Gustafsson skips the NitrOlympX, takes aims for the crown
For many looking on from the outside, this year has been of plain sailing for Rikard Gustafsson and the Indian Motorcycles/RG Engineering Puma Top Fuel Bike. Low qualifiers, event wins and consistently quick runs making the team one of the standout performers on a global level. Following on from a winning effort at Tierp Arena at the start of August, Gustafsson offered his reflections on what has happened to date as well as a look forward.
“This season been a tough one. We been investing a lot in the bike to make it quicker and more reliable and trying to step up our program. To try harder is not easy when you’ve already put in all your time and money.
We had a good start at the Main Event at Santa Pod [back in May] with a 5.79s out of the trailer and qualified No 1, but the race was cancelled after first win in elimination due to rain. Then we did a EDRS race in Tierp in June with a 5.75s and again we qualified No1 and ended up in the final. Unfortunately, we could not contest that because of a broken bolt in the rear calliper holder. Next race was in Mantorp [eighth mile non-championship race in July] where we reset our own track record twice, first with a 3.85s and next day with a 3.80s@325km/h [202.52 mph]. After that it was time for the 2nd FIM-E championship round in Tierp where we set the low ET of the event for bikes with another 5.75s @ 406km/h [252.66 mph] run resulting in qualifying position No1 and winning the event against Sverre Dahl with another 5 second run.
We’ve also done 3 exhibition events in Denmark and Sweden with burnouts and start ups to promote our sport and to help finance some of our expenses.
Next is Mosten Raceday coming up and we will do our best to keep the crown [as King of Mosten over the Danish 1/8th mile sprint race]. We will not be able to do Hockenheim sadly. We like that track a lot but by changing weekends [the NitrOlympX at Hockenheim was moved back a week thanks to facility clashes] it will not be possible for me to do this race just a week before the Finals at Santa Pod. Then the Euro Finals in England, we are really focusing and working hard to make good performance here and try to reset our PB in this last event of the season.
See you at the Finals!!!”
The unfortunate clash of Mosten Raceday (a relaxed weekend show/race now in its 30th year) and the NitrOlympX has caused a lot of head scratching in the bike ranks, but Gustafsson’s performance levels and consistency from the first half of the season mean he is going to be in the FIM-E Top Fuel Bike championship mix at the Euro Finals over the first weekend in September.
Text and photos: Ivan Sansom & Rose Hughes
