- Action, motorsport and festival atmosphere
- European drag racing elite visit the Motodrom
- Almost 43,000 spectators visited the Quartermile on three days of the event
- Nightshow on Saturday evening with many highlights in the sky and on the track
For the 36th time, the Hockenheimring was transformed into a paradise for all drag racing fans last weekend from 25 to 27 August 2023. A total of 223 teams from 16 countries ensured full starting fields and non-stop action on the Rico Anthes Quartermile this year. A total of 21 classes competed in the Motodrom, including nine professional classes fighting for FIA and FIM E European Championship points. The almost 43,000 spectators who filled the grandstands along the 402.33-metre-long track at the weekend were treated to a firework display of top-class sport and entertainment.
To ensure that the quarter mile offered optimal conditions for the fast-paced quarter mile duels, the Hockenheimring team worked on the preparation of the asphalt weeks in advance. Although minor rain showers during the weekend caused short race interruptions, the experienced track crew managed to dry the track quickly each time so that the runs could continue. The excellent times in all classes proved how good the track conditions were.
Markus Welte, for example, managed one of the first surprises in the Super Pro ET class already in a qualifying round on Friday: With his VW Golf 2, he accelerated to over 300 km/h in 7.50 seconds. The spectators celebrated this performance frenetically – and rightly so, after all, this is the fastest VW Golf in the world.
Top Fuel with over 500 km/h and other impressive performances
In the top class, the Top Fuel dragsters, Ida Zetterström, Susanne Callin and Jndia Erbacher were the first all-female trio to compete. Jndia Erbacher conjured up two three-second times on the Rico Anthes Quatermile. Great joy for the team and enthusiastic cheers from the packed stands. A time of 3.93 seconds with more than 500 km/h brought the young Swiss first place in the qualification ahead of her opponents Susanne Callin from Sweden and Ida Zetterström from Finland.
The final on Sunday was then contested by Jndia Erbacher and Ida Zetterström. In a highly exciting final run, both skiers skied side by side over the quarter mile. In the end, Ida Zetterström (3.92 seconds) was a blink of an eye faster than her opponent from Switzerland (3.93 seconds).
In the Pro Modified, Sweden’s Jan Ericsson set an impressive record. He has been undefeated for 26 races. Ericsson has thus been able to win the last six races in which he has taken part. Unique in the history of European drag racing.
There was a small moment of shock shortly before the end of the event in the Pro Stock final: After 100 metres, the Swede Robin Norén touched the wall in his lane and then crossed the track. The driver was uninjured, only the car had suffered damage. Pro Stock veteran Michael Malmgren decided the class in his favour.
German success and top times in the bike classes
A German competitor won a European Championship race for the first time in many years. In the Pro Stock Bike class, Jörg Lymant improved in every run and thus won in the end in the strongest Pro Stock Bike field of the year.
The action in the Super Street Bike field was also absolutely top notch. Several riders made it into the six-second times and the performance increased from lap to lap. In the final, Alan Morrison Jr. from Great Britain beat Daniel Lencsés from Hungary and with a time of 6.71 seconds also scratched the latter’s record time.
Nightshow with many highlights
One programme item of the NitrOlympX that could not be missed this year was the Nightshow on Saturday evening, which is one of the absolute highlights of the event for many fans: At the 2023 edition, the grandstands were filled to capacity and the atmosphere was reminiscent of a rock concert. The action at this worldwide unique spectacle was not limited to the race track, but also took place in the skies above Hockenheim. Two parachutists from the Red Bull Sky Dive Team thrilled the fans with a jump from over 1,500 metres, which only took two minutes thanks to high-speed parachutes. With a landing speed of 120 km/h, Marco Fürst and Marco Waltenspiel landed safely on the quarter mile.
On the track, show vehicles equipped with jet engines threw twenty-metre-long flames from the afterburners. Whether it was a Top Fueler, a school bus, a French small car, a motorbike or a classic dragster, the power of these vehicles could be felt all the way to the top of the grandstands. Power of a completely different kind was brought to the start by the Force of Nature Steam-Rocket-Bike in a breathtaking run at its debut outside the British Isles. Pure steam accelerates this two-wheeler to mid-six-second times at over 200 bar pressure in the high-tech steam boiler. The spectacular finale of the night show was a drone show on the theme of drag racing. Countless perfectly choreographed drones conjured up a unique picture story in the Hockenheim night sky.
Once again, the NitrOlympX in Hockenheim showed: Drag racing is the fastest and most spectacular motorsport in the world. And like no other event, the NitrOlympX combine top-class sporting highlights with show and festival atmosphere for the whole family. Further information and all results at: www.nitrolympx.de
