Johan Kristofferson launches into title lead with Mantorp Park Race 1 win
Johan Kristoffersson has put one hand on the 2018 STCC drivers’ trophy after going from sixth to first in the first race of the day at Mantorp Park, snatching the lead from early race leader and former championship leader Robert Dahlgren on lap nine.
Andreas Wernersson started the race from pole position and led the early stages, while front-row sitter Hugo Nerman was straight into the gravel at Turn 1 in his KMS Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, who had already been passed by the PWR Racing Cupra of Robert Dahlgren.
Kristoffersson began picking his way forward, passing Mattias Andersson’s MA:GP Honda Civic TCR at Mjölbykurvan on lap two, and then closed in on the tight top-four battle between Wernersson, Dahlgren, Ekblom and Haglöf.
On lap five, Dahlgren took the lead from Wernersson at Turn 1, while Kristoffersson passed Haglöf in a coordinated pass at the same corner just behind to move up to fourth.
Kristoffersson quickly picked off both Fredrik Ekblom’s WestCoast Racing Volkswagen for third and then Andreas Wernersson’s Lestrup Racing Team Volkswagen for second in two identical moves at the chicane over laps six and seven.
The battle for the lead came to a head on lap nine, as Kristoffersson lined up Dahlgren down the back straight and snatched first place at Mjölbykurvan.
Two laps later, Wernersson repeated the same move at Mjölbykurvan with minor contact to Dahlgren’s Cupra TCR, with Fredrik Ekblom then forcing Dahlgren wide at the chicane and grabbed third, while Dahlgren’s team-mate Daniel Haglöf backed off to allow Dahlgren to keep the position.
Kristoffersson went on to win the race by 2.4 seconds over Wernersson, while Ekblom crossed the line third but was soon handed a 2.4 second for his move on Dahlgren and was demoted to fourth, with Dahlgren claiming the final spot on the podium.
Kristoffersson’s win now moves him three points clear in the drivers’ championship, with the final race of the season scheduled for 15:20 CEST.
