Photo: STCC

Björn Wirdheim claims pole position in maiden STCC qualifying

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Björn Wirdheim claimed pole position in his maiden STCC qualifying session at Mantorp Park, the first pole for Flash Engineering since 2010.

The Saab driver lapped the Mantorp Park short circuit in 47.290, beating Volvo driver Richard Göransson by 0.069 seconds.

SEAT Dealer Team PWR Racing driver Johan Kristoffersson topped the two test sessions, but dropped to third for the second qualifying session ahead of team mate Daniel Haglöf in fourth position.

Linus Ohlsson broke into the top five for Nissan after suffering from technical issues in testing.

Championship leader Robert Dahlgren only managed the sixth fastest time in Q2, carrying 60 kilos of penalty weight.

The Q1 session, which is reversed for the second race grid, saw Göransson breaking the qualifying lap record and claiming 25 points to the championship.

The Volvo driver was 0.347 seconds faster than Kristoffersson, with Wirdheim in third position and Dahlgren in fourth.

SEAT’s Haglöf rounded off the top five, with STCC newcomer Reuben Kressner finishing a strong sixth.

Rasmus Mårthen, driving a Ford Mondeo for Brovallen Design, will start on the reversed grid pole position in the second race after being tenth fastest in Q1.

The first race of the STCC day at Mantorp Park starts at 18:45 CET.