Alastaro Top Fuel Updates

[dragsterworld]

We are publishing Live Updates from the Lucas Oil Top Fuel pit over at www.andycarter.net

After qualifying session 1 it stands like this...

Driver	Time	Notes
T Nataas	5.14
J Ahonen	5.36
L Joon	5.50
U Erbacher	6.22	A big fire for Urs
Andy Carter	6.49	A planned 600 ft check out pass
S Nystad	6.96
J Persaker	7.62
T Haapanen	10.01
M Kagered	21.51	Problems for Micke

[Tet]

Is that time right for Lex? The FHRA site is claiming he ran 5.05, not 5.50. One of them is going to be a typo... but which?

[dragsterworld]

The FHRA site has now been corrected.

[dragsterworld]

Here's the second session news...

Andy Carter - Left Lane - 8.30 - Lost Blower Belt

T Nataas - Right Lane - 6.84
U Erbacher - Right Lane - No Show
L Joon - Left Lane - No Time Came Up On Scoreboard
J Ahonan - Right Lane - 5.33
J Persaker - Right Lane - 7.11
S Nystad - Left Lane - No Show
T Haapanen - Left Lane - No Time Came Up On Scoreboard - Lost Blower Belt
M Kagered - Left Lane - 5.49 - Lost Blower Belt

[DWphil]

3rd session of FIA Top Fuel [ Saturday ]

T Natass 7.43
J Ahonan not known
M Kagerad 5.49
L Joon 12.43
E Erbacher 5.05
A Carter 5.29
S Nystad 6.73
J Persaker 5.53
T Happanan 5.84

This round was late due to rain this morning another session is due later.

Edited by DWphil on Saturday 7th July 14:48

[Jon C]

Its all very quiet...

[dragsterworld]

Q4 went like this...

Andy Carter - 5.17
T Nataas – No Show
U Erbacher – No Show
L Joon – 5.13
J Ahonen – 5.27
J Persaker – 5.28
S Nystad – 5.57
T Haapanen – 5.89
M Kagered – 5.20

There was no time left for a third qualifier due to various delays.

Edited by dragsterworld on Saturday 7th July 20:17

[Tet]

dragsterworld said:

There was no time left for a third qualifier due to various delays.

I was somewhat surprised to see a third qualifier scheduled anyway, as the FIA rules put an upper limit of 4 qualifiers per meeting in Top Fuel...

[cliff gould]

7 oil downs normally slow things down,

[dragsterworld]

Top Fuel was towed down ready for round one but then its started to rain. More info at...

http://andycarter.net/events/fia-nitro-nationals.p...

[iffy]

it been reported on the FHRA Nitro National Website,
it has yet again been cancelled by the rain show!!

[MotorPsycho]

if there was one quote to sum up this season so far the FHRA have it

said:

Now it raines, so we are waiting

Edited by MotorPsycho on Sunday 8th July 18:06

[Tet]

Does anyone know how many classes made it through the first round before the meeting was called? I know TMFC did, which means Pro Mod did as well. What about the other pro classes?

[Eurodragster.com]

All Pro classes got one round, or so I was told (although accurate information has been at a premium this weekend). You can find TF results on Micke Kagered's site, TMFC results on Dan Larsen's web site, and FIM/UEM results at www.dragrace.fi. TMD round one winners were Grumpy, Peter Schofer and Rob Turner. And now you know as much as I do.

The coverage of the Veidec Festival is to be provided by Eurodragster.com.

[Taximan]

Eurodragster.com said:

The coverage of the Veidec Festival is to be provided by Eurodragster.com.

We're very spoiled with such good coverage as Eurodragster does!
The only way to follow a race when you're not able to be there.

