Strong pace from Volvo as they run against competition for the first time

The two-day test in Vallelunga was the first time the Polestar Cyan Racing Volvo S60s have shared the circuit with the cars and drivers with which they’ll be competing with in 2016, and with drivers Thed Björk third fastest overall on both Wednesday and Thursday, and Fredrik Ekblom fifth on the second day despite a minor off, there were strong signs for the season ahead.

The blue S60s had a relatively trouble free first day, at least from the outside, while on the second day Fredrik Ekblom damaged the car in the tricky conditions as the Italian circuit was hit by rain, and a technical issue saw Björk miss much of the afternoon running.

“We have had two extremely valuable test days,” said Björk. “While we can’t draw any real conclusions until the first race, it is satisfying to see that we straight out of the box are quite close to the top times.”

Team-mate Ekblom was also happy with the progress made during the two-day test, but admits there’s still work ahead for the Swedish manufacturer.

”We have waited for a long time to get on track with the competitors of the championship,” he said. “We worked through a lot of vital issues during the days, providing us with a lot of answers. There is still plenty of work ahead of us all season but the feeling is good ahead of the first race.”