he 2026 FIA European Drag Racing Championship burst into life at Santa Pod Raceway as Susanne Callin, Timo Habermann, Andres Arnover and Stefan Ernryd emerged victorious of their respective classes.
Hundreds of spectators loved a weekend of intense competitors, dramatic eliminations and a number of other shock outcomes as Europe’s premier drag racing collection launched its new season in scorching circumstances on the British venue.
In Prime Gas, reigning FIA European champion Susanne Callin made the right begin to her title defence by defeating 2024 champion Jndia Erbacher in an all-female ultimate. Erbacher survived a troublesome semi-final after shedding traction on her bye run, whereas Callin superior when rookie Colin Millar was unable to start out. The ultimate proved a repeat of final season’s European Finals decider, with Callin as soon as once more popping out on prime. The Swede produced a powerful 3.98-second move to defeat Erbacher and declare most factors from the opening spherical.
Professional Modified delivered a number of the most dramatic racing of the weekend. The quarter-finals noticed prime qualifiers Marck Harteveld, Michel Tooren and David Vegter all eradicated. Harteveld red-lit towards Jon Webster, Tooren was sidelined by engine harm and Vegter misplaced out after struggling tyre shake. Reigning champion Jere Rantaniemi continued his constant kind however was stopped within the semi-finals by Andres Arnover. On the opposite aspect of the ladder, Andy Robinson defeated Webster in an in depth all-British encounter. Robinson then red-lit within the ultimate, handing victory to Arnover, who sealed the win with a 5.94-second run.
Prime Methanol was dominated by attrition. Championship contenders Sandro Bellio and Jonny Lagg each exited within the opening spherical after separate mechanical points, whereas Silvio Stauch additionally did not progress. Three-time European champion Timo Habermann, returning to competitors after a six-year absence, capitalised on the chance. Habermann defeated Tina Høst Nedregård within the semi-finals and, following a gas leak that prevented Tony Bryntesson from contesting the ultimate, solely wanted to take the begin to safe a memorable comeback victory. On prime of this the German, additionally broke the European document for the category, attaining an elapsed time of 5.192s and recording 451,37kph.
Professional Inventory additionally produced a significant upset. Reigning champion Robin Norén retired with mechanical issues within the opening spherical, whereas Simon Ekengren was eradicated after tyre shake. A number of champion Jimmy Ålund superior to the ultimate as primary qualifier, however Stefan Ernryd accomplished a exceptional turnaround after a troubled begin to the weekend. Ernryd reached the ultimate by defeating Michael Malmgren after which shocked Ålund within the decisive run. A superior response time and bother for Ålund at first line enabled Ernryd to take victory and fulfil a long-held ambition with a dream win at Santa Pod.
The second spherical of the season is schedulled for August 6-9 at Sweden’s Tierp Enviornment.
