300mph Jubilee celebration at Santa Pod This Saturday's FIA European Championships at Santa Pod Raceway marks 10 years since not one but two cars exceeded 300mph - and both drivers were British. Top Fuel drag racers Barry Sheavills and Andy Carter crossed Santa Pod Raceway's almost as one, Sheavills just inches ahead and therefore taking the accolade for the first European driver to break the triple ton. Sheavills clocked 304.71mph with an elapsed time of 4.970 seconds for the standing-start quarter-mile. Carter still took a record, however - his elapsed time of 4.897sec was quicker than his rival but he lost the sprint because the timer is triggered only when the vehicle moves, not when the green light shows. Sheavills reacted first and was able to hold off Carter's quicker run to reach the finish narrowly ahead. Today, Carter holds Santa Pod's track record, at 4.572 seconds and 320.19mph. In 2002, Santa Pod's FIA Championship opener took place over the Queen's Jubilee weekend, her 50th. A decade on, another Jubilee weekend approaches and, with it, another FIA drag racing season is launched. With Sheavills and Carter both retired, Chris Andrews is Britain's hope for honours in Top Fuel, described as the Formula One of drag racing but altogether more powerful and noisy. With about 8,000bhp, each Top Fuel dragster has about 10 times the power of a contemporary F1 car. The first round of the 2012 FIA European Championships are part of the Main Event package at Santa Pod, in Northants, from June 1-4. Full details at www.santapod.com.