Photo: Formel 4.dk
Danish Formula 4 and Sweden’s Formula Renault 1.6-spec Formula Nordic series shared grids for a second time this year at Karlskoga, and the two categories ended up more evenly matched.
At Anderstorp Raceway last month the F4 cars convicingly set the pace, and in Karlskoga qualifying Mikkel Pedersen took pole by 0.261 seconds over namesake Magnus Pedersen.
Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen was 0.315s behind in third, and top FNordic runner Linus Granfors was 0.478s back in fourth. Mads Hoe, the fastest Formula 5 driver, was 0.937s off the pace in seventh.
The combined grid meant 21 cars started race one, but absent from the action was Mikkel Pedersen and Theodor Jensen, who would have lined up fifth. Pedersen came to a stop en route to the grid, while Jensen was stuck on the grid on the formation lap and was left there, then got hit hard from behind at the actual start by FNordic runner Viktor Molander and the pair had to sit out the rest of the event.
Magnus Pedersen had a strong getaway when the lights went out, while Jakobsen had a slow start but stayed ahead of Granfors before the race was red flagged.
Once the pit straight was cleared of two stricken cars, the race clock was reset. Pedersen made another strong start, and Christer Otterstrom passed Granfors mid-lap for third place overall and the FNordic lead.
Jakobsen took the overall lead by darting down the inside at turn one of lap three of the restarted race, while Otterstrom put a wheel on the grass and dropped back behind Granfors.
The gap between the top two quickly grew, but Pedersen was back in the lead on lap seven as Jakobsen had an incident that broke his front-left wheel and left him stranded on track.
The top three ran closely, and Granfors took the lead on lap 12 of 17 by going down the inside of the left-hander Harlanen hairpin.
Otterstrom passed Pedersen three laps later, but as they navigated lapped traffic Pedersen got the opportunity to get back ahead on lap 16.
The traffic meant Granfors managed to win by an astonishing 11.692s, with Pedersen holding on to second. Victor Nielsen was a distant fourth, and Oliver Kratsch took F5 victory in fifth after Hoe sunk to 10th.
Mikkel Pedersen got another chance to start from pole in race two, but lost the lead straight away to Magnus Pedersen. He then sat in second until lap 10 of 16, when an incident dropped him to seventh.
The lap before that Andreas Vaa had spun out, and drivers kept having to swerve to avoid his car until the safety car appeared on lap 13. Racing resumed on the penultimate lap, and Magnus Pedersen became points leader with victory ahead of Jakobsen, Granfors, Nielsen and Otterstrom. Hoe was a distant F4 winner in sixth, and Mikkel Pedersen finished ninth.
Redemption finally came for Mikkel Pedersen in race three, as he passed polesitter Magnus to win. Granfors finished third, Otterstrom resisted early pressure from Nielsen for fourth, and Jakobsen charged up from 15th to sixth. Hoe missed the race.
Results round-up [F5 entrants in italics, FR1.6 entrants in bold]
Race 1 (18 laps)
1 Linus Granfors Granforce Racing 19m56.451s
2 Magnus Pedersen MP Racing +11.692s
3 Christer Otterstrom +12.200s
4 Victor Nielsen STEP Motorsport +15.889s
5 Oliver Kratsch Mads Hoe Motorsport +15.937s
6 Oscar Pedersen +16.615s
7 Olav Vaa +21.446s
8 Emma Wigroth WestCoast Racing +24.878s
9 Daniel Varverud +25.423s
10 Mads Hoe Mads Hoe Motorsport +33.334s
Pole: Mikkel Pedersen, 1m04.620s
Fastest lap: Granfors, 1m04.918s
Race 2 (16 laps)
1 Magnus Pedersen 19m05.864s
2 Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen Team FormulaSport +0.682s
3 Granfors +2.440s
4 Nielsen +3.347s
5 Otterstrom +4.182s
6 Hoe +6.204s
7 Kratsch +6.509s
8 Oscar Pedersen +8.263s
9 Mikkel Pedersen Team BAR +9.975s
10 Vaa +11.092s
FL: Magnus Pedersen, 1m04.761s
Race 3 (18 laps)
1 Mikkel Pedersen19m38.723s
2 Magnus Pedersen +2.291s
3 Granfors +8.698s
4 Otterstrom +12.736s
5 Nielsen +17.317s
6 Jakobsen +20.283s
7 Oscar Pedersen +21.535s
8 Carita Livrud Otterstrom +29.749s
9 Kratsch +29.843s
10 Jonathan Engstrom +30.770s
FL: Mikkel Pedersen, 1m04.730s
Danish F4 standings
1 Magnus Pedersen 156 2 Mikkel Pedersen 141 3 Nielsen 113 4 Jakobsen 84 5 Mads Hoe 74 6 Mille Hoe 60 7 Kratsch 46 8 Frederik Stena 42 9 Theodor Jensen 37 10 Morten Stromsted 20