Rosanne den Drijver and Richard Olson shared the victories between them when the Nordic 4 field competed in the third round of the championship at Gelleråsen Arena near Karlskoga this weekend.
Right from the start, there were signs that the first race weekend of the year on Swedish tarmac would have a Swedish influence. Richard Olson took pole position in his Aquila Formula Nova ahead of Matteis Stigsen and Rosanne den Drijver, while Milla Sjöstrand and Leonel Skaar rounded out the top five.
Richard Olson had anything but a good start to the first heat. A false start meant he was at the back of the field coming into the first corner and the Swede had to fight his way back through the field. In the meantime, Matteis Stigsen had made good progress and when Rosanne den Drijver had passed Elias Adestam, it looked like it would be a 1-2 victory for STEP Motorsport. However, it wasn’t to be, as a slightly too close infight between the two teammates meant that Richard Olson was able to pass and take the lead, which he held until the finish line.
Saturday afternoon, after a couple of hours of changing weather conditions, the race got underway again. Matteis Stigsen got off to a bad start and was last after the first corner. Leonel Skaar led the field, while Milla Sjöstrand and Rosanne den Drijver followed closely behind. Richard Olson fought his way to first place while Skaar fell back, but when the track dried up, den Drijver accelerated and took over the lead from Olson. Milla Sjöstrand also managed to overtake her compatriot, and Matteis Stigsen came from behind to take the final podium position.
On Sunday morning, Richard Olson got off to a strong start and stayed ahead, although Matteis Stigsen did his best to keep up with the Swede. Rosanne den Drijver suffered an electrical fault on her car, which cost her a couple of laps in the pits before the car was back on track. From there, the Dutchman kept up a wild pace and matched Olson’s lap times. On the other hand, it was Milla Sjöstrand who once again brought her RaceCraft racer to the front and finished the race in third place.
The next race in Nordic 4 is at Sturup Raceway, just 30 minutes east of Copenhagen, on 27-28 June.
