[STCC] 2015 STCC news & rumours

[Motorsportfreak]

Emelie Liljeström will drive for Team KIA
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2015/...oins-team-kia/

[Motorsportfreak]

The regulations are confirmed until 2017.
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2015/...ed-until-2017/

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Motorsportfreak

The regulations are confirmed until 2017.
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2015/...ed-until-2017/

Smart decision.

Keep an eye on the development of TCR and than decide in 2017 what rules are used in 2018.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Soooo... anyone heard any news lately? Only 4 weeks till the frist race...

So what do we have so far? Something like this I think:

• Volvo Polestar - Thed Björk
• Volvo Polestar - Fredrik Ekblom
• Volvo Polestar - Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte
• BMW WCR - Fredrik Larsson
• BMW WCR - 2nd driver, or are all resources on TCR this year?
• Team Tidö - Richard Göransson
• Team Tidö - Jan Nilsson hasnt been confirmed, but last year was supposed to be a preview for 2015?
• KIA Brovallen - Kevin Aabol
• KIA Brovallen - Emelie Ljungström
• Dacia MAGP - Mathias Andersson
• PWR - Emma Kimiläinen
• PWR - Daniel Haglöf on selected races as last year from what I've heard?

Looks like STCC has again failed to attract new teams!

[Motorsportfreak]

Erik Jonsson will drive vor WestCoast Racing (Sport Promotion)
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2015/...ort-promotion/

[PorscheFanNo1]

Pre-season test is under way at Knutstorp.

Right now Thed Björk, not suprsingly, is quickest ahead of Richard Göransson and Mattias Andersson.

In addition to the already announced drivers, we have Roger Samuelsson on track in what I'm guessing is Team Tidös 2nd car. We also have one "TBA" driver, not sure if its the SolutionF development car they sometime run, or if its a driver that might announce his program later. Could be Linus Ohlsson?

In any case, its just 12 cars on track...

[PorscheFanNo1]

• Volvo Polestar - Thed Björk
• Volvo Polestar - Fredrik Ekblom
• Volvo Polestar - Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte
• BMW WCR - Fredrik Larsson
• BMW WCR - Eric Jonsson
• Team Tidö - Richard Göransson
• Team Tidö - Roger Samuelsson
• KIA Brovallen - Kevin Aabol
• KIA Brovallen - Emelie Ljungström
• KIA Brovallen - Erik Johansson
• KIA Brovallen - Rasmus Mårthen
• Dacia MAGP - Mathias Andersson
• PWR - Emma Kimiläinen
• PWR - Daniel Haglöf

So this would be the entry for the first race this weekend I belive (With the questionmark if Rasmus Mårthen will be ready in time for this race).

14 cars in the end will be okey I guess, similar to all previous years with the SoutionF car. Would have been fun if KMS och NIKA could come back to STCC again, but since they where against the SolutionF car since the beginning (cause they had the best S2000 cars with an advantage over the rest) I have a feeling they will never race the SolutionF car at all, as we have seen they will rather not race at all then race this car, which is a shame. Racing on equal terms isnt in their interest I guess...

[porsche962fan]

why doesn't STCC make the sensible thing and allow multi class racing ???


like allow NGTC and/or TCR and slowly phase out Solution F

[PorscheFanNo1]

Give TCR one more year and I think we will be heading in that direction

[DS"]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

14 cars in the end will be okey I guess, similar to all previous years with the SoutionF car. Would have been fun if KMS och NIKA could come back to STCC again, but since they where against the SolutionF car since the beginning (cause they had the best S2000 cars with an advantage over the rest) I have a feeling they will never race the SolutionF car at all, as we have seen they will rather not race at all then race this car, which is a shame. Racing on equal terms isnt in their interest I guess...

Hasn't this series been dominated by Polestar, ever since adopting Solution F? This is hardly racing on equal terms. Hell, why does STCC have to be racing on equal terms? STCC pre-2012 was healthy enough, even though we had different car concepts. The grids were certainly bigger.
I remember that we've had the discussion a year or two ago and some people insisted that the Solution F regulations would need some more time to attract teams and so. Well, where are your additional teams now?

[kurski]

Thed Björk claimed the first Scandinavian Touring Car Championship pole position of 2015, beating Volvo Polestar Racing team mate Fredrik Ekblom by just 0.022 seconds.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2015/...lvo-dominates/

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by DS"

Hasn't this series been dominated by Polestar, ever since adopting Solution F? This is hardly racing on equal terms. Hell, why does STCC have to be racing on equal terms? STCC pre-2012 was healthy enough, even though we had different car concepts. The grids were certainly bigger.
I remember that we've had the discussion a year or two ago and some people insisted that the Solution F regulations would need some more time to attract teams and so. Well, where are your additional teams now?

As someone who supported TTA during the split years (on here, at least, not in person), I'd say that your criticism is actually well founded and Solution-F has failed (in a big way) to live up to my expectations. Looks like we'll be stuck with the current product for at least a few more years, though. So no need to fantasize about multi-class concepts or TCR unless the series experiences some sort of ultimate nose-dive like the Italian Superstar Series did.

