Robert Dahlgren cruises to victory in Anderstorp Race 1
PWR Racing’s Robert Dahlgren took a comfortable victory in the first race of the day at Anderstorp, finishing ahead of the two Brink Motorsport Audis of Andreas Wernersson and Tobias Brink, and now takes the joint-lead of the standings.
After a long hold, both Dahlgren and Wernersson managed to hold off the MA:GP Honda Civic TCR of Mattias Andersson into the Södra kurvan, with Dahlgren quickly pulling away leaving Wernersson to fight with Andersson.
Three corners later, and both PWR’s Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky and the Honda of Andersson were caught out when Tobias Brink, who’d started fifth, drove around the outside of both of them at the Grand Prix Kurvan and into third.
From there, the top four settled down, while the main focus was on Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky as she defended to keep back the Micke Kågered Racing Volkswagen of Andreas Ahlberg.
Eventually, the pressure relented as the race drew on, and when Jessica Bäckman, who’d been released following a drive-through penalty for the other Volkswagen of Tomas Engström, closed up on the rear of Ahlberg’s Volkswagen.
Dahlgren went on to win the race by a clear seven seconds ahead of Wernersson’s Audi, with Tobias Brink third.
Mattias Andersson finished a quiet fourth ahead of Åhlin-Kottulinsky’s Cupra, with Ahlberg the best of the Volkswagens in sixth.
Jessica Bäckman took seventh for Hyundai on the South Korean marque’s Scandinavian debut, while Jonas Lynge was the best-placed of the Danish contenders on his debut, finishing in ninth in his Insight Racing Honda.
Race 2 follows at 15:20 CEST, with Jessica Bäckman on pole for the reversed grid race.
