Lynk & Co Cyan Racing has completed the pre-season winter testing and faces the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) season opener this weekend at the challenging street circuit of Marrakech, Morocco, on April 6-7th.
What is new for this season?
What is the opposition?
The 2019 FIA WTCR season is widely regarded to become one of the toughest in the history of touring car racing where Lynk & Co Cyan Racing will face tough opposition from six manufacturers.
What is the goal for the team?
"We have huge respect for the challenge of the 2019 FIA WTCR season, it is definitely going to be one of the toughest we have ever taken on," said Christian Dahl, founder and owner of Cyan Racing.
"Our long-term goal is to claim the World title and if we can fight for it already in 2019, we would be incredibly proud, but we have still job to do with our brand new race cars."
How have they prepared?
An intense season of winter testing was completed during the official pre-season test at Barcelona in Spain last week and the Lynk & Co Cyan Racing drivers Andy Priaulx, Yvan Muller, Thed Björk and Yann Ehrlacher are quietly optimistic for the coming season.
"I'm delighted to be back in the World Championship, and I consider myself a newcomer, albeit an experienced one," said Andy Priaulx, three-time World Champion.
"I am very happy to drive for Lynk & Co Cyan Racing after a really productive testing programme during the winter. There is no doubt that this season will be really tough, but I am quietly optimistic and can't wait to get going in Morocco next week."
Read more on what the drivers had to say after completing the pre-season testing programme.
What kind of circuit is Marrakech?
Circuit Moulay El Hassan is located in Marrakech, Morocco, and measures 2.971 kilometres with long straights and tight turns. The circuit is designed by renowned circuit architect Hermann Tilke and was completed in 2016.
“There is absolutely no room for mistakes. You will be in the wall directly if you make the slightest of mistakes. It is no doubt one of the most challenging circuits of the calendar and it will definitely keep us on our toes to start the season with it,” said Yvan Muller of Lynk & Co Cyan Racing.
When do they race this weekend?
The season opener in Morocco kicks off on Saturday April 6th with free practice, where the drivers and team fine tune the setup of the cars, qualifying that decides the grid for the first race that runs for 18 laps and starts at 16:50 local time (CET-1).
April 6th
09:00-09:45 – Free Practice 1
11:00-11:30 – Free Practice 2
13:00-14:30 – Qualifying
16:50-17:20 – Race 1 (18 laps)
Day two starts with the second qualifying session that is divided in to three parts and then followed by two races where the grid for the second is determined by reversing the results from the second qualifying session.
April 7th
11:00-11:30 – Qualifying Q1
11:35-11:50 – Qualifying Q2
12:00-12:20 – Qualifying Q3
16:45–17:15 – Race 2 (18 laps)
18:15–18:50 – Race 3 (21 laps)
Where can I watch the races?
All races are broadcast live on Eurosport, visit www.eurosport.com for more information.
How do they score?
Each race weekend consists of three race heats, all giving 25 points for the win all the way down to 1 point for 15th position.
POS: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15
PTS: 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Where do they race more in 2019?
The season opener in Marrakech is the first of ten race weekends that will ultimately crown the 2019 World Touring Car Champion driver and team.
Apr 7 – Marrakech, Morocco
Apr 28 – Hungaroring, Hungary
May 12 – Slovakiaring, Slovakia
May 19 – Zandvoort, The Netherlands
Jun 22 – Nürburgring, Germany
Jul 7 – Vila Real, Portugal
Sept 15 – Ningbo, China
Oct 27 – Suzuka, Japan
Nov 17 – Macau, China
Dec 15 – Sepang, Malaysia
Contact information
Johan Meissner
Press Manager
Cyan Racing
+46(0)70 241 3234
johan.meissner@cyanracing.com
About Cyan Racing
Cyan Racing was founded in 1996 and was formerly named Polestar until Volvo Cars acquired the performance section and trademark in 2015. Cyan Racing is privately owned and operated. The team has claimed multiple titles, most recently the 2018 FIA World Touring Car Cup team title and the double 2017 FIA World Touring Car Championship titles for driver and team – and participated in the development of the Polestar performance models of the Volvo S60 and V60 in the years 2013 to 2015.
About Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co is the new global urban mobility brand addressing the needs and preferences of the connected generation and challenging auto industry conventions. Its products are designed and engineered in Sweden and will be sold globally.