2019: Round 1 – FIM European Championships

24.05.2019 21:44

Dragbike Magazine

FIA European Drag Racing Championships Inc FIM Europe Drag Bikes
May 24- 27, 2019

Round 1 of the FIA/FIM European Championships is one of Santa Pod’s most prestigious Drag Race meetings. This hugely popular, televised extravaganza features over 200 teams and 17 classes of cars and bikes including the sports F1 class – 8000bhp Top Fuel Dragsters accelerating 0-100mph in less than 1 second, making this event unrivaled for both the quality and quantity of racing.

As well as the Drag Racing there’s fun for all the family with a full line up of entertainment suitable for kids and adults alike, this is the ultimate family day out for the bank holiday weekend.

The weekend’s action will be fully covered on the hi-definition track webcast via Santa Pod’s Facebook page and Youtube channel.

HOW TO WATCH

Live Stream: www.youtube.com/SantaPodTV
Facebook Live Feeds: facebook.com/SantaPodRaceway
Main Event Photo Gallery: Facebook Gallery
Preliminary Running Order
Santa Pod Event Page

FIM Main Event – PRE REPORT

Words and photos Ivan Sansom & Rose Hughes

After a somewhat puzzling offseason with the 2019 championship calendar only being finalized after the first round in Hungary for the Super Street Bike class at the start of the month, the FIM-E Dragbike Championship rolls into Santa Pod Raceway, England for the Main Event and the opening round for the full roster of Top Fuel, Super Twin, Pro Stock, Super Street classes accompanied by the Junior Dragbike Cup. With the four-day event coming to a conclusion on the Bank Holiday Monday, Friday was a setup day with a number of new rides, class shifts and returning racers gathering in force in the packed pits.

FIM Top Fuel Bike

Entry List

Filippos Papafilippou
Stuart Crane
Steve Woollatt
Richard Gustafsson
Dale Leeks
Mark Smith
Eric Richard
Rene van den Berg
Glenn Borg
Thomas Pettersson

Last year’s Top Fuel Bike champion Fast Fil Papafilippou has stamped his mark on the Gulf Oil Puma over the winter with a lot of weight saving evident (and no this is not just restricted to the carbon fiber bodywork).

FIM Supertwin Bike

Entry List

Samu Kemppainen
Christian Jager
Allan Davies
Marcus Christiansen
Gert Jan Lasear
Hans Olav Olstad
Martijn de Haas
Neil Midgley
Marc Van Den Boer

Similarly, the Christiansen family team that swept all before them in Super Twin last year have also been trimming the load in the search for quicker times with team patriarch ‘Speedy’ looking forward to seeing what numbers will come up on the board when Marcus defends his championship.

Also in Super Twin, the Dutch de Haas brothers have a ‘new’ Don Johnson chassis for this year with a lot of work to finalize the bike (retaining their previous motor and drivetrain set up) to make the season opener.

As well as recent class stalwarts, Samu Kemppainen has rejoined the action with his Indian Motorcycles backed V60, although the Finn won’t be running the full tour this year as the bike will be shipped over to Canada for the Pushrod Nitrobike World championship race in July.

FIM Pro Stock Bike

Entry List

Martin Newbury
Martin Bishop
Len Paget
Fredrik Fredlund
Janne Koskinen
Bertrand Maurice
Kevin Feuz
David Simon
Alex Hope

Another returning face is multi-time Pro Stock champion Fredrik Fredlund looking to regain the title from Maurice Bertrand this year.

FIM Super Street Bike

Entry List

Rick Stubbins
Mogens Lund
Steve Venables
Graham Balchin
Garry Bowe
Ida Zetterstrom
Mark Hope
Rudi Zorzi
Graham Dance
Stephen Mead
Erich Gruber
Pete Field
Steve Wood
Daniel Donat Lencses
Clemens Walleit
Kristian Jasz
Margot Schmidt
Rudolfo Maduro
Dave Thomas
Mark Dainty
Knut Moller
Richard Yannick
Robert Haggblom
Mathias Bohlin
Mikael Olen

As mentioned the Super Street Bike class had it’s opening round in Hungary at the start of this month, with Alex Hope bouncing back from a frustrating 2018 in Pro Stock with the event win to give his season a boost with the CBD Asylum Hayabusa.

Steve Venables has also produced some seriously quick early season numbers (including the first six-second pass in Hungary and the best numbers seen in Europe of 6.815 and 218.28mph in domestic Super Street action) suggesting that the DME Racing blinged Busa will be a very major player this year.

FIM Junior Drag Bike