Polestar Cyan Racing heads into the mid-week twilight races at Mantorp Park on Thursday where Prince Carl Philip is back behind the wheel alongside team mates and championship leaders Robert Dahlgren and Richard Göransson.
Five fast facts
• Polestar Cyan Racing heads both championships after the season opener
• Dahlgren will carry 60 kilos penalty weight and Göransson 40 kilos
• Last year was the first STCC race at Mantorp short circuit in 15 years
• Richard Göransson claimed his 40th STCC win in the season opener
• Prince Carl Philip won his first STCC race at Falkenberg last year
Prince Carl Philip missed the season opener at Skövde due to the 70th birthday of his father King Carl XVI Gustaf, as well as having become a father himself. For this race Prince Carl Philip is hoping for a strong comeback.
”I love to be back racing in the STCC again. I have raced many times at Mantorp Park before, but never on the short version and never in twilight conditions. So I am really excited to take on these challenges and I hope for a strong points haul,” said Prince Carl Philip.
Team mate Dahlgren got the perfect season start in Skövde with pole position and victory in the first race, heading the drivers’ championship by 28 points, something also meaning that he will carry 60 kilos of penalty weight at Mantorp.
”I have a great feeling after the season start and I’m looking forward to try the twilight concept in the STCC for my first time. Carrying 60 kilos will be tough, but it will also make a strong result even sweeter and I am aiming for the top three again, no doubt,” said Robert Dahlgren.
The season opener took a dramatic twist for Göransson as his car caught fire in the first race due to an incident in the first corner. But the four-time champion was able to bounce back and win the second race thanks to a heroic effort by the team to repair the car in time.
"It was an emotional season premiere, going from fire to my 40th victory in my first ever race with the team. My goal is as always on the top spot of the podium and I know we have what it takes to fight for it," said Richard Göransson.
The STCC races at Mantorp Park runs on the short 1.9 kilometre circuit and is held just over one day. Action starts on the morning of Thursday with testing and qualifying while the first race starts at 18:45 and the second race at 21:00.
”We are very excited about the races on Thursday. First, we have Prince Carl Philip returning to complete our regular 2016 team line-up, then we have a one-day evening race, which I am sure will offer an added challenge for all teams and drivers, as well as a spectacular race for the fans,” said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar.
STCC Mantorp Twilight Race
Circuit: Mantorp Park Short
Length: 1950 m
Lap record (STCC): 0:47.102, Björk
Schedule
(Times in CET)
Thursday 26/5
11:00 Test 1 (30 min)
14:00 Test 2 (30 min)
16:15 Qualifying Q1 (15 min)
16:35 Qualifying Q2 (20 min)
18:45 Race 1
21:00 Race 2
TV Schedule
Sweden: SVT2 – 18:00 27/5
Live online: http://bit.ly/1XUFq0h
Championship standings
Drivers – Top 5
1 Robert Dahlgren Volvo S60 68 points
2 Richard Göransson Volvo S60 40 (-28)
3 Mattias Andersson Dacia SE 37 (-31)
4 Scott McLaughlin Volvo S60 36 (-32)
5 Johan Kristoffersson SEAT León 26 (-42)
Teams – Top 5
1 Polestar Cyan Racing 111 points
2 SEAT Dealer Team 45 (-66)
3 Flash Engineering 44 (-67)
4 Dacia Dealer Team 42 (-69)
5 Brovallen Design 24 (-87)
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
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
26/5 Mantorp Park
18-19/6 Anderstorp
09-10/7 Falkenberg
13-14/8 Karlskoga
02-03/9 Solvalla
23-24/9 Knutstorp
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.