Photo: STCC

Fredrik Blomstedt takes maiden STCC victory in Falkenberg opener

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Fredrik Blomstedt took his maiden Scandinavian Touring Car Championship victory in a red-flag interrupted first race at Falkenberg, leading a Kristoffersson Motorsport 1-2-3.

The 26-year-old from Stockholm made the most of a poor start from pole-sitter and KMS team-mate Fredrik Ekblom to lead from start-to-finish in a timed encounter, following a major multi-car start-line incident.

Johan Kristoffersson finished just four-tenths of a second behind Blomstedt despite running full success ballast, while pole-man Ekblom completed the podium in third.

Andreas Ahlberg stalled his Micke Kågered Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI from sixth on the grid and was hit from behind by Lestrup’s Dennis Strandberg, breaking the latter’s suspension and putting both out on the spot.

Mattias Andersson was also forced into retirement at the start as he hit the unsighted Ahlberg, causing terminal damage to his Honda Civic. Further contact was made as Kari-Pekka Laaksonen clipped the second Lestrup car of Albin Wärnelöv as the pair attempted to avoid the stricken Golf.

With cars littered across the start-line, race officials threw the red flag.

Blomstedt led the restarted race from behind the safety car and immediately got the jump on now second-placed Kristoffersson, who managed to squeeze his way past Ekblom on the opening lap of the original race.

From then on, the order remained unchanged at the front as the leading quintet decided to finish rather than take any risks. Surprisingly, championship contenders Kristoffersson and Ekblom held station behind the leading KMS of Blomstedt, despite points leader Dahlgren running just behind them in fourth.

Behind Dahlgren, Daniel Haglöf finished fifth ahead of a chasing pack of five Audis.

Tobias Brink led this group in sixth ahead of Reuben Kressner, while Brink Motorsport team-mate Micke Ohlsson held off the attentions of Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky for eighth.

Joonas Lappalainen completed an impressive recovery from the back of the grid – due to a penalty following contact at the previous round in Solvalla – to score the final point in tenth.

Heading into the second race of the day, Dahlgren maintains a championship lead of six points over Kristoffersson, but PWR may have breathed a sigh of relief that Blomstedt took the win instead.

Race 2 at Falkenberg begins at 13:40 CEST.