SG: First of all congratulations on your fantastic achievement winning the NHRA event in Atlanta on May 16th. As the first European ever in NHRA’s history to win a national event, it means you wrote history that day. Can you tell us a little about the trip? What factors contributed to the success and what went through your mind when you realised you had won?

MG: Thanks, I was called in as a replacement for Ray Commisso, whose father passed away the week before the Atlanta Race. Team owner Roger Burgess called me on Tuesday 11.00 PM and handed over the phone to Bob Newberry, who asked me if I wanted to drive Ray’s car at the weekend. I said let me check things out and call you back in 30 minutes and so I did to confirm I was coming. We qualified in 6th position and I went on to win the race. It was a dream come true, I was ecstatic and very emotional when I pulled the chutes at the finish line in the final, but I could not imagine the kind of attention that followed after that. We celebrated with the team in all ways after the race, then a fantastic welcome reception coming home and a lot of people congratulated me. I was on the radio in Sweden, in newspapers and magazines. I even received a congratulations letter from NHRA’s president, Tom Compton when I got home. It was just great.



SG: The co-operation with Roger Burgess and team R2B2 has included participation in two NHRA events this year, at Gainesville where you ended runner-up and then the win in Atlanta.. Do you know your position in the NHRA points standings and do you plan to run in the US again this year ?

MG: After a total of 4 events, I’m currently in 9th spot, I think about three rounds behind points leader Von Smith. I will probably drive in the US again at some point this year, we are currently discussing the plans.

SG: The win in Atlanta was followed by Roger Burgess and Team R2B2 flying a car over to Europe to compete in the FIA European championship run at Santa Pod Raceway, UK, May 29-31st. Was that planned or did it mainly happen so quickly as a reaction to your success and co-operation with them?

MG: Roger is smart and agile, he saw the attention the Atlanta win got internationally and decided to just keep going with it. Decisions are made fast by Roger and ideas are becoming reality almost instantly. He has the means to make things happen quickly, but more impressive is that he is a real hard worker. I would employ him anytime if I had the chance, he can really make things fly.

SG: The car that arrived in the UK was the Camaro you ended runner-up with in Gainesville running an impressive ET of 5.82/248mph/400kph. In the UK R2B2 driver Melanie Troxel was behind the wheel. She was taken out in the 1st round but later made a 5.93 second exhibition pass, the 4th run with the car. What potential do you think that car has on European tracks ? Any feedback on the US team’s thoughts on running in Europe and if they plan to be back for more races?

MG: That car is fast, but what makes it fast is really the team around it. Most of the racers on the European circuit have the same kind of material, it’s just what you do with it. They are used to running on very good concrete tracks, but with not such good air. Over here it’s great air, the engines are making a lot of horse power, but the tracks are a lot different. I know that Melanie Troxel and Al Billes want to come back real soon but it’s a decision that Roger needs to make and I think we will know the plans within a week from now.

SG: After the first event in England with the UK’s largest Pro Mod entry ever (29 cars), what are your thoughts about the Pro Mod class this year in Europe?

MG: The class has been growing every year and I’m always surprised, it’s just amazing. It’s great to see we have also a new French team this year, this is a truly international class.



SG: What was the race in England like for you and what do you expect or hope for performancewise for the coming events? Is there a possibility we will see you behind the wheel, running the stunning R2B2 Camaro?

MG: The Main Event was a bit painful for me, I was not really prepared the way I wanted. I knew we would have a hard time being competitive because of lack of time to prepare and no testing. I was close to cancelling my own participation a few weeks before. I knew what I had to do, but had no time to do it. I will not likely be driving the Camaro, I’m working on my ‘57 Chevy at the moment for some updates. I’m pretty sure it will be fairly competitive.



SG: Roger Burgess recently announced the of founding of the the WorldWide Pro Mod Association and officially refers to you as his partner in Europe. Do you know what your role is in this project? How far ahead in time do you think a world championship in Pro Mod might be? And do you have any thoughts or info on what part of the world it is likely to be held ?

MG: I hope we will see a world championship already in 2011, but there are still a few open ends that we need to close. We shall announce more details soon, this will be a truly exciting event and I’m very excited to be part of working with it .



SG: Besides running your own racing operation and being the European partner for team R2B2, you are also the CEO of Speedgroup (a company owned by more than 40 racers) which administers the FIA & UEM European championship. Your thoughts on Speedgroup´s role in European drag racing? Something about the operation today, what has been done over the last year and what are the plans for the coming period?

MG: We had a great year with Speedgroup, I’m very proud of what we have achieved so far and I think most of the teams can already see some good things come out of it. We put European drag racing on the map and have established Speedgroup as a serious business partner. I think the future of European drag racing looks very bright!