In the first round of eliminations Lehtimäki went quicker still at 4.15sec and sidelined Ahonen. Poutiainen improved to 4.11sec, showing that the Rune Fjeld team had done a perfect job and that his last year’s car was not that bad at all. Carter had no problems with a tyre-smoking Halinen and Mäkelä left before the tree was activated to give the win to Erbacher. But Erbacher’s 4.5sec ET gave lane choice in the semi-final to Lehtimäki and, because the Swiss favourite could not find the right set-up for the last part of the right lane, he felt unsure about the outcome of the semi-final. How right he was. Lehtimäki went straight to the finish line in 4.27sec while Erbacher smoked the tyres, yet still the difference at the line was only 0.193sec in favour of the Finn. In the other semi-final, Poutiainen put a winning 4.202sec on the scoreboard against an also tyre-smoking Carter.
So it would be an all Finnish-final between, as it should be, the two quickest drivers of the day: Lehtimäki, a first-time finalist, against Poutiainen, the driver who might well have been out of competition before eliminations started. The two gave the home crowd the best final they could wish for. It was the closest 1000-foot contest ever. Lehtimäki had a 0.001sec start line advantage, Poutiainen slipped ahead at 60 feet, Lehtimäki was in front again at the 1/8 mile and held on to take the win. And their numbers? 4.151sec and 449.53kph/279.32mph for Lehtimäki and 4.156sec and 450.51kph/279.93mph for Poutiainen. The difference at the finish line? 0.0066sec or 82.59cm! That was Top Fuel racing at its very best.
