Robert Dahlgren: “We had the title in our hands”
Robert Dahlgren has lamented the loss of the 2018 drivers’ title, after the 2017 champion seemed set to retain his title after leading the way in the early stages of the first race of the season finale this weekend at Mantorp Park.
PWR Racing Cupra driver Dahlgren had gone in with a seven-point lead in the drivers’ championship over archrival Johan Kristoffersson, and went from third to first in the first few laps of Race 1, before he was caught and passed by a charging Kristoffersson, later losing ground and eventually crossing the finishing line back in third position.
Dahlgren would need to move forward in Race 2 and finish ahead of Kristoffersson, but after just five laps the Swede suffered his first mechanical DNF in two years, which immediately ended his title hopes.
“We had it in our hands, and we didn’t grab it,” said Dahlgren to TouringCarTimes. “Also, on the same token, the Volkswagen team and Johan did a great job, especially in Race 1. I didn’t have anything more in Race 1 than what you saw. In Race 2 we made some fairly big changes and it was definitely a step forward, and I think we were quick enough to win.
“But then the gearbox started to have some long cuts between gears two and three, and then the cut was just longer and longer, and all of a sudden I didn’t have any drive. I haven’t had a problem with the gearbox or the car all year, or the year before, so it was time for it to happen now I assume.”
Although the team lost out on the drivers’ title, Dahlgren and his PWR Racing – SEAT Dealer Team-backed team-mate Daniel Haglöf had already ammassed enough points before the weekend to secure PWR Racing and SEAT their first teams’ title
“It’s been great year for PWR as a team. We’ve done a great job winning the teams’ championship and the junior championship with Philip (Morin), so we won two out of three, but it was the drivers’ championship I was after,” he added. “We did what we could but we didn’t do the right things at the right time at the end.”