[DS"]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

As someone who supported TTA during the split years (on here, at least, not in person), I'd say that your criticism is actually well founded and Solution-F has failed (in a big way) to live up to my expectations. Looks like we'll be stuck with the current product for at least a few more years, though. So no need to fantasize about multi-class concepts or TCR unless the series experiences some sort of ultimate nose-dive like the Italian Superstar Series did.

Well, if Volvo makes true on their "promise" to "reconsider their motorsport activities", then we might have our nosedive here. Also, Westcoast Racing are already in TCR, thus making it seem like they're already looking for an alternative in case STCC goes bust. Then we have teams like NIKA Racing or KMS that went to greener pastures as well, while Engström Racing went bust. Last but not least, the very initiator of the TTA split in the first place has left the series. The only team that seems to be somewhat healthy are Brovallen Design, given that they managed to gather some sort of manufacturer support.

All in all, I'm amazed that despite the split only lasting one year, Swedish touring car racing has really taken a huge damage. While I'm not too deep into the Swedish racing scene, I'm afraid that the damage is permanent and that not even introducing TCR will repair things (right away). Because it seems to take much more to convince the teams that left to come back.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Brovallen seems healthy, but kicking all of your previous (talanted) lineup to the curb in favor of three new pay drivers is a bit of a reality check on how much Kia puts into that effort. It's hard to get excited about talented youngsters if all they get is one season, run out of cash and has to head back to the support categories. That said, that Johansson fellow. Seems real promising, that one.

Also, the first weekend was fun! I don't know what happened in the second race, but boy was it entertaining. Totally understand why some people would be a bit embarrassed, though.

Also, that Kristoffersson v Mangs Porsche fight was about as close as it could get without going real sideways. Very exciting.

And I don't think introducing TCR would help (much). The credibility has already been spent. Not to be a pessimist! But maybe it'll get back to it's glory days in less than a decade. It'll be a long road, so buckle up.

[Speed-King]

And I don't think introducing TCR would help (much). The credibility has already been spent. Not to be a pessimist! But maybe it'll get back to it's glory days in less than a decade. It'll be a long road, so buckle up.

Credibility can be rebuilt fairly quickly if you have the right product. Look how Panoz turned around IMSA/ALMS within a year in the late 90s after Andy Evans' reign of error. Or the instant classic that the 12h of Bathurst have been since allowing GT3-cars.

If TCR can gain some more factory support, (thus enabling local importers to come on board for national series), that would go a long way towards restoring credibility.

[BtccLee]

This is going to sound like a bizarre question but it is something that bugs me with Touring Cars. Badging. Are front and rear badging mandated in the STCC, even though they are silhouettes? See I've noticed in pictures that all the STCC cars run front badging but the rear seems a mishmash, what's the reasoning for the lack of them on the BMW entries?

[kurski]

Thed Björk withstood hard pressure from Fredrik Larsson in the first STCC race at a wet Anderstorp to claim his third straight victory from pole position.

Fredrik Larsson became the first driver to break the Volvo dominance in the STCC races this year by winning the second race at Anderstorp in style. Second Fredrik Ekblom and third was women's Finnish driver Emma Kimiläinen, who had the sick all weekend.

[PorscheFanNo1]

2nd race was really entertaining. Next up is the short layout of Mantorp, this should be really interesting, theres also new tarmac in places so will be a bit different then what they are used to.

[kurski]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Brovallen seems healthy

Where is Brovallen old Citroën C5 TTA cars, why they do not have a grid?

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

It's hard to get excited about talented youngsters if all they get is one season, run out of cash and has to head back to the support categories.

Especially the Swedes open wheel young guys are do not warming up to this idea, when their eyes of sight F1, but would be there to free the market now such as mates John Bryant-Meisner and Kevin Kleveros. STCC teams could eyes the drivers from neighboring countries Denmark or Finland, there's good wheel of men, for example, Aaro Vainio.

[Bramzel]

Originally Posted by kurski

Where is Brovallen old Citroën C5 TTA cars, why they do not have a grid?.

I'm pretty sure they're still running the same cars, only with a Kia bodykit instead of a Citroen one.

[Metzo]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

Next up is the short layout of Mantorp, this should be really interesting, theres also new tarmac in places so will be a bit different then what they are used to.

first STCC race on the short layout since the late 90s? are there any pictures of the updates of the track?

[PorscheFanNo1]

Originally Posted by Metzo

first STCC race on the short layout since the late 90s? are there any pictures of the updates of the track?

Yeah last time STCC ran the short track was in 2000 I belive. It always produced good racing since the entry into that "shortcut"-corner is very very wide, and the exit is banked the wrong way.

The new tarmac is on the 2nd half of "Parisern"-corner and the whole "shortcut"-corner that creates the short-track.

[wallie]

Hey guys this is a totally irravent question that I need answered to get me brownie points with a girl I've met recently,I'm from australia and she's from scandinavian area and she's given me a task to find out who her racing family is, but my only clues are that her dad's an ex touring car driver, her brother a star karter who's career ended in a formula 3 crash 3rd race in and her cousin is a dtm well known driver, can someone pls help me to win her over cheers

[PorscheFanNo1]

DTM driver can only be Mattias Ekström. The rest however doesnt ring a bell...

[Motorsportfreak]

Thed Björk drove 2 DTM Races as well, but he isn´t well known
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thed_Bj%C3%B6rk