2019 FIA European Pro Mod Championship, Jimmy Ålund

Race #1, The Main Event, Santa Pod Raceway, UK

"A new challenge"

Norrköping, Sweden, May 30, 2019 - The FIA racing season started with The Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway, UK. A classic venue for drag racing.

Qualifying ended up OK, #1 after Q1 and #4 after all four rounds. Two of the runs in the 5.8-second range with solid speeds. Tire shake in Q2 and Q4 but no technical issues. "Good and bad", says Ålund, "#1 qualifier at the first hit of the FIA season is good as is running in the 5.8s but we had trouble with tire shake in two of the rounds. And, whoa, it's a real tough crowd to go up against. Progress, our 5.86 puts us back in fourth place now, last year that would've been #1 here".

Eliminations, round one. The Old 51 pulled another 5.8, a win with a 5.88 at over 241 mph (387 km/hour). Quarter finals, consistency, Ålund ran a stout 5.87 at 240 mph (386 km/h) to move on to the semi-finals. Where it ended. Tire shake, pedaling and the weekend was over for the Old 51. "We're OK, we did as well as we'd expected", says Ålund. "I've had the privilege to drive this car for two seasons and during that time we've never have as many changes to the car as for this one race. New rules, the car has been made lighter, blower speed slowed down, new converter, new engine parts, and new suspension setup". Ålund continues, "we're right on track, the whole team knows what to do and we're all very much looking forward to the next event at Tierp Arena in front of a Swedish crowd".

Ålund leaves Santa Pod in fourth place in the FIA Pro Mod standings. The next race is the Tierp Internationals, Tierp, Sweden, June 7-9.
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/PiPPi