Tommy Rustad Explained

Tommy Rustad
Nationality: Norwegian
Birth Date:3 September 1968
Birth Place:Oslo, Norway
Current Series:FIA ERX Supercar Championship
First Year:2011
Current Team:Albatec-HTB Racing
Car Number:24
Former Teams:HTB Racing-Marklund Motorsport
HTB Racing
Starts:22
Wins:4
Podiums:6
Championships:1 (2015)
Career Template1:
Embed:yes
Last Series:FIA World Rallycross Championship
Years Active:20142018
Former Teams:Münnich Motorsport
HTB Racing-Marklund Motorsport
HTB Racing
Best Finish:17th
Starts:13
Wins:0
Podiums:0

Tommy Rustad (born 3 September 1968) is a Norwegian racing driver. He currently drives in the FIA European Rallycross Championship and occasionally in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Tommy is the son of former well known Norwegian racer Ola Rustad.

Racing career

Early Rallycross Years

Rustad started his motor sport career in karting before racing in the Norwegian Rallycross Championship, winning the so-called Supernasjonal title for six years in a row between 1987 and 1992. On 14 June 1992 he claimed overall victory in the Irish round of the European Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park, racing one of the two 650bhp strong Ford RS200 Group B cars of his compatriot and mentor Martin Schanche.

Single Seaters

In 1993 he switched to circuit racing, becoming the Swedish Formula Opel Champion in his first year. He drove in the Formula Opel Euroseries in 1994, finishing fifth in points, and finished sixth in the 1995 Eurocup Formula Renault. In 1996 he was in the Italian Formula Three Championship finishing ninth, and the Renault Spider Eurocup, finishing second in his first year, and was champion in 1997.

BTCC

In 1998 Rustad got a drive in the British Touring Car Championship. He drove a Renault Laguna for the DC Cook Motorsport team in the Michelin Independents Cup, despite getting some backing from the Renault works team. With five class wins throughout the seasons, he was crowned independent champion. A sixteenth place overall finish saw him one place ahead of works Peugeot driver Tim Harvey.

STCC

Since his drive in the BTCC, he has spent most of his career driving in the Swedish Touring Car Championship. He was champion in both the STCC and the Norwegian Touring Car Championship in 2000, driving a works Nissan Primera. After this he spent a couple of seasons racing in the European Touring Car Championship, before returning to Sweden in 2003 in an Opel Astra. After another rallycross year he returned to the STCC Opel Team in 2007. 2008 had him drive a works Volvo C30 powered by bio-ethanol for Polestar Racing. He went on to win the championship for the second time in 2009 for Polestar.

WTCC

Rustad became the first Norwegian to drive in the World Touring Car Championship when his Polestar Racing team entered rounds 15 and 16 of the 2009 season at Brands Hatch. Rustad retired from both races.

Rallycross

In 2006 Rustad went back to rallycross for one year, forming a team with his compatriot Sverre Isachsen for to compete in the FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers where he eventually finished third overall with a Ford Focus T16 4x4.

After his retirement from tarmac racing, Rustad took the decision to return full-time to rallycross in 2013, driving a Volvo S40 Mk1 in all the rounds of the Norwegian Rallycross Championship for SuperNational cars with an engine capacity of over 2000cc. He was also seen in the two Scandinavian rounds (Norway and Sweden) of the 2013 European Rallycross Championship, driving a rented Volvo C30 SuperCar. In 2014 he participated in six of the twelve rounds of the inaugural FIA World Rallycross Championship, again racing a Volvo C30 SuperCar, but with little success. However, while finishing 27th of the final WorldRX standings only his sixth place overall in the EuroRX series was a much better result. For 2015 he was entrusted by his sponsor with a competitive VW Polo Mk5 SuperCar of the Volkswagen Team Marklund Motorsport, which he used successfully to claim his first European Rallycross title. Of the five rounds counting towards the EuroRX series Rustad won three, beating his strongest competitor Jérôme Grosset-Janin from France to second place.

Racing record

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1 point awarded all races) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (* signifies that driver lead feature race for at least one lap – 1 point awarded)

YearTeamCar1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526PosPts
1998DC Cook MotorsportRenault LagunaTHR
1

THR
2

SIL
1

SIL
2

DON
1

DON
2

BRH
1

BRH
2

14*
OUL
1

OUL
2

DON
1

DON
2

CRO
1

CRO
2

SNE
1

SNE
2

THR
1

THR
2

KNO
1

KNO
2

BRH
1

BRH
2

OUL
1

OUL
2

16th12
Blend 37 Williams RenaultSIL
1

SIL
2

Complete European Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

† — Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

† – Not eligible for points, as a guest driver.

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results

(key)

Supercar

YearEntrantCar12345678910111213WRXPoints
2014HTB RacingVolvo C30PORGBR
NOR
FINSWE
BEL
CANFRAGER
ITA
TURARG27th14
2015HTB Racing-Marklund MotorsportVolkswagen PoloPORHOCBELGBRGERSWE
18th24
All-Inkl.com Münnich MotorsportAudi S3CAN
NORFRABARTURITAARG
2016Albatec RacingPeugeot 208PORHOCBELGBRNORSWECANFRA
BARLAT22nd4
All-Inkl.com Münnich MotorsportSEAT IbizaGER
ARG
2018HTB Racing-Marklund MotorsportVolkswagen PoloBAR
POR
BEL
GBR
11
NOR
13
SWECANFRA
16
LATUSAGERRSA17th14

Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results

(key)

Division 2*

YearEntrantCar1234567891011ERXPoints
1989Tommy RustadESPAUTSWEFINIREFRABELNEDNOR
GBRGER44th4
1990Tommy RustadVolvo 240AUTSWEFINIREFRABELNEDNOR
GERGBR41st3
1991Tommy RustadFord RS200 E2PORAUTFINFRAIRESWEBELNEDNOR
GBRGER
13th34
1992Tommy RustadFord RS200 E2GBRAUTPORFINSWEFRA
IRE
BELNEDNOR
GER11th49

Division 1

YearEntrantCar1234567891011ERXPoints
2004Tommy RustadFord Focus T16PORFRACZEAUTNOR
SWEBELNEDPOLGER20th11
2006Tommy RustadFord Focus T16POR
FRA
CZE
(9)
AUT
SWE
HUN
BEL
(10)
NED
NOR
POL
GER
3rd128
2007Tommy RustadCitroën Xsara T16PORFRAHUNAUTSWENOR
BELNEDPOLCZE18th17

Supercar

YearEntrantCar123456789ERXPoints
2013Tommy RustadVolvo C30GBRPORHUNFINNOR
SWE
FRAAUTGER20th16
2014HTB RacingVolvo C30GBR
NOR
BEL
GER
ITA
6th39
2015HTB Racing-Marklund MotorsportVolkswagen PoloBEL
GER
NOR
BAR
ITA
1st135
2016Albatec-HTB RacingPeugeot 208BEL
NOR
SWE
BAR
LAT
4th94
2017Albatec-HTB RacingPeugeot 208BAR
NOR
SWE
FRA
LAT
5th86

External links