Gosia Rdest makes stellar return to racing with double podium in Nogaro

Gosia Rdest enjoyed a remarkable return to motorsport by securing two runner-up finishes during the opening round of the 2026 Alpine Elf Cup Series at Nogaro, in an emotional and highly competitive comeback just six months after the birth of her second child.

Photo credits: bendemacedo

Gosia Rdest enjoyed a remarkable return to motorsport by securing two runner-up finishes during the opening round of the 2026 Alpine Elf Cup Series at Nogaro, in an emotional and highly competitive comeback just six months after the birth of her second child.

The Polish driver, beginning a new chapter of her career as a mother of two, rejoined the Alpine Elf Cup grid with Chazel Technologie Course and immediately demonstrated that her pace and racecraft remained intact.

Sharing the #3 Alpine A110 Cup with teammate Paul Alberto under the championship’s new format - featuring one-hour races with mandatory pit stops and driver changes - Rdest emerged as one of the highlight performers of the Easter Cup weekend.

The Alpine Elf Cup Series, contested with identical Alpine A110 Cup machinery, has evolved into one of Europe’s most respected development platforms for GT racing talent. For 2026, the championship shares the grid with the FFSA GT Championship, introducing a demanding multi-class racing environment that adds traffic management and strategy.

Rdest, a series regular since 2020, entered the season aiming to rebuild competitive rhythm following her racing hiatus - and she immediately positioned herself at the sharp end of the field.

The opening practice session saw Paul Alberto take the first laps in the #3 Alpine, placing sixth during the early stages before the pairing concluded FP1 sixth fastest overall in the Alpine Cup class with a best time of 1:34.035.

In the afternoon’s FP2 session, Rdest returned behind the wheel and quickly showed encouraging speed. Running fifth early on, she improved to fourth before ultimately ending the session fifth fastest with a 1:33.937, in a clear step forward from the morning session.

Sunday morning qualifying began with Alberto driving Q1. He immediately established himself among the frontrunners, posting a 1:32.6 lap to move into second place before the session was interrupted by a red flag following Joran Leneutre’s accident. After the restart, Alberto delivered a superb final effort, improving to a 1:32.405 to secure pole position in Alpine Cup with an outstanding last lap.

Q2 marked Rdest’s first qualifying appearance since her return to racing. Her opening representative lap initially placed her second with a 1:33.166 lap. Another interruption followed when Pascal Huteau’s Alpine stopped on circuit, bringing out a red flag. In the final six-minute shootout, Rdest improved again, dipping under the 1:33 barrier with a 1:32.913 lap. Despite a strong final attempt where she narrowly missed improvement in the last sector, she secured second place, in an exceptional result for her first qualifying session.

Photo credits: bendemacedo

Starting from pole in Alpine Cup, Paul Alberto delivered a clean launch as the season’s first race began, maintaining the class lead while managing pressure from Romain Monti and Lopez behind.

Early drama struck within the Alpine Cup field when contact between Roques and Pisano resulted in damage and the Safety Car intervention. At the restart on lap five, Alberto controlled proceedings confidently, even attempting to use other classes' traffic - including the #901 Toyota of Harri Reynolds - to create a buffer to his closest rival.

Although temporarily delayed by a non-class Alpine driven by Huteau, Alberto regained momentum and steadily extended his advantage. As the pit window opened, he continued to build a gap before pitting on lap 20 from the class lead after climbing as high as seventh overall.

Rdest took over for the second stint but some time was lost during the driver change, allowing Rodolphe Wallgren to jump into the lead. Rejoining second with a comfortable margin over third place, she nevertheless began closing the three-second gap ahead.

A Full Course Yellow, later upgraded to a Safety Car following Van Straaten’s stranded Porsche, erased the deficit and brought Rdest back into direct contention.

At the restart with seven minutes remaining, Rdest launched an attack but found herself boxed into dense multi-class traffic. A faster Toyota from another category overtook both Alpine Cup leaders, complicating the fight and limiting overtaking opportunities.

Despite sustained pressure and several attempts to position herself for a move, Rdest crossed the line in second place, completing an impressive return race and securing her first podium since becoming a mother for the second time.

Photo credits: bendemacedo

Monday’s second race began with Rdest starting from second place, and she wasted no time asserting herself. Producing a stellar opening lap, she overtook Wallgren to seize the Alpine Cup lead while simultaneously navigating GT4 Pro-Am traffic.

Setting early laps in the 1:35 range, Rdest attempted to build a gap, but Wallgren remained close behind until the Safety Car was deployed on lap four following contact between a Toyota and an Alpine.

The neutralisation worked in Rdest’s favour as traffic reshuffled behind her, giving a small buffer for the restart. She executed the restart flawlessly, maintaining control despite heavy traffic and sustained pressure from Wallgren.

A second neutralisation on lap 13 again compressed the field just before the pit window. Racing resumed on lap 16, triggering one of the weekend’s most intense battles as Wallgren attacked repeatedly. Rdest defended decisively, positioning her Alpine perfectly through successive corners to retain the lead.

After a superb opening stint, she handed the car to Paul Alberto from first position. However, a slightly slower pit stop dropped the #3 crew behind Paul Roques, while competitors who delayed their stops gained track position, promoting Monti into the effective lead.

Alberto fought past Roques and began chasing Matteo Herrero for second place as another Safety Car period was triggered when Blanchemain’s Audi became stranded in the gravel.

The final restart with 11 minutes remaining produced a tense three-car battle at the front. Although Alberto closed in during the closing laps, overtaking opportunities proved limited. Herrero later received a penalty that dropped him down the order, promoting the #3 Alpine into second place at the finish.

With two second-place finishes, Gosia Rdest’s return to racing could hardly have been more successful. The Nogaro weekend demonstrated her speed and racecraft sharpened by experience, with immediate adaptability to the championship’s new endurance-style format.

The double podium marks a powerful statement at the start of her comeback season, placing Rdest and Alberto among the early contenders in the Alpine Elf Cup standings.

Building on this momentum, the Polish driver will now aim to take the next step when the championship continues at Dijon-Prenois on 16–17 May, where she will look to convert early-season consistency into a first victory of her comeback campaign.