[Benni]

Hi there !
Oh, what a bummer, 2nd FIA/UEM race and 2nd rainout...............
What I just do not understand :
When I look at the sportsman results, they managed to run all their rounds,
even with 16 fields, how and when was that done ?
Benni

[Jon C]

Benni said:

Hi there !
Oh, what a bummer, 2nd FIA/UEM race and 2nd rainout...............
What I just do not understand :
When I look at the sportsman results, they managed to run all their rounds,
even with 16 fields, how and when was that done ?
Benni

Many of the sportsman elims at FIA events run on the saturday

Full FIA first round results http://www.fhra.fi/pdf/nitro_fia_autot.pdf

Urs 4.82 @ 312 mph and AC 4.93 @ 304 are obvious highlights

Freddy now deep into the 5.7's and the Larsen / Andreasson match up looked a cracker.

3 Brits in the last 8 of Pro Mod would have been good, and Gus ran 6.30.

Wretched weather. First reasonably dry weekend in Northants since easter as well, oooh the irony!

Edited by Jon C on Sunday 8th July 23:45

[Benni]

OK, thanks for the info, i thought it was like @ Pod,
where both Sportsman and Pro classes run their elims on "final day".
What a run from Freddy in TMFC, two tenths ahead of the field,WOW !
Ahonen taking out Nataas with a 5.1 , not bad for his 1st win.
Two "disc" in PS makes me think of "staging battle/burndown gone bad",
or what was happening there, defects, touching sidelines ?
Ian King on a byrun to the final, both germans in ST/TF semi....*sigh*....,
this makes the remaining runs of the season ooooooh so much more important.
Cheers,
Benni

[Eurodragster.com]

Taximan said:

We're very spoiled with such good coverage as Eurodragster does!
The only way to follow a race when you're not able to be there.

You're very kind.

A lot of people moaned to me over the weekend about the Alastaro coverage, probably because (a) everyone moans at me anyway, which I'm used to, and (b) because they didn't have the courage to moan at FHRA direct or far more importantly they didn't have the consideration to ask themselves what constraints the web reporters might be working under.

The FHRA reporters were in the same building from which the webcam broadcast, i.e. almost at the finish line, and they had no timing system console. If it was the same as in previous years then qualifying standings and results had to be printed and biked down to them by people who had other things to do too. I can forward an E-Mail address to anyone who would like to write to the Alastaro crew and say that they could have done any better under the same circumstances

Under these conditions I am not sure I would have had the bravery to attempt rolling coverage but would probably have done end-day reports. The web reporters did their level best. But the trouble is that readers are now spoiled and expect instant access to results from whichever event at whichever track. It just is not going to happen every time. Not every web reporter enjoys the facilities and privileged access which we have at Santa Pod Raceway, Shakespeare County Raceway and Mantorp Park. It's bloody hard work (although I have evidence that doing ET-based qualifying in your head keeps your brain sharp) and if you want to do any event coverage at all then you can kiss goodbye to any social life at the track, but we do have it relatively easy.

Let's not forget that it wasn't so long ago that you would have waited weeks or months for the results.

[CRR]

Eurodragster.com said:

You're very kind.

A lot of people moaned to me over the weekend about the Alastaro coverage, probably because (a) everyone moans at me anyway, which I'm used to, and (b) because they didn't have the courage to moan at FHRA direct or far more importantly they didn't have the consideration to ask themselves what constraints the web reporters might be working under.

The FHRA reporters were in the same building from which the webcam broadcast, i.e. almost at the finish line, and they had no timing system console. If it was the same as in previous years then qualifying standings and results had to be printed and biked down to them by people who had other things to do too. I can forward an E-Mail address to anyone who would like to write to the Alastaro crew and say that they could have done any better under the same circumstances

Under these conditions I am not sure I would have had the bravery to attempt rolling coverage but would probably have done end-day reports. The web reporters did their level best. But the trouble is that readers are now spoiled and expect instant access to results from whichever event at whichever track. It just is not going to happen every time. Not every web reporter enjoys the facilities and privileged access which we have at Santa Pod Raceway, Shakespeare County Raceway and Mantorp Park. It's bloody hard work (although I have evidence that doing ET-based qualifying in your head keeps your brain sharp) and if you want to do any event coverage at all then you can kiss goodbye to any social life at the track, but we do have it relatively easy.

Let's not forget that it wasn't so long ago that you would have waited weeks or months for the results.

Nicely put Tog.