At the Santa Pod Internationals in 1972 an unknown Swede entered his straight six powered ’62 Dodge Lancer in Senior Street Eliminator and went home with the trophy after beating Bob Oram’s E-Type Jag in the final. His name was Krister Johansson and he would soon become a familiar name at British International Drag Races and feared by his UK competitors.
A huge group of Swedish racers decended on Santa Pod in October 1976 for the Winternationals including Krister Johansson and his rear engined, straight six Dodge powered Senior Dragster and he wound up in the final again but this time got shutdown by fellow Swede Anders Hojner in his Chevy rail.
1977 and Krister was back this time running in Pro Comp with the “Hall and Addy” Injected Nitro Dragster at the Santa Pod September Internationals. He qualified #2 but never got to race as the meeting was rained off and had to wait for the 1978 Springnationals where he qualified #1 and got to the final only to be beaten by Tony Donges. Later in the year at the September Internationals Krister was #1 qualifyer again with a new Pro Comp low ET at 7.17/191m.p.h. then lowered it again in round 1 with a 7.08 but got out of shape in the semis handing the win to Martin Hopp.
1979 saw Krister take the European Pro Comp Championship and he also ran Europe’s first 6 sec Pro Comp pass at Mantorp Park in May.
Krister just missed getting the Tor Line Pro Comp Championship in 1981 after reaching the final at the September World Finals he needed a win to take the title but red lit his chances away handing the championship to Tony Donges by one point.
Krister was back at Santa Pod in 1982 with a Blown Alcohol 418 Keith Black powered “Rogers Custom” Dragster for the Easter Internationals and after two days qualifying was #1 with a 6.81/204m.p.h. Krister met Steiner Stolen in the semis and whipped him with a 6.74/206m.p.h. to Stolen’s 6.85/200m.p.h. then Krister got his revenge in the final on Tony Donges who was unable to stage. Coming into the World Finals that year Krister was in third place for the Tor Line Championship but the meet was rained out on race day after he qualified #2 robbing him the chance to get the Championship back.
1983 saw the withdrawal of the European Pro Comp Championship until 1985 when it was re-vitalised and Krister was back over to Santa Pod for the Easter Internationals qualifying #1 but once again rain ended the meeting.
Onto 1989 and after a quiet few years for Pro Comp the Eliminator was back with a vengeance at the Santa Pod Supernationals in August with a good line-up of UK and Scandinavian entries. Krister ran a blinding 6.33/223m.p.h. on the Monday morning then took the Eliminator win with a string of six forties.
At the 1990 World Finals Krister qualified #1 with a 6.22 but got beat in the final by Micke Kagered but not before running a new personal best in the semis at 6.17/220m.p.h.
Krister was back at Santa Pod in 2003 after a layoff with a new Top Methanol Dragster and he had gone back to an Injected Nitro setup. At the 2006 European Finals Krister ran a 5.49 at a whopping 261m.p.h. and backed up the new speed record with a 260m.p.h. and a 262m.p.h. during Eliminations.
At the 2009 European Finals, 37 years since Krister’s first appearance at Santa Pod he qualified #3 in Top Methanol Dragster and reached the final where he just got beaten by Peter Schofer’s 5.360/264m.p.h. to Krister’s 5.366/266m.p.h.
