The third round of the FIA European Championship unfolded at Hockenheim, where 260 teams entered the annual NitrOlympX at the legendary Rico Anthes Quarter Mile. Despite dire forecasts, the weather proved cooperative, with only a brief shower on Friday evening and another at midday Saturday.
The biggest headline before the event was the return of the Habermann brothers. Better known as the fastest German brothers, the beloved home-country heroes — with a combined seven European Top Methanol championships — announced they would run both of their cars out of competition during the weekend, marking their first appearance after a six-year break.
Qualifying
Qualifying kicked off on Friday under tricky track conditions and was further delayed by a Sportsman accident, which set the schedule back by 90 minutes. Rain returned at 7 p.m., just half an hour before the day’s official close. By Saturday, the track had come around, allowing many racers to improve their times—until a brief rain shower just before the fourth FIA qualifying round once again changed the conditions.
In Top Fuel, Jndia Erbacher emerged on top of the three-car field with a 4.235 at 214.4 mph, edging out Liam Jones’ 4.426 at 188.6 mph and Susanne Callin’s 4.478 at 189.4 mph.
In Pro Modified, Dutchman David Vegter led the 14-car field with a 5.855 at 242.8 mph, chased closely by Sweden’s Mats Eriksson on a 5.870 at 241.9 mph. Another Dutchman, Michael Tooren, posted a 5.915 at 242.2 mph.
In Top Methanol’s cannonball format, Jonny Lagg led the charts with a 5.301 at 276.2 mph, followed by teammate Tony Bryntesson at 5.385 and 266.5 mph. German veteran Jürgen Nagel clocked a 5.814 at 243.9 mph in his Funny Car, with Silvio Strauch running 5.604 at 239.0 mph and Sandro Bellio closing the five-car field in his Monte Carlo-bodied Funny Car at 6.253 and 182.6 mph.
Pro Stock qualifying again saw Jimmy Ålund out front, storming to a 6.614 at 209.6 mph. Robin Norén followed with a 6.667 at 206.8 mph, just ahead of Michael Malmgren’s 6.671 at 206.9 mph.
As darkness fell, the NitrOlympX Saturday night show lit up Hockenheim with pure spectacle. The program kicked off with the Habermann brothers as the opening act, thrilling fans with their exhibition passes. Next, a Red Bull Air Race pilot carved through the skies in a dazzling aerial display, followed by the thunder of multiple jet-powered dragsters scorching the quarter-mile. Fans were treated to additional exhibition runs under the lights, and the evening concluded with a choreographed drone show that told the story of drag racing’s evolution, from its early beginnings to the modern high-powered machines competing today.
Sunday – Raceday
In Top Fuel, reigning champion Jndia Erbacher advanced straight into the final with a bye run. On the other side of the ladder, Liam Jones also earned a solo pass when Susanne Callin, who had broken a rear end during qualifying, was unable to make the call for eliminations. In the final, Jones left first, but Erbacher drove around him despite her engine letting go in a spectacular fireball before the finish line. She took the win with a 4.202 at 241.7 mph over Jones’ 4.349 at 197.6 mph. While Erbacher claimed the trophy, Jones moved into the points lead with one race left.
Marck Harteveld’s road to the final was paved with fortune, as both Norbert Kuno and Michael Tooren red-lit against him. In the semifinals, Harteveld faced veteran driver Bruno Bader. The Swiss kept him honest, but Harteveld was quicker on the tree and also on the track, beating Bader’s 6.089 at 233.2 mph with a 5.997 at 239.4 mph to advance into the finals. On the opposite side of the ladder, Kim Kristiansen was the lucky No. 14 qualifier to get a bye run into the second, but also the semifinals, where he met reigning European Pro Mod Champion Jere Rantaniemi. Kristiansen showed some nerves on the tree and picked a red light, handing over the win to Ranantiemi.
The Pro Modified final turned out to be a real rollercoaster of emotions for both contestants and their teams. Rantaniemi’s engine went silent after the burnout and it took him a while to get it refired. When the tree came down, Harteveld red-lit, seemingly handing the win to Rantaniemi — but he got out of shape about halftrack and kicked a cone, handing the win back to Harteveld, whose crew went wild. With the win, Harteveld also took over the points lead going into the final event at Santa Pod.
Top Methanol dragster driver Jonny Lagg started into eliminations with an easy bye run, but he was quickly defeated by German Silvio Strauch, who powered to a 5.473 at 257.9 mph to overcome Lagg, who lost traction and managed only a 5.845 at 226.9 mph. Strauch then faced Sandro Bellio in the final, after Bellio pulled off an upset over Tony Bryntesson in the first round and earned a bye in the semifinals. With a quick reaction time and flawless performance on the track, Strauch never looked back, taking the win with a 5.492 at 258.3 mph over Bellio’s 5.672 at 242.6 mph. While Bellio lost the race, he claimed the championship points lead heading into the European Finals at Santa Pod.
In Pro Stock, Jimmy Ålund had a bye run in the first round and met Simon Ekengren in the semifinals. Ekengren cut a great light, but Ålund was able to drive around him, beating his 6.955 at 196.4 mph with his quicker 6.669 at 208.3 mph. On the opposite side of the ladder, Robin Norén ran a 6.714 at 205.6 mph to beat Henry Riehl and a 6.63 at 205.7 mph to beat Michael Malmgren’s coasting 13.688 run to advance into the final round. Norén was a tick quicker off the line, but his 6.715 at 205.6 mph was no match for Ålund’s 6.624 at 208.9 mph, which not only got him the NitrOlympX trophy, but also moved him into the points lead over Norén.
Sportsman and Bike Winners:
- Super Gas – Philipp Daud
- Super Comp – Gerd Habermann
- Pro Comp Doorslammer – Rene Ehrismann Pro ET – Rilana Dold
- Junior Dragster – Lina Wolf
- Funny Bike – Mike Olie
- Super Pro ET – Alain Duerr
- Super Comp Bike – Panos Charchalakis
- Junior Race Bike – Leif-Erik Braune
- ET Bike – Falk Odenthal
- FIM E Super Street Bike – Jake Mechaell
- FIM E Junior Drag Bike – Leah Morrison
- FIM E Pro Stock Bike – Karl-Heinz Weikum
- FIM E Top Fuel Bike – Stuart Crane
- FIM E Super Twin Bike – Marcus Christiansen
The NitrOlympX produced a mix of strong performances and a few unexpected results, which reshaped the points standings. Some leaders held their ground while others were overtaken.
This story was originally published on September 9, 2025. 
The post PHOTO GALLERY: 2025 NitrOlympX at Hockenheim first appeared on Drag Illustrated.