Qualifications:

It was Dutch in the lead to start off the event. Job Heezen and the Zodiac Racing team, including godfather himself Ton Pels and son Vincent, set the pace during the qualifications already first run out on track. 6.612 sec which was an ET that would stay quickest all through the four sessions. That was also stumbling close to a new personal best for Job.

Samu Kemppainen also had things going for him. He worked his way down in ET throughout the qualifications and his 6.617 set in session #4 was a new personal best for Samu and good for the 2nd position. The only non European contender in the UEM championship (and likely new champion) Nate Gagnon from Canada came in third quickest at 6.66 sec. Hans Olav Olstad at the impressive  Thunderstruck bike  4th quickest 6.80 sec, followed by Christian Jäger 6.84, Trond Jostein Hoiberget 6.99, UK rider Chris Hannam 7.18. Roman Sixta from the Czech Replublic took the last place in the ladder at 7.58 sec, leaving Martijn de Haas outside for the time being.

Martijn´s and the MPM Oil team´s hope would be to come in as 1st alternate and take the place of any of the other riders in case of no show.. 


No 1 qualifier Job Heezen inteviewed by announcer Darryl Bradford.


Trond Jostein Hoiberget runner-up at European Finals


Samu Kemppainen - 3rd in the championship rankings 2012

Christian Jäger (right) winner of the European Finals with Trond Jostein Hoiberget runner-up on the podium.

Eliminations:

And as it happened Chris Hannam had broke and de Haas was ready to take Hannam´s place in the ladder. That included meeting Samu Kemppainen in round one. Bad enough Kemppainens engine broke at the hit of the throttle right off the startline and the bike was backed away. Disappointment for Skull Racing and Samu Kemppainen who has been doing well this season. They end 3rd in the championship 2012. Flames from De Haas bike half track and he shut off, but had nevertheless qualified  himself for a place  in the semi-final.

Job Heezen was succesful to start and took out Roman Sixta from further competition, but in the semi-final lost to Christian Jäger. Jäger had faced Hans Olav Olstad in round one, and a nice 6.77 sec run was enough to outrun Olstads 7.02. So Jäger had managed successfully to earn himself a place in the final. And with that achievement he passed Kemppainen in the points rankings and ends 2nd in the championship after Gagnon.

What about Nate Gagnon then? Well after a mostly successful season where he has run quick and consistent, the season ended in the first round of eliminations for Nate. While Trond Hoiberget managed to get from start to finish in 7.27 sec (shut off early), Gagnon´s  engine quit and something came off it soon after the start. He continued and rolled slowly down the track and that was new champion Gagnons retirement from European Drag Racing for this time (we hope he will be back of course). 

De Haas had to leave walk over to  Hoiberget in the semi-final and it meant Trond Jostein Hoiberget Norway was Christian Jägers opponent for the event win.

The final was pretty dramatic as Jäger blasted down the track at 6.57 sec (new personal best) while Hoiberget´s bike overpowered the track and smoked the tire soon after the hit. Hoiberget off the throttle and cruised past the finish line after 13 seconds. Victory for Germany´s Christian Jäger and runner-up Norway´s Trond Jostein Hoiberget. 
 
Link to Results: click to open pdf-files
QUALIFICATIONS
ELIMINATIONS LADDER

courtesy of TSÍ time keepers and Santa Pod Raceway

Check the full points table under a separate headline in this edition.

Low Elapsed Time of the Meet: 
6.578 seconds – Christian Jäger
Top Speed of the Meet:  
213.09 mph/342.86 kph – Hans Olav Olstad


Heezen at the startline in front of a good crowd of spectators