How many international sporting events will take place in eastern England over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, featuring over 250 competitors from 17 countries and drawing a crowd of 20,000 spectators? Just one – but it’s a spectacular one.
The Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway marks the beginning of the 2024 FIA/FIM European Drag Racing Championships. Fortunately, many of the international participants speak excellent English, which aids in interviews and media coverage.
This event features ground-shaking cars racing at speeds up to 300mph. Even children as young as eight will compete in cars and on motorcycles, with nearly equal representation of girls and boys. In the adult categories, women drivers and riders are also prominent. While the broader motorsport world grapples with the underrepresentation of women, drag racing has championed gender-blind competition for decades.
Leading the 300mph Top Fuel Dragster show are Sweden’s Susanne Callin and Switzerland’s Jndia Erbacher. The event will also showcase fuel Funny Cars, and nineteen wild Pro Mods will battle to qualify for the 16-car eliminations field on bank holiday Monday. Top Methanol cars and Scandinavian Pro Stockers will also vie to start their FIA championship seasons with a win on the Santa Pod quarter-mile. The excitement extends to two-wheel racing as well, with Top Fuel Bikes, Nitro Super-Twins, Super Street, and Pro Stock Bikes all competing for early glory in their FIM-Europe title chases. Below the European championship level, a full schedule of UK championship Sportsman classes keeps the on-track action intense. Spectators can also access the pits freely, providing a close-up view of the racers working on their machines.
Off the track, the event offers a variety of entertainment options for the whole family, including stunt driving and riding displays, and even a circus.
In a thrilling last-minute addition, superstar DJ and electronic music pioneer Carl Cox will make his European racing debut in the Sportsman class Competition Eliminator. Cox’s Carl Cox Motorsport team includes Isle of Man TT motorcycle hero Michael Dunlop among its luminaries, and Cox himself is an accomplished drag racer in Australia.
Competition Eliminator is a diverse class featuring fast cars. Cox’s Plymouth Barracuda-bodied machine, a 5-second Pro Mod equipped with a ProCharger, is set to compete. While this ProCharger is legal in American Pro Mod races, it’s not yet approved in Europe, placing Cox in the Comp class. His Barracuda is expected to outperform its rivals, although Comp’s complex handicap start system aims to balance the power disparities. As the fastest in the field, Cox will need to carefully time his start after all his opponents have set off. His experienced Australian/American crew is ready for the challenge. Competition Eliminator is sponsored by Track Worx.
The Main Event 2024 runs from Friday, May 24th to Monday, May 27th at Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough NN29 7XA. Full event information is available at Santa Pod’s Main Event, and tickets can be booked online or by calling 01234 782828 – advance booking only, no tickets at the gate.
