris Polidano rejoins the championship after having sat out the round in Finland.

Leif Andréasson

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

Notes: In championship points lead before the event Leif Andréasson (166) followed by Danny Bellio (159) and Ulf Leanders (114)

Danny Bellio has had his car at ME Racing for chassis repairs after a track end gravel trap incident at Tierp in june. Bellio could have been leading the championship but had to cancel his trip to Finalnd. Now he is back and will face two super fast Swedes, reigning champion Ulf Leanders and European record holder Leif Andréasson who has run 5.55 sec (he also won at Tierp in june but then had problems with tire shakes in Finland during the last event). Another Swede in an ex-champion car is Jonnie Lindberg who does his 3rd appearance in FIA Championship racing at Hockenheim. Jonnie has already run 5.87 sec in Finland but is modest and still getting to know the car. The same car won Urs Erbacher championship titles when he was in Methanol Funny Car. Also on the entry list the two skilled drivers Jürgen Nagel (Germany) and Rob Turner UK who was successful at the first championship event in May. In this class with normally reliable equipment, it should be the quickest performing car that wins the round, but nerves at the starline have interferred more than once before and traction is always an issue. We don´t dare to take a guess at this time who will be highest on the podium..

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. 11th

Don´t miss to check the point standings and entry list for more information and follow the event as we proceed through any or all of the different option of event coverage on offer!

LATE NEWS!
Meet Simpson Europe at Hockenheim

On Friday August 10th Simpson Race Products Europe will be on site in Hockenheim with its German distributer ISA-Racing.

Simpson is a widely recognised brand among Dragracers all over the world. The European operation grows rapidly and are now expanding heavily in the FIA regulated Rally, Rallycross and Touringcar-market. For 2013 Simpson Europe will offer a complete line of FIA approved or FIA Compatible Personal Safety products.

In Germany ISA-Racing will be the representative for Simpson Europe. ISA-Racing and Simpson Europe will be on site on Friday at the Hockenheim track to meet teams from Germany as well as other countries.

If you have any questions regarding personal safety or would like to meet us on Friday, feel free to contact Jan Phersson, manager of Simpson Race Products in Europe.
mail: jp@teamsimpson.com mobile phone: +46706627400

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

Notes: The Championship lead is held by Bruno Bader at 229 points, followed by Michael Gullqvist (206) and Bert-Ove Olofsson (163). All three are on site at Hockenheim to compete.

Gullqvist, who has been the quickest this season (serving the audience with 5 sec. runs like running a bracket car) had a major incident to his car in Finland. In the semi-finals the wishbone rear end locator broke and the car started moving close to uncontrollable sideways. Micke´s effort to slow down the speed as quick as possible was successful, but resulted in a deflated front tyre. With that fixed he will be one eager driver at the startline in Hockenheim hunting for points and trying to master the track better than anyone. Having sat out the first event in the UK in May he is still in reach of a championship lead. Providing Bruno Bader can´t keep the distance of course. And Bader has the capability no doubt, he has a track record of a fast enough and consistent car.

And there are others that are capable beyond normal.. Mats Eriksson, Bert-Ove Olofsson, Johan Lindberg, Marc Meihuizen.. just to mention a few! And let´s not forget Fredde Fagerström who with his 350 meter burnouts and great personality is the most popular driver of them all and in addition he now has the world´s fastest Pro Mod pick-up truck (6.04 sec at 373 km!) and it is still getting faster! Just awesome..

German racer Norbet Kuno enter the event with his brand new Avenger and has sent us a sneak preview of the gorgeous looking car. Check out Norberts Greetings by cliking here (opens a pdf-file)

Quickest in this field Micke Gullqvist who has a personal best of 5.91 sec at 395 km (his European ET record is 5.94 sec)

Thomas Lindström

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

Notes: Thomas Lindström is in championship lead (227 points) before Jimmy Ålund (190) and Michael Callin in 3rd with 145 points.

In the Pro Stock Class a lot circles around chasing the last few horsepowers. It is rarely a question if the top contenders is going to run quick.. they are. it is just a matter of how quick. This season more than ever show a close competing field of contenders where Ålund and Lindström is fighting the battle at the top of the championship. But the Pro Stock class is also THE class where the battle at the startline is the toughest and no driver can be granted to walk away with a win in that battle. One non-Swede on the entry list, skilled Harald Sturhan in the Mercedes. Would be fun to see him take a place in the final at his home track.. it would be against a Swede of course. Micke Callin, Mats Jacobsson, Michael Malmgren, Ulf Wagnhester. Add to that Jimmy Ålund and Thomas Lindström and you have a fine looking field. All can win an odd round, a few of them also events. That is if judging strictly by performance. Let´s see if it will turn out to be as simple as that.. Quickest of the bunch is Jimmy Ålund who has run 6.64 sec.

