Speedgroup Club Europe

Entering the European Finals Johan Lindberg, Sweden had already won the Championship, so the battle for the title was not a thrilling factor unlike in the other four FIA classes. Lindberg Bros have competed at all the FIA events and run quick numbers and only one other team ,namely Andreasson Motorsports has had the potential of giving Lindberg a true match if only looking at the numbers. But then again the numbers on the scoreboard at times does not count for much. On elimination day it´s all about crossing the finish line first and during this event it became obvious that was no easy task.

Gareth Ellis

During the qualifications it was not so surprisingly Lindberg at the top, followed by Andreasson and 3rd quickest Gareth Ellis, who set a new personal best at 5.69 meanwhile.

Low qualifier - Johan Lindberg interviewed by Darryl Bradford

Qualification rankings (ET seconds):
1. Johan Lindberg 5.516/256.70 mph
2. Leif Andreasson 5.608/254.71 mph
3. Gareth Ellis 5.698/250.99mph
4. Danny Bellio 5.770/252.28mph
5. Stephanie Milam 6.041/229.33mph
6. Jürgen Nagel 6.082/234.83 mph

Johan Lindberg

ELIMINATIONS - Round #1:

Johan Lindberg vs Jürgen Nagel - The Champion up against one of the veterans and although it was not Johan´s quickest run of the event, the difference was too big for Nagel to manage, both at the tree and down the track. Win for Lindberg to enjoy a bye run in the semi final.

Johan Lindberg: 5.554 sec/255.23 mph (reaction 0.143)
Jürgen Nagel: 6.108 sec/242.49 mph (reaction 0.317)

Gareth Ellis vs Danny Bellio - This run was a thriller and had no given outcome as both drivers had problems, Bellio with traction and Ellis clutch broke in a way which caused spectacular sparks under the car for part of the trip. Win for Ellis and (as we found out afterwards) and major repair work to be done for the next round.

Gareth Ellis: 6.670 sec/170.46 mph (reaction 0.153)
Danny Bellio: 7.079 sec/227.85 mph (reaction 0.145)

Leif Andreasson vs Stephanie Milam -
Milam was a no show and Andreasson for that reason got a bye run. The run was bumpy and the car bounced wildly and Andreasson got off the throttle early. The win is nevertheless a fact and Leif moves on to a semi-final facing Ellis.

Leif Andreasson: 6.128 sec/171.73 mph (reaction 0.292)
Stephanie Milam - no show

Top Methanol Funny Car - Review European Finals 2014 The European Finals will not go to history as a fantastic Top Methanol Funny Car event performancewise. But for UK based team Ellis the outcome was a success although the way there was no smooth ride.. Entering the European Finals Johan Lindberg, Sweden had already won the Championship, so the battle for the title was not a thrilling factor unlike in the other four FIA classes. Lindberg Bros have competed at all the FIA events and run quick numbers and only one other team ,namely Andreasson Motorsports has had the potential of giving Lindberg a true match if only looking at the numbers. But then again the numbers on the scoreboard at times does not count for much. On elimination day it´s all about crossing the finish line first and during this event it became obvious that was no easy task. Gareth Ellis During the qualifications it was not so surprisingly Lindberg at the top, followed by Andreasson and 3rd quickest Gareth Ellis, who set a new personal best at 5.69 meanwhile. Low qualifier - Johan Lindberg interviewed by Darryl Bradford Qualification rankings (ET seconds): 1. Johan Lindberg 5.516/256.70 mph 2. Leif Andreasson 5.608/254.71 mph 3. Gareth Ellis 5.698/250.99mph 4. Danny Bellio 5.770/252.28mph 5. Stephanie Milam 6.041/229.33mph 6. Jürgen Nagel 6.082/234.83 mph Johan Lindberg ELIMINATIONS - Round #1: Johan Lindberg vs Jürgen Nagel - The Champion up against one of the veterans and although it was not Johan´s quickest run of the event, the difference was too big for Nagel to manage, both at the tree and down the track. Win for Lindberg to enjoy a bye run in the semi final. Johan Lindberg: 5.554 sec/255.23 mph (reaction 0.143) Jürgen Nagel: 6.108 sec/242.49 mph (reaction 0.317) Gareth Ellis vs Danny Bellio - This run was a thriller and had no given outcome as both drivers had problems, Bellio with traction and Ellis clutch broke in a way which caused spectacular sparks under the car for part of the trip. Win for Ellis and (as we found out afterwards) and major repair work to be done for the next round. Gareth Ellis: 6.670 sec/170.46 mph (reaction 0.153) Danny Bellio: 7.079 sec/227.85 mph (reaction 0.145) Leif Andreasson vs Stephanie Milam - Milam was a no show and Andreasson for that reason got a bye run. The run was bumpy and the car bounced wildly and Andreasson got off the throttle early. The win is nevertheless a fact and Leif moves on to a semi-final facing Ellis. Leif Andreasson: 6.128 sec/171.73 mph (reaction 0.292) Stephanie Milam - no show	On the podium , event winner Gareth Ellis (left) and European champion Johan Lindberg ELIMINATIONS - Semi-finals: Johan Lindberg - planned Bye run. Nice pass by Johan with a somewhat early shut off.. 5.563 sec/253.67 mph with a 0.94 sec sixty foot Gareth Ellis vs Leif Andreasson - massive job and engine change after round #1 as it turned out. Fellow competitors rushed to assist to get it done and the hard work was rewared with a win over Leif Andreasson, whose car shook the tyres and the run was lost soon after the launch. Gareth Ellis: 5.752 sec/249.59 mph (reaction 0.096) Leif Andreasson: 15.892 sec/49 mph (reaction 0.176) ELIMINATIONS - Final: Gareth Ellis vs Johan Lindberg - the rookie up against the Champion. Based on the previous runs by Lindberg he looked like a winner before the final. But while Ellis had things in order and managed a nice straight and quick enough run, Lindberg had no proper burnout for some reason and hit hit shake and smoked the tyres. And that is not good enough when facing 2 x Ellis at their best (as many may know Gareth is the son of Pro Mod racer Graham Ellis who is part of the crew). The event win well deserved and somewhat surprisingly to Gareth Ellis. Well done! Gareth Ellis: 5.774 sec/249.10 mph (reaction 0.081) Johan Lindberg: 11.876 sec/69.71 mph (reaction 0.181) Top five rankings FIA Championship 2014: 1. Johan Lindberg (SWE) - 407 points 2. Leif Andreasson (SWE) - 254 3. Gareth Ellis (GBR) - 181 4. Danny Bellio (BEL) - 139 5. Jürgen Nagel (GER) - 135 See the full FIA Championship points standings (for all classes) under a separate headline. Link to results from the timing system: - ELIMINATION LADDER - QUALIFICATION RANKINGS Courtesy of TSI Timers (Europe) and Santa Pod Raceway Stephanie Milam and Danny Bellio during qualifications (Milam withdrew from the eliminations) Jürgen Nagel was taken out in round #1 by Lindberg Danny Bellio was taken out of competition by Ellis in round #1
Andreasson´s turn to enter the Santa Pod quartermile. Johan Lindberg in the far lane
Text: Åsa Kinnemar Photos: Lena Perés & Remco Scheelings This article is part of the Speedgroup Club Europe Online September-2 2014 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 email: asa.kinnemar@speedgroup.eu © Speedgroup 2014