Photo: Mediaempire.se

Preview: Fourth round at Gelleråsen

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Round 4 of the STCC takes place this weekend at Gelleråsen, Karlskoga Motorstadion. The race takes place 7 kilometers North of Karlskoga which is between Karlstad and Stockholm though closer to Karlstad. The track is 2,530km and joined the STCC calendar in 1996. The fastest section of the circuit is the start/finish straight where speeds of up to 211km/h are reached.

Previously at Gelleråsen
Richard Göransson won at Gelleråsen in 2007 after starting third when Thed Bj√∂rk and Tommy Rustad were moved down the grid. Fredrik Ekblom who was leading the championship was second ahead of his team mate Robin Rudholm who let him through. Rudholm battled hard through the field after problems in qualifying but could not get past Göransson, so decided to let his team mate through for the benefit of the team.

The season so far
As last year, Fredrik currently leads the championship heading into Gelleråsen however he is followed closely by Göransson who is only 7 points adrift. Thed Björk currently lies third just 8 points off the lead after a win for Honda in the previous race at Mantorp. The top 5 drivers are all on double figures already meaning the championship is currently wide open.

Quotes prior to the race
Fredrik Ekblom – BMW 320si
“It is nice to be back in the car again. We have done a shakedown and it is going to be fun to go to Gelleråsen, it is my home race. We have good speed this year and I am going to be ready for this weekend.”

Richard Göransson – BMW 320si
“I am always aming for the podium and a victory, but everyone else in the field does that also. Ekblom will never see me in the mirrors, I will be ahead of him all the time.”

Johan Stureson – Peugeot 307
“We have not tested the new car at this track yet, but I think we can perform well enough to take points. The car has many good qualities, but also weaknesses that we are fixing one by one.”

Schedule – Sunday 1 June
09.00 – Pro Superbike Test
09.30 – STCC Test
10.30 – Superkart Race
11.00 – Carrera Cup Race
11.30 – Lunch
12.25 – STCC Qualifying
12.50 – STCC Super Pole
13.20 – JTCC Race
14.00 – Pro Superbike Race
15.00 – STCC Race
16.00 – Radical Race