The 2025 drag racing season is over – and the champions have been crowned:
Susanne Callin (Top Fuel), Sandro Bellio (Top Methanol), Jere Rantaniemi (Pro Modified) and Robin Norén (Pro Stock) took the titles in their respective categories at the fourth and final round of the 2025 FIA European Drag Racing Championship. It was a real ‘the winner takes it all’ – because in three of the four categories, the final winner also secured the European title.
TOP FUEL
Liam Jones (GBR) came to Santa Pod as the leader of the standings. He faced NitrOlympX winner and reigning European champion Jndia Erbacher (CH) in the semi-final. Jndia clocked a time of 3:90, Liam got a flat tyre and was out… On the other side of the flowchart, Susanne Callin had advanced to the final with a bye run. This final was a real “all or nothing” as the winner would also win the 2025 FIA European Top Fuel title. After the start, Callin and Erbacher were close together, but when the Swiss suffered engine problems, the Swede was able to bag the win in 3:94 (against Jndias 4:34). Jones finished second behind the newly crowned champion Callin, with Erbacher in third.
PRO MODIFIED
In Pro Modified, the championship battle was decided in the quarter-finals when championship leader Marck Harteveld (NED) lost his race and reigning champ Jere Rantaniemi (FIN) progressed to the next round. Everything then depended on the outcome of the next race between David Vegter (NED) and Rantaniemi: if Vegter won, the title would go to his compatriot Harteveld; if Rantaniemi won, the Finn would clinch his second FIA European Pro Modified title in a row. In a damn close race, Vegter achieved a time of 5:87 seconds, but lost out to Rantaniemi by 5:83 seconds, meaning the 2025 title goes to the Finn. Behind Rantaniemi, Harteveld finished the championship in second place, with Andres Arnover from Estonia in third. The German participants: Dominik Reinhardt (11), Michael Winter (13), Norbert Kuno (16), Walle Strobel (19) and Ingo Ekert (21).
TOP METHANOL
Sandro Bellio (BEL) came to the final race as the championship leader, with Jonny Lagg (SWE) in second place. But Tony Bryntesson (SWE), Silvio Strauch (DEU) and Tina Høst Nedregård (NOR) were also still in the title race. Bellio knocked Strauch out in the first round, had a bye in the semi-finals and reached the final.
On the other side of the ladder, Bryntesson’s racing and title dreams were shattered in the first round when he lost to Høst Nedregård. In the semi-final, Lagg had to beat Høst Nedregård to stay in the title race, otherwise the title would have gone to Bellio. As Høst Nedregård had problems after a burnout, Lagg went into the final bout without an opponent. This final would also give the winner the 2025 FIA European Championship title: Bellio wins… Behind him and Lagg, Høst Nedregård finished the championship in third place. Germans Silvio Strauch and Jürgen Nagel finished fifth and sixth respectively.
PRO STOCK
In Pro Stock, Jimmy Ålund (SWE) marched comfortably into the final as championship leader and top qualifier with two bye-runs. On the other side of the flowchart, Robin Norén (SWE), number two in the championship, had to fight hard to reach the final. Norén defeated Michael Malmgren (SWE), Lasse Britsmar (SWE) threw himself out with a red light. Thus, as in Top Fuel and Top Methanol, the winner of the final also secured the title. As Ålund had achieved the better ETs over the weekend, the 13-time Pro Stock champion was the clear favourite. But in the final, Norén was the quicker at the lights (0:0687 seconds versus 0:233 sec for Ålund), and although Ålund had the better run time with 6:5998 versus 6:6458, Norén defeated the 13-time Pro Stock champion with a ‘hummingbird wing beat’ of 0:0086 seconds to take the win and the 2025 title. Behind Ålund and Norén, Britsmar finished the championship in third place. German competitor Henry Riehl finished his first Pro Stock season with a good seventh place.
