UEM European Drag Racing Championships Round Three, Sweden Internationals, Tierp Arena, Sweden

Sweden? In June? A departure from the traditional trip to Sweden at the end of July was the result of the scheduling of the UEM debut of the all new Tierp Arena just over an hour north of Stockholm. Representing a huge step forward in terms of a largely dedicated drag racing facility, Tierp is very much the new benchmark in European strips and will be as good as any worldwide once the finishing touches are in place (the build coinciding with the worst winter in Sweden for 150 years). The all concrete strip, backed by huge permanent grandstands and a spacious stadium style control tower, represents the result of a lot of hard work (and investment) by the Tierp team, headed up by Leif Andréasson and Lars-Erik Lindberg, who are hoping to hold two Euro championship events in 2012; competitors, sponsors and spectators alike will provide little objection to such a move.

The Team Kendall/Billet Racing team headed by Peter and Soren Svensson came into the meeting as strong favourites to sweep the board on their first UEM appearance this season after producing a 6.08 in testing at Tierp back in May. Although Peter didn’t quite achieve the first five second pass on their new home track, a very impressive series of 6.0s on each time the bike was close to putting in a full pass put the yellow flyer on pole (with a 6.02 at only 211mph), and worked their way through eliminations with 6.045 and 6.051 and took the event win with a 6.006 that was so close to that elusive five.

Svensson’s opponent in the final round was due to be current points leader Ian King but the Gulf Oil/Grand Prix Originals team were having something of an incident packed event. The dramas started after a 6.360 that would stand for second spot in qualifying as King struggled to slow the Puma Yamaha down and made an unscheduled trip to the top end trap, the bike burying itself deep into the gravel with the rider fortunately unscathed. A mammoth effort by the team to strip the bike down and remove all of the accumulated grit proved successful (fortunately the trail of dust stopped within in the supercharger) and so they were able to take their spot in eliminations. Victory over Peter Andersson Ström with a 6.371 and Sverre Dahl with a 6.313 seemed to set up the head to head with Svensson, but aluminium shards in the oil pan and a drop in oil pressure hinted at some bottom end damage and a badly worn rear slick gave King little option other than handing Svensson a competition bye. The bike is still refusing to sixty foot in anything like a decent time, but the data gained in Tierp provides more information on what is required to get the desired numbers later in the season.

Pressures of work and finances have prevented a number of the Scandinavian teams making the early rounds of the championship, but the expanded field at Tierp bodes well for the rest of the season. Fuel bike veteran Sverre Dahl was pretty content with his semi-final finish after a series of comfortable mid to low sixes over the weekend (the first round victory over 2010 champion Petri Paljakka being the best of the bunch with a 6.344) and the drivetrain issues of previous seasons appear to be a thing of the past and the fuel system is now the focus of attention for the Sunshine Express team.

Super Twin qualifying was stunning with the pace set by twenty entries producing a record bump set a 6.796 (the first eight bike field in the sixes in the class history). After qualifying third with a 6.610, a much better return than the DNQ recorded at the first round in Hungary, Per Bengtsson and the supercharged parallel twin Bentec Beast was handily placed for eliminations. An opening round 6.521/216 would hold up for low ET of eliminations and handily covered reigning champion Lo Stäuble’s 6.742/212. A spot in the final was secured when scheduled semi-final opponent Jaska Salakari was unable to show, and an event win was secured over Australian visitor Mark Ashelford with a 6.696 despite spinning the slick just off the startline.

If there was any doubt that Europe is now the place to race nitro bikes, West Australian standout Mark Ashelford has shipped his operation over to Norway to run most of the remaining championship rounds. Ash’s UEM debut didn’t go to bad either, setting both ends of his PB in qualifying fifth (with a 6.632/219.59) in the record field; lowering his ET mark on a 6.619/218 to defeat current points leader Jan Sturle Hegre’s blown Fast Cat, and then using a 6.685 to take out number two in the championship chase Hans Olav Olstad. Although a six ninety wasn’t enough to hold off the Beast in the final, it was definitely a G’Day for Ash and the team.

Holder of the record bump spot ticket was Norway’s Hans Olav Olstad whose 6.796 just got him into the field and gave him the uneviable prospect of facing up with nitro rookie Christian Jäger who had qualified low for the second event in succession with a 6.503. Olstad upset the odds with a consistent 6.700 whilst the German Black Seven Racing bike went up in smoke at the hit of the throttle and the round win keeps him very much in title contention.

The most unpredictable rides in UEM competition are the KTM Nitro Dukes of Jaska Salakari, the Finn fielding two clones in Top Fuel and Super Twin. They’ve got a habit of blowing or going, and when they do the latter they are very impressive indeed, with a 6.603 at only 184mph being the best quarter mile ET of Salakari’s weekend but the halftrack 4.197/181 numbers point (again) to a Euro Super Twin ET record pace as and when both cylinders are kept lit for the full distance.

It looks like 2011 will be a very sweet year for Jesper Thiel, making up for a very frustrating 2010. The Sovereign G2 Buell rider qualified low for the third event in succession (with a 7.102/187) and was the first to get into the 7.0s at Tierp with a 7.089/186 to defeat Dave Beck. A subsequent 7.112 took out team-mate Rasmus Olesen in the semis to book a spot in the final against Fredrik Fredlund and the V-Twin prevailed over the Suzuki in a 7.145 to a 7.159 match-up. The Dane’s points lead is now looking very ominous for the rest of field despite the season not even reaching the halfway stage yet.

Despite the runner up spot, Fredrik Fredlund was having a weekend to remember under the tutelage of Gary Stoffer. Stoffer brought over a big inch motor for the event and Fredlund gained some insights into what has propelled Karen Stoffer to the front of the Full Throttle standings this season. Putting theory very much into practice during the first round of eliminations, Fredlund ripped off the quickest and fastest run in Europe with a 7.048/190.21mph. Although he just missing out on the back-up for the ET record in the semis, a 7.137/189.78 had enough speed at the top end to take the TS mark back to Åland. We are still waiting for the first PSB six, but there are a number of riders who might have the power to break the barrier before the start of the season.

Remaining UEM Drag Bike Championship rounds
June 30th – July 3rd FHRA Nitro Nationals, Alastaro, Finland
August 5th – 7th Sunoco Drag Challenge, Gardermoen Raceway, Norway
August 12th – 14th NitrolympX, Hockenheim, Germany
September 8th – 11th FIA European Finals, Santa Pod Raceway, England