Thed Björk sorry that Tiago Monteiro’s not racing in China

Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk has a strong chance of leaving this weekend in China with the lead of the drivers’ championship, going in just 12 points behind the absent points leader Tiago Monteiro, but the Swede admits that’s not how he’d want to take the lead.

Björk returns to the country where he took Volvo’s first WTCC victory 12 months ago, which has now relocated from Shanghai to Ningbo, just south of Shanghai at a brand-new facility, where he’s the Swedish marque’s best-placed man in the championship battle after six of ten race meetings.

“It’s very sad that Tiago’s not here,” said Björk. “I respect him a lot, both as a driver and as a person. (What’s happened) is one of these things that can happen in motorsport, but also that we’re not very used to, as these cars are so safe.

“I’m very sad, but from a racing point of view, it’s important for our team to do our best this weekend. We really want to win the championship, so we have to keep pushing to try and win the title.

“It’s going to be really tough, as even though Tiago’s not here, Norbi (Michelisz) has shown really good speed, so we have to keep fighting.”