STCC veterans Ekblom and Andersson hail new TCR regulations

Leading Scandinavian Touring Car Championship drivers Fredrik Ekblom and Mattias Andersson believe the new-for-2017 TCR regulations have already left a positive impact on the opening weekend of the year.

Last year, STCC bosses announced a shift from the Solution-F type cars introduced in 2013, to the TCR format.

The move, heavily supported by the PWR team, proved unpopular with Volvo whose Polestar Cyan Racing outfit was unable to build a brand new car fit for TCR specifications in time for the 2017.

But for Ekblom and Andersson, the switch is a turning point in top-line Swedish motorsport.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Ekblom said to TouringCarTimes. “From what I hear from people I’ve met throughout the years, they are happy to see more cars and they see a lot of new teams.

“We’ll see a lot more spectators at races which is the most important thing.”

Ekblom added: “When we began with Solution-F cars, I was excited about it because they are good cars. I liked the idea that everyone had more or less the same car to drive. But it didn’t fly. All the cars sounded the same and we suddenly had fewer and fewer cars.”

Andersson concurred with his Volkswagen rival, believing that TCR is around to stay.

“I think that TCR will be the national championship for the next five to eight years now,” said Andersson.

“I can’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be. It’s important for us to adopt these regulations and that all TCR championships around the world are the same as well.”

While the number of full-time entries in the leading teams is down, Ekblom hopes that a successful debut season with the new regulations will act as a springboard for future investment in the sport.

“Absolutely, there’s a lot of interest for this type of racing in Sweden so I think it will have a very bright future.”