Photo: STCC

Robert Dahlgren hails opening STCC weekend a ‘dream’

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Robert Dahlgren has labeled the first round of the new TCR Scandinavian Touring Car Championship era as a “dream weekend” after scoring 68 out of a possible 75 points in Saturday’s three races.

The former Volvo works driver, now with PWR Racing took his SEAT León to victory in a tightly-fought first race before doubling up in a chaotic, crash-filled second encounter.

Dahlgren then finished second to race three winner Fredrik Ekblom, and was content to settle for a large series points lead, heading into the next round at Alastaro in Finland.

“It was almost a dream weekend for me,” Dahlgren said post-race to TouringCarTimes.

“If anyone told me I would have a weekend like this, I would have taken it straight away. It was just amazing to be able to get the results I got and I can’t ask for more,” he continued.

Dahlgren was made to sweat in both the first and second races as he fended off the attention of Ekblom’s Kristoffersson Motorsport-run Volkswagen Golf. But the SEAT driver, who has never won the STCC title stayed ahead under the most severe pressure.

“It was incredibly tough fighting with Fredrik because he was so consistent and the track was hard on the tyres too. With the front-wheel-drive cars, you need to be so careful on the tyres and the setup.

“In the last race, [Ekblom] had a slight edge on us over a longer distance and we need to work on that and see if we can improve,” Dahlgren said.

With World Rallycross driver Johan Kristoffersson due to return to the STCC instead of Ekblom for the Alastaro round in a fortnight, Dahlgren has a chance to extend his championship lead, despite taking onboard a 30kg success ballast to the Finnish circuit.

He currently leads the standings with 69 points, six clear of Ekblom on 63, with Daniel Haglöf the nearest full-time driver in third on 39 points. The best of the rookies from the opening weekend was Brink Motorsport’s Tobias Brink. The Skåne driver took his Audi RS 3 to a maiden podium in race two and sits fourth in the standings with 35 points.