TIAINEN RACING

Drag Challenge 2003
Gardermoen, Norway
August 1st to 3rd 2003
Last updated August 4th 2003
First race of the year on our home track. Even if two team members live in Sweden, this is still the track closest to home.
This is the biggest race of the year in Norway with a full European Championship round in addition to the NDRS classes. It is also the only race in Norway that lasts three days. So we arrived on the track already thursday afternoon.
Those who follow this page regularely might know that we always seems to struggle on our home track. We have in fact only once been in the final here!
And since this is the biggest and most important race of the year in Norway we naturally want to do well here.
22 drivers from three countries showed up in Super Gas. Many familiar faces, but some Norwegian drivers that usually races in the bracket classes tried Super Gas. Some of these races unusual cars.
Eirik Brynhildsen in a 2002 Mercedes CLK, tube framed and with an american V-8; Jan Birkenes in his big, street driven (and lisenced) '71 Chevy Nomad
and Tore Farestveit in a '58 De Soto Firedome. Too bad we didn't have time to take some photos!
Our first task of the weekend was to upgrade from a C to a B-license.
We have run over 240 km/h (150 mph) a few times now, and are therefore requiered to use a parachute and therefore also need a B-lisence.
Morten had to show that he knew how to pack the chute, and also demonstrate that he could do his shut down procedure, including deploying the chute, and getting out of the car, blindfolded.
He also had to do a demonstration run and the first rund in qualifying counted and was approved.
The next task was to start gathering weather data on our home track since we haven't driven here since we got the weather station.
But the disadvantage of this beeing an European Championship round is that we have over 200 participants and very few qualification rounds.
First round friday was a 10,005. We took some tenths out of the timer and next drove a 9,979. Took two more tenths out on Saturday and ran a 9,855.
We added a tenth in the box again and felt ready for a 9,900, but didn't get any more qualification runs.
The 9,979 was only good for a 12th spot and we got the hard task of meeting first qualifyer Roy Johnny Ødegaard in the first round. He is one of those Norwegian drivers that insists on driving by the seats of his pants with no throttlestop or electronics, and he does it very well.
Qualification SUPER GAS
  NDRS                            
  place                            
Qual last Start             Car Engine Eng.        
Place year No. First name Last name Town Country Car Make Car type year Type size Comment E.T. km/h mph
1 24 1206 Roy Johnny Ødegård Gran Norway Chevrolet Camaro 81 Chev. BB 461   9,902 192 120
2   1270 Mats Lindkvist Sollentuna Sweden Volvo 142 72 Chev. BB 467   9,905 228 143
3 37 1854 Mikael Karlsson Motala Sweden Ford Mustang 67 Chev. BB 454   9,910 203 127
4   1314 Pelle Norén Kungsängen Sweden Chevrolet Nova 65 Chev. BB 486   9,911 221 138
5 3 3 Håkan Mattsson Järfälla Sweden Pontiac Trans Am 85 Chev. BB 535   9,916 230 144
6 7 7 Bosse Hall Gävle Sweden Ford Anglia 67 Chev. SB 350   9,923 205 128
7 16 1207 Bjørn Terje Nordin Frogner Norway AMC Javelin 71 AMC 401 Blower 9,924 190 119
8 41 2082 Steinar Løvold Leirsund Norway JEEP CJ7 77 AMC 401 Injection 9,932 197 123
9   1223 Eirik Brynhildsen Fjellhamar Norway Mercedes CLK 2002 Chev. BB     9,941 218 136
10 18 470 Lasse Niskavaara Jyväskylä Finland Chevrolet Camaro 70 Chev. BB 482   9,953 221 138
11 15 1224 Petter Sukkestad Raufoss Norway Ford Mustang 79 Ford 514   9,954 191 119
12 6 6 Morten Tiainen Koppom Sweden Pontiac Firebird 85 Chev. BB 461 Norwegian 9,979 233 145
13   2828 Glenn Larsen Porsgrunn Norway Opel Kadett 1969 Chev. BB 477   10,018 195 122
14 5 5 Per-Olof Eriksson Mariehamn, Åland Finland Pontiac Grand Prix 91 Chev.BB 516   10,057 237 148
15 17 1499 Øyvind Marheim Oslo Norway AMC AMX 69 Chev. BB 489   10,082 183 115
16 27 1585 Richard Bugge Andersen Oppegård Norway Ford Mustang 67 Ford 540   10,154 213 133
17   1535 Jan Birkenes Arendal Norway Chevrolet Nomad 1971 Chev. BB 522 N2O 10,235 228 142
18   1653 Lars-Erik Luhr Arvika Sweden Pontiac Firebird 1967       10,270 231 144
19   2307 Pål Hasselgren Ise Norway Chevrolet malibu 1965 Chev. BB 496   10,313 212 132
20   6437 Tore Farestveit Rubbestadneset Norway DeSoto Firedome 1958   572   10,435 206 129
21   2639 Stefan Aronssen Åland Finland Ford Cortina 1967 Chev. BB     12,406 125 78
22   2293 Olav Skjervø Skogn Norway Ford Mustang 1967 Ford 514   12,955 107 67
We were first pair out, and Roy Johnny chose right lane. The race was not only about this round, but also a race to get a bye run next.
But as usual on Gardermoen, we lost. This time on a redlight.
Well, it gave us the chance to sit down on the grandstands to watch som Pro Stock and Top Fuel action.
Roy Johnny went on to the semi-final were he lost to Petter Sukkestad, Another Norwegian no-electronics driver.
And Petter then beat Finnish driver Lasse Niskavaara to win the most prestigeous Super Gas race in Norway.
Congratulations to you Petter! And also to Lasse for his fine performance in his first race in Norway!
Ødegaard   Driver
0.193 9.990 200   REACT ET KPH
  Ødegaard  
  0.648 9.883 200  
Tiainen      
RED LIGHT     Ødegaard  
  0.153 9.737 208  
BYE    
   
