Merited Polestar Cyan Racing line-up meets new challenge in STCC season opener

Five fast facts

• Drivers Richard Göransson and Robert Dahlgren have together claimed 56 STCC victories

• The Skövde circuit is located at an airport and is built just one week prior to the premiere

• Scott McLaughlin races for Volvo Car Australia and is currently placed 2nd overall

• Polestar Cyan Racing has taken part in all STCC seasons since the championship start in 1996 but one

• New for 2016 is that all drivers must exclude their worst race weekend of the season in the points

The level of competition has increased for the 2016 STCC season with new manufacturers like SEAT and Ford, new teams and new drivers.

The line-up for Polestar Cyan Racing is new as well, with four-time STCC champion Richard Göransson, 2010 STC Cup champion Robert Dahlgren and V8 Supercars race winner Scott McLaughlin making a one-off appearance.

”A new team, new team mates and a new car. We had a good pre-season test that really boosted my confidence and I am longing to get going. The most important thing is that the team wins both titles. I do of course want to stand on top of the podium, but we our main objective is to work as a team to claim the titles,” said Göransson.

Göransson broke the lap record of Knutstorp during the pre-season test, with team mate Dahlgren making it 1-1 between the two by being fastest during the second day.

”The feeling is great after the test days at Knutstorp. The STCC looks strong this year and it is not going to be an easy season. The team claimed the best possible result last year and my own expectations in terms of results are as high as possible, I am here to deliver,” said Dahlgren.

Regular driver Prince Carl Philip will miss the first race of the season due to the 70th birthday of his father King Carl XVI Gustaf, as well as having become a father himself in the past week.

McLaughlin from New Zealand substitutes for him this weekend, with the 22-year-old most recently claiming a double V8 Supercars victory for Volvo in Australia two weeks ago.

”I am really happy to get this opportunity and I will of course make the most out of it. It is not going to be easy with just two 30 minute test sessions before qualifying in a completely new car for me. But I welcome the challenge and if we could come away with a podium this weekend, that would be great,” said McLaughlin.

2016 marks the 20th STCC season for Polestar Cyan Racing which has resulted in six drivers’ titles and seven teams’ titles.

”We have had 19 incredible STCC seasons and most importantly setting a new record of three consecutive drivers and teams titles. This makes the challenge even harder this year with a tougher field as our ambition remains the same, a double title. But we have full confidence in our team and drivers and their abilities to face the challenge of the 2016 STCC,” said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar.

The season opener in Skövde starts on Saturday with testing and qualifying, followed by two races on Sunday of 20 minutes each.

Watch the races live on SVT Play and follow the team with inside commentary during the race weekend in our Twitter channel: www.twitter.com/cyanracing

STCC Skövde Airport Race

Circuit: Skövde

Length: 2146 m

Lap record (STCC): 0:50.073, Björk

Schedule

(Times in CET)

Saturday 30/4

11:35 Test 1 (30 min)

14:35 Test 2 (30 min)

17:00 Qualifying Q1 (15 min)

17:20 Qualifying Q2 (20 min)

Sunday 1/5

12:40 Race 1 (20 min)

15:50 Race 2 (20 min)

TV Schedule

Sweden: SVT2 – 18:00 2/5

Live online: http://bit.ly/1XUFq0h

2016 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship Entry List

Driver – Team – Car

Robert Dahlgren – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60

Richard Göransson – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60

Carl Philip Bernadotte – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60

Scott McLaughlin – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60

Johan Kristoffersson – PWR Racing – SEAT León

Emma Kimiläinen – PWR Racing – SEAT León

Daniel Haglöf – PWR Racing – SEAT León

Björn Wirdheim – Flash Engineering – Saab 9-3

Reuben Kressner – Flash Engineering – Saab 9-3

Linus Ohlsson – Flash Engineering – Saab 9-3

Mattias Andersson – Dacia Dealer Team – Dacia SE

Rasmus Mårthen – Brovallen Design – Ford Mondeo

Scandinavian Touring Car Championship 2016 Calendar

31-1/5 Skövde Airport Race

25/5 Mantorp Park

18-19/6 Anderstorp

09-10/7 Falkenberg

13-14/8 Karlskoga

02-03/9 Solvalla

23-24/9 Knutstorp

Drivers

Robert Dahlgren

Lives: Skellefteå, Sweden

Age: 36

Private car: Volvo XC60

Merits:

2013 – STCC – 3rd

2010 – STCC – 2nd

2010 – STC Cup – Champion

2007 – STCC – 2nd

2004 – STCC – 2nd

2001 – Formula Ford UK – Champion

2000 – Formula Ford Europe – 2nd

1998 – Formula Ford Nordic – Champion

1997 – Formula Ford Sweden Junior – 3rd

Richard Göransson

Lives: Örebro, Sweden

Age: 37

Private car: Volvo V60 Polestar

Merits:

2014 – Swedish GT – GTA Champion

2013 – STCC – 2nd

2013 – Nürburgring 24 Hours – 2nd

2010 – STCC – Champion

2008 – STCC – Champion

2008 – ETC Cup – 3rd

2007 – STCC – 3rd

2007 – Nürburgring 24 Hours – SP6 Class Winner

2006 – STCC – 2nd

2005 – STCC – Champion

2004 – STCC – Champion

2002 – Formula Ford Festival UK – 2nd

2001 – European Formula Ford – Champion

1997 – Formula Ford 1600 Nordic – 2nd

1996 – Formula Ford Junior Sweden – Champion

1996 – Formula Ford SSK Sweden – Champion

Scott McLaughlin

Lives: Melbourne, Australia

Age: 22

Private car: Volvo XC60

Merits:

2016 – Bathurst 12 Hour Class B – 1st

2014 – V8 Supercars – 5th

2012 – Dunlop V8 Supercar Series – Champion

2012 – V8 SuperTourers New Zealand Endurance Championship – Champion

2012 – V8 SuperTourers New Zealand Championship – Champion

About Polestar

Polestar is the performance brand of Volvo Cars. The company was founded as a motorsport team in 1996 and has been successful in numerous championships, racing with various Volvo models. In 2009, Polestar started to offer performance related products and thereby intensified the business relations with Volvo Cars. The first performance cars, based on Volvo’s S60 and V60, were launched in 2014.

In 2015, Volvo Cars acquired the performance unit of Polestar, as a strong commitment towards a credible performance offer and with the mission to define future premium performance.

About Cyan Racing

Cyan Racing is the motorsport partner to Polestar. The company is owned by Christian Dahl and handles all motorsport operations of Polestar. Cyan Racing, formerly named Polestar Racing, has claimed five STCC drivers’ titles and seven STCC teams’ titles with the Volvo 850, S40, C30 and S60.