2006 STCC News & Rumours - Page 7

rustyfan · 14 Mar 2006, 10:01 (Ref:1547813)

Finally official: IPS Motorsport expands to two-car team!

It's now official that IPS Motorsport indeed will expand to a two-car team, fielding two Peugeot 407 in the STCC this year. Stefan Söderberg will be the driver of the second car, returning to Sweden after racing single seaters in the UK the last couple of years.

Awesome news, and the STCC just keeps getting better and better

Bezzen · 14 Mar 2006, 10:03 (Ref:1547814)

Stefan Söderberg will drive a Peugeot 407 for IPS Motorsport.

Söderberg has been racing in the UK Formula Renault championship in the last years with a couple of podium finishes. In 2001 he was third in the Swedish Formula Ford Zetec championship (Storckenfeldt won that year with Sandström second).

http://www.teknikensvarld.se/motorsp...berg/index.xml

Some career info:
http://www.driverdb.com/racingdriver910.html

Bezzen · 14 Mar 2006, 10:06 (Ref:1547816)

damn, you beat me to it

rustyfan · 14 Mar 2006, 11:31 (Ref:1547869)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bezzen

damn, you beat me to it

By a whoppin' two-minute margin

As far as I can tell, this is how it looks so now:

Confirmed Entries
West Coast Racing, Robin Rudholm, BMW E46
West Coast Racing, Duncan Huisman, BMW E46
Polestar Racing, Alexander Storckenfeldt, Volvo S60
Polestar Racing, Robert Dahlgren, Volvo S60
Engström Motorsport, Tomas Engström, Honda Accord
IPS Motorsport, Johan Sturesson, Peugeot 407
IPS Motorsport, Stefan Söderberg, Peugeot 407
Opel Team Sweden, Nicklas Karlsson, Opel Astra GTC
Team Italienska Bil, Mattias Andersson, Alfa 156
Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, Jan Nilsson, BMW E90
MB Sport, Tobias Johansson, Mercedes C200
Picko Troberg Racing, David Björk, BMW E46

Jocke Frid, BMW (Privateer Cup Entry)
(Frid has bought the car Johan Nilsson used last year.)

All But Confirmed/Likely/Rumoured/Pure Speculation
KMS, Fredrik Ekblom, Audi A4
(Only thing left is the official announcement. Supposedly, anyway.)

KMS, TBA, Audi A4
(Possibly Thed Björk. He is, apparently, is having some sponsor-problems though. Team boss Tommy Kristoffersson will probably take the seat if Björk can't.)

KMS, TBA, Audi A4
(Possibly two-time STCC Champ Roberto Colciago - if Kristoffersson gets his way, at least.)

Opel Team Sweden, TBA, Opel Astra (old ex BTCC car)
(No decision has officially been made about fielding a second car yet.)

Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, Richard Göransson, BMW E90
(Although very likely, Richard Göransson has not been officially announced yet.)

MB Sport, Hans Simonsson, Mercedes C200
(Hans Simonsson will most likely return for a second season.)

Team Agrol, Daniel Haglöf, Honda Civic? (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(Been quiet for over a month about Haglöf, but a Privateer Cup effort should be reasonable to expect.)

Jens Hellström, Honda Civic Type-R (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(Likely to enter the car he drove last year into the Privateer Cup. Nothing officially announced yet, however.)

Robban Kihlbom, BMW? (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(As before, supposedly in the works but it's been very, very quiet about this program as of late...)

JN Racing, Johan Nilsson, BMW? (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(Has sold the BMW he used in 2005 to Jocke Frid - no word if Nilsson plans to race again in 2006. Been dead-silent about this effort so far.)

rustyfan · 16 Mar 2006, 09:01 (Ref:1550095)

Jens Hellström won't return to the STCC this year. In an interview with IB Motorsport today he mentions that he had some interesting leads for this season but wasn't able to get a budget together.

