Thed Björk defied a tough FIA World Touring Car Cup weekend at MotorLand Aragón in Spain to claim his first podium finish of 2021 with second place in the main race.
The Lynk & Co 03 TCR drivers struggled on the long straights due to the Balance of Performance power and weight levels, making very hard for them to defend from the Audis and Hyundais at the top.
"To be back on the podium feels super good. I knew it was not going to be easy and I had to be right on the edge through the slower parts of the circuit to stay ahead of the Audis on the straights. I am really happy with the performance of the car under the circumstances and a massive thanks to the team for a fantastic car," said Thed Björk.
Yann Ehrlacher had an equally tough first race from third grid position on the reversed grid, finishing fifth - scoring enough points from the weekend in total to climb to second position in the drivers' championship.
"It was a long time since I had such tough races, fighting from the first lap to the last. We hoped for a better result but we did our maximum this weekend. Second place in the championship is not bad but now we have to see what we can do for the next race," said Yann Ehrlacher.
Yvan Muller and Santiago Urrutia had two tough races in Spain, with the Frenchman finishing eleventh and tenth, while the Uruguayan driver finished 12th in Race 1 but retired from the second race.
"It was not the weekend that we wanted. We did not have the pace on the straights to overtake. Let's see what will happen in the next race," said Yvan Muller.
"It was a difficult weekend and I am unhappy with that I could not bring more points. The mistake in qualifying was the big issue as we were not that quick in the races. But I am glad for Thed who took a podium and good points for the team. Now we focus on the next one and see if we can improve," said Santiago Urrutia.
Yann Ehrlacher is eight points from leading driver Jean-Karl Vernay of Hyundai. Yvan Muller is third, 15 points from the lead, while Santiago Urrutia is fourth and Thed Björk ninth.
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co (Ehrlacher/Muller) heads the team standings, 20 points of Hyundai Engstler, with Cyan Performance Lynk & Co (Björk/Urrutia).
The next WTCR round takes place at Adria in Italy on August 1st.
Results - FIA WTCR Race of Portugal
Race 1
Race 2
Standings - Drivers
1 Jean-Karl Vernay 82 points
2 Yann Ehrlacher 74 (-8)
3 Yvan Muller 67 (-15)
4 Santiago Urrutia 60 (-22)
5 Gabriele Tarquini 58 (-24)
...
9 Thed Björk 52 (-30)
Standings - Teams
1 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 141
2 Engstler Hyundai 121 (-20)
3 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co 112 (-29)
4 Münnich Motorsport ALL-INKL.de 111 (-30)
5 Münnich Motorsport ALL-INKL.com 103 (-38)
2021 FIA World Touring Car Cup calendar
03-05 June – Nürburgring Nordschleife – Germany
26-27 June – Estoril – Portugal
10-11 July – Motorland Aragon – Spain
31 July-01 August – Adria – Italy
21-22 August – Hungaroring – Hungary
16-17 October – Inje Speedium – South Korea
06-07 November – Ningbo – China
19-21 November – Circuito de Guia – Macau
Media 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 the last four touring car World Titles, most recently the 2020 WTCR drivers' and teams' titles with Lynk & Co – and participated in the development of the Polestar performance models of the Volvo S60 and V60 in the years 2013 to 2015, including the concept models Volvo C30 and S60 Polestar Concept Prototype. The company launched the Volvo P1800 Cyan in 2020, Cyan Racing’s interpretation of the iconic Volvo sports car from the sixties.
About Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co was created to provide mobility solutions for the connected generation. We do make really, really good cars (the kind that have all the features you want without you having to ask for them), but we also offer a new way of using those cars. Our membership-based approach makes it simple to get on the go. Members can access a car on a flexible, month-to-month basis and share with friends, family, and the Lynk & Co community.