Isabell Rustad wins Porsche Sprint Challenge Scandinavia title

Isabell Rustad claimed the 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge Scandinavia GT3 championship after a dramatic season finale at Mantorp Park, securing victory in the second race to become the series' first female champion.

At the end of a breathtaking season finale at Mantorp Park, Sweden, Isabell Rustad was crowned the 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge Scandinavia GT3 champion, clinching victory in the second race of the weekend in a title battle that went down to the wire in dramatic fashion.

The young Norwegian, in her second full season in the series, entered the final round with a 7.5-point advantage over teammate Wilmer Wallenstam. However, an unfortunate first race at Mantorp saw Rustad lose most of her lead, setting up a thrilling final showdown with just 1.5 points separating the two title contenders.

Rustad had built momentum from a remarkable weekend on home soil in Norway, at Rudskogen Motorsenter, where she claimed her third win of the season and secured the championship lead for the first time, with one round to go.

 After making her debut in the Porsche one-make series at Rudskogen in 2022 and stepping up to a full campaign in 2023, Rustad finished third in her rookie season. In 2024, she made another impressive leap forward, winning both races at Karlskoga and consistently finishing on the podium throughout the season.

"It feels absolutely amazing that I won", the 18-year-old racer said. "After I made the guest appearance at Rudskogen in 2022, I guess I have actually dreamed of winning this championship. I've been working hard for this all year, and it's been a tough battle against teammate Wilmer Wallenstam. The fact that I pulled the longest straw in the end feels great, a happy winner smiles."

The Mantorp season finale, the sixth round of the 2024 calendar, was an emotional rollercoaster for Rustad. She started the weekend strong, qualifying second for both races behind guest driver Robin Hansson, who took both pole positions.

However, at the start of Race 1 on Saturday, Rustad dropped to fifth as Wallenstam, Fredric Blank, and Ludwig Ellhage passed her. Though she recovered to overtake Ellhage, Rustad finished fourth, while Wallenstam finished second behind Hansson, cutting Rustad’s points lead to just 1.5.

"The start of final 1 went very badly, we were slower at the start than I thought and therefore I had a higher gear when the start lights went off", Isabell explained. "Then I was simply overtaken by two drivers, in addition to the fact that the pace wasn't there all the way from the start."

"Luckily I eventually picked up the pace and drove up to a fourth", she continued. "It wasn't exactly how I wanted to start the finals weekend, but not all races can go as well. I just had to change my mindset, because I still had a good opportunity to correct the small mistakes for the next race", Rustad said.

The championship-deciding Race 2 in the afternoon was a high-pressure contest, with just 20 minutes to determine the 2024 champion. Rustad and Wallenstam started alongside each other on the front row.

The full focus was therefore on simply finishing ahead of Wallenstam: "It became so exciting and I was so nervous before the start" - she said.

Isabell had a great start, immediately taking the lead and closing the door on Wallenstam, with Blank and Ellhage behind. She quickly set a solid pace, keeping Wallenstam at bay while the two drivers pulled away from the rest of the pack.

A 1:18.4 lap on lap 3 gave Rustad a one-second buffer. However, an accident for Blank on lap 4 brought out the safety car, temporarily halting Rustad’s charge.

After the restart, Rustad came under pressure from Wallenstam, but she managed to hold him off and began to open a small gap. Wallenstam, in turn, was being challenged by Ellhage.

In a dramatic turn of events, Wallenstam’s car suffered an engine failure on lap 9, forcing him to stop on the side of the track. The safety car came out again, with just minutes left in the race.

As the race went green for the final minute, Rustad managed the restart perfectly, keeping Ellhage behind her despite a last-lap challenge. She held her nerve to cross the finish line first, securing both the race victory and the championship title in one of the most dramatic conclusions to the season.

"I was hoping that Wilmer and I could fight for the victory all the way to the finish, so it was a shame that he had engine problems", Rustad commented. "Fortunately, I was ahead of him when it happened, so I kind of didn't get the victory in the championship served because of his problems", the newly-crown GT3 champion added.

"Right from the start I was leading the race, and then I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In addition, I drove away a little from the field behind me, so it felt good", she recalled. "I first knew I won the championship when my mechanic said on the radio that Wilmer had engine problems. Then I saw him standing on the side of the field and realized that the victory was mine."

"Full of adrenaline and focus, I didn't think much of it until I got the finish flag. The tears came right away. I was so happy and light, an amazing feeling and a dream come true."

With her GT3 title, Isabell Rustad became the first female driver to celebrate this achievement in Porsche Sprint Challenge Scandinavia.