The question that now materializes is obviously what Engström Motorsport will do with the Honda Civic which Hellström drove last year. It's no secret that it's for sale, and hopefully there is some privateer out there working on putting a deal together. Engström did mention in an earlier interview that it might end up in some other European series, but that he hoped it would remain in Sweden. Time will tell, as usual.

rustyfan · 16 Mar 2006, 12:46 (Ref:1550209)

Some speculation by Jan-Erik Berggren in the Swedish tabloid Expressen today includes:

- Veidec/Flash Engineering might field a third car this season, the one Nilsson drove last year.

- Calle Rosenblad will return to the STCC this season after spending the last couple of years driving in the WTCC independents class.

Remains to be seen how accurate he is.

PorscheFanNo1 · 16 Mar 2006, 12:50 (Ref:1550214)

Jan-Erik Berggren at expressen writes that Carl Rosenblad will return to STCC this year. I cant find any info about that on Crawford Racing's homepage, so maybe its not official yet. If would be nice to see Crawford Racing in STCC again, they did quite well in 2003, and they also had some very good results in ETCC and WTCC 04 and 05.

EDIT: Too slow, as usual.

rustyfan · 16 Mar 2006, 16:16 (Ref:1550319)

PeO Kjellström, journalist at the Swedish tech-magazine Teknikens Värld, adds some interesting speculation to the ongoing silly season:

- Håkan Holmberg is supposedly working on an effort that would see Ford making a return to the STCC.

- Daniel Haglöf might end up driving Opel Team Sweden's Opel Astra from last year.

Haglöf ending up in the second Opel sounds like something that actually could happen, but that Ford-deal... considering it has come pretty much out of nowhere I'll believe it when I see it

PorscheFanNo1 · 16 Mar 2006, 18:53 (Ref:1550434)

Wanted to update your list a little.

Confirmed Entries
West Coast Racing, Robin Rudholm, BMW E46
West Coast Racing, Duncan Huisman, BMW E46
Polestar Racing, Alexander Storckenfeldt, Volvo S60
Polestar Racing, Robert Dahlgren, Volvo S60
Engström Motorsport, Tomas Engström, Honda Accord
IPS Motorsport, Johan Sturesson, Peugeot 407
IPS Motorsport, Stefan Söderberg, Peugeot 407
Opel Team Sweden, Nicklas Karlsson, Opel Astra GTC
Team Italienska Bil, Mattias Andersson, Alfa 156
Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, Jan Nilsson, BMW E90
MB Sport, Tobias Johansson, Mercedes C200
Picko Troberg Racing, David Björk, BMW E46

Jocke Frid, BMW (Privateer Cup Entry)
(Frid has bought the car Johan Nilsson used last year.)

All But Confirmed/Likely/Rumoured/Pure Speculation
KMS, Fredrik Ekblom, Audi A4
(Only thing left is the official announcement. Supposedly, anyway.)

KMS, TBA, Audi A4
(Possibly Thed Björk. He is, apparently, is having some sponsor-problems though. Team boss Tommy Kristoffersson will probably take the seat if Björk can't.)

KMS, TBA, Audi A4
(Possibly two-time STCC Champ Roberto Colciago - if Kristoffersson gets his way, at least.)

Opel Team Sweden, Daniel Haglöf, Opel Astra (old ex BTCC car)
(Daniel Haglöf looks set to join Nicklas Karlsson in the ex Tommy Rustad car.)

Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, Richard Göransson, BMW E90
(Although very likely, Richard Göransson has not been officially announced yet.)

Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, TBA, BMW E46
(Flash's old E46 might be driven by a new gun, no real hint about by whom yet though.)

MB Sport, Hans Simonsson, Mercedes C200
(Hans Simonsson will most likely return for a second season.)

Eje Elgh Motorsport/Crawford Racing, Carl Rosenblad, BMW E46
(Supposedly making a return to STCC after two years in ETCC/WTCC.)

Robban Kihlbom, BMW? (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(As before, supposedly in the works but it's been very, very quiet about this program as of late...)

JN Racing, Johan Nilsson, BMW? (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(Has sold the BMW he used in 2005 to Jocke Frid - no word if Nilsson plans to race again in 2006. Been dead-silent about this effort so far.)

Håkan Holmberg, Ford Focus
(Altho not very likely, but who knows, he might be there on the starting grid.)

JMeissner · 17 Mar 2006, 17:24 (Ref:1551267)

The privateer Ford is confirmed.

