You might remember there was a Swedish Grand Prix held six times between 1973-1978 at Anderstorp.
But there is also a place called Mantorp a few hours away, and it has hosted Dragracing since the early seventies, it was also an
event in the European Championship earlier.
Two of the biggest things in my life comes from the influence of my father. 70s music and motorsports.
Now on the subject of Drag Racing, I have a pretty strong connection to it. My father was one of the first
who built a Top Fuel Dragster in Sweden and Europe. He went over to the States at around the end of the seventies,
and bought a chassis and engine to have shipped back home. He and some friends later put it together
from scratch. Money was always a problem, though. He made some local sponsors and got free oil and stuff like that,
but not much more.
In 1989-1990 the whole family went to the States, we visited California and Hawaii for a month,
and spent one day in N.Y. on the way home.
In Cali we lived with a friend of my dads, and he in turn was friends with Dick LaHaie,
the 1987 NHRA Top Fuel champion.
One night there was a big party at the house, and Dick was there and I got to meet him.
I was only seven at the time (in '90), and maybe I didn't really appreciate the moment as much as I could have, it
wasn't until much later that I learned what he accomplished.
I got his autograph, though.
And I remember his wife kissing me and I got lipstick all over my cheek.
My dad still has friends in the U.S.A. to this day, but it's a long time since we've been there.
In 1997, Wheels Magazine had this big article on the highlights of the last twenty years in Dragracing,
and my dads Top Fuel got a mention by the author.
That's my dad in the cockpit, to the right is his friend Rune and my mother. I'm not sure who the guy on the left is,
but it might be a guy called Kjelle. Seems like
everyone wore denim back then!
Later dad used a pitch black helmet with weird airholes in front of his mouth, I always thought it looked like a Darth
Vader helmet.
When dad and mum got their fourth child, my youngest sister, he had to sell it unfortunately.
The engine first and then the chassis. And I know it is a big regret in his life, but what can you do?
My granddad also raced back in the day during the 40s and 50s, in motorcycle endurance events, and apparently won some club championship riding an Ariel.
So I have always enjoyed speed and got a motorcycle license early, and I felt compelled to race something a little bit faster than a go-kart, and last year I tried my hand at a F3 Renault, and it felt like second nature to me. I felt very at home in the cockpit, so it must be in my blood.
I spun once, but I was fastest there that day, had the fastest lap out of 16 drivers
.
But it's much to late to make a career out of it lol, and I don't have that kind of money anyway. But it was fun, though.
) and was running against carb'd, naturally aspirated, hemi-headed V8s displacing roughly 720cid at the time (11.8L) despite the massive size disadvantage, Buddy made the finals, and nearly won. However, Rickie Smith, who lost to buddy, cried like a little b***h and got the car banned immediately thereafter. Rumors swirled that Buddy actually lifted in the Finals in order to keep the car leagal, he claims he fried the clutch. You be the judge. 
