Expectations were high as Radical Sweden arrived at Circuit Zandvoort to participate in the Zandvoort Summer Trophy alongside Radical UK and Radical Benelux. With a total of 21 cars on the grid, including five from Radical Sweden, the weekend proved both intense and challenging for drivers and teams alike.
Radical Sweden was represented by Ludvig Bäck, Johan Leander, Stevan Petrovic and Mikael Bern in the Team SR3 class, Johan Lindberg with Andreas Nilsson in the same class, and Peter Gustafson driving his Radical SR10.
Practice and Qualifying
The first two days were dedicated to extensive practice sessions, during which Stevan Petrovic quickly found his rhythm and placed among the top drivers after Thursday’s sessions. When Johan Leander also displayed strong pace during Friday’s final practice, expectations rose significantly heading into qualifying.
However, qualifying dramatically changed conditions. The session was marred by traffic and several yellow and red flag incidents, preventing drivers from setting clean laps. Johan Leander was quickest among the Swedish contingent, qualifying eighth, followed closely by Stevan Petrovic/Mikael Bern in ninth, and Ludvig Bäck in eleventh. Peter Gustafson qualified P15, while Johan Lindberg and Andreas Nilsson started from P16.
Race 1 (Sprint – 25 min)
Race one was action-packed from the outset. Leander and Petrovic made excellent starts, swiftly advancing to fourth and fifth respectively. During the first half of the race, both Swedish drivers fought hard for third place but gradually lost ground. Instead, they became embroiled in an intense battle with Rachel Robertson, who capitalized on a mistake by Petrovic to move into fifth and challenged Leander for fourth. After fierce competition, Petrovic retook fifth place on the final lap following another error by Robertson. Leander finished fourth, with Petrovic fifth, also securing the class victory. Ludvig Bäck struggled to advance after being boxed in at the start, finishing tenth, while Gustafson and Nilsson came home in 14th and 17th places respectively.
Race 2 (Sprint – 25 min)
Leander started fifth with hopes of challenging for a podium following a strong Race 1, but his race ended abruptly when he was hit and forced to retire on lap three. Mikael Bern, now behind the wheel of car #42, struggled with the balance and maintained his starting position, finishing seventh. Bäck also retired late in the race after spinning. Gustafson and Lindberg finished 14th and 15th respectively.
Race 3 (Endurance – 50 min)
For the weekend’s endurance finale, Leander started fifth and Petrovic sixth, with Bäck and Nilsson/Lindberg starting tenth and thirteenth respectively. Petrovic made an exceptional start, swiftly moving into fourth. Despite strong driving, Petrovic couldn’t match the pace of the leading British drivers, who raced with slightly different tire regulations due to the race being part of Radical UK’s championship. Nevertheless, Petrovic built a comfortable 12-second gap to the cars behind before the mandatory pit stop and driver change.
After the pit stops, Mikael Bern took over car #42 and skillfully defended the position despite two safety car periods, ultimately finishing fourth and securing the team championship for Petrovic/Bern. Leander fought valiantly, finishing sixth, while Bäck unfortunately spun out while chasing Leander, triggering one of the safety car periods. Nilsson and Lindberg performed solidly but received a time penalty due to missing the pit window, a valuable lesson for future races.
A weekend of valuable lessons and strong performances
The weekend at Circuit Zandvoort demonstrated that Radical Sweden possesses the talent and capability to compete internationally.
Radical Cup is not merely a racing series but also a platform for drivers aiming for the next step in international motorsport. Few series have produced more drivers who have competed at Le Mans than Radical Cup.
The weekend at Zandvoort also underscored the exceptionally high standard within Radical Cup UK, where several drivers have progressed to international championships in recent seasons. A prime example is last year’s champion Chris Lulham, who after triumphing in Radical Cup UK recently secured victory at the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Verstappen.com Racing.
This year’s field included talents such as 17-year-old Hamish Forrest and current championship leader Marcus Littlewood, two drivers undoubtedly destined for future success. The quality of drivers and teams makes the Radical series an ideal stepping stone for drivers aiming to progress to international racing, providing valuable experience and highlighting the Swedish team’s efforts against Europe’s fastest Radical competitors.
Radical Sweden now heads into a well-deserved summer break before focusing on the next race at Rudskogen Motorsenter in Norway – a track whose challenges and character are reminiscent of Zandvoort.
