Santa Pod Raceway will bring the curtain down on Europe’s 2026 drag racing season with five days of high-speed action from 9-13 September, combining the FIA/FIM European Finals, the climax of the Carl Cox Motorsport Series and a special celebration marking the venue’s 60th anniversary.
Around 300 car and motorcycle racers from 17 countries are currently entered for the European Finals, with competition ranging from 10,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters to the Junior categories developing the sport’s next generation of racers.
European Finals competition runs from Thursday to Sunday, but the action begins a day earlier when the Carl Cox Motorsport Series reaches its concluding round on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 September.
Superstar DJ and motorsport entrepreneur Carl Cox has backed the three-round Pro Modified series throughout the season, with a significant prize fund at stake. Cox will also compete in his own American-built Pro Mod machine, capable of speeds approaching 250mph.
Carl Cox Motorsport also supports the Junior Dragster and Junior Dragbike categories competing during the European Finals weekend.
Santa Pod celebrates 60 years
Adding to the occasion will be a special car show on Saturday 12 September celebrating Santa Pod Raceway’s 60th anniversary.
The display is set to feature vehicles representing every one of the circuit’s 60 seasons, bringing together race cars, hot rods, street rods and customs spanning six decades of British drag racing history.
On the track, however, the focus will be firmly on determining Europe’s 2026 champions.
Ten supercharged nitro cars head the European Finals programme, including four Top Fuel dragsters fighting for FIA European Championship honours and six Fuel Funny Cars contesting the UK Funny Car Cup.
Reigning FIA Top Fuel champion Susanne Callin of Sweden will face a challenge from former Swiss champion Jndia Erbacher, while Norwegian veteran Øyver Jacobsen has returned to the cockpit following decades away from competition.
Scotland’s Colin Millar completes the four-car field and is the only male entrant. Having stepped up from Outlaw Anglia competition this season, Millar will be looking to finish his campaign with a European Finals victory.
Funny Cars bring the thunder
Fuel Funny Cars use similar nitromethane-burning engines to Top Fuel dragsters, but package their enormous power into much shorter chassis beneath lightweight replica saloon-car bodies.
An all-British six-car field will contest the Funny Car Cup, with several teams bringing in American tuning expertise as they chase one of the biggest prizes in UK drag racing.
Steve Ashdown won the cup in 2025, while Kevin Kent leads this season’s standings ahead of the deciding Santa Pod round.
Pro Modified should provide another fiercely contested title battle. Several competitors will already have raced during the Carl Cox Motorsport Series finale before attention switches to Sunday’s 16-car FIA eliminations.
Competition is expected to be particularly intense among the Nordic turbocharged Pro Mods, which are capable of around 250mph. Finland’s Jere Rantaniemi is chasing a third consecutive championship, but Estonia’s Andres Arnover arrives at Santa Pod holding a narrow points advantage.
European FIA championships will also be decided in the Top Methanol and Pro Stock categories.
European motorcycle titles on the line
Motorcycle racing forms an equally important part of the European Finals, led by the spectacular Top Fuel Bike category.
This year’s competition will take place in the absence of one of European motorcycle drag racing’s most successful recent competitors. Swedish champion and 260mph record-holder Rikard Gustafsson was killed while making a demonstration run shortly after returning home from his latest Santa Pod victory at the end of May.
An eight-bike Top Fuel field will compete for the 2026 FIM-Europe championship in Gustafsson’s memory.
Super Street Bike provides the weekend’s largest motorcycle field. Despite running street-legal tyres and no wheelie bars, the machines are capable of six-second quarter-mile runs at speeds approaching 220mph.
Britain’s Jake Mechaell will be among the favourites to retain his 2025 FIM title when the 16-bike field enters eliminations.
Pro Stock Bike and the thunderous nitro-powered Super Twin category complete the European championship motorcycle programme.
Five days of action on and off the track
A full programme of Sportsman drag racing and Jet Car demonstrations will support the European championship categories throughout the event.
Away from the strip, Santa Pod is promising a broad programme of family entertainment including Monster Trucks, stunt riding and driving demonstrations in the Live Action Arena, parachute jumps, historic aircraft displays, funfair rides, live music, fireworks and food stalls.
Multi-day ticket holders can camp free of charge, with live bands providing late-night entertainment. Paddock access is also included, giving spectators the opportunity to see the cars, bikes, teams and preparation work at close quarters.
The FIA/FIM European Finals and Carl Cox Motorsport Series take place from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 September 2026 at Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough, NN29 7XA.
Tickets are available by advance booking only, with no tickets sold at the gate. Full event details and online booking are available from Santa Pod Raceway’s European Finals page, or by calling 01234 782828.
