Preview NitrOlympX HockenheimRing Germany
August 8-11th 2013


ABOUT the 28th NITROYLYMPX:

The event is included in the FIA European Drag Racing Championship. It is round #4 out of 6 for the FIA teams which for this event consist of FIA Top Fuel Dragster, Top Methanol Funny Car, Pro Modified and Pro Stock. The event is also included in the EDRS European Drag Racing Series for selected classes. 

In addition this is round #3 out of 4 for the FIM Europe Drag Bike Championship classes Top Fuel Bike, Super Twin Bike and Pro Stock Bike and part of the Super Street Bike Europe Cup. The event also include a field of Nitro Funny Cars which run a limited Series over events in the UK (Santa Pod) and this one in Hockenheim. I gather the spectators are in for an exciting and entertaining event!

A little over 240 teams are entered for the competition. 
LINK TO THE ENTRY LIST (pdf)



FACTS ABOUT THE EVENT can be found at http://www.nitrolympx.com

NitrOlympX Timing Service:

All results from the time keeping will be posted continuously throughout the event: http://nitrolympx.bw-timing.de


EVENT REPORTING 


- Online report from the event published by Eurodragster.com incl.instant live reports of results and the so appreciated Pit Notes.
Direct link to event coverage index page (activated in time before the event)


WEB-TV
Live web-TV broadcast provided Saturday-Sunday (pay per view)
Sign up at www.nitrolympx.de




 www.speedgroup.eu

SPEEDGROUP ON SITE 

Speedgroup´s staff at the NitrOlympX include coordinator Åsa Kinnemar, contingency coordinator Gittli Koller, service center assistant Aila Striem, editors and photograpers Lena Perés, Remco Scheelings, Patrik Jacobsson and managing director Michael Gullqvist. In addition a number of editors and photographers on site that we cooperate with on a regular basis.

Speedgroup´s service center is located in the pit area close to the line up entrance. We provide the following services on site:

- Contingency Program stickers
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  

FIA European Drag Racing Championship
Class Previews:

 


Antti Horto - championship leader Top Fuel Dragster

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

Notes: In championship points lead Antti Horto (236) followed by Thomas Nataas (234) and Anita Mäkelä (216), all three are entered for the event.

A majority of the Top Fuel drivers are from Finland, although their crews include mechanics from  other countries also , where the UK tend to be the country where many skilled mechanics are based. Four cars run under the RF Motorsports flag at the event The drivers are Jari Halinen, Antti Horto, Chris Andrews and joining them also Duncan Micallef from Malta, who does his first entry to the FIA Championship this season at Hockenheim.

Anita Mäkelä could claim a European Champions title this season, she is currently 3rd and within reach of leader Horto. She is a clear candidate for a place in the final at Hockenheim something she showed when winning the event in Finland.

Andersen Racing with Thomas Nataas behind the wheel had a disappointing event in Finland in july, wins are what counts for them and they have what it takes, so there is another strong candidate for event wins and a championship title.  

Drivers that don´t have anything to do with the top at the points table are going to be tough contenders, in a field where two teams will have no place in the elimination ladder . The performance level any of the teams can deliver is high, but the level of difficulty to master a track at any given time is even higher. We are soon to know who can manage it best all the way to the podium!

Links to pressreleases!
- Chris Andrews F&A Racing (pdf)
- RF Motorsports (pdf)

Also.. don´t miss the separate article about rookie top fuel driver Noah Stutz and veteran Urs Erbacher in this edition!

Winner of the last event: Anita Mäkelä


Leif Andreasson- championship leader Top Methanol Funny Car

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

Notes:  In championship points lead before the event Leif Andréasson (230) followed by Johan Lindberg (215) and Adam Flamholc (204). All three are entered for the event.

The chase for the champion´s title is still a very open matter. A round in competition is awarded with 20 points and with the new qualification points bonuses that is in effect for the first season, everyone is going to be out on track for all runs chasing the top position. 

Danny Bellio and Jürgen Nagel back in competition, Nagel was at Santa Pod in May, Bellio does his first championship event for the season. This is the class of alll FIA classes where we have seen the quickest development this season and the competition between the Lindberg Bros, Leanders Bros, Adam Flamholc and reigning champion Andreasson is at a level where it is hard to believe one´s eyes watching them fly down the track on elimination day, in the UK, in Sweden and Finland. And hopefully they can do it at Hockenheim too! Impossible to even guess who is going to be in the final..

Winner of the last event: Jonnie Lindberg


FIA Top Methanol Dragster:
Sad to note, the FIA Top Methanol Dragster class had to be cancelled in advance due too few contestants.