PorscheFanNo1 · 17 Mar 2006, 17:47 (Ref:1551284)

Well look at that.

He'll only race 3 to 4 races tho, but still, thats great news.

**FIRE** · 17 Mar 2006, 18:16 (Ref:1551312)

Is it a former RS-Line or Hotfiel Focus?

PorscheFanNo1 · 17 Mar 2006, 19:27 (Ref:1551385)

stcc.se writes "The car has never been driven in WTCC but has been built and developed by the same team that runs Ford's WTCC program. The car is of the 2003 specifications wich classifies it for the Privateers cup."

Then you do the thinking.

kmchow · 18 Mar 2006, 19:36 (Ref:1552101)

I am extremely humbled that Sweden, a country of limited population and freezing weather, can have a relatively stable(??) and strong S2000 series. Yet Canada and US can't even afford one. OTOH, I guess North America has Nascar/Cascar while Sweden never had any serious motorsport series until the STCC was first created in the good 'ol ST days! So now the STCC seems to be the top tier series in Sweden. And we owe it all to Rickard Rydell/Volvo!!

rustyfan · 20 Mar 2006, 09:53 (Ref:1553887)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmchow

I am extremely humbled that Sweden, a country of limited population and freezing weather, can have a relatively stable(??) and strong S2000 series.

I'd say it's been quite a few years since the STCC was this stable - the change in ownership as well as the return to terrestial TV has made wonders for the championship, and the teams are working harder than ever on getting their programs together (in terms of building new cars, adding cars and bringing in top drivers).

Current status:

Confirmed Entries
West Coast Racing, Robin Rudholm, BMW E46
West Coast Racing, Duncan Huisman, BMW E46
Polestar Racing, Alexander Storckenfeldt, Volvo S60
Polestar Racing, Robert Dahlgren, Volvo S60
Engström Motorsport, Tomas Engström, Honda Accord
IPS Motorsport, Johan Sturesson, Peugeot 407
IPS Motorsport, Stefan Söderberg, Peugeot 407
Opel Team Sweden, Nicklas Karlsson, Opel Astra GTC
Team Italienska Bil, Mattias Andersson, Alfa 156
Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, Jan Nilsson, BMW E90
MB Sport, Tobias Johansson, Mercedes C200
Picko Troberg Racing, David Björk, BMW E46

Jocke Frid, BMW (Privateer Cup Entry)
(Frid has bought the car Johan Nilsson used last year.)
Håkan Holmberg, Ford Focus (Privateer Cup Entry)
(Part-time effort in 2006 to test and develop the car for a full season in 2007.)

All But Confirmed/Likely/Rumoured/Pure Speculation
KMS, Fredrik Ekblom, Audi A4
(Only thing left is the official announcement. Supposedly, anyway.)

KMS, TBA, Audi A4
(Possibly Thed Björk. He is, apparently, is having some sponsor-problems though. Team boss Tommy Kristoffersson will probably take the seat if Björk can't.)

KMS, TBA, Audi A4
(Possibly two-time STCC Champ Roberto Colciago - if Kristoffersson gets his way, at least.)

Opel Team Sweden, Daniel Haglöf, Opel Astra (old ex BTCC car)
(Daniel Haglöf looks set to join Nicklas Karlsson in the ex Tommy Rustad car.)

Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, Richard Göransson, BMW E90
(Although very likely, Richard Göransson has not been officially announced yet.)

Veidec Racing/Flash Engineering, TBA, BMW E46
(Flash's old E46 might be driven by a new gun, no real hint about by whom yet though.)

MB Sport, Hans Simonsson, Mercedes C200
(Hans Simonsson will most likely return for a second season.)

Eje Elgh Motorsport/Crawford Racing, Carl Rosenblad, BMW E46
(Supposedly making a return to STCC after two years in ETCC/WTCC.)

Robban Kihlbom, BMW? (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(As before, supposedly in the works but it's been very, very quiet about this program as of late...)

