Photo: DTM Media

Ekström: “No one in DTM takes STCC seriously”

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Former STCC champion and double DTM champion Mattias Ekström criticizes the path that the STCC organisation has taken for the future in the latest issue of Dalademokraten.
“No one in DTM takes STCC seriously as it works today,” said Ekström to Dalademokraten.

Ekström last drove in the STCC 2000 but has since then been involved in the series with a junior team with efforts in both STCC and JTCC.
“STCC is close to my heart and without STCC I would not have been where I am today. But STCC is too little sport and too much marketing and that makes the series lose its credibility. DTM combines sport and marketing,” said Ekström.

With the current regulations [S2000] and the coming [NGTC], Ekström says that Scandinavia is going to get a tough time getting talents out to international racing.
“STCC has not developed in the way I hoped and believed in. I hoped for a sporting series where the drivers get a chance to show what they can. And that is a shame. Because there are both drivers and teams in Sweden that could do well in DTM,” said Ekström.

The debate between the STCC organisation and the break away series formed by TTA [Touring Car Teams Association] rages on in Scandinavia. Ekström says that the TTA has got the upper hand on STCC.
“TTA has already won the sporting battle with their concept. I do not know who is going to win the commercial battle and that is not as interesting for me. But if TTA manages to pull through the start up process, I think the series has got good chances to succeed,” said Ekström.

TTA currently consists of four teams in the form of BMW dealer team WestCoast Racing, factory Volvo team Polestar Racing and independent teams Flash Engineering and Brovallen Design. The teams have together claimed six of the last seven STCC titles, something Ekström considers a great strenght.
“In my world there is only one Mr STCC and that is Jan “Flash” Nilsson, he is dedicated for the sporting values. He was a part of starting STCC and he has done a lot of good things for Swedish racing,” said Ekström.

Ekström pulled the plug on his junior team last year but says that he could be back in Scandinavian racing with TTA.
“I would like to do a guest race in TTA, that would be cool. And that would be even more fun if Audi was a part of TTA,” said Ekström.