he 2026 FIA European Drag Racing Championship burst into life at Santa Pod Raceway as Susanne Callin, Timo Habermann, Andres Arnover and Stefan Ernryd emerged victorious in their respective categories.
Thousands of spectators enjoyed a weekend of intense competition, dramatic eliminations and several surprise results as Europe’s premier drag racing series launched its new season in hot conditions at the British venue.
In Top Fuel, reigning FIA European champion Susanne Callin made the perfect start to her title defence by defeating 2024 champion Jndia Erbacher in an all-female final. Erbacher survived a difficult semi-final after losing traction on her bye run, while Callin advanced when rookie Colin Millar was unable to start. The final proved a repeat of last season’s European Finals decider, with Callin once again coming out on top. The Swede produced a strong 3.98-second pass to defeat Erbacher and claim maximum points from the opening round.
Pro Modified delivered some of the most dramatic racing of the weekend. The quarter-finals saw top qualifiers Marck Harteveld, Michel Tooren and David Vegter all eliminated. Harteveld red-lit against Jon Webster, Tooren was sidelined by engine damage and Vegter lost out after suffering tyre shake. Reigning champion Jere Rantaniemi continued his consistent form but was stopped in the semi-finals by Andres Arnover. On the other side of the ladder, Andy Robinson defeated Webster in a close all-British encounter. Robinson then red-lit in the final, handing victory to Arnover, who sealed the win with a 5.94-second run.
Top Methanol was dominated by attrition. Championship contenders Sandro Bellio and Jonny Lagg both exited in the opening round after separate mechanical issues, while Silvio Stauch also failed to progress. Three-time European champion Timo Habermann, returning to competition after a six-year absence, capitalised on the opportunity. Habermann defeated Tina Høst Nedregård in the semi-finals and, following a fuel leak that prevented Tony Bryntesson from contesting the final, only needed to take the start to secure a memorable comeback victory. On top of this the German, also broke the European record for the class, achieving an elapsed time of 5.192s and recording 451,37kph.
Pro Stock also produced a major upset. Reigning champion Robin Norén retired with mechanical problems in the opening round, while Simon Ekengren was eliminated after tyre shake. Multiple champion Jimmy Ålund advanced to the final as number one qualifier, but Stefan Ernryd completed a remarkable turnaround after a troubled start to the weekend. Ernryd reached the final by defeating Michael Malmgren and then stunned Ålund in the decisive run. A superior reaction time and trouble for Ålund at the start line enabled Ernryd to take victory and fulfil a long-held ambition with a dream win at Santa Pod.
The second round of the season is schedulled for August 6-9 at Sweden’s Tierp Arena.
