Strong Start for Jimmy Ålund in FIA European Drag Racing Pro Mod Competition

2017 was Jimmy Ålund’s first season in the FIA Pro Mod, driving the “Old 51” Chevrolet. He racked up a number of impressive performances and finished second in the points standings. Darn good for a rookie.

"It was with some trepidation that I stepped into that car last year—lots more horsepower and speed," Ålund explained. "But it turned out well. We're very happy with our second place finish in our first season. Of course this year is all about winning the championship."

Ålund will contest the full 2018 season in Pro Mod and will also race his Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro at two races in Sweden and one in Alastaro, Finland. Here’s how his year is shaping up after the first two events of the season.

The Main Event, Santa Pod Raceway, UK
The FIA racing season started at Santa Pod Raceway, which had a new, all-concrete track installed over the winter.

The Old 51 team left for Santa Pod a week before The Main Event to do some testing. Fittingly enough, Santa Pod Raceway ran an event that weekend called "The Doorslammers." The race allowed virtually any type of doorslammer car with any engine combination you can think of—as long as you meet safety regulations, you’re in. Ålund and the team ran Old 51 through a very tough set of elimination rounds, but ultimately claimed victory in the final.

"It was a fantastic event,” Ålund said. "We were able to race and test all the upgrades we made during the off-season."

Ålund ran in the very low 5.9-second range during Main Event qualifying, a tenth quicker than last season.

Ålund had a bye run in Round One of eliminations, and won Round Two with a stout 5.91/242.53 pass. A victory in the semifinals put Ålund in the final round against last year’s Pro Mod champion, Micke Gullqvist. Ålund had a quicker 60-foot time and the cars ran neck and neck up to half track, where Old 51’s engine expired.

"We ran into huge problems," Ålund said. "The crankshaft broke into three pieces and took out quite a bit more. The one positive thing is that the block is repairable and we will be at the next event."

Ålund left Santa Pod second in the Pro Mod points standings.

Tierp Internationals, Tierp Arena, Sweden
Ålund ran in both Pro Mod and Pro Stock during the second race of the season.

"A hectic weekend with three races in one—FIA Pro Mod and Pro Stock plus the Swedish Pro Mod championship,” Ålund said.

Pro Mod
Ålund got off to a good start with solid performances during qualifying. He set two personal bests (5.8457 second ET, 243.67 MPH top speed), made three runs in the mid 5.8-second range, and three runs over 242.33 MPH—good enough to qualify Number One.

The first round of the Swedish Pro Mod championship, a separate program from the FIA Pro Mod championship, was contested during qualifying as well, with Ålund taking the win.

Ålund won the first three rounds of FIA Pro Mod eliminations, running like a bracket racer with 5.87, 5.88, and 5.89 second ETs. But when Old 51 lined up against Number Two qualifier Andreas Arthursson in the final round, the engine would not start.

"We pulled very solid numbers all weekend, and an ending like that is very disappointing,” Ålund said. “My hat's off to Andreas Arthursson and his crew, who really has a handle on that beautiful Chevelle. I'm sure that we'll see that car going lots of rounds in upcoming races."

Ålund left Tierp holding first place in the FIA Pro Mod points standings.

Pro Stock
Ålund qualified second with a 6.532/213.72 pass in the Summit Racing Camaro.

"There were some first-race issues but we got them cleared out,” Ålund explained. "Our KB Racing engine is strong as evidenced by the high speeds we ran all weekend."

Hotter weather during Sunday’s eliminations slowed things down a bit. Ålund won the first two rounds but was defeated by Stefan Ernryd in the semifinals.

"The Pro Stock part of the weekend could've been better," Ålund said. "The Summit Racing Camaro had the fastest speeds in three of the qualifying sessions. The Tierp track was good as always but we misread the conditions for Sunday’s eliminations. Ernryd had a better handle on the tune than I did and he won it fair and square."

Next Race
The next race on the FIA European Drag Racing Championship calendar is June 29-July 1 at Alastaro Motopark in Finland. Ålund will be competing in both Pro Mod and Pro Stock, so it should be another hectic weekend for the team.