Some consider the number 13 to be unlucky.
…Yet for Swedish drag racer and Team Summit driver Jimmy Ålund, it’s anything but.
That’s because he just notched his 13th FIA European Drag Racing Championship in the Pro Stock Class—and he did so in dominant fashion, winning every 2024 Pro Stock event up to the European Finals at the U.K.’s Santa Pod Raceway.
In fact, by the time he staged up for the first round of qualifying at that last event, he had already secured the 2024 Pro Stock Points Championship. Though some tire shake during eliminations ended his win streak, hoisting the Championship Trophy at the end of the event capped an amazing race season.
We sat down with Jimmy to talk all about the 2024 FIA European drag racing season, and to find out what he’s up to next. Here’s what he told us.
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Did You Do Anything Different to Prepare for the 2024 Season?
“This season, we wanted to go all-in. We don’t think the car looks good with the Number Five on it [laughing], it belongs with Number One in the window.
“I race a Pro Mod car as well, and I told the owner of that car that I wanted to concentrate 100 percent on Pro Stock this year—and put Summit Racing on a car with a Number One on it.
“With full concentration, I was really looking forward to the season.”
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Did You Make Any Significant Changes Once the Season Began?
“We hit it right off the bat. From the first round, we knew we had something to build on.
“When you have a race car that already gets down the race track, you can concentrate on tuning and trying to make it better. That helps a lot.
“So we made a good run in [event] one, and kept building on that. That lets you concentrate on your driving as well, instead of having to worry about what’s going to happen when you let the clutch out.”
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What was the Biggest Challenge You had Going Into 2024?
“The biggest challenge was to keep the focus. When you get to another track—in a different country—to figure out how to get down the track, and be fast enough to be Number One that session.
“That’s a challenge, every time we go somewhere. We travel a lot, and it takes some time to get there, with ferries and everything.
“But it’s always very rewarding. The whole team works hard to do that.”
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What’s the Biggest Surprise You had During the 2024 Season?
“The pleasant surprise was that we had a big audience again. Saturdays and Sundays at each event were very crowded. We could see that we were back to the pre-Covid times.
“Another good surprise was that we had more cars in the class than we’ve had in the past few years.
“More cars made the long trips to compete in Pro Stock. That’s rewarding for me.”
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How’d You Feel Going Into the Final Event with the Points Lead?
“Well, the Championship was a done deal once we pulled in the gate. But we were determined to make it a good event, unfortunately we weren’t as good as we had been. We started out strong in Qualifying, we were still the fastest car, but it didn’t behave like we wanted it to.
“The race before, in Germany, we had to swap out an engine. And all the tracks, they all need a different setup—different tune, different gearing—and with the conditions at the track in England, it took a while to figure it out. But the conditions changed with rain overnight, and that was the first time we shook the tires all season.
“The guy we lost to, Lasse Britsmar, that team has been working hard all season too, and he finally got his round win. And that’s what moves the class forward.
“At the end of the day, all in all, we had a great season.”
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What’s Next for You This Year?
“The plan is to ship one of my race cars over to Florida and compete at Bradenton Motorsports Park over the winter in a class they call Outlaw 632. So we’re going to run an older Pro Stock car in that class because it fits in the rules. I’m really looking forward to that.
“So we’re going to try to make one race on this side of the calendar year, and we’re doing it together with Summit Racing—representing Summit in the 632 class.
“That’s the first lap we’ve got to go through [laughing].”
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So, How do Things Look for You in the 2025 FIA European Season?
“I think we can do well. The driver who finished Number Two in the championship, Robin Norén, he’s got a good car and—what matters more than that—he’s got a good team. They’ve been very consistent and made good runs all year.
“I think we can stay up there. It’ll be tough and we can’t expect as good of a year as we had in 2024.
“But that’s what we’re always shooting for. [Laughing] Sometimes it happens.”
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Any Closing Thoughts on Your 2024 Championship Year & Beyond?
“It’s great to have the team I’ve got behind me—it’s the same guys, year after year, and that helps a lot.
“They know what to do and work very well together. And of course I’m glad for Summit Racing and my other sponsors, like VP Racing fuels and lubricants.
“We’ve still got to finish off the year, but we’re excited to show what we’ve got in the bag for 2025.
“I’m looking forward—I still love driving these Pro Stock cars.”
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Congratulations to Jimmy Ålund and his team for an incredible 2024 season, and best of luck in 2025.
If you’d like to learn more about Jimmy and the FIA European drag racing series, click here.
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