After a long break, the FIA European Drag Racing Championship resumes with the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals at Tierp Arena, Sweden. The Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway, at the end of May, feels like ages ago, so it’s time to refresh the memory and start part two of the 2026 season. Reigning FIA European champion Susanne Callin is the leader in Top Fuel, but with Timo Habermann in Top Methanol, Andres Arnover in Pro Modified and Stefan Ernryd in Pro Stock, in all other classes the reigning champions have some work to do. But with one race done and still three to go, the championship fight in all four classes is still fully open.

The Summit Racing Equipment Internationals, August 6th- 9th, kicks off part two of the most prestigious drag racing championship in Europe. After the Swedish round at the beautiful Tierp Arena venue, the teams travel to Germany for the NitrOlympX at the famous Rico Anthes Quartermile of the HockenheimRing, August 21th -23th. After a short break to recover, the FIA European Drag Racing Championship has its grand finale at Santa Pod Raceway with the European Finals, September 10th – 13th.

With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees, The Main Event was extremely tough, but the competition still close and exciting. Let’s see what the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals has to offer. With large fields in almost all categories, several competitors who missed the first round starting their FIA title race at Tierp Arena, and a title fight in all classes of the FIM Europe Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship and the Summit Racing EDRS Series, with almost 280 entrants, the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals is an event not to be missed.

Top Fuel

In Top Fuel the final at Santa Pod was a rematch from the 2025 European Finals championship deciding final between Susanne Callin and Jndia Erbacher where the Slick Tricks Racing driver claimed her first FIA Top Fuel title. Erbacher didn’t get her revenge as Callin crossed the finish line first once again. Thus the driver from Sweden comes back to her home country as the leader of the championship, with Erbacher, the 2024 champion, 21 points behind in second position.

Top Fuel rookie and the first Top Fuel driver from Scotland, Colin Millar, is third in the championship. Erbacher will skip the Tierp race and the team will resume the title fight in Germany. Thus at Tierp the two RF Motorsport team mates Callin and Millar will fight for the points and the race win.

Top Methanol

What was predicted earlier this year, the revival of the Top Methanol class of the FIA European Drag Racing Championship, is coming true. The Main Event had a record number of seven entrants, Tierp Arena will welcome nine Top Methanol cars, six dragsters and not one, but three funny cars.

After a 6-year break, Timo Habermann made his comeback at The Main Event, and what a comeback it was. With 5.192 seconds and 280.47 mph the 3-time FIA European Top Methanol champion reset two European records, won the race and, that will not be a surprise, is leading the championship.

Because all other drivers had problems in eliminations and didn’t advance to the final, Habermann has a 38-point advantage over the number two, Tony Bryntesson.

Tina Høst Nedregård reached the semifinals in England, is the number three in the championship and only five points short of the Bilsport supported A-Fuel Team Sweden driver. Høst Nedregård will definitely want to repeat her win from last year, but this time without the gravel trap finish.

Sandro Bellio is the reigning champion and fourth in the standings. The driver of the family run Dyno Unlimited Monte Carlo suffered clutch problems in the first round in England and will try to make up ground at Tierp. Silvio Strauch gathered the same number of points as Bellio and is in fourth position as well. With a new engine in his Engine Ghost dragster, Strauch recorded some great numbers, but also suffered mechanical problems in the first round in England.

The same is true for father and son Jonny and Isak Lagg. Both suffered all kinds of problems and will definitely be out for revenge, Jonny with the new car he debuted in England and Isak in his first full season in the class. The A-Fuel Team Sweden and A-Fuel Junior Team Sweden drivers will have many fans in the grandstands at their home race.

Jürgen Nagel and Hampus Staflund will enter their first race of the 2026 FIA Championship at Tierp Arena. Nagel doesn’t need any further introduction as the veteran funny car driver from Germany is a familiar face in the championship. Staflund made his FIA European Top Methanol debut exactly one year ago, but still, this time everything will be different. Tierp will see the official FIA European Championship debut of the very first A-Fuel Funny Car in the Top Methanol class. Staflund made several test runs on Scandinavian tracks and made major progress with this different, but also difficult to tune combination. One thing is for sure, when Staflund Racing get to grips with the A-Fuel Funny Car and can sort out the right setup, the Pontiac will be quick and fast.