JN Racing, Johan Nilsson, BMW? (Privateer Cup Entry?)
(Has sold the BMW he used in 2005 to Jocke Frid - no word if Nilsson plans to race again in 2006. Been dead-silent about this effort so far.)

rustyfan · 21 Mar 2006, 08:46 (Ref:1555520)

Finally some word on what Daniel Haglöf will do this season, and while he can't announce anything he does confirm that he is very close to signing a deal with a team for the 2006 season.

As mentioned before the second Opel Team Sweden car seems the most likely destination, and it would probably be a pretty competitive ride despite being an older car.

PorscheFanNo1 · 21 Mar 2006, 11:03 (Ref:1555623)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustyfan

As mentioned before the second Opel Team Sweden car seems the most likely destination, and it would probably be a pretty competitive ride despite being an older car.

Surely a lot more competetive then the old Civic. I hope he gets the seat and shows how good he is, he basicly owned everyone in S60 Challenge so he's proven he is fast.

rustyfan · 21 Mar 2006, 13:12 (Ref:1555735)

Quote:

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

Surely a lot more competetive then the old Civic. I hope he gets the seat and shows how good he is, he basicly owned everyone in S60 Challenge so he's proven he is fast.

Yup, I completely agree.

rustyfan · 22 Mar 2006, 14:39 (Ref:1557497)

I've just gotten some fresh speculation/info from a well-informed source:

- Team caWalli will indeed step up into the STCC this year. A deal involving a driver and sponsorship is currently being finalized and the official announcement should come in a few weeks.

- One of the two Honda Civics that were raced in the STCC last year might be entered into the Privateer Cup this season. There are currently three potential buyers on the car. The other Civic will most likely end up in some other European championship.

- Robban Kihlbom will not race in the STCC this year. Somewhat expected given the silence surrounding this effort, but now it's supposedly confirmed that the plans have been scrapped.

rustyfan · 23 Mar 2006, 09:14 (Ref:1558198)

Just realized I had the name wrong on the man behind the Ford effort. His name is Håkan Malmborg, and nothing else.

rustyfan · 30 Mar 2006, 13:54 (Ref:1565202)

The Audi/KMS team has now confirmed its three-car line-up. Thed Björk, Fredrik Ekblom and Tommy Kristoffersson will be the drivers.

Also, Carl Rosenblad and Elgh Motorsport have made it official that they will not race in the WTCC this year but rather return to the STCC with a brand new 2006 BMW. They did, at one point, consider the BTCC, but ultimately skipped that idea.

PorscheFanNo1 · 30 Mar 2006, 15:17 (Ref:1565240)

Great news. But what about Colciago? Are they still discussing with him about a drive in KMS, seeing as his place in JAS in WTCC has been taken?

PorscheFanNo1 · 30 Mar 2006, 15:21 (Ref:1565243)

sportinformation also wrote that Gotland Ring is out, it will be replaced by Våler, the reason would be that the track won't be ready in time.

Bezzen · 30 Mar 2006, 16:45 (Ref:1565306)

http://www.bilsportborsen.se/image.p...be2ca9dd35.jpg

This is Opel Team Sweden's new car.

rustyfan · 31 Mar 2006, 08:14 (Ref:1565862)

Quote:

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

Great news. But what about Colciago? Are they still discussing with him about a drive in KMS, seeing as his place in JAS in WTCC has been taken?

I reckon the discussions probably had stranded and that KMS wanted to get things sorted - it is, after all, a mere six weeks until the season premiere, and while that might sound like a lot to us regular fans, it may not be as much when it comes to talking to sponsors and finalizing other deals etc.

Not to mention Thed Björk might have gotten his program together which tipped the scale in his favor - remember that one of the earlier reports suggested that he was having trouble securing funding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

sportinformation also wrote that Gotland Ring is out, it will be replaced by Våler, the reason would be that the track won't be ready in time.

STCC.se has a longer article on this, and one of the reasons Gotland Ring is out is the weather - the unusually long winter has delayed both the work and the inspection. Must admit I didn't think about this when hearing about the problems earlier (even though I'm guessing the financing plays a pretty significant part as well in the problems), but I can't say I'm surprised to hear it as this winter has been insane and utterly annoying (no, I am not a fan of winter in any way, shape or form - it bloody sucks).

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