Fredrik Ekblom says he can win all three races in Mantorp finale

Fredrik Ekblom is confident he can win all three races in the final round of the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship at Mantorp Park, such is the pace in his Kristoffersson Motorsport Volkswagen.

Ekblom took a comfortable victory in the morning’s opening race, despite initially losing the lead from pole position to Mattias Andersson’s Honda Civic on the first lap.

The 2007 STCC champion made a daring late-braking lunge on Andersson on the first lap of the restarted race and held onto a lead that was never challenged until the flag.

Ekblom had an outside chance of claiming the title, with points-leader Robert Dahlgren needing just two points from the weekend. Dahlgren finished sixth and took the championship, but Ekblom was still happy to claim his fourth win of the season.

“The race was good for me, it was just the start that was a bit of a mess really,” Ekblom told TouringCarTimes.

“Robert has tried so many times to win the championship so he really deserves it this year. He’d never won it before so I’ve nothing against him winning it today.”

“What can I say? Well done to him and his team.”

Despite starting from the dirtier side of the track, Ekblom was nevertheless surprised to be beaten to the first corner by Andersson’s heavier Honda Civic.

A glitch on the starting lights – in which one set of lights went out before the other – with STCC officials informing drivers to move on the first instance.

Ekblom eventually made his move on Andersson in a well-judged manoeuvre in the Turn Five hairpin at the end of the back-straight. He said: “I expected to be leading into the first corner. I never thought Mattias would get the jump on me, so that was a surprise. The lights on the gantry went out at a different time to the ones on the pit-wall. There was a little delay so Mattias obviously went when the first set went out and I went on the second.

“It is a very small margin and it may not have made such a difference in the end, but for sure I will go on the first lights for race two.”

Ekblom added: “I was borderline on making the corner actually. I was really late on the brakes and nearly went off. But it was a good move and I am happy that I got another win.”

With Dahlgren starting the remaining two races from a lowly 11th on the grid, Ekblom – who starts from pole in race two and second for the final race – is keen to finish the year with more victories, and believes his KMS Volkswagen is capable of winning both.

“The pace is good in the car and I feel like I can go faster. I believe three wins are definitely possible. It would be a good way to end the season,” he said.