Pro Modified

With 22 entrants Pro Modified is once again the largest and with drivers from seven countries the most international class of the FIA European Championship at Tierp Arena. The frontrunners from the first round in England will meet tough competition from a large number of quick drivers from Sweden.

Andres Arnover is the leader after round one. The driver from Estonia and his quick and fast turbo-Mustang GT500 are frontrunners in the championship for several years now and with a win at Santa Pod, he lived up to his role as a title favourite. Andy Robinson was the runner-up at his home track and the racecar builder is the number two in the title race. It’s a pity to see that Robinson, just like his countryman and number four in the championship, Jon Webster, will not be in Sweden to defend his position.

Because he lost his semifinal race at Santa Pod, reigning FIA Pro Mod champion Jere Rantaniemi is the number three. The Finn will be out for revenge and although only 27 points behind Arnover, Rantaniemi will try to close that gap.

Behind Webster in fourth, there is the Dutch brigade in the standings. After a great qualifying, all three were eliminated in England in the quarter finals with all sorts of problems. Marck Harteveld and Michel Tooren share the number five position in the championship, with David Vegter seventh.

Tooren got a boost to his championship dreams a few weeks ago at the Summer Nationals with a win and a new personal best. With 5.797 seconds, the Pro Dutch Racing driver recorded his first 5.7-second run. Vegter suffered severe engine damage at that same event and had a lot of work to do to be ready in time for the Tierp Arena race.

Stian Rusånes is the only driver from Norway and the number eight in the championship, with Bruno Bader in ninth, a much lower position then we are used to for the Swiss Pro Mod veteran. Kim Kristiansen and Lars Sjöholm had all sorts of problems in England and will definitely want to do better at Tierp Arena. For the LSR Motorsport driver Tierp is his home FIA race and he will have many fans in the grandstands.

All other Pro Modified drivers on the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals entry list were not in Engeland and will start their title fight at Tierp. The man to watch is definitely Mats Eriksson. The title contender from Sweden missed the first round due to all kinds of problems on his way from Sweden to England. To come back in the title race Eriksson will need a win or at least a runner-up position. But there are more extremely quick Pro Mod drivers from Sweden at Tierp Arena, like Fredrik Fagerström, Roger Johansson, Åke Persson and Peter Kunc. Michael Gullqvist is back again in Micke Johansson’s Dodge Daytona.

Maybe not among the favourites for a win, but drivers from Sweden who are always able to steal points from championship contenders are Olof Andersson, Marcus Perman, Jesper Stenberg, Benny Strand, Jan Brännvall and good old Patrik Wikström. Last but not least Jens Lönngren is the second Finnish Pro Mod entrant at Tierp Arena.

FIA Pro Modified will definitely be a class to watch during the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals. Don’t miss even one qualifying session, because only sixteen of the 22 drivers will be qualified to race on Sunday.

Pro Stock

With eight entrants for an 8-car field, the Pro Stock drivers don’t have to worry about missing the eliminations. But still, as The Main Event proved, the fight will be tough and close. Stefan Enryd is the surprise leader when the teams travel to Tierp Arena. The Dodge driver had problems in qualifying at Santa Pod, but when the car came to life, Ernryd recorded great numbers, advanced to the final, and even to his own surprise, defeated multiple champion Jimmy Ålund to win the race.

The 13-time European Pro Stock champion had some problems in the final at the start line and will definitely be out for rehabilitation at Tierp Arena.

Michael Malmgren is the number three in the championship, with Robin Norén fourth. The reigning FIA European champion suffered some mechanical problems in the first round of eliminations at Santa Pod and is 57 points behind leader Ernryd. In the close competition that Pro Stock is, Norén will need valuable points to come back in the title race.

Simon Ekengren is fifth, with Henry Riehl sixth. With his Mercedes the young driver from Germany is the only driver with a car not coming from the States. Christian Sagelv was not in England and the Ford Mustang driver will start his FIA season at Tierp. The same is true for Richard Sundblom, who is the only Finnish competitor in Pro Stock at Tierp.   

Qualifying for the FIA classes at the Summit Racing Equipment Internationals will start on Friday August 7th and will continue on Saturday August 8th . Eliminations will start on Sunday morning August 9th .      

Text: Remco Scheelings

Photos: Remco Scheelings