Thed Björk secures best ever WTCC result with last-lap pass

”This feels great! I saved some on the tyres which enabled me to be right there at the end of the race,” said Björk.

The first race saw the four-time STCC champion finishing eighth while he fought his way from sixth on the grid to finish fourth in the final race. Björk was right on the back of the five-car fight for second place and managed to get ahead of Honda driver Norbert Michelisz in the very last corner of the very last lap.

”I saw my chance and I took it. While I got some places in the race due to punctures and we still have a lot to work on, in total, we are closer to the front than I expected this early in the season. I can’t wait for Hungaroring next week to get more of this,” said Björk.

Three-time STCC champion Ekblom was forced to start from the back of the grid in both races due to missing a weight check in qualifying. Just as team mate Björk in France, Ekblom fought hard up through the field to finish tenth in the first race and ninth in the second race, passing seven cars.

”Things have worked well today. I enjoyed being able to climb up through the order in both races. We mad a mess of qualifying yesterday unfortunately which meant that I had to start last, a tough job in such a close field. But the car has been quick in both races and I scored points in both races, something I am pleased with,” said Ekblom.

The combined result of Björk and Ekblom means that the WTCC weekend in Slovakia is the best ever for a Volvo and Polestar Cyan Racing in a World Championship, with Björk climbing to eighth position in the drivers’ championship.

”We have been able to claim our best result so far in our second race weekend with a completely new car and with orders to our drivers to drive tactical. We can’t be anything but pleased with the results and we hope to continue on this momentum next weekend in Hungary,” said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar.

The FIA World Touring Car Championship challenges continues in just one week, heading to Hungaroring for the third race weekend of 2016 on April 23-24th.

WTCC Race of Slovakia

Circuit: Slovakiaring

Length: 5922 m

Lap record (WTCC): 2:05.748, Tarquini

Results

Race 1 – Top 5

1 Tiago Monteiro Honda Civic 11 laps

2 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +2.526

3 Rob Huff Honda Civic +3.119

4 Gabriele Tarquini Lada Vesta +9.247

5 José-María López Citroën C-Elysée +9.453

…

8 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +11.129

10 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +12.567

Race 2 – Top 5

1 José-María López Citroën C-Elysée 12 laps

2 Tiago Monteiro Honda Civic +0.700

3 Nicky Catsburg Lada Vesta +3.260

4 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +3.868

5 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +4.620

…

9 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +7.551

Championship standings

Drivers

1 Tiago Monteiro Honda Civic 77 pts

2 José María López Citroën C-Elysée 76 (-1)

3 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic 50 (-27)

4 Rob Huff Honda Civic 49 (-28)

5 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée 46 (-25)

…

8 Thed Björk Volvo S60 22 (-55)

12 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 4 (-73)

Manufacturers

1 Honda 170 pts

2 Citroën 162 (-8)

3 Lada 85 (-85)

4 Polestar 46 (-124)

TV Schedule

International: https://www.fiawtcc.com/watch-it-on-tv/

Online: http://www.eurosportplayer.com/