23.09.05 - Now for 200 mph...

From a Sportsman racer's perspective the FIA European Finals was "A bit of a bummer" due to the inclement weather conditions, says UK Super Pro ET racer Derek Flynn, but he still has some good memories of his weekend.

"I would like to say a huge thank you to all the Santa Pod crew who worked their socks off to dry the track and clear up oildowns as quickly as they could", says Derek. "We finally got a call late Sunday evening to run our first round of eliminations. Unfortunately my opponent had already packed up and gone so we were on a bye run, but wow what a run! I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it was a little eerie -my first run in the dark!

"I can remember doing the burnout and all I could see was cameras flashing everywhere, and then one of the best runs I have done, whilst not quite the quickest or the fastest but most definitely the most enjoyable, 194 mph into the gloom, it felt like 250! It was also a little slippy at the top end due to the cold damp air, but wow when can I do it again!

"I would like to say a huge thanks to the Go Gold Crew who also hung around patiently and gave me a tune-up for the final run which got us the Low ET and High Speed in Super Pro ET for the weekend. We would also like to pass on our belated congratulations to Rob Turner and the Turner Motorsport team, who also sport the Gold RV logo, on winning Top Methanol Dragster at the Finals. I know they would have preferred to win it in better circumstances but you can only play the hand you are dealt and they played the tricky conditions perfectly. Also I know they would have preferred to have put in a full-on pass in the final round but the curfew was on us and it was agreed with the track officials that to save time they would just break the beams.

"Also total respect must go to Andy Robinson and his team. What a weekend they had and well done! Also I must say a big thanks to Andy for the assistance he gave us during the weekend in getting us back on the track.

"We are looking forward to the UK National Finals next week, and we are really hoping that the weather is kinder so that we have a good shot at achieving our goal of 200 mph."

Original article taken from Eurodragster.com.

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