Last year Leif bought a new Funny Car from Steve Harker, an Australian living in USA who has been one of the best drivers in the class over there.

-     He had this car stored in his garage for some years and now decided to sell it, tells Leif. And I have had some abstinence to drive again, after having been busy working with the Tierp Arena the last couple of years. This was a great opportunity for me.

Leif went over to USA last winter and participated at an NHRA race in Gaineswille to get to know the car and there he also had help from the former owner Steve (who ran his last race in it 2009). Leif had plans to ship the car over to UK to race at Main Event, but time was too short to get the car ready and loaded in time, so Leif and the team decided to wait until the second round in the European Championship at Tierp Arena and prepared the set up for that track. And that was a lucky strike. He did fast runs all weekend but at the elimination he ruled the track that he has been involved in creating.

Leif backed up the European record and the new European records are an ET of 5.55 seconds and the speed 417 km/h. !

-    I will have Steve Harker as a team member this season, tells Leif. He and his wife will do Europe between the races and help us during the races, so that feels great. He is so skilled, he just listens to the engine and checked the track and told me what time I  was going to make and it worked just fine! First round he said I will go 5.64 and I did 5.65, close enough I think. Second round he said 5.55 and that was the result. His wife Jenelle has won prices as the best mechanics in NHRA so she’s one of the best as well,  and I also manage to get my old crew with me this season, where Frank Göransson is crew chief again. He´s been with me since 1996 with a couple of years break. So now we’re on the track again!

It’s not the first time Leif goes fast at Tierp Arena. Last year he did one race, the first event at the area, and then ran 5.67 with his old car (borrowed back from the Maltese team that bought it). So he was very eager to take the first 5.50-time in Europe before this season. And so he did. Beside the racing operation, Leif is also very busy with the arena of course.

-    Yes, it’s a busy time with all the events that are booked this summer and we  work parallelly with the a number of events and building the new TTA track (circuit racing) that´s going to be ready for the race in September. A rally cross track is planned as well as a go-cart track, hotel, holiday cottages, and develop for the racing school that already have base here.

This event wasn’t optimal due to the weather, Saturday rained out and half Sunday as well. So the spectators that were expected didn’t come, but at least the FIA/UEM race could be finished off and now the staff and race crew is working to get next European Champion race we are hosting in August at Tierp Arena to be the best it can be!

Check the Top Methanol Funny Car Report under a separate headline for the full results!