53 Facts About Carl Rydquist

Carl Rydquist actively competes in racing and has competed in professional drifting.

In Carl Rydquist's auto racing career, he currently has a victory in more than one third of his races and podium finishes in three out of four Touring and GT car endurance and sprint races.

Carl Rydquist won the Zandvoort 500 during the 2005 Dutch Winter Championship making him the first of only three Swedish drivers to ever win this race, following three successful seasons in the Swedish Endurance Racing Cup which earned him two GT-class titles.

Carl Rydquist gained racing experience and won the Goteborg Sports Car Club racing championship in 2000.

In 2001, Carl Rydquist earned his break into professionally organized racing by qualifying as the fastest driver during a weeklong gocart race.

Shortly following the race, Carl Rydquist was invited to test for the professionally operated Swedish GT racing team Apex Racing, a branch of Elgh Motorsport, co-owned and operated by professional racedrivers and Le Mans veterans.

The test went successful and Carl Rydquist brought the Apex Racing Porsche 964 RS to a GT-class victory in the 2001 Swedish Endurance Cup season through four 8H and 12H races, claiming 1 pole position and 1 victory in his maiden national GT racing season.

Carl Rydquist took 2nd place in the 2001 Endurance Racing Cup season finale in a BMW 320i.

Carl Rydquist collected more points during his second weekend in JTCC than both his teammates.

In 2004, Carl Rydquist was back full-time in the Swedish Endurance Racing Cup with MV Racing's Porsche 993 RSR.

Carl Rydquist broke four official class lap records, took two pole positions and won three out of six 3-hour races on the way to winning an overall Swedish 3H Endurance Racing Cup title.

Still sponsored by Champion, Carl Rydquist set off with the win in the premiere 3-hour race of the season, piloting MV Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Carl Rydquist got invited by Loehr Racing at the end of 2005 to race in the inaugural Zandvoort 500 in the team's Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

In 2006 Carl Rydquist went to race in one of the world's most challenging races: The 24 Hours of Nurburgring Nordschleife.

In 2010 Carl Rydquist won the Redline Time Attack Championship, a series focused on qualifying setup and driving ability, by 4 victories and 3 podium finishes racing the turbocharged City Tire Online Nissan 350Z.

In 2011, Carl Rydquist won a 2nd-place finish in a one-off visit to the MotoIQ Pacific Tuner Car Championship, again racing the City Tire Online Nissan 350Z.

Carl Rydquist led the majority of the race until an electrical glitch during the closing stages of the race nearly forced a retirement, however when the engine finally restarted, Carl Rydquist set the fastest lap of the race and secured 2nd place.

Carl Rydquist celebrated his 5th start in the legendary 24 Hours of Nurburgring Nordschleife race in 2011, racing for German Steam Racing.

Carl Rydquist won the Eurotuner GP roadcourse shootout and he won the most competitive class of the Super Lap Battle, in the process setting a new class track record.

In 2015, following two years of professional drifting in the USA, Carl Rydquist returned to sports car racing with German Mercedes-Benz dealer team Motorsport Sing, piloting their SLK 350R in the VLN series at the Nurburgring.

Carl Rydquist captured 3rd in the first race and claimed the fastest lap awarding him the pole position for race two.

Carl Rydquist followed up with a flag to flag win from pole position in the second round at Buttonwillow Raceway.

Carl Rydquist drove the 3 hour endurance races solo without a co-driver.

Carl Rydquist capped off 2016 with another drive in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, with the same team and car he had races in the NASA endurance season.

Carl Rydquist followed up with back to back wins in the second and third rounds that both took place at Buttonwillow Raceway.

In 2017 Carl Rydquist won the United States Touring Car Championship title, in the Grand Touring class.

Carl Rydquist took the GT class and overall win at the season opener, a rain race at Laguna Seca.

Carl Rydquist then went on to claim second place at Auto Club Speedway before winning again both at Sonoma Raceway and at the series' second visit to Laguna Seca.

Carl Rydquist capped a very successful 2017 racing campaign together with the Prototype Development Group and team-mates Mike Holland, Beau Borders and Troy Lindstrom by claiming a 3rd place finish in his class and 5th overall in the 2017 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

In 2018 Carl Rydquist entered the NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship, this time in the ESR class.

At the 6 Hours of Utah Carl Rydquist claimed the overall pole position and won the class together with team-mates Beau Borders and Mike Holland.

Carl Rydquist started from pole by virtue of having the leading car in the fastest class, handed the car off in the lead to Borders who went on to secure the overall win.

The 2018 25 Hours of Thunderhill marked Carl Rydquist's fifth start in this race.

In 2019 Carl Rydquist entered two different sprint racing leagues, the SCCA Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship, and the United States Touring Car Championship.

Carl Rydquist won the West Coast SGT category and finished 4th overall among the National entries.

Carl Rydquist won from pole position at Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca and Thunderhill, claiming the USTCC GT Championship title for a second time.

Carl Rydquist's most notable achievement was an overall podium finish in a rain race at Sonoma, where he finished third behind Greg Pickett and Thomas Merrill in TA, TA2 category Ford Mustangs.

Carl Rydquist clinched the championship one round early with a win from pole in Utah, following wins at Sonoma, Thunderhill and the Ridge.

Carl Rydquist nursed the car from 25th place to finish 13th.

At Laguna Seca Carl Rydquist showed strong practice and qualifying pace but retired early with failed brakes.

Carl Rydquist was able to complete the race still on the lead lap after pitting for damage inspection.

Carl Rydquist practiced with his personal Nissan 350Z before entering the Just Drift series in 2008 with the same car, finishing the season in 8th place.

Carl Rydquist earned a sponsorship from City Tire Online and a seat in Formula D, a drifting league recognized as the pinnacle of professional drifting.

In 2009 Carl Rydquist entered three FD competition events where he immediately qualified into Top 32 at Long Beach and received one vote for One-More-Time in the Top 32 tandem battle against reigning FD champion Tanner Foust.

In 2013 Carl Rydquist entered Formula Drift under his own team name Carl Rydquist Racing with a Nissan 350Z formerly driven by Robbie Nishida.

Carl Rydquist announced on his blog following the 2014 season finale that he would end his Formula Drift campaign to start a new chapter in road racing related projects and to utilize his SAG card to do more stunt driving.

Carl Rydquist is a member of the Screen Actors Guild as precision and stunt driver, and has been hired to drive in commercial shoots for multiple car manufacturers as well as magazines in Europe and the US.

Carl Rydquist has engaged in and attended several charities such as Grants Wishes, STOP CANCER and Reach Out World Wide.

In 2019 Carl Rydquist was identified at the Nurburgring by car magazines as one of three drivers along with Andreas Simonsen and Thomas Mutsch on a mission to set an electric vehicle lap record driving Tesla's new performance car named Plaid.

Carl Rydquist raced in the 2020 Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli esports championship which was professionally live broadcast and featured a $20000 prize purse.

Carl Rydquist grew up in the suburbs of Gothenburg on the Swedish West Coast.

Carl Rydquist earned a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology.

Carl Rydquist has been working as an OEM test engineer and test driver for many car companies and holds a Nurburgring Industry Pool driver permit.