{"id":90576,"date":"2023-12-08T19:18:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T19:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/european-top-fuel-champion-ida-zetterstrom-to-make-nhra-debut-with-jcm-racing\/"},"modified":"2024-01-20T23:50:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T23:50:57","slug":"european-top-fuel-champion-ida-zetterstrom-to-make-nhra-debut-with-jcm-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/european-top-fuel-champion-ida-zetterstrom-to-make-nhra-debut-with-jcm-racing\/","title":{"rendered":"European Top Fuel Champion Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m to Make NHRA Debut with JCM Racing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newly crowned FIA Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m is on the move. Zetterstr\u00f6m announced today her plans to make her NHRA Top Fuel debut with JCM Racing during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The Finnish driver is making a major commitment to her NHRA goals by moving to the United States to pursue her dreams of competing for an NHRA world championship. She plans to run a limited schedule in 2024 with the goal of running a full-time campaign in 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is truly a dream come true,\u201d said Zetterstr\u00f6m, the FIA Top Fuel record holder for elapsed time and speed. \u201cI\u2019ve been working towards this goal for years now, and to have Joe Maynard and the JCM Racing organization recognize my efforts and potential means so much. I\u2019m so thankful for everyone who has helped me reach this point, including all the NHRA drivers who have offered tips and guidance.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe plan for now is to run at least five events next year starting in the second half of the season, but we are actively pursuing partners in hopes of running as many races as possible, as soon as possible. I\u2019m ready to hit the ground running!\u201d added Zetterstr\u00f6m, who in addition to competing for NHRA Wally trophies, will also be battling for the title of NHRA\u2019s 2024 Rookie of the Year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zetterstr\u00f6m started racing in the Jr. Dragster ranks at age 8 before moving up to Super Comp at 16. She then switched to two wheels, where she won a pair of Super Street Bike championships. She became the first woman to win a championship in the class, as well as the first to run in the 6-second zone. In 2021, Zetterstr\u00f6m earned her FIA Top Fuel license on the strength of the quickest-ever licensing run in European drag racing history. The following year, she became the first European Top Fuel driver to dip into the 3.70-second range in 1,000-foot competition. She also earned her first FIA event win and finished third in the FIA championship standings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2023 FIA season saw Zetterstr\u00f6m and the RF Motorsport team pick up four event wins, three No. 1 qualifier awards, and both ends of the European Top Fuel record. She lost just one round of eliminations all season to secure the FIA European championship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Zetterstr\u00f6m has also made an impression off the track, as she\u2019s been featured in numerous international publications and podcasts. She has a substantial following on social media, with more than 200,000 followers keeping up with her on Instagram. She also appeared on <\/span>Drag Illustrated<\/span>\u2019s 30 Under 30 list in 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a unique opportunity to bring a talented rising star into the world of NHRA drag racing,\u201d said JCM Racing team owner, Joe Maynard. \u201cWe\u2019ve followed Ida\u2019s success on and off the track for some time now. She obviously has the skills it takes to excel in Top Fuel. Plus, she understands the importance of social media and how to utilize it to benefit partners. She\u2019s the full package. I believe Ida has a bright future in NHRA drag racing, and we\u2019re thrilled that she\u2019s making her U.S. debut as a member of our JCM Racing organization.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Zetterstr\u00f6m, who currently lives in the \u00c5land Islands of Finland, is planning to relocate to the Indianapolis area to be close to the JCM Racing shop. The Brownsburg, Ind.-based JCM Racing team is currently in the process of building a car that Zetterstr\u00f6m will begin driving during pre-season testing in March 2024. The new team\u2019s crew chief and sponsors will be announced at a later date.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIda has been so successful in Europe, and now she\u2019s going to compete with the best of the best among the NHRA ranks,\u201d Maynard said. \u201cShe\u2019s obviously committed to the opportunity by moving here. Similarly, we\u2019re committed to providing her with the resources she needs to contend for NHRA Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, and if all goes as planned, to compete for an NHRA Top Fuel championship to go along with her European title starting in 2025.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Zetterstr\u00f6m will begin testing with JCM Racing during the NHRA Gatornationals pre-race test session at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. in March.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The post European Top Fuel Champion Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m to Make NHRA Debut with JCM Racing<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated | Drag Racing News, Opinion, Interviews, Photos, Videos and More<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newly crowned FIA Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m is on the move. Zetterstr\u00f6m announced today her plans to make her NHRA Top Fuel debut with JCM Racing during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The Finnish driver is making a major commitment to her NHRA goals by moving to the United States […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,78117,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drag-racing","category-race-pages","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91161,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90576\/revisions\/91161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}