As is the case every year, the final round of the FIA European Drag Racing Championship took place on the second weekend of September at Santa Pod (UK). The European drag racing elite gathered at the historic track for the season finale – and thus for the last chance to secure the championship titles once and for all.
However, the weather threw a spanner in the works for the teams on Sunday. The adverse conditions meant that the elimination rounds could not begin until around 5.00 pm. There was therefore no time left for the final heats. The championship points were consequently calculated based on the results of the elimination rounds that were actually run and the qualifying session.
Top Fuel
In the Top Fuel class, reigning European champion Susanne Calin (SWE) went into the season finale with 225 points. Having finished third in qualifying, she faced her closest rival, Jndia Erbacher (CH), in the first round.
On the track, Erbacher initially had the upper hand. With a time of 3.973 seconds, she set the faster time compared to Calin’s 4.094 seconds. However, the Swiss driver lost crucial time at the start: her reaction time of 0.337 seconds was unusually long, whilst Calin got away from the lights much quicker with a reaction time of 0.146 seconds.
All in all, this advantage was enough for Calin to win the round – and, in doing so, secure another European Championship title. Susanne Calin successfully defended her title, rounding off a strong season.
Britain’s Colin Millar finished the championship in second place with 247 points, becoming the runner-up. He trailed Calin by 50 points. Jndia Erbacher finished third overall with 202 points. Jndia Erbacher, who had missed the race in Sweden, finished third overall with 202 points.
Pro Modified
In the Pro Modified class, however, there was a first: Andres Arnover became the first driver from Estonia to be added to the list of winners in the European Drag Racing Championship.
The Estonian driver showed remarkable consistency throughout the season, scoring three-figure points totals at every event. He finished with 414 points to his name – enough to relegate the reigning champion, Jere Rantaniemi (FIN), to second place by a margin of 23 points.
This means the 2026 European Championship title goes to Estonia for the first time. Rantaniemi had to settle for the runners-up spot this year. Third place in the overall standings went to the Norwegian Stian Rusånes with 327 points.
The German Pro-Modified drivers Michael Winter and Walter Strobel finished the season in 13th and 16th places respectively. Winter scored 124 points, whilst Strobel scored 83.
Top Methanol
The championship in the Top Methanol class proved particularly thrilling. Germany’s Timo Habermann made an impressive return to the European stage after a six-year absence.
Habermann made a strong statement right from the season opener in England with a victory. As the season progressed, he continued to score consistently at every event, keeping him in contention at the top. In the end, he was just twelve points short of the title.
The Swedish driver Tony Bryntesson was crowned European Champion with 355 points. Habermann secured the runners-up spot with 343 points. A glance at third place shows just how big the gap was to the rest of the field: Jonny Lagg (SWE) finished on 223 points.
Last year’s champion, Sandro Bellio (BEL), by contrast, had a somewhat mixed season. With 215 points, he had to settle for fifth place this time round.
The German competitors also held their own at the top of the standings. Silvio Strauch in the dragster and Jürgen Nagel in the funny car finished seventh and eighth respectively in the final standings.
Pro Stock
In the Pro Stock class, the path to the European Championship title once again leads via Sweden – and once more, Jimmy Ålund is at the top of the standings.
With 349 points, the Swede secured his 14th European Championship title. An impressive run, to which Ålund has now added yet another chapter.
His compatriot Robin Norén took second place with 291 points and was crowned runner-up. Behind them came more Swedish riders: Stefan Ernryd scored 264 points to secure third place, whilst Mikael Malmgren finished fourth with 248 points.
Sweden thus remains the team to beat in the Pro-Stock class – and Jimmy Ålund is once again the man to beat.
