The arrival of Corporate Persuasion as a last minute sponsor enabled last season’s runner-up Lex Joon to contest the Main Event and give a large number of new crew members some earlier than expected ‘on the job’ training. The MPM Oil crew didn’t do too bad a job with a low qualifying 4.833 and a semifinal finish when the motor went away against Carter’s low ET of the meeting. The Dutch team are currently on the sponsor hunt to run over on the NHRA tour at the end of this year and unfortunately are likely to only make a couple of further FIA events this season.

FIA Top Fuel Dragster qualifying and results

FIA Pro Modified

With good conditions over the whole weekend, the triple title chasing Pro Mod field (FIA, NDRS and MSA championships being rolled into one at the Main Event) also had their eyes on the prize of the first 6.0 clocking in Europe. No one got closer than Andy Robinson who proved the top of the class, ripping off record setting passes on run after run in qualifying, eventually ending up with a best 6.102/226.60, the only hiccup being a burnt piston along the way. Although a whole slew of runners were also in the 6.1s, Robinson stamped his authority on the class with a 6.100 in the quarter finals and a 6.110 to earn a shot at the event runoff against Sweden’s Urban Johansson. Johansson just made the final after replacing a severely wounded engine, but Robinson produced another superbly consistent 6.106/228.89 to take the event win, offering his crew a jubilant “great job” as he went over the finishline.