Santa Pod gearing up for The Main Event

Santa Pod Raceway will roll international championship drag racing and a full family entertainment programme into a single, spectacular weekend package at The Main Event at the end of this month between May 26 and 29.
Jon Dunham
By Jon Dunham
Published 9th May 2022, 14:02 BST
Top Fuel Dragsters will be one of the features of The Main Event at Santa Pod at the end of May. Picture courtesy of Santa PodTop Fuel Dragsters will be one of the features of The Main Event at Santa Pod at the end of May. Picture courtesy of Santa Pod
Top Fuel Dragsters will be one of the features of The Main Event at Santa Pod at the end of May. Picture courtesy of Santa Pod

A trio of Top Fuel Dragsters and a quartet of fuel Funny Cars highlight the fast and loud end of the on-track action, abetted by three Nostalgia Funny Cars, four Jets and a rocket-powered motorcycle from France.

It’s not the first time that Eric Teboul has threatened to retire his record-setting rocket bike, but this may be the last time his 280mph two-wheeler traverses the Santa Pod quarter-mile.

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On four wheels, Top Fuel Dragster entries from Sweden and Finland will bid to break the 300mph barrier once again while four bellowing fuel Funnies battle it out in the second round of the Funny Car Cup.

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Pro Modifieds are drag racing’s most powerful ‘doorslammers’ – ‘tin tops’ in circuit racing parlance – and Sweden’s reigning FIA European champion Jan Ericsson returns to Santa Pod for the first time since wrapping up the title there in 2019, the last time it was contested before Covid-19 set in.

The final-round opponent whom Ericsson beat on that occasion to secure the crown, French veteran Jean Dulamon, is another contender on the full 16-car entry list bidding for early-season victory.

Racers from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Estonia and Germany join seven of Britain’s best in a race also combined with round two of the Motorsport UK British Drag Racing Championship.

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On two wheels, Top Fuel Bike offers an intriguing rematch between Europe’s quickest, fastest wheel-driven motorcycles.

Sweden’s speed record-holder Rickard Gustafsson (250.55mph) takes on Britain’s multi-championship-winning Puma bike (5.662 seconds), newly piloted by Neil Midgley.

The pair won’t have the limelight all to themselves. Seven other TF Bike entrants will jostle to steal the show.

For those who prefer bass notes to their bike racing, five thumping nitro SuperTwin bikes visit from Europe, again for the first time since 2019.

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Alongside these highlights, The Main Event provides a complete, four-day programme of championship drag racing across the full array of classes ranging from the kids racing Junior Dragsters and Junior Bikes to the grown-up, 10,000-horsepower Top Fuelers.

Away from the track, Happy’s Circus will present four professional shows a day on the Saturday and Sunday in a colourful, 600-seat Big Top, all included in The Main Event ticket price.

It’s the latest addition to Santa Pod’s array of off-track family entertainments which include spectacular Live Action Arena shows (Monster Trucks, stunt driving and riding) and aerial displays (RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Jump Dogs parachute team).

Tickets for the event between Thursday, May 26 and Sunday, May 29 can be pre-booked online at https://santapodtickets.com/p/mainevent or by calling 01234 782828.

Adult prices begin at £20 and children aged between five and 15 cost £5 per day.