The road to Vandel — inside the campaign
The comeback, the SRKC qualifier and the goal for the 2026 rental kart Worlds. This is what the road back has looked like, and why I believe in it.
One week from now I roll out at Vandel Kart in Denmark for my fifth Worlds start. This is the story of the road there, and of why this campaign feels different from the ones before.
The comeback
After the Worlds in Poland 2018 came a few quieter years. The comeback started properly in the 2021 SRKC final: 6th overall and second-best Swede. This year, 2026, I finished as the 3rd-best Swede in the SRKC, and the sights were set on Vandel.
The results from the earlier Worlds years are still there: bronze in 2016 with a win in the final, finals in 2015, 2017 and 2018, and a Nations Cup stint in Italy 2015 where I drove Sweden from last to first before the team finished fifth. But what decides things in Denmark is the form now, not the medals then.
The training
The rental kart Worlds is an endurance test disguised as sprint racing. Up to ten races in one week, karts drawn by lot, and starting positions that vary. It takes a body that lasts the whole week, the ability to quickly read a new kart, and a head that doesn't start making worse decisions just because the body is tired.
The preparation has been about exactly that. Plenty of seat time to keep the feeling sharp, physical training for neck, arms and stamina, and mental routines to reset between heats. A bad heat is allowed to cost exactly one heat, never two.
The goal
I am not going to Denmark just to take part. With 180 drivers on the entry list, the goal is clear: get through the qualifying heats with margin, get the semifinal right, and stand on the grid among the 18 in the final. Once there, I have shown before that things can move quickly.
In the Nations Cup I race for Sweden, and there is a bit of history to defend. More about that in the next article.
Thank you to everyone who makes it possible
A Worlds campaign is not built alone. Labatus and Primab are part of making this journey happen. Throughout championship week I write one report per evening here on the site, so that you who follow and support get to come along the whole way. The newsletter is in the footer.