Win, explosion, engine failure for Dahlgren

The Swedish Touring Car Championship premiere started in the best possible way for Robert Dahlgren, but ended in the worst possible. Win in race number one and engine failure in race number two.
“The first race was great! The car worked perfectly despite the explosion before the race,” said Dahlgren.

On the grid, right before the start, one of the air hoses inside the car exploded. The windscreen was blown out off on to the tarmac and pieces of the interior blew away high up in the air.

“It was like in a war movie, that someone doesn’t know that their legs are blown off because of the chock. The first thing I did after the explosion was to check if my legs still were there,” said Dahlgren to Aftonbladet.

Fortunately both legs were still attached and the Volvo crew were able to refit the windscreen, allowing Dahlgren to start from pole and take the win in a superior style.

The second race was another story. Dahlgren started eight and worked his way up through the field, but only five laps in to the race the Volvo engine failed.

“The oil temperature rose consistently and then I got alarm for the oil pressure. Right after that the engine just stopped,” said Dahlgren on his website.

His team mate Tommy Rustad, who finished second in the first race, continued the race to finish fourth while Dahlgren stood beside the track.

“The hardest part was to stand beside the track and see the competitors, that you know you can match, get safe points,” said Dahlgren.