Thompson: “Volvo will go from strength to strength”

James Thompson completed his first test with Volvo Polestar last week and the Brit was enthusiastic after his first run in the Volvo C30 S2000.
“The test was very good and I think Volvo will go from strength to strength this year,” said Thompson to TouringCarTimes.

Thompson completed one test day at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain in order to get to know the car and the team.

“I enjoyed doing some mileage, but I wanted to do more. It was a good test, very productive and we got some good ideas for the future as well,” said Thompson.

The Brit has driven a lot of different S2000 cars during the last couple of years, including the Alfa Romeo 156, SEAT Léon and Honda Accord, and was impressed of the Volvo C30.

“It was very good. We can improve it in certain areas, but the basis that we have is very good and the car has obviously been very successful,” said Thompson.

While Thompson took part in some races of the the Scandinavian Touring Car Cup last year, he is new to the majority of the Swedish tracks that he is going to face this season.

“It is going to be quite difficult as I am not going to get much of a chance to see the tracks before the races. But I am confident that the team is going to fill in the gaps for me,” said Thompson.

With Thompson facing opposition such as Rickard Rydell, Jan Magnussen and Richard Göransson in the championship, the tracks are not the only things the Brit is going to battle with.

“It is going to be one of the strongest championships around. I am not underestimating the opposition at all,” said Thompson.

The Brit is aiming for victories for the coming season and is not ruling out a shot at the title.

“The goal is always the championship. But with new tracks and some serious opposition, we will take it race by race. The key thing is to have confidence in the car and we are doing some good progress there,” said Thompson.