Premiere day for Ida Zetterström: "This is the real elite of the world"

Ida Zetterström from Järfälla and Åland is the first Top Fuel driver to be hand-picked from Europe to a team in the American NHRA series.

Now the premiere weekend awaits in Minnesota, but it is not a premiere for all the drivers. On the other hand, the season is already in full swing.

Ida Zetterström reached eight out of 21 championships in 2024.

– We are entering a very difficult part of the season, when everyone else has already run many races and they have a good understanding, she says.

– Let’s jump in here now and try to find the right one, and it’s not like there’s an easier class until you find it – this is the absolute world elite.

Truth.Maximum fuel

The best class in drag racing. The fastest car in the world accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in about 0.8 seconds. The maximum speed is more than 500 kilometers per hour. The distance is 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) and takes less than four seconds to run.

A Top Fuel engine has 12,000 horsepower, a Formula 1 car has 1,000.

During a race, the acceleration force the driver is exposed to is 7g. It is the same as what a fighter pilot experiences.

The NHRA American drag racing series has 21 events this year. Ida Zetterström’s teammate Tony Schumacher is the most successful driver in the class. He has eight titles.

this weekend should 16 cars be registered – even if someone else can register at the last minute – and then everyone will go from championship to championship on Sunday.

– I know that we have a strong challenge ahead of us, but I know that we have very good material and that the people I have around me are not new to the sport, even if we are new to each other, says Ida Zetterström.

– Then I personally feel very comfortable in the car too.

When DN met Ida Zetterström on location in the US earlier this summer she tried to explain the feeling of being shot away in a car at over 500 kilometers per hour. Now it’s almost time to do it in sharp mode – in the American series.

– I didn’t have time to worry yet. I think it might start once you’re on the road, she says.

The fact that Ida Zetterström coming into the season so good that she can’t compete for any championships this year.

– But I can still be there and fight for wins and good rounds.

Premiere day for Ida Zetterström: “This is the real elite of the world” — “The more we get to work together and do all these practices, the faster and more cohesive we become,” says Ida Zetterström.

Photo: Petter Arvidson/Bildbyrån

There is also thinking and planning for more than just the upcoming opening weekend in Minnesota.

– Now we have full focus on this season as a whole. But next year, the plan is to run a full season, and be there to fight for championships. The important thing is that we have a close team then, that we have a lot of data and that I feel at one time with the car, says Ida Zetterström.

– Of course, we really want to perform at the highest level and drive as well as possible in these competitions. But there is also an idea that this is our starting point for next year, because it is next year that is really important.