The Nürburgring Nordschleife, known as the Green Hell, threw an endless stream of challenges at Polestar Cyan Racing drivers Thed Björk and Fredrik Ekblom. The Volvo duo fought hard, with three-time STCC champion Björk challenging for the lead in the first race.
Björk started the first race of the weekend from third on the grid, made his way into second place on the opening lap and caught race leader Tiago Monteiro at the end of lap one when an oil leak put his race to an end.
”I had the pace on Tiago and we were no doubt in with a shot for at least a podium finish. Unfortunately the car started to leak oil and I had to retire. This is all just part of our learning process but the important thing is that I was in a fight for the lead in only our fifth race of this all-new programme,” said Thed Björk.
Instead it was team mate Ekblom taking over the charge, climbing from 17th on the grid to finish eighth in race one after both passing competitors on track and gaining positions from other drivers retiring.
”I am happy with this result after the dreadful start I got to the weekend. We were able to overcome the issues and the car was so much better in the races, enabling me to make my way up through the field. But what this weekend really has been about is building a solid foundation for the race here next year and we have done just that,” said Fredrik Ekblom.
The engine issue for Björk in the first race had the team racing against time to mend the car with just 20 minutes available for repairs.
The Polestar Cyan Racing mechanics provided Björk, as well as Ekblom, with a strong car for the second race where the Volvo duo climbed through the field to finish seventh and eighth from further down the grid.
”I just can’t thank the team enough, the gave me a really strong car, fast enough to set the third fastest lap of the race. This is something everyone in the team can be really proud of,” said Thed Björk.
Thunderstorms, punctures, technical issues and bumper-to-bumper racing made the WTCC weekend in Germany the toughest one so far of the WTCC season for Polestar Cyan Racing.
"An oil leak denied us a podium finish and potentially a win. But and the end of the day, it's our first time on the ’Ring’ with this car so we are very pleased with the speed. We are progressing well according to plan, team Polestar Cyan Racing is doing a really good job,” said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar.
Next up is the WTCC race of Russia in Moscow on June 12th.
WTCC Race of Germany
Circuit: Nürburgring Nordschleife
Results
Race 1
1 José María López Citroën C-Elysée 3 laps
2 Tom Chilton Citroën C-Elysée +0.526
3 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +6.653
4 Rob Huff Honda Civic +7.971
5 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +10.126
…
8 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 12.983
DNF Thed Björk Volvo S60
Race 2
1 José María López Citroën C-Elysée 3 laps
2 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +0.435
3 Tom Chilton Citroën C-Elysée +0.915
4 Rob Huff Honda Civic +1.908
5 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +2.431
…
7 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +6.072
8 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +8.008
Championship standings
1 José María López Citroën C-Elysée 193 pts
2 Tiago Monteiro Honda Civic 124 (-69)
3 Rob Huff Honda Civic 122 (-71)
4 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic 120 (-73)
5 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée 103 (-90)
…
12 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 30 (-163)
13 Thed Björk Volvo S60 23 (-170)
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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 driver titles and seven STCC team titles with the Volvo 850, S40, C30 and S60.
