Petrovic sweeps Gelleråsen opener as Radical Cup Scandinavia gets 2026 season underway

Stevan Petrovic made a perfect start to the Radical Cup Scandinavia season at Gelleråsen Arena, taking pole position and all three race wins for Vortex Performance.

The opening round of the 2026 season delivered three dry races, close fights through the field and a strong debut weekend for several new names in the championship.

Qualifying

Petrovic set the tone in qualifying, putting the #42 Vortex Performance Radical SR3 on pole with a 1:03.542.

Radical Cup Scandinavia debutant Nicolai Pedersen qualified second for STEP Motorsport, ahead of Rasmus Hedberg, Ludvig Bäck and Erik Stillman.

Charlie Jonasson, making his first ever car racing appearance after stepping up from karting, qualified eighth overall and first in SR1 Cup. At just 13 years old, the Vortex Performance driver entered the weekend after a strong 2025 season in Swedish and European karting.

Race 1

Petrovic made the most of pole position in Race 1 and pulled clear to take the first win of the season. Pedersen backed up his qualifying pace with second place on his Radical Cup Scandinavia debut, finishing 6.473 seconds behind the winner.

Stillman completed the podium after a solid drive in third, ahead of Bäck, while Johan Auer came home fifth.

Hedberg looked set to be a factor in the fight for second. He was chasing down Pedersen in the closing stages before a technical issue forced him out with one lap remaining.

Race 2

Race 2 brought another win for Petrovic, who again controlled the race from the front and finished 7.433 seconds clear.

Behind him, Pedersen and Hedberg produced the closest podium fight of the race. Pedersen held on to second, with Hedberg crossing the line just 0.229 seconds behind.

Bäck finished fourth, with Stillman fifth and Auer sixth. Jonasson again led the SR1 Cup runners.

Race 3

Petrovic completed the clean sweep in Race 3, taking his third win from three starts and rounding off a weekend where everything fell into place.

The fight behind him was far less straightforward.

Bäck dropped to fifth at the start but worked his way back through the order and closed in on Hedberg in the final laps. Hedberg was running second when he came up to lap Dag Johansson, with the pair tangling just enough to open the door for Bäck.

Hedberg held on to second by 0.451 seconds, with Bäck third and Pedersen fourth after a close run to the line.

A strong start to 2026

Petrovic leaves Gelleråsen with the early championship lead ahead of Round 2 at Ljungbyheds Motorbana and Airport Race.

Pedersen made an immediate impression on debut with STEP Motorsport, Hedberg recovered well after his Race 1 setback, and Bäck ended the weekend with a hard-earned podium after one of the best fights of the round.

Jonasson also completed an important first weekend in car racing. The 13-year-old finished all three races, gained experience in traffic and took the first SR1 Cup results of his career.