Jimmy Ålund Finishes 2017 FIA European Drag Racing Championship Series on a High Note

Ten-time European Pro Stock champion Jimmy Ålund finished the 2017 season in a good place. He placed second in the points standings and won Swedish Pro Mod Championship in his rookie year in FIA Pro Mod. Ålund also drove his trusty Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro at three events, winning one and qualifying Number One at two. We all should be so blessed.

Here are the highlights from the last two events of 2017.

Dico Scandinavian Internationals, Tierp Arena, Sweden
The fifth race of the FIA drag racing season was important to Ålund for two reasons: it was the last outing for the Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro, and the Swedish Pro Mod Championship was on the line.

Ålund got off to a good start in qualifying. He qualified Number One in both Pro Stock with a 6.52 second, 213.31 MPH (343.29 KPH) pass, which proved to be the quickest ET and fastest top speed of the event. Ålund qualified second in the Magnus Petersson-owned Old 51 Chevrolet Pro Mod.

The Swedish Pro Mod Championship was run on Saturday. Ålund got a bye in Round One and had to do some quickly pedaling to win the second round and reach the final. Ålund ran a 5.8537 second—his personal best in Pro Mod—to win the championship.

"I'm absolutely overwhelmed by winning this championship the first year," Ålund said. "The Swedes in this class are the cream of the crop. I dodged the bullet in that pedalfest in Round Two. but we put it all together to win the final round."

Things weren’t so rosy during regular elimination in Pro Mod. Ålund ran 5.9s and 5.8s, but ran into trouble in the semi-finals against the seemingly unstoppable Micke Gullqvist. Both racers charged hard enough to record the quickest side-by-side Pro Mod run in Europe for the second time this season—Ålund with a 5.88 ET and Gullqvist with a 5.86—but it was Gullqvist who took the win.

Things were much brighter in Pro Stock, with Ålund running well in all three rounds to take the win.

"It’s never easy, not at all,” Ålund said. "The Pro Stock field is a real tough one— I was the #1 qualifier by a 0.0002 seconds margin. If I'd hit a bumblebee on that run, I would've been out of the top spot."

“And that Gullqvist guy in Pro Mod is a real nuisance,“ Ålund continued. “He sure brings out the best in all of us; he is a great competitor."

2017 FIA Pro Mod Drag Racing Championship, Santa Pod, UK
Ålund came to the final race of the season second in the Pro Mod points standings. Points leader Micke Gullqvist was too far to catch, but with Dutch racer David Vegter nipping at his heels, Ålund had to work hard to hold on to second place.

Being the UK, the weather did not cooperate. It rained all day on Friday, with only one qualifying round late in the evening. All the moisture in the air wreaked havoc with the fuel injection system—the injector butterflies froze solid, forcing Ålund to shut off.

The bad weather continued Saturday. A lull in the rain allowed for one qualifying round, Ålund made a five second pass to qualify Number One. Rival David Vegter was back in fourth place, which boded well for Ålund.

There were rain delays on Sunday, but eliminations finally got under way. Ålund won the first two rounds, then met up with Vegter in the semifinals. Ålund got the jump off the starting line, but tire shake put The Old 51 all over the track, costing him the round win. When the points were all tallied, Ålund had enough to best David Vegter and retain second place in the very competitive FIA Pro Mod class.

"What a great season for a rookie—I'm very pleased with where we ended up," Ålund said. "Winning the Swedish Pro Mod Championship, finishing second behind seven-time FIA Pro Mod Champion Micke Gullqvist, and having the most Number One qualifiers of the season are all big deals for me.”

And what about 2018?

"It's way too early to say," Ålund continued. “Be sure that Magnus Petersson and the crew are hardened veterans of this sport and will keep raising the ante in all aspects of tuning The Old 51 race car. The teamwork this season has been fantastic as is evidenced by the results. We now have to let the impressions and experiences of this year sink in for a while."

The first race of the 2018 FIA Drag Racing Championship series is The Main Event, May 26-27 at Santa Pod Raceway in the UK. Visit the Drag Racing Europe website for 2017 season highlights and a complete 2018 schedule.