Swedish Challenger race car
Posted: 09 Apr 2007 20:08Anyone know anything about this car of the lady driver?
Seen at Santa Pod this Easter weekend.
Seen at Santa Pod this Easter weekend.
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Posted: 09 Apr 2007 20:08Posted: 10 Apr 2007 8:45Pix from http://www.streetnstrip.se/
Posted: 10 Apr 2007 8:47Story below from http://www.dragracing.se/
From Icelandic horses to Super Street champion in only 3 years
This year's winner of SST in both NDRS and SDL has really made a giant step in his career in only 3 years.
-When I first met Jessica I was riding Icelandic horses and she drove a dragrace car. Now we have switched, says Jonas Dantanus.
Dantanus racing experience before starting to drive Super Street was limited to attending some minor races in a BMW or tuned Volvo. Then he started to follow his father in law, Christer Gustavsson, to races and the interest for dragracing started to grow.
At that time Christer Gustavsson had talked with Stefan Fallkvist about buying his Dodge Challenger so that his daughters Jessica and Jennifer could race in Super Street. Instead it became Jessica and Jonas.
- We did not do much with the car the first year, just put new paint on it and drove, Jonas says. I got in to it quite fast. At my second or third race I became the runner-up.
Jonas ended in the number 3 spot in NDRS the first year and the second year he took over the steering-wheel all by himself as partner Jessica had just gave birth to their first baby they have together.
Also the second year Jonas ended as number 3 in the NDRS Super Street series.
At this time they felt that it was time to do something with the car, so it went into the garage and Jonas went to USA to buy parts.
- We rebuilt the car a bit, among other things we wanted it to have more stability in the launch and that it should be more suited for me. It became a quite awesome car of it.
During the season of 2006 he drove 9 races and did only loose one, in Västerås. Despite that he went to Malmö and the finals.
There is a smile behind the tough talk in the SST pit and the number 2, Halvor Överby, has not missed a chance to tell Dantanus that it is much harder to drive without a trottel stop.
- So I told him that if it was the two of us in the final in Malmö I would drive without the trottel stop. And I did - and won over Halvor. But it was because he got problems with the car and redlit. But I won our bet.
For 2007 Jonas has decided to move on with his dragracing career and will be driving Pro Stock.
The Challenger is still in the family and they will run a 3-car team the coming summer. Jonas will drive the Pro Stock, Jessica Gustavsson will make a comeback and share driving the Challenger with younger sister Jennifer, Next generation is already on its way through Jonas son Pontus who will compete in Junior Dragster.
- We purchased Nils Leijers Junior dragster for him and he made a few races the past summer.
Super Street is a class that Jonas Dantanus really recommend to others to try.
- You do not need too much of a car to have a good chance. The class puts a lot of demands on the driver though as it is not just "the pedal to the metal". It is a lot of tactics and you need to know your car. It is a real challenge especially as you drive against a fixed index. It is a real race car and at the same time a cruiser. A lot of the bracket cars can easily go into the class Super Street. They should try, it is a very fun class to compete in.
From Icelandic horses to Super Street champion in only 3 years
This year's winner of SST in both NDRS and SDL has really made a giant step in his career in only 3 years.
-When I first met Jessica I was riding Icelandic horses and she drove a dragrace car. Now we have switched, says Jonas Dantanus.
Dantanus racing experience before starting to drive Super Street was limited to attending some minor races in a BMW or tuned Volvo. Then he started to follow his father in law, Christer Gustavsson, to races and the interest for dragracing started to grow.
At that time Christer Gustavsson had talked with Stefan Fallkvist about buying his Dodge Challenger so that his daughters Jessica and Jennifer could race in Super Street. Instead it became Jessica and Jonas.
- We did not do much with the car the first year, just put new paint on it and drove, Jonas says. I got in to it quite fast. At my second or third race I became the runner-up.
Jonas ended in the number 3 spot in NDRS the first year and the second year he took over the steering-wheel all by himself as partner Jessica had just gave birth to their first baby they have together.
Also the second year Jonas ended as number 3 in the NDRS Super Street series.
At this time they felt that it was time to do something with the car, so it went into the garage and Jonas went to USA to buy parts.
