Lynk & Co Cyan Racing suspends WTCR competition on safety grounds

Tyre failures has become a recurring occurrence in the 2022 WTCR season. As a result, the WTCR race of Germany in May was cancelled on grounds of safety.

The most recent race weekend at Vallelunga in Italy saw Cyan Racing having to call for actions from the WTCR stakeholders again prior to qualifying after continued tyre issues, including a crash for Yvan Muller at over 220 km/h. Subsequently, the team had to withdraw from both races, in which only a handful of cars of the remaining 11-car field finished without a tyre failure.

The Lynk & Co 03 TCR model has, as per the Balance of Performance of the WTCR stakeholders, been the heaviest car of the field since its introduction in 2019 - currently running 80kg heavier than the championship leading Hyundai Elantra N TCR model. This means that the Lynk & Co cars of Cyan Racing has been most frequently and most severely affected by the 2022 tyre failures.

After the team failed to find a satisfactory solution with the WTCR stakeholders in the week leading up the next race at Anneau Du Rhin race in France (August 6-7), Cyan Racing has in consultation with Geely Group Motorsport decided to suspend further World Touring Car Cup competition.

"We have a tyre this year that cannot handle the Balance of Performance and Compensation Weight window for all cars on all tracks. And our car runs heaviest of all. As a result, our drivers are subjected to tyre failures at high speeds and crashes. It is simply not possible for Cyan Racing to continue the season in a safe manner,” said Fredrik Wahlén, team manager of Cyan Racing.

"It is the toughest decision we have ever taken as every single member of Cyan Racing is here to win and have sacrificed a lot of things to get where we are today. But we can’t race in a safe way under the current circumstances and safety is our number one priority. We wish to thank the FIA for their support during these tough circumstances."

The decision means that the five-car, five-time world champion team will not take part in this weekend's races at Anneau Du Rhin in France or any of the yet-to-be-confirmed remaining rounds of the 2022 WTCR season.

"It has been a prolonged and incredibly frustrating situation for the team, the drivers, commercial partners and fans, a situation which have progressively pushed us out of the championship. We are very thankful for the efforts of the FIA in trying to find a solution. Unfortunately, the combined effort of the WTCR stakeholders could not present a satisfactory solution to enable Cyan Racing to participate in the WTCR in a safe manner," said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Geely Group Motorsport.

Background

• The Lynk & Co 03 TCR is the heaviest car of the WTCR field and has been since its introduction in 2019 due to the Balance of Performance of the WTCR stakeholders, meaning that tyre failures occur earlier and more frequently compared to other models in the WTCR
• The second race of the 2022 season at the Nürburgring in May was cancelled by the WTCR stakeholders due to safety reasons connected to tyre performance
• Cyan Racing has worked with the WTCR stakeholders and the tyre supplier during testing and races to find a solution, including to run car setup parameters provided by the tyre supplier, but with no improvement to the problem
• Cyan Racing withdrew from the WTCR races at Vallelunga in July following severe tyre safety issues during practice, including a high-speed crash for Yvan Muller
• Cyan Racing called for firm actions from the WTCR stakeholders prior to the WTCR races in Italy, none were made
• Several competitors suffered tyre failures during the WTCR races at Vallelunga, including cars from Audi, Cupra and Honda
• The WTCR stakeholders have proposed unsatisfactory changes ahead of the WTCR races at Anneau Du Rhin, meaning that the Lynk & Co 03 TCR cars of Cyan Racing would still run with more weight than at the Nürburgring where the races were cancelled on tyre safety grounds
• The remaining part of the 2022 WTCR calendar is still not confirmed by the WTCR stakeholders, not allowing Cyan Racing any possibilities to perform simulations and calculations connected to tyre safety performance for the remaining races
• No race specification tyres have so far been made available for private testing, making it impossible for teams to complete further validation of tyres

Ends.

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 five touring car World Titles, most recently the 2021 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.