UEM European Drag Bike Championship

Ian King

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

Notes: Ian King (UK) leads the championship (174 points) before Nils Lagerlöf (126) and Rikard Gustafsson (108) The last two Swedes are the Funny Bike additions to the class for this season, something that was made possible by a change in the UEM regulations (pushed hard by UEM championship promoter Keith Bartlett) A move which has turned out positive and both Lagerlöf and Gustafsson compete the full championship 2012.

Rikard and Nils may have little to set up against Ian King and Peter Svenssons Top Fuel Bikes when the latter two perform at "normal level", but they have adapted in to the class in a great way. At this event we get to see riders from 5 nations compete in Top Fuel Bike, the four mentioned will be joined by skilled Rene van den Berg (from the Netherlands), Czech rider Otto Kneble (on King´s ex-bike) , Kai Selkämma from Finland and Steve Woollatt from the UK.

The last two are consistent and skilled enough to even win the event, although on paper the dream final would be King against Svensson.

Svensson has a personal best (and European record) of 5.82/370 km sec while King (on a bike that he is still on a learning curve with) have run 6.10/360 which is unbelievably fast.. but then again we ARE after all talking about drag racing which is the world´s fastest motorsport, right?

Click the link to read Ian King and GulfOil Dragracing recent press release!

Kai Selkämaa and Steve Woollatt are assigned to participate in the nigh show saturday (for an exhibition run that is out of competition)

Nate Gagnon

UEM Super Twin Bike:
13 teams entered for an 8 bike elimination ladder. The riders are from 10 different nations!

Notes: The top trio in the points standings are Nate Gagnon from Canada (!) at 163 points, Samu Kemppainen Finland follows at 135 and Job Heezen from the Netherlands is in 3rd place with 114 points

Very tight and competitive class, where all competitors are super skilled and the bikes are pretty reliable to perform at a consistent level, once the teams have found a working set-up (hopefully during the qualifications).

Gagnon had no luck in Finland where he found himself outside the elimination ladder after struggling with the bike all through the qualifications. Luckily he had earned points enough to keep the championship lead. Kemppainen and Gagnon are in the same team and their bikes are very similar. Both great contenders and among the favourites for the event win at Hockenheim. German rider Christian Jäger is on home turf, he was not in Finland and is in a current 6th place in points. Jäger is capable of running low 6.50 sec runs which can take him a long way through this competition if he manages to master the track. There are many more competent riders that are worth mentioning of course but we leave that for the report after the event and for now refer to the entry list presented under a separate headline and (not to forget) previous editions of newsletters for the ones interested in to learn more about what has been going on during the first part of the season.

Performancewise Nate Gagnon has run quickest of the riders entered for this event (6.44 sec and 363 km) followed by Lorenz Stäuble who has a personal best of 6.47 sec at 360 km.

Nate Gagnon and Job Heezen are also assigned to do an exhibition run as part of the night show!

Ulf Ögge

UEM Pro Stock Bike:
10 teams from 5 nations entered for a 16 bike elimination ladder

Notes: The championship points situation in the class is that Ulf Ögge lead at 219 points ahead of Kalle Lyrén (197) and Fredrik Fredlund (142).

Performancewise it has so far been Fredlund and Ögge in a class of their own - Fredlund backed up a new European ET record at the last event at Alastaro 7.074 sec. Ögge has run in the 6 sec range with the bike in the US and will be looking to run quicker than Fredlund we are sure. First entry this season in the class for greek rider Dimitrios Petridis, Gert-Jan Laseur after back after having missed two events.

The event win at Hockenheim is a wide open matter. On paper no doubt the dream final would be Ögge against Fredlund. But we have seen struggle and breakage of parts for both of them and others during the previous events, so in reality it is not that easy.

Lyrén is always a consistent top ranking contender and beside that any of the riders on the entry list can win an odd round, and if the elimination ladder is not full we will inevitably see bye runs. So qualifying at the top may bring a bonus to the table (although we know the riders prefer to have someone in the other lane during competition). Check the entry list who is running in Pro Stock Bike at the NitrOlympx, stay tuned during the event via Eurodragster.com results service and Online pay per view web-TV show!

And we will be back with a report from the event in the next edition!