Clastres Raceway, Clastres France 12th May 2024:The races continued today at Clastres Raceway for the 23rd European dragster and the first round of the French championship. All racers, displaying their skill and determination, got at least one qualification round today before going into the eliminations (some got two or more). The weather gods blessed us again with sunshine, blue sky, and white clouds. Dark clouds conquered the sky around Clastres in the afternoon but stayed dry until the day’s last race. It was a day packed with thrilling races and surprises in several categories. The absolute winners during this first round, showcasing their exceptional talent, are Michael Mikuscheit (SPET), Ronnie Mercer (PET), Clément Dubois (SC), Oscar Scappocin (SG), Nicolas Chevassus (SR), and Marie Camilleri (Jr.D).

Text: Benjamin Wefer
Pictures: Benjamin Wefer

Michael Mikuscheit wins Super Pro ET by holeshot (SPET) in his El Camino. Mikuscheit qualified in thirteen positions and met the second qualifier, Lucas Potthoff, in the first elimination round. It was a close race, but Mikuscheit won at the start, as Potthoff left the tree earlier and gave the race away. Mikuscheit managed to win race after race and met Angel Romero in the final race. They both had a good start, but Mikuscheit’s quicker reaction time (0.016 seconds for Michael vs 0.145 for Angel) ultimately defined the race (Mikuscheit ran an 8.801-second at 246 km/hrs vs. Romero with an 8.350-second run at 271 km/hrs. Unfortunately, the top qualifier, Annalena Scherschinski, broke out by 0.02 seconds and got eliminated in the elimination round one.

Ronnie Mercer from the UK won Pro ET (PET). Mercer qualified in sixteenth place and met Claire-Ange Renard in the first elimination round. Mercer had the right combination to stay ahead of the competition this weekend and met veteran Gerd Habermann in the final round. It would have been an exciting race, but Mercer won this at the start, as Habermann left the tree earlier and gave the race away. Yesterday’s top qualifier, Janine Petzold, got eliminated in the second round. Third place went to Dutch driver Niek de Kruif. 

Clément Dubois takes his first won-ever home in Supercomp (SC). Dubois met rookie driver Cheyenne Visser in the first elimination round and had a bye run in the semi-final. The final race was between Dubois and Didier Billault. Dubois had a quicker reaction time than Billault (0.129 seconds vs 0.185 seconds) and stayed ahead of Billault the whole race. Dubois crossed the finish line in 8.988 seconds at 214 km/hrs, while Billault did it in 9.188 seconds at 237 km/hrs. Top Qualifier Gerd Habermann suffered from technical problems at the start of the quarter-finals and got eliminated.

Oscar Scappocin won Super Gas (SG)! With only two competitors in the category, it was a final race deja vu every time he and Arnold Hol met at the start line. It was the only category that had up to ten qualification rounds. Both improved their time over the weekend. Oscar kicked off the weekend with 10.22 seconds at 215 km/hr and improved this to 9.92 seconds at 210 km/hr. Arnold set a 9.96-second run at 225 km/hr. The last race was a side-by-side one; both had good reaction times, but the consistency of Scappocin sealed the deal and took the win home. 

Arnold Hol

Oscar Scappocin

Nicolas Chevassus is the absolute winner in Street Run (SR)! This weekend, he had all the right combinations and showed the competition that he meant business. Chevassus is the only one who qualified in the first place and won the race (besides Oscar in Supergas). The last race was between Chevassus and Samantha Fermond, where Fermond came too short to win.

Samantha Fermond

Nicolas Chevassus

Marie Camilleri takes the win home in Junior Dragster (Jr.D)! After eight qualification rounds, Camilleri qualified fifth and met Sietse Zijlstra in the first elimination round. The last race was between Camilleri and third qualifier Emily Schaup, but Schuap came too short to win. 

The 23rd European Dragster here in Clastres is a fact! With much progress from rookie drivers, first-time winners, and veterans of the sport leaving the ladder earlier, we from The Chronicles of Boost want to congratulate all winners. To the rest of the racers, keep a positive mindset. Every journey is learning, and come back next time stronger to beat the competition!