Dahlgren won at Gelleråsen
Robert Dahlgren won the second STCC race of 2006 today at Gelleråsen. BMW was predicted to have an advantage at this track. But the best BMW today was Robin Rudholm in fifth place. This race was very much decided in the pits with many drivers and teams making dear mistakes.
Robert Dahlgren held pole position and kept it after the first series of corners. But it wasn’t long until BMW-drivers Robin Rudholm and Richard Göransson passed him. Johan Stureson was initially with the leaders but made a mistake and went briefly off track which sent him back a couple of positions.
As the pitstops started, a huge number of mistakes started. Edward Sanström was one of the first to pit. But his team had severe problems getting the new tyres on and he lost many seconds. Fredrik Ekblom pitted close to Sanström and also got in to trouble. As he exited the pit, Ekblom ran over some tyre changing equipment. This was penalised with a drive-through penalty. Earlier pitter Sandström also recieved a penalty for crossing the white line on the pit exit.
Another victim of the pitstops was champion Göransson. As he entered the pits he lost control over his BMW and spun in to the barriers. He completed his pitstop after the incident but was forced in to the pits a lap later to remove loose body parts. Robin Rudholm was yet another victim of the pitstop chaos. He completed a succesful pitstop, but the team forgot to remove one of the stripes that marks if the driver has been in the pits or not. Due to this he was forced in to the pits again to remove it.
Robert Dahlgren on the other hand cruised on to victory ahead of Engström. Both the Volvo team and the Honda team made flawless pitstop which was the key to the win.
– This is great! Volvo is in the top to stay now, a happy Dahlgren said after the race.
Honda-man Engström was equally happy.
– Our bad luck has turned, now we have the margins on our side. This is a great start of the season, Engström said.
Rudholm who suffered from the pitstop mistakes fought his way back up in to fifth position. Thed Björk also made his way up through the field and managed to get third position after passing Johan Stureson on the last couple of laps. With third position the Audi-driver keeps the lead in the championship ahead of Tomas Engström with two points.
– I knew it was possible. Ekblom drove from eight to second place at Knutstorp. I didn’t want to be any worse than my team mate. It’s just great for us. To start the season with a win and a third place is fantastic, Björk said.
Notable is that newcomer David Björk notched up yet another points finish with sixth place today. He is sixth in the championship ahead of several heavy names.
Next race is at Mantorp Park in three weeks.
Championship points after Gelleråsen
1 Thed Björk Audi A4 16
2 Tomas Engström Honda Accord 14
3 Robert Dahlgren Volvo S60 10
4 Fredrik Ekblom Audi A4 8
5 Johan Sturesson Peugeot 407 7
6 David Björk BMW 320i 6
7 Duncan Huisman BMW 320i 5
8 Robin Rudholm BMW 320i 4
9 Richard Göransson BMW 320si 4
10 Jan Nilsson BMW 320si 3
Gelleråsen Result