 
Norén      
0.048 9.911 221       Ødegaard  
  Norén     0.032 10.013 192  
  0.033 10.136 174      
Marheim          
0.039 9.870 181      
    Norén    
  RED LIGHT  
Brynhildsen      
0.213 10.097 165      
  Farestveit    
  0.273 10.147 217  
Farestveit      
0.267 9.957 192  
    Sukkestad  
  0.088 10.002 193  
Karlsson      
0.109 9.912 202.15      
  Karlsson      
  0.170 9.949 200      
Eriksson          
Red Light      
    Karlsson      
  0.105 9.933 198      
Løvold          
0.158 10.021 182          
  Løvold        
  Red Light      
Hesselgren          
0.571 13.684 136      
    Sukkestad    
  0.110 9.913 190  
Hall      
0.110 9.893 209.51      
  Hall      
  0,065 9.875 207      
Birkenes          
No Show      
    Sukkestad    
  0.075 9.957 186  
Sukkestad      
0.265 9.935 196      
  Sukkestad    
  0.115 9.931 197  
Skjervø       Winner 
No Show   Super Gas
    Drag Challenge 2003
  Petter Sukkestad
Lindkvist     Raufoss, Norway
0.031 10.271 179     Ford Mustang '79
  Lindkvist    
  0.137 9.893 232    
Larsen        
0.677 14.994 144    
    Nordin    
  0.156 9.854 188    
Nordin        
0.093 9.969 177        
  Nordin      
  0.057 9.933 188    
Luhr        
0.217 11.089 136    
    Niskavaara    
  0.486 9.613 224    
Mattsson        
Red Light        
  Bugge Andersen        
  0.049 9.779 213        
Bugge Andersen            
0.019 9.589 177         Niskavaara  
    Niskavaara     0.128 9.967 189
  0.062 9.965 185  
Niskavaara      
       
  Niskavaara    
  0.101 9.787190  
Aronsen       BYE  
No Show  

Return to Homepage