..Well, that Peter Svensson and team STARTA was out to further improve their European record was no secret. But to wish or plan for and to actually do it are of course very separate things..

QUALIFICATIONS:

Already day one during the qualifications it was clear that Peter Svensson was going to perform in a different league than his collegues this weekend. With that said it did not indicate he was going to be consistent.. just so much much quicker than any of his fellow contenders. The ET of 5.709 sec was the quickest ever run performed by a Top Fuel Bike and of course good for the no.1 position in the qualification rankings.

Ian King did not run close to his personal best this time, but 6.23 sec at 350 km/h cleared him as second quickest without doubt. Rikards Gustafsson on his funny bike managed  6.469 which is close to a personal best and great performance to watch. Peter Ström-Andersson 4th quickest at 6.74 sec. , while Nils Lagerlöf  an Kai Selkämaa was not showing their best yet during the qualifications. A 15 sec run is not what we have learnt to expect from Selkämaa and Lagerlöf have spoiled us with many fine 6-sec runs this season. In the qualification rankings they stayed 5th  (Lagerlöf) and 6th (Selkämaa) which meant they would be up against the quicker Svensson and King already in the first round of eliminations.  


Peter Svensson

Don´t miss to read team STARTA and Peter Svenssons newsletter and race report by clicking this link!


Nils Lagerlöf


Kai Selkämaa

Peter Svensson

ELIMINATIONS:

Svensson showed no mercy in the quarter finals, blasting down the track at 5.860 sec. which was good to back up the 5.70 sec run (5.860 is the new European ET record). Selkämaa in the opposite lane ran 8.07, but it would not have mattered much if Kai would have set a new personal best, Svensson was just too quick this time.  

Nils Lagerlöf was the one who got Ian King to face in the first round and nobody would have guessed what was to come when King´s bike would barely start and after a second try (and the cylinders filling up with nitro) the crew had to call it a day. Spectacular bye run for Nils, who managed a fine 6.59 sec./337 hm/h 

Read King and Gulf Oil Dragracing´s own report from the event at Tierp


Rikard Gustafsson and Peter Svensson during qualifications

Rikard Gustafsson met Peter Andersson-Ström in the first round and it turned out in favour of Gustafsson 6.573 against Andersson´s 6.81.

In the semi-final Svensson enjoyed a planned bye run (as the ladder was not full). He managed it well and the ET this time was 5.922 sec.at 322 km/h

In the other semi-final the two funny bikes got to meet each other. A great side by side run where Gustafsson was the quicker  6.46 sec again to a loosing 6.57 (and new personal best for Lagerlöf). Great job Nils and the NC Racing crew! And well done Rikard, for running consistent and quick all through the event.

The final Gustafsson against Svensson was like the other finals unfortunately rained out.

Leaving Tierp Arena it is UK based rider Ian King on the Gulf Oil Dragracing/Puma Engineering bike, who leads the championship at 284 points. He is followed by Nils Lagerlöf at 214 points and Europe´s quickest Peter Svensson third in the rankings at 202.

Don´t miss to read the European Finals class by class Preview in a separate article!

Link to Elimination ladder