Preview: The STCC kicks off this weekend in Skövde
The 2016 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship gets underway this weekend with a number of top name drivers making a last minute return to the series, bolstering the fledgling grid and seeing four manufacturer-backed programmes on the grid at the potential start of a resurgence.
The Swedish series has had a tough time in recent years following an acrimonious divide in 2012, before the breakaway series and STCC reunified in 2013, but with a decimated field.
The grid size is still nothing to shout about. This weekend, just ten cars are entered, but whilst in previous years the championship has been dominated by Volvo, the possibility for a fresh challenge from the other teams and drivers is stronger than in previous seasons, while the future of the championship is also set for reinvigoration in what could be the last year of the Solution F silhouette formula.
Polestar Cyan Racing
The Volvo factory team is back and with three cars again, but there have been some significant changes to the Swedish manufacturer team this year, with an all-new driver line-up, at least for the first race, and with a new operation running the cars with Christian Dahl’s Cyan Racing team focussed on the new World Touring Car Championship programme.
After a year on the sidelines working on the development of the Volvo S60 TC1 for the WTCC, Robert Dahlgren will make his competitive return since the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship season, driving the team’s Volvo S60, while his team-mate will be four-time champion Richard Göransson, an STCC legend and likely to recreate the fierce inter-team battle seen recently between WTCC drivers Thed Björk and Fredrik Ekblom
The team’s third car will be raced this weekend by New Zealand star Scott McLaughlin, making the trip over from Australia from his usual ride in the V8 Supercars Championship Volvo for a one-off drive, while the team’s regular driver Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte has other commitments.
The operational side of the team for this year will be run by front-running STCC squad WestCoast Racing, meaning the team’s own programme is now at rest, with the BMW brand now absent at the grid, at least for the first round of the season.
PWR Racing
Running an eye catching new programme this season is Daniel Haglöf with his PWR Racing team, switching from Saab to SEAT for 2016 with a silhouette design inspired by Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos’ current road car models.
The car will be called the SEAT León, although it has a highly aggressive three box appearance in-line with its rivals merely influenced by the Spanish brands flagship model.
Haglöf will return to race for this team, as will the Finn Emma Kimiläinen, back for her third year in the championship, with the team expanding to three cars, adding World Rallycross Championship star and 2012 STCC champion Johan Kristoffersson to their line-up.
Flash Engineering
One of Sweden’s most famous touring car stars, Jan ‘Flash’ Nilsson brings back his team after four years away, racing the Saab 9-3 model they last ran back in the 2012 TTA Elitserien i Racing season, running a pair of cars for Reuben Kressner and former Volvo factory driver Linus Ohlsson this weekend.
Ohlsson is a stand-in for former Champcar World Series racer and Formula 1 test driver Bjorn Wirdheim, who will return behind the wheel of the Saab 9-3 for the remaining rounds of the Scandinavian championship, with his championship chances not out of the question with the STCC introducing a ‘dropped worst score’ system for this year.
Dacia Dealer Team
The Dacia Dealer Team is back for another season, with team owner-driver Mattias Andersson behind the wheel of the team’s “SE” model, the low-cost brand owned by Renault which has seen increased popularity since its introduction into northern Europe in recent years.
With four podiums last season, Andersson will be chasing that ever elusive victory, working as the only one-car team entered for the full season.
Brovallen Design
The Brovallen Design team turned heads by announcing a last minute change from the South Korean Kia brand to Ford for 2016, with development rapidly underway to bring a car based on the popular Mondeo saloon model to the grid this season.
The team plan to field just one car this weekend for Rasmus Mårthen, but are well underway to being able to field a second car in the future.
Scandinavian Touring Car Championship Skövde Entry List
Driver – Team – Car
Robert Dahlgren – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60
Richard Göransson – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60
Scott McLaughlin – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60
Johan Kristoffersson – PWR Racing – SEAT León
Emma Kimiläinen – PWR Racing – SEAT León
Daniel Haglöf – PWR Racing – SEAT León
Reuben Kressner – Flash Engineering – Saab 9-3
Linus Ohlsson – Flash Engineering – Saab 9-3
Mattias Andersson – Dacia Dealer Team – Dacia SE
Rasmus Mårthen – Brovallen Design – Ford Mondeo
Skövde Airport Race Timetable
Saturday 30th April
11:35 – Test 1
14:35 – Test 2
16:55 – Qualifying
Sunday 1st May
12:45 – Heat 1
15:50 – Heat 2
