The year of 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary at Europe’s premier and oldest drag racing venue and it witnessed a fine start to the European Drag Racing Series opening event with cool, dull mornings that developed into fine warm, sunny afternoons for the international array of race vehicles and race fans gathered for the Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway.

There were records set, cheerleaders dancing, air displays and nostalgia race vehicles all in attendance and with stunning race action all weekend it was deemed a fitting start to the fiftieth year of celebrations.

European records were rewritten during the long May 27-30 weekend including Funny Car, a 4.343 second pass by Kevin Kent; Ian King took the FIM Top Fuel Bike mark with a 239.95mph clocking and Steve Venables notched up a 210.010mph on his FIM Super Street Bike.

Downside occurred with three crashes, the most serious involving Sweden’s Roger Johansson who suffered a broken leg as his Pro Mod Mustang crossed track impacting the wall and tumbling to near the end of track on a first qualifier. Top Methanol Funny Car was sadly not in evidence due to a poor entry of one and Top Methanol Dragster was missing defending Champion Dennis Habermann and brother Timo who was second in the point table from last year, lack of travel money offered by the FIA for any class below seven entries being blamed.

FIA Top Fuel Denmark’s Stig Neergaard got pole position with a 4.023/267 followed by Finland’s Anita Mäkelä on a 4.075/246 heading the eight car class. Mäkelä went out in round one with big tyre shake against Sweden’s Micke Kågered whilst Swede, Björn Mårtensson failed to fire up allowing Neergaard an easy solo. A pedalfest occurred when England’s Liam Jones just beat Switzerland’s Urs Erbacher, 4.996/213 to a losing 5.109/212; England’s newly licenced driver Steve Ashdown caught and passed Sweden’s Stefan Gunnarsson 4.236/283 to a 4.937/148. Round two saw Neergaard clock the events only three, a 3.972/299 to take out a cylinder losing Liam Jones’ 4.112/278 and Ashdown had the bad luck of shaking out the ‘chute on the burnout leaving Kågered to idle down track for the win.

The final pitted Stig Neergaard’s Eye of the Storm dragster leaving an instant before Micke Kågered’s Bahco/Midland Oil/Bilsport backed machine, Kågered chattered the slicks as Neergaard blew the motor at half track in a small fireball but took the event win with a 5.429/127 to the slowed up 7.866/95

FIA Top Methanol Dragster only four cars made the class which was led by Malta’s Chris Polidano after over a year off, his injected nitro machine ran a 5.389/250 for pole. The two Brits in the class were dealt out in round one, rookie Rod Harrison’s 5.794/237 no match for Polidano’s 5.292/263 and Dave Wilson just beaten by Sweden’s Jonny Lagg, 5.487/262 to a losing 5.559/259.

Jonny Lagg in his 76 Lubricants A/Fueller had an easy pass for the trophy as Chris Polidano’s Kalanc machine failed to fire due to a loose cable. Lagg ran the winning 5.425/275.

FIA Pro Stock an unsurprisingly all Sweden affair still running the carburettor set-up as Europe runs one year behind NHRA rules. It was led by past champion Jimmy Ålund with a 6.557/212 ahead of second man, Bengt Ljungdahl on a 6.586/208 in the six car entry. The outcome would see old adversaries Jimmy Ålund and defending champion Thomas Lindström meet in the final. Ålund’s first round victim was rookie and former team-owner, Stefan Ernryd a 6.613/209 beating the 7.401/159, then a second round bye put Ålund in the final. Thomas Lindström meanwhile, now unfortunately without major sponsorship beat a red lighting Magnus Petersson in round one 6.693/206 to a 6.702/206 then ran a 6.644/207 to take out Bengt Ljungdahl’s 6.613/207, won on a holeshot.

It was all over on the startline in the final as Lindström in the Dodge Stratus red lit allowing Jimmy Ålund in the Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro to register a 6.458/213 clocking for the event win.

FIA Pro Mod hosted a fine field of twenty-one cars which was led by Switzerland’s Bruno Bader on a 5.946/234 just ahead of 2015 Champion, Sweden’s Micke Gullqvist on a 5.974/244. There were major upsets as both the top qualifiers made their way to meet in the final. Gullqvist managed to see off Kuwait resident Hussain Al Shammari in round one then a solo as Switzerland’s Thomas Stiefel failed to fire-up whilst a third round win of 5.997/242 beat Johan Lindberg now racing the ’51 Chevy Business Coupe as he drifted toward the wall and eased off. Bader meanwhile beat England’s Chris Isaacs in round one then Bert Englefield 6.020/231 to a losing 6.282/226 before coming up against former champion from Sweden, Mats Eriksson in the semi, a red light appeared in Eriksson’s lane giving the 6.196/190 close to the centreline win to Bader.

