The 2015 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship season starts this weekend with new challenges awaiting defending champions, Volvo Polestar Racing, as the first race of the year takes place at a brand new event: STCC Volvo Race Skövde.
A total of 13 drivers from seven teams, representing Volvo, BMW, Kia, Dacia and Saab, will take part in the 2015 STCC season start at the all-new STCC Volvo Race Skövde this weekend. The circuit is located in Skövde, one of the key cities for Volvo in terms of manufacturing and partners.
The all-new circuit at Skövde Airport features a high-speed layout (above), around the runway’s perimeter. Organisers and teams believe the circuit will put high demands on drivers this weekend, as they have to learn during the race weekend without any prior experience or data to rely on.
“Skövde is one of the most important races of the calendar, especially as it is the home race for many of our partners and we are excited to get to an all-new circuit. We have a stellar line-up for the season and look forward to start our charge to challenge for the 2015 STCC titles,” said Christian Dahl, CEO of Polestar.
“One of the best things for me is to learn new circuits and to start the season with a brand new airport circuit suits me perfectly, especially as we have a lot of Volvo fans and partners in Skövde,” said reigning driver’s champion, Thed Björk.
Björk claimed his second straight STCC title in 2014 and is aiming to become the first ever driver to win three straight titles, a feat no other driver has accomplished in the 19-year history of the championship.
The 2015 season will see several changes implemented in the championship, with revisions to the qualifying format, tire supplier, and the inclusion of a ‘twilight’ race.
The 2014 regulations stated that the grid for the first race would be reversed on the result of the first qualifying session. This year the grid will instead be reversed for the second race. The change has been done after criticism was voiced over slower drivers starting in front for the first race, causing accidents that made drivers miss the second race.
Other changes for 2015 will see Michelin replace Yokohama as sole tire supplier to the championship, whilst the inclusion of a single day twilight event at Mantorp Park rounds out the major changes. The third race of the year on June 25th will be held over one day with qualifying in the morning and races in the evening, using the short circuit of Mantorp Park for more action to the spectators.
The full 2015 STCC calendar is as follows;
• 08-09 May – Skövde Airport
• 29-30 May – Anderstorp
• 25 June – Mantorp Park
• 10-11 July – Falkenberg
• 14-15 August – Karlskoga
• 11-12 September – Solvalla
• 25-26 September – Knutstorp
