Leif Andreasson drove his ESAB backed 3500bhp Dodge Stratus styled dragster to a clear victory at the opening event of the 2006 European Drag Racing Championship Funny Car series at Santa Pod, Northamptonshire, UK, recently. His victory in the Top Methanol Funny Car series came to the delight of major sponsor ESAB, the global welding and cutting equipment and supplies group, which has been supporting the Andreasson team over the past four years. Despite intermittent high winds and showers throughout the weekend, Andreasson eventually won the series by clinching the finals title from fellow Swede Ulf Leanders' Firebird with a 5.77 seconds run against Leanders' 5.93 seconds.

The result gave Leif an average 245 mile/h over the quarter mile and was the fastest time for the event.

'This is a fantastic result', said Andreasson speaking after the awards.

'We've been troubled with tyre shake and other irritating issues for eighteen months, but now everything has come together just fine'.

'The car ran perfectly'.

'I have to thank my whole team for that'.

Earlier in the day at the semis, Andreasson had come up against Jurgen Nagel, but despite a performance drop due to cracked isolators in the spark plugs, he managed to see off the German to earn his place in the finals and eventually go on to win the event.

The Andreasson Team's entered the 2006 with an entirely new image with both car and driver fully bedecked in military camouflage.

This new look came as a result of additional backing from the Swedish Armed Forces.

However, even with the camouflage, ESAB retained its highly prominent exposure down the rear sides of the car along with fellow top sponsor Kamasa Tools.

There is nothing funny when it comes to the engineering behind these Funny Car Series competitors.

The statistics attached to these cars are nothing short of awesome.

The top methanol fuelled BAE 8528cm3 V8 aluminium/magnesium engine with PSI supercharger develops some 3500bhp at up to 10,500rev/min and there are no engine cooling cavities, coolant or radiator.

The chassis beneath the Dodge Stratus styled carbon fibre body is precision engineered in cromemolybden steel tube using ESAB advanced welding technology.