Małgorzata Agnieszka Rdest[1] (born 14 January 1993 in Żyrardów) is a Polish racing driver and businesswoman. She currently competes in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup.[2][3]

Gosia Rdest
NationalityPoland Polish
Born (1993-01-14) 14 January 1993 (age 31)
Żyrardów, Masovia
Alpine Elf Europa Cup
Racing licence FIA Silver
Years active20202024
Starts32
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish8th in 2020, 2021
Previous series
2012
2013
2014
20152017
2018
2018
2019, 2021
Formula BMW Talent Cup
BRDC Formula 4 Championship
Central European Volkswagen Polo Cup
Audi Sport TT Cup
GT4 International Cup
GT4 Central European Cup
W Series
Championship titles
2011Polish Karting Championship – Junior
Awards
2013BRDC F4 "Who Zooms" Award

Racing career

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Rdest entered car racing in 2012 when she, as reigning Polish Junior Karting Champion, was scouted by BMW Motorsport. They would enter her in the final round of the Formula BMW Talent Cup for rookie drivers at Oschersleben, where she would finish all three races in the top 10 and finish 10th in the standings despite only entering the one event.[4] She would move up to the BRDC Formula 4 Championship the following year, joining Douglas Motorsport alongside Sennan Fielding.[5] Competing alongside more experienced drivers in open-wheelers, she would struggle to 18th in the standings having completed the full season and scoring a best finish of 11th at Snetterton – however, despite the lack of results, she would claim the "Who Zooms" award for the most overtakes over the course of the season.[6]

She would move into one-make racing for 2014, entering the Central European Volkswagen Polo Cup.[7] She would end the season 14th, with a best result of 6th in her home race at Tor Poznań before stepping up to the Audi Sport TT Cup for 2015.[8] Rdest would compete in all three sanctioned seasons of the TT Cup, with a best result of second at both races in the 2017 season-opener at the Hockenheimring, and a best championship position of 6th in the same season.[9] She would move across to GT4 competition in 2018, remaining with the Audi marque through German team Phoenix Racing and competing in both the International Cup with Max Hesse (finishing 9th) and the Central European Cup round at the Nürburgring alongside Óscar Tunjo, scoring a pole and race win.[10]

Rdest would be selected to qualify for the W Series in 2019, and would be accepted as one of the 18 permanent drivers.[11] She would score points in the first race at Hockenheim, however would be taken out by Esmee Hawkey in Zolder and struggled to thirteenth in Misano. She would qualify fourth at the Norisring, but sustained front wing damage in a first-corner skirmish with Fabienne Wohlwend and finished 14th and a lap down. A season-best sixth-place finish would follow at TT Circuit Assen, before 13th in the final round at Brands Hatch saw the Pole fail to automatically qualify for the 2020 W Series – ending the championship in 14th.

Rdest would return to GT racing in 2020, contesting the French-based Alpine Europa Cup.[12] This followed a class win at the washed-out Dubai 24 Hour in January. She would be announced as a reserve driver for 2021 W Series season and would fulfill her role replacing Tasmin Pepper at the Red Bull Ring. She would place 9th in the first round, and 17th in the second after colliding with her team-mate Marta García.[13] Rdest made her last W Series start at Spa-Francorchamps, deputising for unwell Irina Sidorkova – having narrowly avoided a pile-up in qualifying, she finished last in a wet race some 15 seconds behind second-last.[14]

Rdest remained in the Alpine Europa Cup in 2021 and 2022, finishing 8th in the standings in the former with a podium at Magny-Cours. In 2024, following an 18-month break on maternity leave, she returned to motorsport through the same series.[15]

Personal life

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In November 2021 Rdest became vice-president of Emka S.A., a Polish medical waste management company owned by her father.[16]

Rdest married Karoł Łazarczyk in June 2022.[17] The couple have a daughter, Klara, born in August 2023.[18]

Racing record

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Rdest in the paddock at the 2019 W Series Hockenheim round
 
