Double top-10 finish in challenging weekend for Isabell Rustad at Karlskoga in Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia
- RACERS
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Isabell Rustad endured a challenging second round of the 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia season at Gelleråsen Arena in Karlskoga, Sweden, as a combination of circumstances resulted in a tough weekend where she collected a pair of tenth place finishes.
Isabell Rustad endured a challenging second round of the 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia season at Gelleråsen Arena in Karlskoga, Sweden, as a combination of circumstances resulted in her toughest weekend in the championship since joining the series.
Following an encouraging start to the season at Anderstorp, Rustad arrived at Karlskoga hoping to continue her progress and move closer to her goal of regularly fighting for top-five finishes in the highly competitive Scandinavian one-make championship. Instead, the Norwegian driver faced a weekend full of obstacles that limited her ability to compete at the level she had targeted.
"It has been a tough weekend with several challenges, and unfortunately the weakest one I've had in Porsche since my first season in 2022," Rustad admitted. "Now it's important to forget this weekend and focus on what comes next."
Rustad's difficulties began even before arriving at the circuit. Throughout the weekend she struggled with low energy levels caused by severe pollen allergies and the medication required to manage the condition. At the same time, she was also dealing with a back injury sustained earlier in the week, which became increasingly painful during the races as she was subjected to the high G-forces generated by the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
"A lot of things have played a role this weekend," Rustad explained. "I've lacked energy because of both the pollen allergy and the medication connected to it. In addition, I suffered a back issue earlier in the week, which caused quite a lot of pain during the longer races where there are significant G-forces in the car. As a result, this wasn't exactly a weekend to write home about."
From the opening sessions, Rustad struggled to find the pace she needed to challenge the drivers ahead. While her lap times remained consistent throughout the event, she was unable to make significant progress through the field in either race.
Ultimately, she had to settle for tenth place in both races, results that fell short of both her expectations and ambitions for the season.
While Rustad faced a frustrating weekend, her team enjoyed success elsewhere in the field. Teammate William Siverholm claimed victory in the opening race after a strong start and followed it up with a fourth-place finish in Race Two.
The second race was won by Gustav Bergström, who converted pole position into his first victory of the season.
In the championship battle, Marcus Annervi emerged as the new points leader despite not taking a race win. A fourth-place finish in Race One and second place in Race Two were enough to move him to the top of the standings, holding a narrow one-point advantage over Rustad's teammate Daniel Ros.
For Rustad, the two tenth-place finishes resulted in a drop down the championship standings: she now sits eighth overall with 34 points after two rounds, although the points gap to several drivers immediately ahead remains relatively small.
Despite the disappointing results, Rustad remains focused on the bigger picture and is determined to bounce back at the next round of the championship.
"I just have to keep focusing on my work and the things I can control," she said. "I now have a few weeks to prepare before the next race at Jyllandsringen in Denmark on June 27-28. I hope for better results there."
"The positive thing is that the car and the team are working excellently, so I just need to shake off this weekend and move forward."
The Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia season now heads to Denmark for Round 3 at Jyllandsringen later this month, where Rustad will be aiming to return to the form she displayed at the season opener and reignite her challenge for top-five positions in the championship standings.
