Volvo pleased with best WTCC finish so far

Volvo Polestar-driver Robert Dahlgren finished sixth in the final race of the race weekend in Japan, securing their best ever finish in WTCC.
“This feels really good, the car performed really well on this track and this is a perfect kick off for next year,” said Dahlgren.

Dahlgren held a strong pace during the practice sessions but only managed 14th in the qualifying session. The team discovered a problem with the engine after the qualifying and were forced to change the engine, sending Dahlgren down to 24th of the grid.

The first race saw Dahlgren finishing tenth after making his way up through the field. The Swede then gained another four positions in the second race, crossing the line as sixth.

“There were oceans of water on track, I had to “double brake” before and after the puddles. The results of today feels like a great end to the season, not only for me, but also for everyone at Volvo Polestar. We have had setbacks in our previous WTCC races, this weekend gave us the boost we need for 2011,” said Dahlgren.

Team boss Christian Dahl was equally pleased with the result from the weekend in Japan.

“We are more than pleased with the weekend. Everyone has worked very hard on this project and we got a good confirmation of the fact that we can match the top of WTCC. This gave us a taste for more and a good feeling ahead of the coming season,” said Christian Dahl, MD for Volvo Polestar.

The race in Japan is the last part of this year’s preparations ahead of 2011 when Volvo Polestar and Dahlgren are going to do a full season of WTCC as evaluation for an official participation in 2012.

“It has been great to see Polestar Volvo working continuously forward to these results. They are more than ready for their development season in WTCC and we are looking forward to follow their progress on track next year,” said Magnus Jonsson, Chairman of the Motorsport Board at Volvo Car Corporation.