Rdest at the 2nd round of the 2021 W Series

Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup BMW Motorsport 3 0 0 0 0 13 10th
2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship Douglas Motorsport 24 0 0 0 0 121 18th
2014 Central European Volkswagen Golf Cup N/A 13 0 0 0 0 178 14th
2015 Audi Sport TT Cup N/A 12 0 0 0 0 90.5 12th
24H Series - A3T R8 Motorsport
24H Series - D1 KPM Racing 1 0 0 0 0 6 10th
2016 Audi Sport TT Cup N/A 14 0 0 0 0 149 8th
ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship Engstler Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 8 29th
Campeonato Nacional de Velocidade Turismos Target Competition ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
2017 Audi Sport TT Cup N/A 13 0 0 0 2 149 6th
ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship Target Competition 8 0 0 0 0 26 13th
24H Series - TCR Zest Racecar Engineering
2018 GT4 International Cup Phoenix Racing 3 0 0 0 0 N/A 9th
GT4 Central European Cup 2 1 1 0 2 43 12th
24H GT Series - GT4
Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Audi Sport Team USA 1 0 0 0 0 13 62nd
International GT Open Olimp Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 45th
2019 W Series Hitech Grand Prix 6 0 0 0 0 10 14th
ADAC GT Masters Aust Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0 40th
Baltic Touring Car Championship - BTC2 Malgorzata Rdest 2 2 ? ? 2 50 6th
24H Series - 991 MRS GT-Racing
2020 24H GT Series - 991 MRS GT-Racing 1 1 0 0 1 29 4th
Alpine Europa Cup Racing Technology 10 0 0 0 0 43 8th
2021 W Series Puma W Series Team 2 0 0 0 0 2 18th
W Series Academy 1 0 0 0 0
Alpine Europa Cup Chazel Technologie Course 12 0 0 0 0 63 8th
2022 Alpine Europa Cup Chazel Technologie Course 10 0 0 0 0 31 11th
2024 Alpine Europa Cup Chazel Technologie Course

* Season still in progress.

Dubai 24 Hour results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Overall
Position
Class
Position
2015   KPM Racing   Javier Morcillo
  Lucas Orrock
  Tom Wilson
Volkswagen Polo A2 482 51st 9th
2017   Zest Racecar Engineering   Philippe Ulivieri
  John Allen
  J.T. Coupal
  John Weisberg
SEAT León TCR TCR 483 52nd 3rd
2018   Phoenix Racing   Joonas Lappalainen
  John-Louis Jasper
  Philip Ellis
Audi R8 LMS GT GT4 551 26th 1st
2019   MRS GT-racing   Yutaka Matsushima
  Helmut Rödig
  Wolfgang Triller
  Christopher Zochling
Porsche 991 Cup 991 564 18th 2nd
2020   MRS GT-racing   Oliver Hancock
  John Hartshorne
  Jukka Honkavuori
Porsche 991 Cup 991 1601 18th 1st

^1 – Race abandoned after 7 hours due to circuit flooding.

Complete W Series results

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

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
2019 Hitech GP HOC
9
ZOL
Ret
MIS
13
NOR
14
ASS
6
BRH
13
14th 10
2021 Puma W Series Team RBR1
9
RBR2
17
SIL HUN 18th 2
W Series Academy SPA
16
ZAN COA1 COA2

* Season still in progress.

References

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  1. ^ "Emka-Trans Limited Liability Company". Polish National Court Registry. 15 March 2022.
  2. ^ "PLATEAU RECORD POUR LA CINQUIÈME SAISON DE L'ALPINE ELF EUROPA CUP". Alpine Elf Europa Cup (in French). 13 April 2022.
  3. ^ "The Alpine ELF Cup Series resumes in Barcelona". Newsroom Alpine. 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  4. ^ "Speedqueens: Gosia Rdest". Speedqueens. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Gosia Rdest wystartuje w brytyjskiej Formule 4! (in Polish)". MotorsportV10.pl. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  6. ^ "2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship season review". Formula Scout. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Gosia Rdest gotowa na drugą połowę sezonu w Volkswagen Castrol Cup (in Polish)". Motocaina. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Profile: #3 Gosia Rdest (PL)". Audi AG. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Finałowa runda Gosi Rdest w Audi TT Cup na torze Hockenheim (in Polish)". Motocaina. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Gosia Rdest – GT4 European Championship". GT4 European Championship. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  11. ^ "W Series announces its driver line-up". W Series. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Gosia Rdest to race in 2020 Alpine Europa Cup". Racers – Behind the Helmet. 5 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Reserve driver line-up confirmed for 2021". W Series. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  14. ^ "STATEMENT ON COVID-19 TEST RESULT FOR W SERIES ACADEMY DRIVER IRINA SIDORKOVA". W Series. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  15. ^ "The Alpine ELF Cup Series resumes in Barcelona". Alpine Cars. 10 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Emka S.A. on Facebook (in Polish)". Facebook. 23 November 2021.
  17. ^ "@gosia.rdest on Instagram". Instagram. 19 June 2022.
  18. ^ "@gosia.rdest on Instagram". Instagram. 9 August 2023.
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