It is not unreasonable to suggest that this season has not gone entirely to everyone’s ideal plans.  After the rained off final at Alastaro, the strange happenings at Hockenheim, track issues and rain at Santa Pod as well as a rain affected Tierp 1, this season has thrown everything there is at the Pro Stock teams, and yet there are 12 cars here at Tierp, all looking to perform for this knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd.

Conrad Stanley has not made the trip to Sweden.  Budgetary restraints and a lack of parts make it impossible for Conrad to make the trip.  Jonas Dantanus is also an absentee; Jonas has other commitments which take priority.

Jan Palmqvist is present, but in a support role to his old friend and sparring partner Richard Sundblom.

A new team to me is Magnus Petersson in a Pontiac GTO, meeting Magnus for the first time is a pleasure.  Magnus’ PB Racing team is a family concern, and they tell me that their aim for the weekend is to have fun and run representative times.  “Everything else is a plus” says Magnus.  A new and extremely likeable team has come into the pitlane.

I have said before in these reports that “Bo Pettersson and Mats Jacobsson are not seen outside Sweden”, Mats tells me that this may have been true before, but he will contest the rest of the rounds this year and hopes to contest all rounds in 2013
 
 Bo is competing in his second full FIA round this year, a first for the extremely friendly and entertaining driver.

Christian Sagelv is entered with his beautifully presented Gulf Oil sponsored Ford Focus, the only Ford in European Pro-Stock.  The first time I have seen this car in the flesh, and it is not at all disappointing.  Ford have not been in European Pro Stock for a very long time, so this car brings an interesting and attractive dimension to the field.

Micke Callin has never qualified better than eighth at Tierp in three competitive visits.  Micke wants to get rid of this record this weekend.

Michael Malmgren has had an uncharacteristically poor season, without the opportunity to compete properly through a combination of rain affected rounds and track conditions.  Michael is frustrated with the 2012 season.

Link to a full report

Eliminations:
Sampsa Palos has a broken lifter but the crew cannot extract the carrier and they fear they may not make the call.  Rain in the morning has delayed proceedings, and the Pro-Stock teams do not get called to the line until after lunch, Sampsa’s crew are looking forlorn, but no one has stopped trying to fix the car.  As I gather the teams for eliminations, I have to tell Magnus Petersson that he may well be racing after all.  This is both a happy and sad job.  Magnus is delighted that he might get to race again, Sampsa is distraught that he might not.  But it is the right way to go about this.  Magnus must be given time to prepare and Sampsa must be allowed time to make the call.

Thomas Lindström - championship leader

The first pair are pulling through the tunnel.  Magnus Petersson is in the car, ready to race when a commotion from the tunnel announces that Sampsa Palos has made it.  Crew chief Marko Someroja exchanges a look with Magnus which says everything, “Man, I am sorry to do this to you, but we are here to race”.  Magnus deals with the highs and lows of the past minutes admirably.

The first pair are Sampsa Palos and Richard Sundblom, who treat us to a long burn down and staging duel.  Finland versus Finland. Sampsa goes into stage first and leaves first with Richard chasing him hard.  Some change in engine note from Sampsa’s car at half-track and it is all Richard’s to the line.  Back in the pits Mikko Österburg tells me they broke a valve spring on that run, but it was not related to the lifter problem.  Richard Sundblom progresses.

Second pairing is Michael Malmgren and Micke Callin.  Micke goes into pre stage quickly, and Michael makes him wait an age before joining him.  Same happens into stage.  Micke in promptly, Michael taking his time.  Micke makes him pay for that with a 0.09 light and seems to be driving away from Michael at sixty feet, but the tyres begin to shake on the second shift and it develops to be so bad the chutes deploy before 300 ft which take out the timing cone.  Michael has a trouble free 6.806 pass to progress to the next round.  The man in third place in the championship is out of this competition, but his closest rival did not qualify for the elimination phase, so Micke is probably safe.

Jimmy Ålund  and Ulf Wagnhester come through the tunnel next.  Another great drag race with Ulf leaving first and Jimmy chasing him down before overhauling and outrunning him to the line.  Ulf heads for the trailer and Jimmy progresses.

Final pair is the Ernyrd Cars Dodge Stratus of Thomas Lindstrom against the Gulf oil Ford Focus of Christian Sagelv.  Christian hits Thomas with a massive holeshot of 0.1924 seconds, which Thomas has to recover and take back .  Thomas manages it, but only just and only by the very thickness of his front spoiler.  Thomas runs 6.7519 against Christian’s 6.9455 which gives a margin of victory of 0.0012 or 9cm.  Margins of victory are just an interesting diversion though, a victory is a victory no matter how close it was, and Thomas moves forward whilst Christian takes his car home to try and fight another day.

Sunday Eliminations Round 2

Winners and pairings from round one are

Thomas Lindström against Richard Sundblom
Jimmy Ålund against Michael Malmgren

Richard gives the race to Thomas with a huge red light, which is a shame because the times are very close and it should have been a good drag race.

Jimmy leaves on Michael and then out runs him too.  I doubt Jimmy even saw Michael during that race.

We have our finalists, and they are the two men fighting for the championship win

Sunday – Final

Unfortunately we were rained off late in the afternoon on Sunday, so the final did not take place.  Jimmy and Thomas will share runner up points, which makes the championship table look like this