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In a race that lasts less than four seconds, a perfect start is absolutely crucial. In a heartbeat, a 10,000bhp beast charges up to 300mph, tyres smoking, engine roaring, fans shouting on their drivers, who have just seconds to secure the win. This is the explosive world of FIA European Drag Racing.

The championship is divided into five categories: Pro Stock and Pro Modified; Top Methanol Funny Car and Top Methanol Dragster; and the premier class of drag racing: Top Fuel. These dragsters accelerate from zero to 100mph in 0.8 seconds, cover 1,000 feet in 3.9 seconds and reach top speeds in excess of 310mph (502 km/h). The secret of getting 10,000bhp from a 500ci (8.2-litre) engine in the top class is the nitromethane fuel and supercharger that the teams deploy.

“The absolute power, the feeling of the earth trembling beneath them as they do a burnout, the ability to stand within feet of them when they fire up in the pits, nothing beats it,” says drag racing aficionado Chris Hobson. “The amount of work put in by the crew members, sometimes in just an hour between runs, is beyond belief. And you can watch every single minute of these mechanics working their magic. Drag racing has all the excitement, build-up and intensity of the Olympic 100-metre final.”

The 2016 European season kicked off in May at Santa Pod Raceway in Britain and led the teams to Tierp (Sweden) twice, Alastaro (Finland) and Hockenheim (Germany) before concluding back at Santa Pod. In the season-ending Finals event Anita Mäkelä was crowned the FIA European Top Fuel Champion and Duncan Micallef stormed to a stunning 3.89-second event victory at 312mph over the 1,000ft course.

The European Finals played out its climax in front of a record crowd at Santa Pod, but each venue in the series has its own character, from the state-of-the-art Tierp Arena to the special atmosphere of the Hockenheim Motodrome. To many drag racing fans, however, nothing can beat the rather unique Santa Pod atmosphere. Hobson, who has visited many of the venues on the current calendar, confirms this. “I’ve seen the best of everything, from the amazing night show and atmosphere at Hockenheim, to the excellent racing at Tierp Arena, but I can still say Santa Pod is the spiritual home of European drag racing,” he says.

Almost all the teams in the FIA European championship are so-called ‘professional amateurs’. The sheer number of hours it takes to run the operations and the money involved demand professional standards, but, except for one or two teams, there is currently not enough sponsorship money involved to make it a full-time job for many of the competitors.

Since 2009, Speedgroup, a shareholders company registered in Sweden, has been administrator of the FIA European Drag Racing Championship, but so far the FIA has acted as its commercial rights-holder.

As with many other forms of motor sport, drag racing has a wide range of classes, from Junior Dragster (the category’s karting equivalent) up to the highest level, the FIA European championship and its five classes. From the Junior Dragster ranks, especially over the last five years, new drivers have begun to work their way up to the top category. But the money needed to reach that level, and stay there, can be a problem for some.

ONE BIG FAMILY

Michel Tooren from the Netherlands is one of the new drivers to commit to the 2017 FIA championship. After a successful first season in Pro Modified, Tooren will step up to the European series in that class next season. “In my first year as a driver we decided to do the MSA British Drag Racing Championship and the results were beyond expectations,” he explains. “The European championship is the highest level in European Pro Modified racing, with the best European teams, large crowds and races at different tracks in four countries. We want to race with the best in Europe.”

Although the 2017 calendar was not finalised as AUTO went to press, no major changes are expected in the dates and number of races, which means Santa Pod should host the season opener and finale once again. The venue’s history goes back to 1966, when permission was obtained to use Podington airfield (a wartime airbase used by the USAAF during the Second World War) as a drag racing complex. Today, the site is a modern dragstrip equipped with all the necessary facilities to host the sport’s top category, but the fans reckon it has retained its character. The track therefore attracts drag racing supporters from all over Europe, and most of them stay at the extensive on-site camping areas for at least the four days of the event, meaning they don’t have to miss a single minute of the action.

Rebecca and Gareth Thomas, drag racing fans from Oxford, have been attending races at Santa Pod for 10 years and, as well as enjoying the atmosphere, they appreciate the family feel of the events. “We also go to the Isle of Man TT and MotoGP, but drag racing is so different,” says Rebecca. “You have full access to the pits, can talk to drivers and mechanics and ask them whatever you want to know. It’s one big family. All the classes are different and have something we like. It’s hard to explain why we love drag racing: it’s the noise, the power, the speed, the smell of nitro.”

This family a air is extended to overseas fans too. Jan and Jaap Selles, from the Netherlands, travelled to Santa Pod accompanied by their wives and children to watch the European Finals and they all describe themselves as drag racing addicts. “It started when my brother Jan took me to a sprint in our home town,” says Jaap. “We thought we had the fastest car, until we came to a real drag race. Since then we have been to so many races, as competitors, to help other racers, as spectators, but also to help the track crew. What makes drag racing so special is the atmosphere. Everybody knows and helps each other. It takes me at least an hour to go to the toilet, as I always meet so many people to talk to on the way!”

The unique drag racing experience has certainly left an impression on a newer member of the family. Jaap’s daughter, Lisa, brought her boyfriend to the European Finals for his first drag race, which left a lasting impression: “It’s unbelievable, mind-blowing,” he said. “I have never seen or heard anything like this before. It feels like an earthquake when two Top Fuellers leave the line. But it’s so much more than that. I thought that only speed was important, but now I also understand how crucial reaction times are.”

GROWING INTEREST

The fans at Santa Pod were treated to a dramatic climax to the 2016 Top Fuel championship. With a 13-point advantage over runner-up Stig Neergaard from Denmark, Anita Mäkelä clinched the title in the semi-finals when her opponent ran into problems. The Finnish driver, who has been competing in drag racing since 1987, missed out on the number one spot last year by just a few points. She was so engrossed in the competition at Santa Pod it took a while before the championship win had sunk in. “I didn’t even realise,” she said afterwards. “On a race day, I’m fully focused on the run. I don’t think in points. When my crew came to pick me up, they made me realise we’d won the championship. That made my day.”

Mäkelä runs her team with husband, Tommi. “We simply love this sport,” she says. “This is our life. Drag racing is teamwork at its best. We have 10 mechanics at the races and I’m as good as my team is. It’s like a band: if the band plays poorly, even the best singer can’t help. The friendly atmosphere in the pits between the teams and the fans, that nice social life, keeps us in the sport too. Drag racing is getting faster and faster, and it will become more and more professional. It needs more skills to build up and keep running these high-powered machines.”

As well as becoming more professional, many people involved in the sport hope European drag racing will increase in popularity over the coming years. At the latest World Motorsport Council, the FIA made a call for ‘expressions of interest’ for a promoter for the FIA European Drag Racing Championship from 2018 onwards. European drag racing is growing fast.