Elias Adestam crowned NXT Gen Cup champion by 3 points in dramatic Mantorp finale
Elias Adestam has been crowned the 2023 NXT Gen Cup champion after a dramatic Mantorp Park season finale, beating main rival Linus Granfors by just three points after a major crash in the first race.
“I just can’t believe that this has happened! I was doubting it seriously each race, but we did it in the end with a bit of luck and I’m so happy. It was a shame for Linus, but that’s racing sometimes, and we had a great fight throughout the season. A huge thanks to everyone involved, this is such a great feeling,” said Elias Adestam.
The first race started well for pole sitter Linus Granfors who was involved in a race-long fight for the lead with Elias Adestam and Enzo Hallman – with the trio swapping the lead several times.
There was confusion from the circuit stewards who failed to show the chequered flag when the leaders passed the finishing line, only showing the flag to about half of the field.
Disaster then struck the leading trio, unaware of the race being ended, with Elias Adestam and Linus Granfors coming together – sending Linus Granfors spearing across the track and hard into the barriers, collecting Enzo Hallman in the process.
But as the race had been finished before the incident, Elias Adestam won the race with Linus Granfors in second, bringing the points lead for Linus Granfors down to just 14 points ahead of the final race. Enzo Hallman claimed the final podium finish of Race 1.
After a strong effort by the NXT Gen Cup mechanics, Linus Granfors was able to get out in time for the second race. But the joy was not to last for long as he was forced to retire with a technical issue due.
Elias Adestam went on to finish fourth, scoring enough points to beat Linus Granfors with a mere three points after a total of 12 races from the thrilling 2023 season.
“The incident in Race 1 and the retirement in Race 2 wasn’t the best end for me. But I must say that the mechanics did a good job to get the car ready after the big crash. Second place overall is nice, but I was obviously fighting for position one,” said Linus Granfors.
The last race of the year saw a new NXT Gen Cup winner emerge, as Mikkel Njor performed brilliantly to win from third on the grid.
“It’s awesome to get the first win in the last race, I’m lost for words! I got a good start and was up into P2 in the first corner and then had a good fight with Kristiansson. Then it was just about keeping a good pace and it worked,” said Mikkel Njor.
Ellis Spiezia charged up to second place from fifth on the grid to secure the bronze medal of the championship, 14 points from champion Elias Adestam. Alexzander Kristiansson claimed the last podium in Race 2.
“It was a fun last race; it was pretty close the whole way. It’s definitely disappointing to see what could have been if we had scored a few more points in the earlier rounds as the top two had a rough one. But we just weren’t in the right position to take advantage of it. A little bit disappointed with that, but it’s good to end the year with a podium and I’ll always have a special place in my heart for NXT Gen Cup,” said Ellis Spiezia.
The very first NXT Gen Cup season provided four different winners, a total of 23 drivers from eight different countries – completing 12 races and six qualifying heats on six different circuits in Sweden and Germany.
Elias Adestam was crowned champion on 243 points, with Linus Granfors second and Ellis Spiezia third.
Enzo Hallman, who finished on the podium in Mantorp Race 1, finished fourth overall and Jonathan Engström fifth. Siri Hökfelt was the top female driver in 15th position.
News about the 2024 NXT Gen Cup season will be announced in due course!
Final points and results
2023 NXT Gen Cup entry list
Start no. – Name – Nationality
2 – Greaham Hofmans - Netherlands
3 – Linus Granfors – Sweden
4 – Theo Jernberg – Sweden
5 – Sebastian Kinnmark – Sweden
6 – Mikkel Njor – Denmark
7 – Enzo Hallman – Sweden
8 – Elias Adestam – Sweden
9 – Isak Arvidsson – Sweden
11 – Ellis Spiezia – USA
12 – Filip Bartoš – Czechia
14 – Katie Turner – United Kingdom
16 – Månz Thalin – Sweden
19 – Alexander Gustafsson – Sweden
21 – Siri Hökfelt – Sweden
27 – Alexzander Kristiansson – Sweden
47 – Jonathan Engström – Sweden
50 – Victor Nielsen – Denmark
51 – Louse Larsson – Sweden
91 - Sebastian Serban - Romania*
= Guest entry, not eligible to score points
Regulations – Quick overview
The driver with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the official Swedish Junior Champion by the Swedish Motorsport Federation.
A total of six race weekends are held in Sweden and Germany.
Each race weekend consists of one practice session, one qualifying session and two races of approx. 15 minutes each with standing start.
The grid for the first race is determined by the result of qualifying.
The grid for the second race is determined by the result of Race 1 with the top eight drivers in reversed order.
Qualifying points are awarded to the top 3 drivers through the following scale: 4, 2, 1
Race points are awarded to the top 16 drivers through the following scale: 30, 25, 21, 17, 14, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The fastest lap of each race awards 1 point.
All drivers can utilise the push-to-pass functionality during the races which provides them with a burst of extra power. There is a delay of 5 seconds when activating it, so that driver’s can’t use it in a defensive capacity.
Key links
