Gosia Rdest claims first career win in Alpine Elf Cup with stellar weekend in Dijon
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Gosia Rdest secured her maiden Alpine Elf Cup Series victory during an outstanding weekend at Dijon-Prenois, becoming the first Polish driver and the first mother to win in the championship after a superbly managed Race 1 alongside teammate Paul Alberto.
Gosia Rdest secured her maiden Alpine Elf Cup Series victory during an outstanding weekend at Dijon-Prenois, becoming the first Polish driver and the first mother to win in the championship after a superbly managed Race 1 alongside teammate Paul Alberto.
In only her third start since returning to competitions following the birth of her second child, Rdest continued her remarkable comeback story with another podium finish in Race 2, further establishing herself as a genuine title contender in the 2026 Alpine Elf Cup campaign.
Gosia Rdest returned to racing in 2026 with an emotional and highly impressive comeback campaign in the Alpine Elf Cup Series, just six months after the birth of her second child. Rejoining the championship with Chazel Technologie Course, the experienced Polish driver immediately proved she had lost none of her speed or racecraft, securing two runner-up finishes during the season opener at Nogaro alongside new teammate Paul Alberto.
A regular in the Alpine Elf Cup since 2020, Rdest entered the new season looking to rebuild rhythm after her racing hiatus, but quickly emerged among the leading contenders in the competitive one-make series. The 2026 season also introduced a new endurance-style format with one-hour races, mandatory pit stops, and driver changes as the Alpine Elf Cup shared the grid with the FFSA GT Championship, adding multi-class traffic management and strategy.
The second round of the season at Dijon-Prenois presented another challenge for Rdest, who was racing at the French circuit for the first time. Nevertheless, strong pace was evident immediately throughout practice despite mixed weather conditions.
In opening practice, Rdest and Alberto set a 1:24.784, the second fastest time in Alpine Cup machinery. They then topped the second practice session with a 1:24.466, establishing themselves among the favourites for victory as they targeted their first win together.
Qualifying took place in cool morning conditions with limited grip. Paul Alberto handled Q1 duties and initially recorded a 1:25.6 before losing the lap to track limits, leaving him third in Alpine Cup with five minutes remaining. Alberto then responded with an excellent 1:24.343 to provisionally secure pole position by one tenth of a second. However, both Lenny Kieffer and Romain Monti improved at the chequered flag, leaving Alberto third, just two tenths away from pole.
Rdest then took over for Q2 on a circuit she had never previously driven in competition. The session was quickly interrupted by a red flag after the #25 Alpine became stranded in the gravel. On her first representative laps, Rdest set a 1:24.3 to place fourth in Alpine Cup. Another red flag followed with five minutes remaining after the #138 Alpine of Lemaitre stopped on circuit, leaving Rdest fourth in class in a heavily disrupted session.
Saturday afternoon’s first race of the weekend was held in cool but dry conditions. Alberto started the #3 Chazel Technologie Course Alpine A110 Cup from third in Alpine Cup, though with a GT4 AM-class car positioned directly ahead and separating him from the two class competitors.
At the green flag, Huteau’s Alpine GT4 spun into the gravel at Turn 1, though the race remained green. Alberto immediately made a strong launch, gaining one position and moving into second in Alpine Cup directly behind the #111 machine of Romain Monti.
Alberto was then quickly one of the fastest drivers on track: lapping in 1:24.7 pace and almost a full second faster than Monti, he made the decisive move for the class lead on lap four. Once in front, the French driver immediately began to control the race, opening a 2.5-second advantage by lap six while continuing to lap consistently in the 1:24s, around half a second quicker than his closest rival.
Traffic management proved crucial in the multi-class format, but Alberto handled it superbly, strategically placing GT4 machinery between himself and Monti to protect his advantage. Even after the #110 GT4 Alpine of Lartigau battled back through the traffic, Alberto still maintained a six-second lead in class. His consistency remained strong throughout the stint. By lap 17, Alberto had stretched the margin to ten seconds while expertly navigating slower GT4 traffic.
As the pit window opened, Alberto pushed hard to maximize the gap before the mandatory stop, extending his lead to almost eleven seconds over Meteo Herrero. He eventually pitted on lap 22 after a remarkable opening stint and handed the car over to Gosia Rdest.
Rdest rejoined fifth in Alpine Cup with several rivals still needing to complete their pit stops. Once the cycle concluded, the Polish driver inherited the Alpine Cup lead with a seven-second advantage over Herrero, who was simultaneously battling Rodolphe Wallgren for second place - a scenario that benefited Rdest.
