Silvio Strauch intends to do his first full FIA European Championship tour
In his third season in the Top Methanol class, Silvio Strauch has the intention to do his maiden full FIA European Championship tour. In both his debut season 2019 in the Top Methanol Dragster, and again in 2022, the German driver and his Engine Ghost Racing Team had to select the races that best fitted their limited time schedule. This season Strauch will try to do all five rounds of the FIA European Top Methanol Championship.
Silvio Strauch had a long and successful career in a dragster in the Competition Eliminator class when he decided to buy the proven Peter Schöfer Racing Top Methanol Dragster and to step up to the next level.
Strauch and his Engine Ghost Racing Team debuted in the FIA European Top Methanol Championship in 2019. Still in the ‘old’ PSR colours, Strauch impressed with his driving style, but also had some scary moments with high wheel stands. With a limited schedule of three of the five championship races, Strauch finished in fifth position in the final standing.
With a brand new design on the Engine Ghost dragster, Strauch had his first appearance after the coronavirus break in a non-championship race at Tierp Arena in 2022. The FIA European Championship races at Hockenheim and the European Finals at Santa Pod were the German’s official comeback, and scoring points in only two of the four championship races, Strauch finished in sixth position.
In 2023, his third season in the car, Strauch will go for a full FIA European Top Methanol Championship tour. But there is no boasting or bluffing from the German team about their ability to claim the title or fight with the favourites. Rather, modesty is their keyword. “We suffered horrible tyre shake on too many runs last year. We hope we have solved that over the winter. But even when we can make trouble free runs, we still have to learn so much. Top Methanol is totally different level of racing. We’ll do our very best, learn and see where we end up,” said Strauch, almost ready for his tour through Europe.
Text and photos: Remco Scheelings
