Dragbike European Championship:
Santa Pod crowned the 2024 champions
The championship has been close and competitive all season with no sure favorite for the crown, but in the end, the fireworks fizzled out and the last event revealed the Dragbike European Champions.
For the fifth and Final challenge of the Dragbike European Championship – the third in a row – the series move back where everything begun this season. For the second time this year Santa Pod Raceway, Great Britain, welcomed the show in front of a huge crowd that watched a race that will be remembered for a long time.
With the qualifying on Friday and Saturday in perfect weather conditions, on Sunday the heavy rain caused a four-hour delay to get the first runs began in late evening. Much to the delight of all people around it was a spectacular view to see the bikes going down the track with huge nitro header flames. It needs some courage to race in these conditions at speeds of 350 kph and some even over 400 kph.
The level of competition was phenomenal and the series has seldom seen so many heads-up runs where only the scoreboards could tell who was the winner or who lost it. Furthermore, not very often has the competition seen this number of runs that have been decided by holeshots – winning a run only by a better reaction time at the start light.
The winners of the Euro Finals have been nicely spread over the continent with a winner in TopFuelBike coming from Sweden, Rikard Gustafsson, a winner in SuperTwinBike coming from Denmark, Marcus Christiansen, a winner in ProStockBike from Germany, Jörg Lymant, a winner in SuperStreetBike from England, Jake Mechaell and last but not least a winner in JuniorDragBike from England, Hollie King.
In the occasion of this last event, FIM Europe 1st Deputy President and Chairman of the Sporting Council, Mr Manuel Marinheiro had the opportunity to crown the 2024 champions.
The 2024 titles went to:
– TopFuelBike – Rikard Gustafsson, SWE
– SuperTwinBike – Marcus Christiansen, DEN
– ProStockBike – Jörg Lymant, GER
– SuperStreetBike – Alan Morrison Jr., GBR
– JuniorDragBike Cup – Hollie King, GBR
This season will be remembered for a long time for the successful engagement of the public. A rough estimate shows some 25.000 people at Tierp 2 in Sweden, a record of 54.000 people in Hockenheim and some 35.000 people to the Final at Santa Pod.