For the money run, Bruno Bader’s Gotham City ’63 Covette left on a good holeshot and clinched the win with a fine 5.939/235 to see off multi-champion Micke Gullqvist in the Stavdal/Pampus Marina backed ’68 Camaro whose 5.964/245 failed to catch the ‘Vette.

Funny Car held its second round of the European Funny Car Series and saw current Champion, England’s Kevin Kent in amazing form helped by US tuner/driver Bodie Smith who had the West Ten Racing DCV Engineering Plant Hire Mustang running scorching numbers, qualifying with a 4.279/285 clocking which made up for the paucity of numbers in the class. The event win went to Kent as Sweden’s Patrik Pers got crossed-up and hit the three hundred foot timing blocks, Kent wrapped up the win with a record setting 4.343 at 278mph.

FIM Top Fuel Bike had top qualifier and current Champion, England’s Ian King put down some amazing numbers, a 5.817/233 picked up pole well ahead of all others including fellow countryman Steve Woollatt on a 6.442/202 for second spot. King aboard the Gulf Oil Puma ruled all weekend seeing off Malta’s Glen Borg in round one, a broken Filipppos Papafilippou from Greece in the semi before coming up against old adversary, Rikard Gustafsson from Sweden now riding a TFB instead of his world beating Funny Bike. Gustafsson had taken his toll of victims dismissing Brits Stuart Crane in one then Steve Woollatt in two.

The final was a one bike race as Rikard Gustafsson broke on the startline allowing Ian King to start the championship point race with a 5.893/239 win, the speed of 239.95mph being the new European record.

FIM Super Twin Bike had seven entries led by Finland’s and former champion Samu Kemppainen on a 6.501/223 ahead of second place rider and defending champion, Martijn de Haas from the Netherlands on a 6.832/205 clocking. It would be these two that met for the trophy run. De Haas ran a first round 7.255/173 to see of Norway’s Hans Olav Olstad who slowed with problems, then a 7.060/204 beat the close to the wall try from Czech Republic’s Roman Sixta. Kemppainen had a round one bye then took out England’s Chris Hannam in round two.

Finals time and Samu Kemppainen left first on his Victory Motorcycles backed machine, wheelying to a 6.587/220 win as Martijn de Haas chased for second place with a 6.798/210.

FIM Pro Stock Bike witnessed an eleven bike field with second in the 2015 championship Gert-Jan Laseur from the Netherlands leading the qualifying with a 7.176/182 just ahead of England’s Alex Hope on a 7.224/181. Once again it was the two top qualifiers that made it to the finals. Laseur took out England’s Martin Bishop in round one, 7.304/175 to a losing 7.542/176, round two had Finland’s Fredrik Fredlund clip the timing blocks allowing Laseur the win with neither getting times. Hope meanwhile ran past England’s Len Paget in round one then fellow countryman Mark Smith in the semi, 7.250/181 to a losing 7.697/169.

A tardy leave by Gert-Jan Laseur on the Eurol Lubricants/Zodiac Buell coupled with a 7.341/163 allowed Alex Hope on his Torco Lubricants Suzuki the event win with a 7.304/166.

FIM Super Street Bike has England’s Steve Venables pretty much in a league of his own running in the sixes; a 6.935/206 put him in pole with fellow Brit Rick Stubbins coming in second on a 7.104/203. Keeping in with a lot of the eliminations it was this pair that met in the final. Stubbins first round victim was Eddy Smiley then Graham Balchin before taking out Richard Hann with a 7.303/182 to a losing 7.320/198, won on a holeshot in the semi final. Venables on his side of the ladder beat Sweden’s Leif Larsson in round one, Germany’s Thomas Granica in two before dispatching current champion Garry Bowe who popped a cherry on the tree, 7.096/208 to a cherry 7.169/206.

Finals time saw a holeshot leave by Steve Venables on his Suzuki Hayabusa carding a 7.005/208 to clinch the win as Rick Stubbins followed up with a 7.149/200 for second place.