NitrOlympX 2024 // Record-breaking drag racing festival at the Hockenheimring
- Record ticket sales, over 45,000 visitors at the weekend
- Track records and numerous personal best times
- Exciting supporting programme
In addition to best times and track records, the NitrOlympX 2024 has a very special record to report: Ticket sales for the drag racing event at the Hockenheimring exceeded all expectations and even the previous record result from 2022, when the NitrOlympX was held again after a two-year coronavirus break and was eagerly awaited by fans. Over 45,000 visitors came to the Rico Anthes Quartermile last weekend from a 23rd to 25th August to watch and support 22 professional and amateur classes from all over Europe in the race for championship points.
Top sporting performances
There was a new track record in the best weather conditions on Sunday in the FIA Pro Modified class, where Dutchman David Vegter, who started the race as championship leader, set a new personal best time of 5.792 seconds in the first elimination round which was also a new track record. The winner in this class was Andres Arnover from Estonia. Frenchman Jean Dulamon who crashed his Pro Mod on Saturday caused a moment of shock. After an check-up, he was able to leave hospital quickly and was enthusiastically welcomed by the fans at the Quartermile the next day.
The Swede Rikard Gustafsson, one of the fastest TFB riders in the world, set another track record in the FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike. With a time of 5.817 seconds, Gustafsson beat Britain’s Stuart Crane in the first elimination round and made it through to the final, where his bike rolled over the start line and was disqualified. Mark Smith from Great Britain finally won the title in the Top Fuel Bike class.
In the national Funny Bike and Super Twin Gas combination, Germany’s Markus Laur made history when he became the first German Funny Bike rider to break the six-second barrier with a time of 6.967 seconds, making him eligible to compete in the FIM Europe Top Fuel Bike.
Crowd favourite Jndia Erbacher from Switzerland won the top class FIA Top Fuel with 4.084 seconds in a solo run. She had already achieved a sensational run in the semi-final race against championship leader Duncan Micallef with a time of 4.000 seconds and an incredible 500.25 kilometres per hour.
Live boxing and nightshow directly at the Quartermile
Saturday evening saw a premiere at the Hockenheimring with the WBC International Super Bantamweight title fight. A boxing ring was set up directly on the Quartermile for the boxing match between Melina Maibaum (26) from Karlsruhe and Kerstin Wiedermann (36) from Lauda-Königshofen, who had stepped in at short notice following the surprising cancellation of the original opponent Urvashi Singh from India. In front of a packed crowd, Melina Maibaum clearly triumphed and celebrated the first title of her young boxing career with a technical knockout after the fifth round.
After the boxing match, the action continued apace, as the following NitrOlympX Nightshow on Saturday evening was one of the absolute highlights of the weekend, as it is every year: For two hours, the Rico Anthes Quartermile was transformed into a spectacular stage for breathtaking stunts and show runs. The unique mixture of high-speed action with top fuelers, sling shots and spectacular jet dragsters as well as jet bikes every minute, visual effects such as a laser show at the end and live music offered the fans in the packed grandstands an unforgettable experience that blurred the boundaries between motorsport and entertainment.
The next NitrOlympX will take place from 29 to 31 August 2025. Advance ticket sales have already started.
