Tommy Grimes, Rikard Gustafsson, Thomas Olsen and Robert Nilsson winners at Gardermoen Raceway
Tommy Grimes
Tommy Grimes raced to victory in Super Twin Motorcycle at the Drag Challenge at Gardermoen Raceway, round three of the EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Championship. It was the first win for the American rider in Europe. There was also a new winner in Super Street Bike as Robert Nilsson defeated Mogens Lund, the winner of the first two EDRS Pro Nordic MC races. In Pro Stock Motorcycle home favourite Thomas Lysebraaten Olsen scored his third win out of three races this season by defeating Timo Savolainen in the final. In Top Fuel Motorcycle Rikard Gustafsson won the Gardermoen race by beating the Drag Challenge record setting Sverre Dahl in the final.
The Drag Challenge at Gardermoen Raceway was the third round of the 2017 EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Championship. In Super Twin Motorcycle number one qualifier Tommy Grimes had a bye run in the first round when Ismo Mäenpää suffered mechanical problems, and advanced to the final after defeating Greger Johansson with a 6.65 seconds elapsed time in the semi final. It is not Samu Kemppainen’s season so far as the reigning EDRS Pro Nordic MC Super Twin champion had problems after the burn out in round one and could not start. Roman Sixta, the number three qualifier, defeated Lasse Leponiemi in the semi finals and had to face Grimes in the final.
Super Twin Motorcycle final
Grimes, riding Per Bengtsson’s The Beast, was away first to race to victory in 6.78 seconds. It was the first win for the American rider in the EDRS Pro Nordic Super Twin Motorcycle Championship.
Thomas Lysebraaten Olsen
In Pro Stock Motorcycle Thomas Lysebraaten Olsen from Norway had to face number one qualifier Timo Savolainen from Finland in the final. Olsen, home favourite and winner at Tierp Arena and Alastaro, had a better reaction time to beat a quicker (7.29 and 7.22 seconds) Savolainen.
Pro Stock Motorcycle final
The Norwegian rider has by far his best season ever, and can make it four wins out of four races at the Scandinavian Internationals.
Rikard Gustafsson
In Top Fuel Motorcycle Sverre Dahl was the favourite, as the Norwegian rider reset his personal best twice in qualifying. In the final Dahl had to face number two qualifier Rikard Gustafsson.
Top Fuel Motorcycle final
The Swede stormed to 6.07 seconds while Dahl ran into problems and crossed the finish line in 7.6 seconds. Once again is was loud and clear that not always the quickest rider of the meeting takes the win.
Robert Nilsson
In Super Street Bike Robert Nilsson and Mogens Lund, the number one and two qualifiers, didn’t make any mistakes and advanced to the final. Nilsson defeated Kim Hilander and Vesa Ruhanen, while Lund, winner of the first two races of this season, had two bye runs and defeated Anders Blanck on his way to the final.
Super Street Bike final
But after two wins, bad luck hit Lund. The Danish rider ran into problems and did not record an elapsed time, handing the win to number one qualifier Nilsson.
Tomas Jonsson
In Super Comp Bike number one qualifier Tomas Jonsson did not make a mistake and advanced to the final where he had to face number two qualifier Emil Östlund. In an extremely close final Jonsson proved he was the real number one by defeating Östlund to take the win.
Ellen Ödegaard
In Super Gas Bike Kari Rautanen defeated number one qualifier Kent Koed in the semi final and had to face Ellen Ödegaard in the final. Ödegaard surprised the Finn and raced to victory, her first win in the EDRS Pro Nordic MC Super Gas Bike category.
The EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Championship continues August 24 – 27 with the fourth and final round, the Scandinavian Internationals at Tierp Arena, Sweden.
For all qualifying results see: http://ndrg.no/resultater-drag-challenge-2017/
More photos from the Drag Challenge can be found at: http://www.edrspro.com/, photo galleries, Gardermoen.
