Elias Adestam satte tempot när nya innovativa NXT Gen Cup – världens första elektrifierade racingmästerskap för juniorer – arrangerade sitt första officiella test på Gelleråsen Arena i Karlskoga under onsdagen och torsdagen.

Elias Adestam set the pace as the innovative new NXT Gen Cup – the world’s first electrified racing championship for juniors – staged its first official test at the Gelleråsen Arena in Karlskoga on Wednesday and Thursday.

The test served as a rehearsal for the historic first NXT Gen Cup season, giving the starting field a first chance to familiarize themselves with the brand new, all-electric LRT NXT1 car built specifically for the championship.

Adestam was fastest of all 15 drivers on both the first and second day of the test, firing both one and two well-aimed warning shots ahead of the premiere in Falkenberg in a month’s time – a race that will also be the Nacka driver’s debut in so-called touring car racing .

– Great to be off to a good start with two good days here at Gelleråsen, says Elias Adestam. It’s been a lot of new things to take in – an electric car, a car with a roof, front-wheel drive – but I got into it quickly. I have been able to increase my speed in each session and it is of course really promising to be the fastest on both days, even if it is only a test. We’ll see how fast everyone really is when it premieres in Falkenberg in a few weeks, but it couldn’t have started better.

Adestam covered a total of 120 laps around Gelleråsen during the two days of the test – roughly the same number as the other drivers in the field – and was thus able to get a good first impression of both the car and the organization as such.

– There have been positive impressions throughout, concludes Elias Adestam. The car behaves like a go-kart with a roof; it is very grateful to drive. I am pleasantly surprised at how well balanced and drivable it actually is. Everything has worked flawlessly, which is really impressive considering how new everything is. I have to say that the NXT Gen Cup has done an amazing job.

The race premiere for the NXT Gen Cup takes place at the classic Västkustloppet in Falkenberg on July 8-9. After that, a further five races await, two of which are run outside Sweden down in Germany (at Oschersleben and Nürburgring) during the summer. The final takes place at Mantorp Park in September.

The calendar also includes an exhibition event, which does not count towards the championship, at the new STCC city race in Helsingborg in August.

For more information: www.nxtgencup.com