Inevitably, though, the pre-race headlines will focus on a certain American car and its certain American driver and crew. R2B2 Racing has been the dominant force in 2010’s European Pro Mod scene, propelling Michael Gullqvist to his historic first European victory on NHRA soil before bringing Melanie Troxel and the R2B2 Camaro across the Atlantic. The car looks unbeatable whoever drives it. With Gullqvist at the wheel, it trounced the field at Alastaro, and Troxel was invincible at Hockenheim until rain closed the show.

Now Troxel returns to Santa Pod to give the Camaro its last hurrah before it is shipped home to America. She cannot win the FIA crown herself but she could easily determine who does. She will start as favourite against any other runner in the field. Do opponents quake in their fireboots at the prospect of facing her, or relish the chance of causing a famous upset?

The European Finals provides a welcome opportunity for Britain’s Pro Mod racers to get back on track. Apart from Andy Robinson and Graham Ellis, who follow the FIA tour, they go into mid-summer hibernation after June’s Summer Nationals at Santa Pod. Also apart from Robinson and Ellis, they lag behind the field in performance. Going on personal-best elapsed times, Marco Maurischat occupies the European Finals bump spot as the 16th-quickest entry at 6.192sec. ‘Bert’ Englefield leads the stay-at-home Brit-pack at 6.489.

But personal bests don’t determine races. Bump spots at Santa Pod have a habit of ending up substantially slower than logic might suggest. Englefield, Kevin Slyfield, Roger Moore and Wayne Nicholson have all managed to qualify at Santa Pod FIA events over the past two seasons despite being off-pace on paper.

Kev Slyfield returns eagerly to the track for the first time since his maiden Pro Mod victory at the Summer Nationals, where Wayne Nicholson also began to realise his Corvette’s potential at last with a 6.69/210mph/338kph PB. Roger Moore raced Andy Robinson twice in 2009 and won both times while Bert Englefield clicked off five consecutive 6sec/200mph/322kph passes at last year’s Euro Finals.

Even Ray White, nearing the end of his advertised ‘farewell tour’, arrives in high spirits after a 6.78/208/334 test shot in July lifted him into the magic 6sec/200mph zone for the first time.

The moral of the story is that anything is possible. Graham Ellis will hope to regain his Main Event form (qualified second at 6.074) after missing Hockenheim for a complete system overhaul. This promises to be his last FIA appearance at the wheel of his distinctive Superbird. A new Barracuda is due for delivery shortly before the race but probably too late to be ready to run. Andy Robinson’s Hockenheim outing in his rebuilt, rebodied, repainted Studebaker suggested he won’t be far off song when he gets to the Finals.

Melanie Troxel may collar the attention and walk off with the race but there will be seven British entrants beavering away to make productive marks of their own.