PCC Scandinavia: Season's best qualifying and solid results for Isabell Rustad on home soil
- RACERS
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
At her home round in Rudskogen, Isabell Rustad impressed with a season's best P6 in qualifying in the rain, and fought through two tough races to score valuable points, retaining seventh in the championship and top rookie.
Isabell Rustad described her home round in the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia at Rudskogen Motorsenter as both “challenging and fun,” on a track where she has always been competitive in the Sprint Challenge Scandinavia in the previous years.
Now competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia in 2025 with Fragus Motorsport after a big step forward, Rustad tackled the penultimate championship round on home soil in Norway. The weekend brought both highs and lows for the young driver.
Qualifying on Friday took place in rainy conditions—her first time experiencing a wet qualifying session. Rustad however impressed with the sixth-fastest time, her best qualifying performance of the year. Securing a spot in Q2 had been her goal all season, and she delivered with P6 on the grid.
“It was incredibly fun to get such a good qualification under the difficult conditions, especially in the rain when it was the first time we’ve had it this year,” said Rustad.
In Race 1 on Saturday morning, Rustad lined up from the third row. At lights out, the field bunched into Turns 1 and 2; Rustad, starting on the outside, initially looked set to gain ground but ultimately settled into sixth, as guest driver Dennis Hauger took the lead.
She then found herself in a close train with Krogh, Persson, Silverholm, and Ros, but began to lose touch slightly and came under pressure from Bergström. Defending firmly, Rustad matched the pace with 1:24.5 laps and held him off for 12 laps before he found a way through, with Jernberg also closing in. Rustad managed the situation cleanly, regained rhythm, and crossed the line in P7.
“Although we had the goal of getting a top-5 position during the weekend, I am very satisfied with the first race at Rudskogen even though I finished seventh,” Rustad said. “The car had some understeer at the end and it was a bit disappointing that Bergström overtook me a few laps before the finish, but all in all I am satisfied.”
With Hauger—a guest driver and freshly crowned Indy NXT champion—not eligible for points, Rustad’s seventh place translated into points for sixth, making for a positive start to the weekend.
In Race 2, things proved more challenging. Starting from seventh, Rustad held her position at the green flag while putting pressure on Lejonkrans ahead. At the front, Hauger retained the lead from Persson and Ros, with the trio pulling slightly clear. Rustad pushed to stay with the leading group, running 1:25.0 laps and remaining close to Lejonkrans while fending off Bergström just two tenths behind.
The tight battle caused Rustad and Bergström to lose touch with the cars ahead, but she kept up a competitive pace, defending hard as pressure mounted. On lap 10, Bergström eventually found a way through, with Jernberg and Warnelöv right behind. Rustad, Jernberg, and Warnelöv all traded nearly identical lap times around 1:26.1.
However, disaster struck when Rustad was handed a 15-second penalty for track limits, which would drop her down the order. Despite this, she fought on with determination, holding off her rivals over the final ten minutes and crossing the line just outside the top ten. After the penalty was applied, she was classified P11. Hauger secured back-to-back wins, holding off Persson and Ros.
“In terms of results, I was hoping for a slightly better weekend on home soil,” Rustad reflected. “But I’m taking a lot of experience and knowledge with me after this weekend too. We’ve had a big group from my sponsor HTB Racing with us, as well as family and friends at Rudskogen, so it’s been a great and important weekend for me. I still hold seventh place in the championship and am the best rookie, so I am very happy with that.”
Now only the season finale at Mantorp Park in two weeks remains: Rustad’s goal is to finish within the top five and secure top rookie honors in what has been a learning-oriented season in a highly competitive series.