For the first time this year a championship event was completed with rain falling late afternoon on Saturday which cancelled the final session of qualifying. The big crowd over the four-day event saw many personal bests set.
Top Fuel Bike.
Seven-time European FIM Top Fuel Bike Champion Ian King claimed his eighth title but at the expense of two conrods breaking during the first round of the eliminations. There was a bizarre incident in the first round, were Steve Woollatt raced Fil Papafilippou. At mid-track Papafilippou crossed the centre line and hit the timing block the bike slide into the side of Woollatt’s bike which threw Papafilippou off his bike and onto Woollatt’s wheelie bars. Woollatt safely brought his bike to a stop in the shutdown area both riders were ok. Papafilippou had some minor burns to his foot. Woollatt went on to win the event when Otto Knebl in his first FIM Top Fuel bike final damaged his crankshaft and couldn’t make the call.
SuperTwin.
Martijn De Haas ran a personal best of 6.632 for the number one qualifier his first ever in FIM Championships. Points leader Samu Kemppainen was next 6.710. Another rider who improve on his personal best was Roman Sixta with 7.250. Title challenger Christian Jager was trying to find a clutch set up for the tricky track. First round saw Kemppainen against Jager this to decide the championship. Kemppainen led from the start with the front wheel off the ground almost the full quarter then as he got to finish line he was drifting to the centre line and wheelie bar panel came off and hit the timing block, which disqualified him from the race. So Jager had to win the event to claim the title. Job Heezen was the next opponent for Jager. Heezen beat Jager and recorded his first six-second pass on his new bike 6.865. It was an all Dutch final and turned out to be the best race of the day. Both riders recorded new personal bests with De Haas taking the win light with 6.623-214.92 to Heezen losing 6.702 p/b at 191.40.
Pro Stock Bike.
Fredrik Fredlund has dominated Pro Stock Bike this year winning two out of the three rounds. Qualified in Number one spot with 7.051. Karl-Heinz Weikum was in number two spot, with 7.148 and Gert-Jan Laseur ran a personal best of 7.172. Sweden’s Kenneth Holmberg ran p/b 7.292-182.10. Leading Brit was Martin Bishop 7.378. Alex Hope ran a p/b of 7.49 in testing on Wednesday before the event. Fredlund knocked out Roy Olsen and Holmberg to reach the final. His opponent was Laseur who beat Hope and Weikum to reach the final. Fredlund ran low et of 7.042 to beat Laseur in the final.
Super Street Bike.
Shawn Buttigeg sent a warning shot to the rest of the Super Street bike riders on test day, when he ran 7.16 and 7.11-204mph. He led the field in qualifying 7.207 in the quickest 16 bike field ever in Super Street bike with a bump spot of 7.744. Steve Venables was next 7.214 followed by Pete Field 7.264, Garry Bowe 7.282, Dave Holland 7.291 and Graham Balchin 7.297. Point leader Mogen Lund was in No13 spot with 7.576. First round and reigning champion Bowe faced Lund and beat him 7.319 to 7.746. Luke Farrugia knocked out Buttigeg in round two. Bowe ran quickest competition time of 7.178 at 203.32mph (top speed of the meet). Best race of the day saw Steve Venables beat Balchin 7.276 to 7.295. So to the final and the winner would be crowd European Cup Champion. The race was decided on the start line with Venables rt021 to Bowe’s rt139 who pulled a wheelie at the 20ft mark while Venables powered to the finish line and won the event and cup with 7.203 (best ever for the bike) to Bowe 7.330.
Congratulations to the following champions.
Top Fuel Bike. Ian King.
SuperTwins. Samu Kemppainen.
Pro Stock Bike. Fredrik Fredlund.
Super Street Bike. Steve Venables.
Report by Steven Moxley.