Erlend Juan Olsen delivered a weekend to remember at Rudskogen Motorsenter, taking a clean sweep of all three races at his home circuit in Round 3 of the Radical Cup Scandinavia – and setting a new Radical lap record in the process.
The Norwegian announced his intent early in qualifying with a blistering 1:22.738, the fastest Radical lap ever recorded around the 3.2km track, securing pole position. Championship leader Sebastian Schou lined up alongside him, while fellow Norwegian Jørn Martin Aalerud was right in the mix in third. Stevan Petrovic, second in the standings heading into the weekend, started on the second row.
Race 1 – Faultless from lights to flag
Olsen converted pole into the lead immediately in Saturday’s opening 20-minute sprint and never looked back. Schou stayed within striking distance in the opening laps but gradually slipped back as Olsen managed his pace perfectly to take his first win of the weekend. Aalerud brought home third after a measured drive, while Petrovic found himself mired in the midfield fight and crossed the line outside the podium places.
Race 2 – Collision drama hands Petrovic a podium
Race 2 promised another tight fight at the front. Olsen again made a clean getaway, but the battle for second turned chaotic when Schou and Aalerud made contact at turn eight. Schou was able to continue and eventually recovered to third after a 10 second penalty, but Aalerud was forced into retirement with damage. Petrovic, running just behind the incident, inherited second place, his best result of the weekend, with Olsen cruising to a second comfortable victory. Rasmus Hedberg was once again “best of the rest” ahead of Stillman, Bäck and Auer.
Race 3 – The home hat-trick
In the final race of the weekend, Olsen once again proved untouchable. A clean launch and rapid early laps gave him a buffer that he maintained through the race, sealing a perfect 3-for-3 on home soil. Aalerud bounced back from his earlier misfortune to claim second after a strong drive from P4 on the grid, while Schou completed the podium. Petrovic had a nightmare race, falling from running P2 after the start all the way down to P6 (P5 after a penalty to Stillman).
Rasmus Hedberg went from strength to strength during the weekend and finished P4.
Encouraging signs for Hedberg and Auer
Behind the podium regulars, there were standout performances further down the order. Rasmus Hedberg, making his debut for FH Racing in a brand-new SR3 XXR, showed impressive speed for a first weekend in the car and banked solid points. Johan Auer enjoyed his strongest Radical Cup Scandinavia outing to date, running competitively in the midfield throughout and steadily improving his pace.
Championship battle tightens
Schou leaves Rudskogen still leading the standings on 252 points, but the gap has narrowed. Petrovic holds second on 215, just a single point ahead of Olsen on 214 after his dominant home performance. With five rounds still to go, the title fight is now a genuine three-way contest.
The Radical Cup Scandinavia returns in September for Round 4 at Ring Knutstorp, where the championship momentum could swing once again.
CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE
| Position | Driver | Team | Country | Total Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Schou (J) | STEP Motorsport | DAN | 252 | |||
| 2 | Stevan Petrovic | RCR Sweden | SWE | 215 | |||
| 3 | Erlend Juan Olsen (J) | AutoTech-Sport Norway | NOR | 214 | |||
| 4 | Erik Stillman | ES Racing | SWE | 160 | |||
| 5 | Ludvig Bäck (J) | RCR Sweden | SWE | 156 | |||
| 6 | Morten Strømsted (M) | STEP Motorsport | DAN | 144 | |||
| 7 | Rasmus Hedberg (J) | FH Racing | SWE | 132 | |||
| 8 | Johan Leander (J) | RCR Sweden | LUX | 127 | |||
| 9 | Johan Auer | Johan Auer Motorsport | SWE | 97 | |||
| 10 | Jørn Martin Aalerud | Aalerud Racing | NOR | 89 | |||
| 11 | Daniel Varverud (J) | RCR Sweden | SWE | 60 | |||
| 12 | Mikael Lidén (M) | RCR Sweden | SWE | 35 | |||
| 13 | Ossi Von Rosen | DNP Motorsport | SWE | 35 | |||
| 14 | Johan Lindberg (M) | RCR Sweden | SWE | 34 | |||
| 15 | Lars-Bertil Rantzow (M) | RCR Sweden | SWE | 26 | |||
| 16 | Andreas Nilsson | RCR Sweden | SWE | 26 | |||
| 17 | Ole William Nærsnes (J) | AutoTech-Sport Norway | SWE | 18 |
