FIA Main Event
Santa Pod Raceway, 24th-27th May 2013
Monday


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Latest update: 10:00


Top Fuel Dragster racer Jari Halinen (pictured left) discussed his run with Laurie Bamford, with Gary Page and Paul Smaxman working on the engine. Jari got off the throttle after smoke and ran 5.11 to go no.7. For more information on Rune Fjeld's team see www.rfmotorsport.com.


Top Fuel Dragster racer Anita Mäkelä continued to be frustrated with a lack of power after a 4.30/272 which put her fourth on the ladder.


Top Fuel Dragster racer Stig Neergaard ran a 4.33/212 getting off the throttle at the eighth mile mark. Tuning assistance has come from US racer John Smith who is also advising the funny car team of Henrik Christensen.


Top Fuel Dragster racer Thomas Nataas ran a 4.10 in the morning and 4.23 full pass in the afternoon. The Carsten and Per Anderson found a more agressive setting paid off in the morning, although the heat and poorer (1500 ft higher) air in the afternoon may have contributed to the slower pass in the final session.


Fuel Funny Car racer Kevin Kent, pictured with partner Shelley Pearson, ran a best of 5.800 in the final session after an earlier 5.69 was disqualified for the car being too light. The team then had to wait for John Spuffard's time to see whether they had qualified but Kevin ended his first competitive meeting 0.09s off the bump spot.


Kevin Kent's crew go back to the pits to prepare for the next round of the championship, knowing they have a car that will run competitive numbers. Shelley said "Thanks to John Smith who helped with the part. We had cylinders out from the hit on that pass but we have gone up the learning curve a lot this weekend with three passes."


Fuel Funny Car racer John Spuffard ran a 5.66/228 to qualify third in the four car field but suffered a small fire which was quickly extinguished by the top end crew. He said "It moved a little at the top end and I gave it a slap to bring it back into line. Things are going as BJ (car owner and crew chief Bob Jarrett) prescribed. It's taken a while, but we have now got a car that we can go racing with."


Santa Pod two seater dragster racer Steve Warner gave Dutch fan Ennio Brehm a ride down the track to an 8.03/161. Ennio said "It more than met my expectation and thanks to my Dad for paying for it." Ennio's father owns a street Chevelle which the family use regularly.


Pro Stock Bike racer Martin Bishop said "It's been a progressive weekend with a best 60ft of 1.11. I broke a rocker yesterday and short shifted on the last run, but it still felt fast." It turned out to be his best pass of the weekend, a 7.33/181.


Pro Stock Bike racer Len Paget ran a best of 7.58 as his best engine broke after the cam chain snapped. He said "I am short shifting and the meeting is really for shakedowns."


Pro Stock Bike racer Mark Smith, whose company Draper Tools sponsors Eurodragster.com, is working on getting quicker with a new engine and lots of parts designed to put the bike into the sevens. He said "We have been fighting oil leak issues but it is coming round." Mark's best time of the weekend is 8.07.


Pro Stock Bike racer and Eurodragster.com sponsor Martin and Cindy Newbury (through their company Psycleworkz) are racing a bike rented from Richard Gipp as their newly imported machine is still in preparation for a Hockenheim debut. Martin said "We're on a learning curve but glad to be here thanks to our sponsors Tiger Leathers, Euroil and Bike Design. It will be good to be running our own bike later in the season."


Super Twin racer Christian Jäger said "This is our first event this year and considering it is seven months since we last run the bike it is going well. We have figured out in the winter what we need to do. We have not changed much, just some new electrical system parts. We are looking forward to the first round of the championship at Tierp."


Super Twin racer Job Heezen is coming to terms with his new bike, the ex-Lo Stauble machine which won championships. "We have been struggling with a lot of problems to solve. We have power but there have been fuel leaks so we have been shut off on the start line. We also had ignition problems."


Top Fuel Bike racer Ian King said "We are testing different combinations with the bike. Over the winter we changed the seating position and it's so far, so good. Our problem is overpowering the track so we have some clutch work to do."


Top Fuel Bike racer Steve Woollatt said "We have a 6.3s bracket bike, but I want to go 6.2s. We freshened it up over the winter and it is running well generally but on that last run there was a hesitation and it ran rich over the finish line." Even with those issues the time was a creditable 6.40/206.


Super Street Bike racer Mark Wells ran a 7.85 to go no.11. He said "We made a good call on the settings but the wind is pushing the front end of the bike across the and I am having to use my boots to stop it grinding out. The track is fantastic." Mark has now got an outboard charge cooler and other work on the bike by Brad O'Connor.


Super Street Bike racer Peter Field said after getting no.8 position with a 7.52, "The performance is not bad considering we had engine problems and I was up late fitting a new one." Pete's best is 7.41.


Super Street Bike racers (from left) Graham Balchin, Graham Dance, Steve Venables and Dave Holland relax after their final qualifying pass. Dave had just run a 7.199 for a new Championship ET record. and the others qualified in the top five for the sixteen bike field.


Super Street Bike racer Daniel Donat Lencses from Hungary is riding Dave Smith's old bike and went as quick as 7.82 on it to go tenth. However an explosion in the turbo system blew the chamber apart and his participation in eliminations is in doubt.



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