[STCC] Round 3 - Mantorp Park, 18th May 2008

[PorscheFanNo1]

No thread yet? Oh well, heres one then!

Race starts at 15.00 CET, will be streamed live on both SVT.se and also NRK.no (with higer bitrate NRK), coverage starts 1 hour earlier with Pro Superbike and Carrera Cup Scandinavia.

Livetiming on STCC.se

Have fun, I've got VIP tickets from TcT so I'll be there at the track!

[JMeissner]

Schie fastest in the first test:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=2323

Rain hands pole to Engström:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=2325

[Bramzel]

Scary crash caused a code red in the Porsche Carrera race, David Björk punted off at high speed. I hope he's ok..

[werner]

Wow, Bjork was extremely fast in the second quarter of the race! He just overtook everybody without giving them even the slightest chance to defend. A truly deserved victory.
That also makes me wonder why Engstrom what so slow, he was really falling trough the field.
Good to see the Volvo's getting into shape. Apparently they are good in the wet. It's really a shame that they got such bad luck in the first 2 races and have a great gap to fill.
BTW, the standings on TcT are a bit confusing. Dahlgren is missing in the standings, Engstrom and Stureson are both 8th, but Stureson has only 3 points, and Engstrom 5, and when 2 drivers are classified as 8th, then the next one is offcourse not 9th, but 10th. This also goes for the BTCC-scoringtable.

[Pettersson]

Engströms powersteering broke and he also had some problems with the engine as I heard from an interview. Therefore he dropped down. Sad that Andersson had to retire, he had slicks too and would have got at least second place . Don't think he could have challenged Björk.

Anyone else that want STCC to go back to a 2 race format? Or maybe 3 races as in BTCC? I don't think it works as it is. Even in dry conditions it is too much of a lottery on who will win. I would like to see maybe a 20 min sprint race followed by the 40 min race and pitstops. Like they had in BTCC around '98. One single race is not enough and does not suit touring car racing IMO.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Originally Posted by Pettersson

Engströms powersteering broke and he also had some problems with the engine as I heard from an interview. Therefore he dropped down. Sad that Andersson had to retire, he had slicks too and would have got at least second place . Don't think he could have challenged Björk.

Anyone else that want STCC to go back to a 2 race format? Or maybe 3 races as in BTCC? I don't think it works as it is. Even in dry conditions it is too much of a lottery on who will win. I would like to see maybe a 20 min sprint race followed by the 40 min race and pitstops. Like they had in BTCC around '98. One single race is not enough and does not suit touring car racing IMO.

Yeah Andersson was running around battling for last with Lvov for a while on his slicks, but got up to 7th just before the pitstops where something happend, anyone know exactly what?

Schie was fun to watch, he was oversteering in every single corner, his rear tyres totally gone, but he was doing that in the practice sessions too so guess thats just the set-up he likes, afterall he is the Norwegian Rally Champ.

Huggare was also very impressive in the first couple of laps running in 5th - 6th before dropping down, and then both he and Sahlen got a drive through, I dont know why, but that gave the win to the Merc in the Privateers Cup.

And yes, I've said it before, this 1 race format that STCC runs now does not work, it needs to be changed.

[stedevil]

2 races a la WTCC I wouldn't like to see. 3 sprint races like BTCC, well, it's a bit better then the 2 sprint races in WTCC, but I would still prefer the 1 longer race.

1 sprint + 1 longer race could be quite interesting though. It's a nice format that requires a bit different setups and skills so offers more variation the multiple identical race distances. Not sure how well Live TV coverage would adapt to it though.

[Bramzel]

By the way, did anybody else notice that Lvov seemed to have problems driving in a straight line? It looked like he was having some kind of troubles with is car or something? I don't know if it was before the touch with Huggare already (stupid move from Victor, he was driving so well and then spoiled it for himself) or only after, then that could be the reason.

I'm also really annoyed by that stupid splitscreen that they're using all the time for the tv-broadcast. Stick to one screen for christ sake, instead of using this weird solution with 2 screens where you can't see what's happening on either of them. Might work for people with a 48" plasma or something, but on my normal tv it completely wrecks the experience.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Lvov was off the track a few times before the contact with Huggare, he was 3 laps down in the end so think he has more problems then just driving in a straight line.

[stedevil]

Indeed, remember, he is driving the very car that won the championship in 2006. Normally it should be in the middle of the field, not 3 laps behind. But I guess the whole point of him driving in STCC is to gain much needed experience. Let hope he can stay on the same lap by the end of the season

[werner]

aren't classes like JTCC or one-make-cups meant for getting experience?

[PorscheFanNo1]

Well, you can just as well race in STCC to get experience, its just a matter of money really, and there's an opening at KMS to race the Audi since he lost the factory support so anyone that wish can have a go as long as they show the money. Quite simple really.

[werner]

Yes, I know he can, but I don't think he should. On series that consider themselves professional or at least at a high level for instance a qualificationlimit should be in place. I.e qualifie within 107% of the fastest or lose out. Only drivers who have scored points in the last 12 moths or so may be exepted from this rule in case they had technical problems or another form of bad luck.

[PorscheFanNo1]

STCC.se writes that Björk is the first driver to have won STCC races for 3 different manufacturers with this win, which is false as Ekstöm won at Anderstorp 98 in a Ford, won 4 races in 99 with Audi, and won 3 racs in 2000 for Volvo. But I guess they already forgot that... What Ekstöm did is far more impressive then what Björk has done, imho.

[werner]

Nevertheless, nice thing to have done in your career. Would Bjork ever go international to see if he can do things witch can be compared with Rydell and Ekki?

[JMeissner]

Ekström never won for Ford, Edman is the only one that has won a race in a Ford in STCC.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Originally Posted by JMeissner

Ekström never won for Ford, Edman is the only one that has won a race in a Ford in STCC.

Edman won 3 races in 2000, one at Anderstorp and both the final races at Mantorp, Ekström won at Anderstorp in 1998, in the wet where cars where going off the track everywhere, he and Flash was battling for the win through the whole race, Flash won the first race and Ekström the 2nd. If you want I could even dig up the tape, if you cant find any other way to prove me wrong.
That was the same weekend Göransson wrecked his Mondeo and was out for the rest of the season, you can ask him about that, I dont think its a weekend he'd forget.

[JMeissner]

Go ahead, it was Peggen and Flash who won at Mantorp that year

[PorscheFanNo1]

Originally Posted by JMeissner

Go ahead, it was Peggen and Flash who won at Mantorp that year

You could be right... but I'll see if I can dig it up.
So Ekström didnt win a single race in 98 then? Thats odd, well he got his revenge the year after so.