Photo: Dagens Nyheter

Stockholm street race planned for 2009

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The Swedish Touring Car Championship could get two street races in 2009 or 2010 in the two biggest cities of Sweden. Plans for a street race in Gothenburg, the second largest city, are already announced for next year. But plans for a street race in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, have been announced now.

“The city council of Stockholm is very positive and wants to get Stockholm out via TV. That is why they want the race to be as central as possible,” said STCC MD Bob Huzell to the Swedish Newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

A drawing has been developed, showing a planned route in the very center of Stockholm.
“I have heard of that rout and it looks fun. No one would be more happy than me if we could get two street races,” said STCC owner Rickard Pålsson.

The plans for a street race already next year in Gothenburg are quite far progressed. The environmental change for STCC is an important step so that the city officials can allow the championship in the middle of the environmentally aware citizens.
“The plans are realistic for next year, otherwise we would not have said anything about it. But it is also important to get a well planned race,” said Pålsson.

But at the same time Pålsson points out that it is quite far from a drawing to a real race.
“First of all we need to perform a good street race in Gothenburg to show that it really can be done. Then all the safety issues needs to be attended. Perhaps it is not even possible to run a street race in Stockholm according to that drawing, but we will make everything in our powers to make it possible,” said Pålsson.