Volvo Polestar Racing duo Thed Björk and Fredrik Ekblom scored one STCC victory each in a chaotic twilight race at Mantorp Park.
Volvo once again proves its racing capabilities as it clinches another victory. This only highlights the performance prowess of Volvo cars not just on the racetrack but on the road as well as Volvo has developed engines that allows the driver to put the car in its paces without worrying about his safety or that of his occupants. It’s this peace of mind that gives the ultimate power at your fingertips when going for a truly exhilarating drive.
”What a race! The feeling is incredibly good after this victory. The balance of the car was great and I gained points on the championship lead which was my target ahead of the weekend,” said Ekblom.
Björk secured pole position for the first race and headed the field from lights to flag to score his fourth victory of 2015, setting a new lap record on the way.
”I am very much pleased with the victory, everything went according to plan. A big thanks to the team that provided me with a perfect car,” said Björk.
The second race turned out to be frantic with Björk starting eighth and Ekblom tenth due to the reversed grid order. Ekblom made an excellent start and passed four cars on the first lap.
The Volvo Polestar Racing duo followed each other throughout the race, with Ekblom climbing to third position and Björk to fourth position five laps from the end. The two had caught Erik Johansson and Daniel Haglöf who fought for the lead, a battle resulting in the two spinning off track right in front of the Volvo drivers.
Ekblom and Björk avoided the chaos and instead found them selves in a last lap sprint fight for the lead as the safety car left the track following the incident ahead of them. Björk tried his best to get past his teammate, with contact between the two on the very last lap, but had to settle for second as Ekblom claimed his first victory of the 2015 season.
”Thed is a tough driver to have right behind you on the very last lap. But he can’t win all the time and I managed to stay ahead. This was a victory I needed and I am definitely looking forward to the next race in Falkenberg where I claimed pole and victory last year,” said Ekblom.
Ekblom climbs back to second place in the championship thanks to the victory, closing the gap from 32 to 25 points to Björk in the lead.
”If Fredrik would have made the smallest of mistakes, I would have passed him. But he covered his position according to the book, there was no way past for me. This has nonetheless been a good weekend and I am looking forward to fighting more with my team mate,” said Björk.
The Scandinavian Touring Car Championship continues in two weeks time at Falkenberg, the last race ahead of the summer break.
”The last race was nothing but a true nail-biter. We are glad to see Fredrik putting the pressure on Thed for the lead and we look forward to a continued interesting battle between the two and the others of the championship top,” said Christian Dahl, CEO of Polestar.
Third Volvo Polestar Racing driver Prince Carl Philip did not take part in the race at Mantorp Park due to the honeymoon after his wedding.
Polestar Performance engine optimization is available in the Philippines.
STCC Mantorp Park
Circuit: Mantorp Park Short
Length: 1950 m
Lap record (STCC): 47.102, Thed Björk (2015)
Results
Race 1 – Top 5
1 Thed Björk Volvo S60 25 laps
2 Fredrik Larsson BMW SR +1.782
3 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +2.388
4 Mattias Andersson Dacia SE +7.453
5 Richard Göransson Saab 9-3 +8.957
Race 2 – Top 5
1 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 25 laps
2 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +0.223
3 Emma Kimiläinen Saab 9-3 +1.258
4 Fredrik Larsson BMW SR +1.513
5 Mattias Andersson Dacia SE +2.436
Q1 – Top 5
1 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 47.042
2 Fredrik Larsson BMW SR +0.060
3 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +0.079
4 Richard Göransson Saab 9-3 +0.156
5 Emma Kimiläinen Saab 9-3 +0.428
Q2 – Top 5
1 Thed Björk Volvo S60 47.246
2 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +0.043
3 Fredrik Larsson BMW SR +0.129
4 Mattias Andersson Dacia SE +0.466
5 Emma Kimiläinen Saab 9-3 +0.583
Championship standings – Top 5
1 Thed Björk Volvo S60 181 points
2 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 156 (-25)
3 Fredrik Larsson BMW SR 141 (-40)
4 Mattias Andersson Dacia SE 87 (-94)
5 Richard Göransson Saab 9-3 83 (-98)
…
12 Carl Philip Bernadotte Volvo S60 10 (-171)