Day 4: Sixth in the Rain Chaos — Sweden Through to the A Final

Semi-Final B had everything you could expect from a World Championship: a difficult qualifying session, a strong opening stint, torrential rain, transponder trouble and a cancelled driver change. But once race control had corrected the timing, the result was clear: we finished sixth — exactly what we needed to secure a place in the Nations Cup A Final and keep the fight for gold alive.

And it's the qualification that counts. It didn't matter whether you won today's semi-final or crossed the line eighth — tomorrow every team starts the A Final on equal terms again, and everything is decided there.

Qualifying: 0.17 Seconds From Third

I qualified the kart for the team but couldn't quite put the lap together. We ended up eleventh out of sixteen teams, and I wasn't happy with that. At the same time it shows how close the field is — just 0.17 seconds separated us from third place on the starting grid.

My Stint: From Eleventh to Fourth

The race began with a traditional Le Mans start, where the drivers sprint to their karts at the signal. I had a decent getaway, gaining and losing a few positions, which left me running eleventh as the field settled.

It quickly became clear that our kart handled beautifully through the corners but lacked straight-line speed. I lost ground on the straights, but could make most of it back through the technical sections.

After a few hectic opening laps I moved up to eighth. Once I had a small gap behind me I could focus forward and chase down the group of three ahead. One by one I found a way past until I was running fifth.

The gap to the leading group was too large to challenge, but together with a Danish team we gradually reeled in fourth place. When I handed over after 31 minutes we were fourth overall, and I was really pleased with my stint — plenty of overtaking, and a race where I had to work for every position.

The Rain, the Transponder and the Decision

Daniel took over and did a really strong job. He clung on to sixth place and built a very comfortable margin down to eighth — exactly the buffer we would come to need — before handing the kart to Robin Fredriksson. Just as Robin joined the track, the skies opened and the rain poured down. The race was stopped so everyone could switch to dedicated wet-weather karts, and during that period a transponder issue temporarily made us look far further down the order than we actually were. In reality we were still hovering around the top six.

Midway through Robin's stint came the news that the final scheduled driver change had been cancelled — the pit lane had become too chaotic in the rain. That meant our fourth driver, Philip Karlsson, never got the chance to drive. We could still have made the change, but it would have cost us the chance to fight for a top-eight finish and the place in the A Final. Together we decided to leave Robin in the kart until the finish.

Robin produced an outstanding drive: around one hour and ten minutes in heavy rain, and throughout the closing stages he was one of the fastest drivers on track.

Race by Race

Qualifying

• Starting position: 11th out of 16.
• Only 0.17 seconds away from third place.
• A session I wasn't entirely happy with, despite the tiny margins.

Opening Stint — Rickard

• Le Mans start, held eleventh through the opening phase.
• Up to eighth after the first laps.
• Caught and passed three more competitors — up to fifth.
• Handed over in fourth overall after a 31-minute stint.
• The kart was very strong in the corners but lacked top speed on the straights.

Daniel's Stint

• Clung on to sixth place, with a very comfortable margin down to eighth.
• A very solid drive that kept the team firmly in the fight.

Robin's Stint

• Heavy rain forced a switch to wet-weather karts.
• A transponder issue caused confusion about our position.
• The final driver change was cancelled — Robin drove all the way to the finish.
• An impressive wet-weather drive of around 1 hour and 10 minutes at very high pace.

Feeling After the Day

It was a day full of challenges, but also full of good news. My own stint felt really good after a qualifying session I wasn't happy with, and the whole team showed we can handle pressure, rain and the unexpected. Most important of all: we're through to the A Final, and the dream of World Championship gold is alive.

What I Take With Me

• A strong opening stint with several successful overtakes.
• Tiny qualifying margins can make a huge difference.
• The team handled the chaos really well.
• We feel comfortable in the rain.
• Next up: the A Final — and the fight for World Championship gold.