UEM Top Fuel Bike
The Mantorp track isn’t a favourite for the multi-cylinder nitro fuel bikes as the shutdown area is notoriously short and generally means an early shut off. This leaves the door ajar for the funny bikes, and Rikard Gustavsson just so happens to have bought one of the world’s best for the 2006 season in the ex-Korry Hogan Suzuki. With Hogan on hand to provide advice and encouragement, Gustavsson qualified number one ahead of four fuel bikes with a 6.721 and then outlasted the rest of the field to take the event win on a solo 6.73 after Peter Andersson Strom was shut off after the burnout. Gustavsson now moves into the points lead with the rounds at Hockenheim and Santa Pod to come.
Peter Andersson Strom made one of his all too infrequent appearances on his home built fuel bike, qualifying in third spot with a 6.92 despite blower problems, and then besting Shaun Branch and Kai Selkamaa and their funny bikes before a significant leak developed on the burnout prior to his final round match up against Gustavsson. Stromma could be a serious points contender if able to attend all the rounds.
UEM Super Twin Bike
Riding Urs Erbacher’s fuel Harley, Lorenz Stauble worked his way through the always stiff Mantorp Super Twin field after qualifying second with a 6.854/199 and then handily covered Charley Karling’s strangely off colour blown bike in the first round and then a returning Ulf Nylen in the semis with a 6.868/199. The final round against Ronny Aasen wasn’t clear until the finishline, with Aasen’s 208 mph charge coupled to a 6.885 just losing out to Stauble’s 6.877/200 by a bike’s length. With Aasen and Stauble now one and two in the points respectively, the Norwegian v Swiss rivalry might decide the championship this year.
Despite only just dipping into the sixes with a 6.960/205 to qualify fourth, Ronny Aasen is producing some serious mph from his PRP bike. A 6.883/205 was enough to defeat Svein Olav Rolfstad first up, followed by a simply great 6.783/210 holeshot defeat of Per Bengtsson’s 6.727 in the semis. The defending Super Twin champion heads the 2006 points with a win in Finland being sandwiched by two runner-up spots at Santa Pod and Mantorp.