- We rebuilt the car a bit, among other things we wanted it to have more stability in the launch and that it should be more suited for me. It became a quite awesome car of it.
During the season of 2006 he drove 9 races and did only loose one, in Västerås. Despite that he went to Malmö and the finals.
There is a smile behind the tough talk in the SST pit and the number 2, Halvor Överby, has not missed a chance to tell Dantanus that it is much harder to drive without a trottel stop.
- So I told him that if it was the two of us in the final in Malmö I would drive without the trottel stop. And I did - and won over Halvor. But it was because he got problems with the car and redlit. But I won our bet.
For 2007 Jonas has decided to move on with his dragracing career and will be driving Pro Stock.
The Challenger is still in the family and they will run a 3-car team the coming summer. Jonas will drive the Pro Stock, Jessica Gustavsson will make a comeback and share driving the Challenger with younger sister Jennifer, Next generation is already on its way through Jonas son Pontus who will compete in Junior Dragster.
- We purchased Nils Leijers Junior dragster for him and he made a few races the past summer.
Super Street is a class that Jonas Dantanus really recommend to others to try.
- You do not need too much of a car to have a good chance. The class puts a lot of demands on the driver though as it is not just "the pedal to the metal". It is a lot of tactics and you need to know your car. It is a real challenge especially as you drive against a fixed index. It is a real race car and at the same time a cruiser. A lot of the bracket cars can easily go into the class Super Street. They should try, it is a very fun class to compete in.
Posted: 10 Apr 2007 8:56Thanks!
So, in a nutshell, Jessica and Jennifer Gustafsson both share the driving of Jonas Dantanus' Challenger?
Complicated!
I wonder where Jonas sleeps....
So, in a nutshell, Jessica and Jennifer Gustafsson both share the driving of Jonas Dantanus' Challenger?
Complicated!
I wonder where Jonas sleeps....
Posted: 10 Apr 2007 15:39Cool Christer, in the drag race parts section there is a 493 Chrysler for sale with B-1 Heads and a 4.15 slag!, Dave.... good thing you dont live near me..we would be business mates! 
Cool Challenger she must be a fast chick!
Cool Challenger she must be a fast chick!Posted: 11 Apr 2007 8:14airfuelEddie wrote:Cool Challenger she must be a fast chick!
It gives me Rossi-Challenger-vibes.
I am quite sure that Jonas was inspired by that car during the build-up.Posted: 11 Apr 2007 19:57Saw it racing at Gardermoen, Norway, in August last year. Thanks for your info, Christer. Always interesting reading 
great people -great car
Posted: 15 Apr 2007 20:22I met up with the people and the car last year at Santa Pod, they were some of the nicest and warmest people I have met in a long time (luckily they spoke english) ,,, not only that ... but in less than 5 mins of chatting I was in the driving seat of their challenger ...AND started it in the pits (big smile on The G mans face!! )...... what great hospitality from a group of people Id met only 5 minutes before hand ...
...looking forward to meeting them this year if they are over in the uk....
Greg
)...... what great hospitality from a group of people Id met only 5 minutes before hand ...
...looking forward to meeting them this year if they are over in the uk....
Greg
Re: Swedish Challenger race car
Posted: 09 Dec 2012 14:13"Dragracing" (240 pages, hardcover, printed in 2007) is a great book that covers the history of swedish dragracing from the beginning until now. That is where I found these two pic´s. I thought they would fit like a glove in this thread.
Re: Swedish Challenger race car
Posted: 21 Jan 2013 19:34Here is one more well know´n Challenger race car that has a Swedish driver/owner ! Talk about history 
http://www.moparperformance.se/eng/
http://www.moparperformance.se/eng/Re: Swedish Challenger race car
Posted: 22 Jan 2013 5:40Pat wrote:Here is one more well know´n Challenger race car that has a Swedish driver/owner ! Talk about history
That car has already been covered on this board (Isn´t this a great board?
). Here is a thread link:viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1486&hilit=historical&sid=ac436fe543cae5ce67eed1aa204e4c38#p7220
Thanks for the link anyway.
Sadly it has been sold back to the States.
