Mattias Andersson rues early season troubles after positive Mantorp weekend

Mattias Andersson believes his Honda Racing Sweden team has finally got to grips with its Honda Civic TCR car after scoring a double podium finish in the STCC season finale at Mantorp Park.

Andersson enjoyed his best weekend of the 2017 season, claiming a trio of front-row starting positions, including pole for the third and final race.

Despite leading early in both the first and third races, Andersson was unable to become the first non-SEAT/Volkswagen race winner, having been beaten by Kristoffersson Motorsport’s Fredrik Ekblom in race one and Fredrik Blomstedt in the final encounter.

Nevertheless, Andersson was content to finish the season as best-of-the-rest behind the runaway leaders.

“We had a good qualifying yesterday, our best of the year and that really set us on the right course for the races. It’s my home circuit so I know it very well and we decided to focus on the qualifying because it is really difficult to pass here,” Andersson told TouringCarTimes.

“We struggled a little bit with the tyre wear in the races, but we expected that with the heavier car. And I also had some difficult opponents today in Ekblom and Dahlgren, but we can be happy with how we have finished the season,” Andersson added.

Early season troubles with the car left Andersson fighting to get out of Q1 on the opening weekend in Knutstorp, but significant work with JAS – who help run the Honda Racing Sweden team – enabled Andersson move back towards the front-runners.

It is something Andersson was left ruing come the end of the season.

“If only the season started this weekend, we could have had such a different year. Of course the start of the year, we were still getting used to this formula and the new engine,” Andersson said.

“It was also our first year running a front-wheel-drive car too, so that played a part. Now we are at a point where we are happy with the progress and we look forward to continuing this form into 2018,” Andersson concluded.