It’s exactly as it should be. The last race of the season, the European Finals, will decide the championship. In 2009 Andy Carter claimed the title at Hockenheim and came to Santa Pod as the new champion. The Lucas driver showed his dominance again in qualifying by taking the number one spot, then advanced to the final where Jon Webster took an upset win.

This year’s European Finals will be a thriller. With his first-round win at Hockenheim and the early exit of Risto Poutiainen, Urs Erbacher took the lead in the championship by 18 points. But after that first round the eliminations were rained out and the 2007 European Top Fuel champion could not increase his points lead. So qualifying will be very important at the Euro Finals. Erbacher will do everything he can to increase his lead to at least 21 points so the margin is more than the 20 points for a round win. At the Main Event the two met in the final and Erbacher took the win. It would be the perfect scenario if they reach the final again and the winner takes it all, the Euro Finals win and the championship. After three European Top Methanol Funny Car titles, it would be the Swiss racer’s second European Top Fuel crown. For Poutiainen a championship would be his first. The Finn has had a rollercoaster season so far, with two runner-up positions but also a nasty crash.

Number three in the championship is Anita Mäkelä. The Finnish lady is the star of the second half of the season. She took the number one qualifying position at the Veidec Festival and the NitrOlympX and was quick and consistent. If the two events had not been rained out, the Top Fuel champion of 2000 could have been close to another championship in 2010. Now the Finnish fan favourite is 55 points behind leader Erbacher. With a maximum of 103 points to be gained, it’s still possible if the two leaders run into problems in qualifying or the first round of eliminations. Andy Carter is 68 points behind so for the reigning champion the chances are more or less theoretical. With three drivers in such a good form in front of him it’s hard to believe they will all fail. But you never know. In 2004, with the European Finals to go, the Lucas driver was number three in the championship, 47 points behind the leader. On Sunday evening after eliminations, the Englishman was the new European champion.

For the other competitors the most important thing is to get a European Finals win to their credit. Janne Ahonen and Jari Halinen showed strongly at Hockenheim. Halinen had his first 4-second run and wants to do even better at Santa Pod. Stig Neergaard has had some bad luck this season but did well at Hochenheim. As at Mantorp, the Dane will have Jöran Persåker as a teammate again and the John Smith-tuned car can surprise. It will not be the first time Neergaard has been in the final at Santa Pod. Micke Kågered is looking for a good result too. So far the Swede has had a season plagued by all kinds of technical problems. Four-second runs and round wins are the only way for Kågered to forget all his 2010 troubles.