FHRA Drag racing in Finland! SIDEWALL FLEX! WHEELIES! SUN!

[jake899]

So 40 minutes from my house the FHRA organises the Summer Nationals each year at the airfield in Kauhava.

I haven't been able to make it before for one reason or another, but this was the year and we were blessed with perfect weather and a good turnout. Luckily I also was able to get a press pass and get close to the action. Coming from an aviation photography background, it was actually surprising how close we were allowed to get. We were certainly at the mercy of luck and driver reaction, but hopefully it made for some good pics.

I must say, while I am an engineer with a deep and long love of cars, I am not a drag fan as such so I don't have much knowledge of the respective classes etc. But I know a fast car or bike when I see one! Enjoy!







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Some impressive engine installations, plenty of superchargers, turbos and nitrous systems to be seen.



This was one thing I wanted to see first hand, the sidewall flex on these massive tires. They have to be bolted to the rim to stop the torque ripping the tires off. I struggled to begin with, the drivers have insane reaction times.



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Finland being the equal country that it is, there were as many women competing as men, probably more in some categories. All that's needed is fast reactions and iron ovaries. Here goes Jenna.



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A pleasing number of wheelies off the line. The fans love it.



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The bikes were pretty impressive, they seemed to need wrestling down the strip.



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A beautiful Cuda in the "doorslammers" class stretching its tires.



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There were a few 70's style drag racers, gassers, altered wheelbase etc...



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And finally, my favourite car of the day. I used to have a '64 Plymouth Valiant, though I suspect there's very little original valiant left in this lovely car



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Hope you enjoyed the pics!

[HARDCORE]

Fantastic pics of what looks to be a fantastic event. Making me look forward to Drag Week even more!

[stealthstylz]

Jul 17, 2023 7:26:18 GMT jake899 said:

Finland being the equal country that it is, there were as many women competing as men, probably more in some categories. All that's needed is fast reactions and iron ovaries. Here goes Jenna.

Compared to almost every other motorsport drag racing has been surprisingly progressive with regards gender and racial equality, and other than that they basically rejigged almost the entire sport to be inclusive of all budgets/abilities by making it so the fastest car doesn't always win. Always strikes me as odd given a lot of the participants/fans are so bloody backwards lol.