Gullqvist - championship leader Pro Modified

FIA Pro Modified:
13 teams entered for a preliminary 16 car elimination ladder (size of ladder pending - to be confirmed)

Notes:  The Championship lead is held by  Michael Gullqvist at 294 points, followed by Marc Meihuizen (198) and David Vegter at 170 points. All three will be on site in Hockenheim to compete.

Vegter and Meihuizen are new to the top of the rankings for this season, while drivers like Bruno Bader and Bert-Ove Olofsson (who is not competing this season), who both had it going last season are missing at the top.

Bader, who has competed in the UK and Germany so far this season is always a serious contender for a place in the final, being among the most consistent ones of them all. For reigning champion Gullqvist who is in a comfortable points lead before the event, there has been some ups and downs this season. If he gets the hang of the track, the car can go low 5.90 sec runs steady and not many can compete at that level.

Mattias Wulcan is the one I believe can deliver at the same level. Meihuizen is also one that can take up the battle and win rounds independent on who is in the other lane. I think many are waiting to see when the time will come for Mats Eriksson and the Green Goblin Race team to turn around the unfortunate streak they have been fighting for quite a while now. It would be great to see it happen at Hockenheim.

A new and unseen team is entered in Pro Modified at the NitrOlympX, Patrik Kohler from Germany, who we will make sure to keep an extra eye on.
 
German racer Norbert Kuno for the first time operates a two car team on his home track. Norbert Schneider who drive Kuno´s second car is used to competing at Hockenheim but for the first time he enters the Pro Mod category. 

Winner of the last championship event: Marc Meihuizen

Don´t miss the separate article in this edition about "the two Norberts"!


Jimmy Ålund - championship leader Pro Stock

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

Notes: Jimmy Ålund is in championship lead (298 points) before Thomas Lindström  (275) and Michael Malmgren 3rd with 175 points.

All contestants entered are from Sweden, which comes as no surprise as this class has few contestants outside the region. This may be the event where things become clearer at the top of the championship, If Ålund manages to stay ahead of Lindström that is.. It may turn out the other way round, that Lindström closes the gap between them a bit more, with 20 points per round at stake, it can happen. The third scenario is that any of the other drivers interfere with Lindström and Ålunds battle big time. The teams behind the top two are all at a level where anybody could defeat any of the others. I don´t take the top two for granted for a place in the final. The competition is on also on the starting line, for the best reaction times and timing. An this class include many skilled and eager drivers I assure you!

Winner of the last event: Jimmy Ålund



EDRS European Drag Racing Series
administered by Speedgroup

This event is open for EDRS points count for the classes

- Funny Bike
- Competition Eliminator
- Super Comp
- Super Gas
- Super Street
- Junior Dragster
- Pro ET
- Super Pro ET

Please note, drivers must have made the active EDRS choice on their entry to be eligible for points. Any questions can be directed to the Speedgroup staff at the on site service center.

 FIM European Drag Bike Championship

The classes Top Fuel Bike, Super Twin Bike and Pro Stock Bike run a round in the championship at the NitrOlympX. 

Link to Top Fuel Bike champion Ian King and Gulf Oil Drag Racing´s latest press release (pdf).


WORDS FROM THE RACE DIRECTOR:


Race Director Jerry "Big Daddy" Lackey

- As a Race Director with over 45 years in the Drag Race business, I must commend the Hockenheimring track crew for the endless number of hours and major investment in material to get the Quartermile back to or beyond the past years condition.

It is our intentions to put new records in the books 2013 and gain our reputation back as being the best. We will be welcoming over 240 racers both in bike and car classes and are happy to greet 10 TFD´s (Top Fuel Dragster), 6 TFFC´s (nitro Funny Cars),
4 nostalgia TFFC´s and large numbers of other FIA classes, as well as the UEM/FIM Bikes.

GETTING THE TRACK READY..

Darren Prentice (left) and Steve Horn from Santa Pod Raceway checking out the new track with their "Shark" with which they measure traction. When there was still 2 1/2 weeks to treat the track the value shown was 890 out of a perfect 1100. The crew from Santa Pod Raceway is among the most skilled in Europe in preparing an asphalt track up to race ready conditions.

GET READY FOR ACTION..

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!


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. 10th



HockenheimRing´s impressive drag racing arena..


.. and the view from the pit side grandstands
with the pretty scenery of the mountains in the background.
Amazing setting for Europe´s biggest drag racing event!


Text: Åsa Kinnemar
Photos:  Lena Perés, Remco Scheelings, Åsa Kinnemar, HockenheimRing
Photo of Jerry Lackey by Bikerfotograf.de

This article is part of the Speedgroup Club Europe Newsletters #9/2013

Published by Speedgroup www.speedgroup.eu
All material, text, images and logtypes are the property of Speedgroup AB
Any use of the above requires permission from Speedgroup
© Speedgroup 2013