Wallgren eventually passed Herrero, but both drivers continued matching Rdest’s pace as the Polish racer focused on maintaining consistency at the front. By lap 29, Rdest remained in complete control, though she now faced pressure from approaching GT4 traffic and needed to carefully minimize the time loss to the chasing Wallgren.
On lap 31, Rdest still held a five-second lead while battling through traffic, including a duel with GT4 machinery as she passed Cindy Gudet. Wallgren reduced the gap to 2.5 seconds during this phase, but once Rdest found clean air again she immediately returned to consistent 1:26 pace.
With seven minutes remaining, drama unfolded when the #33 Alpine of Shunker caught fire, triggering a Full Course Yellow. The race was neutralized with Rdest still leading, though Wallgren had closed directly behind.
The race ultimately finished under caution, sealing a highlight victory for Gosia Rdest in only her third race since returning to racing. The victory also carried historic significance: Rdest became only the second woman ever to win in the Alpine Elf Cup Series after Lilou Wadoux achieved the feat in 2021. She also became the first Polish winner and the first mother to win in the championship’s history.
Sunday’s second race provided another opportunity to continue the momentum. Starting fourth in Alpine Cup, Rdest made a clean getaway and immediately gained several overall positions while remaining fourth in class behind Rodolphe Wallgren.
The Polish driver quickly began another charge through the field. Running around half a second quicker than Wallgren, she overtook Julien Neveu on lap three to move into third in Alpine Cup. Her pace remained outstanding, and over the next laps she passed both Paget and Wallgren to reclaim the Alpine Cup lead.
Once again, Rdest demonstrated excellent racecraft in traffic despite dealing with GT4 Pro-Am cars around her. By lap ten, she had opened a three-second advantage over Wallgren before a safety car was deployed following contact between the #30 Ginetta and the #25 Alpine, which ended in the gravel.
The restart came on lap 12 with 41 minutes remaining. Rdest handled the restart cleanly despite immediate pressure from Wallgren and Paget, who had closed back onto her rear bumper under caution. Although GT4 traffic from the #138 Alpine complicated matters, Rdest successfully defended the lead while continuing to lap in the 1:25.9 range.
When the pit window opened, Rdest completed another superb stint and brought the #3 Alpine in from the class lead. Paul Alberto took over and initially rejoined second in Alpine Cup, though the leading car still had to pit. Once the final stop cycle was completed on lap 21, Alberto emerged back in the lead with a 1.6-second advantage over Romain Monti.
Alberto immediately pushed to rebuild the margin, lapping in the 1:24.5 range and gradually gaining a few tenths per lap over Monti. However, another Full Course Yellow was deployed with 15 minutes remaining after the #13 Ginetta of Victor Guerin became stranded in the gravel.
The neutralization erased Alberto’s hard-earned advantage and set up a tense final restart with 11 minutes remaining as Monti and Constantin closed back onto the rear of the #3 Alpine.
The restart was chaotic, with incidents erupting throughout the midfield and bringing out another safety car almost immediately. Alberto survived the mayhem and retained the lead before the race was neutralized once more.
A final green-flag sprint followed with just one minute remaining. In a dramatic final-lap battle, Alberto fought fiercely for victory but ultimately lost out to Romain Monti by an agonizing margin of just 0.085 seconds at the chequered flag.
Despite narrowly missing a second consecutive victory, Rdest still secured another podium finish during an exceptional second weekend at Dijon, continuing her remarkable comeback campaign.
“The conditions were quite difficult in free practice, so it was complicated to find the right setup,” said Rdest. “We weren't having much luck in qualifying either, but Paul showed excellent pace and I managed to maintain the gap to secure the victory. I hope this is the first of many, especially since I'd never raced at Dijon before.”
“The new format requires more strategic thinking and also more respect for the car and the tyres. We made a few mistakes at Nogaro, but everything worked perfectly this time.”
“This victory has a really special flavor. Sometimes life puts a career on hold. Sometimes it changes your priorities. Sometimes it makes you question how much you still truly want certain things. To come back after becoming a mother, after a break, after everything that transforms you as a woman, and still manage to reach the top step of the podium, means so much more than any statistic.”
“I am all the more proud because I know how much work, sacrifice, doubt, discipline, and silent struggle lie behind it. This victory is for all the women who have been told that part of their life is already behind them."
Following the Dijon weekend, Gosia Rdest now sits second in the championship standings with 80 points, just 14 behind the leading pair.
The next round of the Alpine Elf Cup Series will take place in one month’s time at Spa-Francorchamps on 19–21 June.
