Volvo drivers targeting WTCC title as soon as 2017

Volvo factory drivers Fredrik Ekblom and Thed Björk will start their first full season in the WTCC this weekend behind the wheel of the Polestar Cyan Racing Volvo S60, and the two team-mates have praised the “amazing” work put into the car, and believes their unique, open approach will be their biggest asset in 2016, with the championship the goal in 2017.

After a startling display at the pre-season test in Vallelunga, where Thed Björk was just a few tenths of a second behind the pace-setting Citroëns, the four-time Scandinavian Touring Car champion was heaping plaudits on the team.

“The team have put in a lot of effort into the cars,” said Björk to TouringCarTimes. “It’s completely crazy the amount of time they’ve put in. I know every race team can say the same thing, but we can say our team is really amazing.”

The key concern thrown about the paddock is Ekblom and Björk’s lack of experience at the circuits on the WTCC calendar, coming from the tight and twisty Swedish circuits, but neither driver is fazed by the challenge of learning new tracks fast.

“If you’re going to be a professional race driver these days, you can’t expect to know all the tracks because there is so little testing,” said Ekblom. “You have to be able to learn the tracks really quickly else you don’t have a job.”

Volvo’s drivers are setting realistic targets for their first year, but Björk passionately declared he’s aiming for the sky in 2017.

“I think (this year) we can have a race victory, but to be world champions in our first year is not realistic, I’m sorry about that. But second year, we want to be the world champions. If you talk to the team, maybe they have a longer plan, but as a racing driver, we want to win.”

The two drivers both then reflected on their relationship, as team-mates and rivals during the last four years while racing with Volvo in the TTA Series and STCC, with Ekblom winning the title in 2012, and Björk in 2013-15 against light competition in their national series.

“I don’t think we were against each other before,” said Ekblom. “We love to beat each other, and it’s hard being beaten, but I’ve seen how hard he works and he’s earned all the success he got. He’s a close friend, so I don’t think it’ll be any different, but of course, we’re going to have more competitors.”

“Still, we worked together in the team completely open with each other,” added Björk. “Even when we were fighting against each other, we were open on everything we could find to the beat the others on set-up, so I think that’s going to be a help now.

“I would say actually, I’ve had a lot of help from Fredrik during the years, and I’ve helped him as well, and this team spirit we have will really help us to win the championship. It is unique, and I’m happy for this, because if I don’t win, I’m going to make sure he wins.”

“And the same goes for me,” added Ekblom.