Photo: STCC

Robert Dahlgren edges closer to STCC title with Race 3 victory

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Robert Dahlgren has put one hand on his first Scandinavian Touring Car Championship title after claiming a lights-to-flag victory in the third race at Anderstorp.

The PWR Racing driver’s 25 points for the win extends his lead in the points over Kristoffersson Motorsport’s Fredrik Ekblom to 75 points with 79 still available in a fortnight.

Dahlgren made the ideal start from pole position and headed Ekblom’s team-mate Fredrik Blomstedt for the duration of a race which exploded behind the leading quartet.

Completing the podium was the second PWR car of Daniel Haglöf, while Ekblom finished a despondent fourth.

Blomstedt got to within touching distance of Dahlgren in the closing stages but never looked likely to mount a full-blown attack for the lead and settled for seventh podium of the season.

After controversial contact in the second encounter, Haglöf and Ekblom raced cleanly in the final race and while Ekblom had the edge early on, Haglöf made a well-judged overtake down the inside of Turn 4 to all but extinguish Ekblom’s already slim title chances.

Behind the top four, there were tales of what coud have been, with a number of drivers missing out on points-scoring positions.

After scoring his maiden podium in Race 2, Joonas Lappalainen crashed out of a potential fifth place with a mistake on the exit of Turn 4.

Also ending their race at Turn 4 was Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, who slid off track following slight contact with the Honda Civic of Marcus Annervi – who finished eighth.

Andreas Ahlberg was another to find himself in strife. He was disqualified after failing to serve a drive-through penalty for turning around Mattias Andersson’s Honda.

Andersson was tipped into a half-spin and eventually scored a solitary point after the Team LMS SEAT of Olli Kangas was handed a jump-start penalty.

Tobias Brink of Brink Motorsport and Dennis Strandberg of Lestrup Racing enjoyed quieter third races and were rewarded with fifth and sixth respectively.

As a result of the penalties distributed to those in front, Reuben Kressner, Micke Ohlsson and Andersson completed the points-paying positions.