STCC 2008 Off-season: News & Rumours

[FIRE]

No Mercedes for Johansson



I hope he will buy a Vauxhall Vectra.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Driver	Car	Team	Likely/notes?
F Ekblom	BMW 320si	West Coast Racing	Confirmed
R Rudholm	BMW 320si	West Coast Racing	Confirmed
R Göransson	BMW 320si	Flash Engingeering	Confirmed
J Nilsson	BMW 320si	Flash Engingeering	Confirmed
J Stureson	Peugeot 308	IPS Motorsport	Confirmed
T Engström	Honda Accord	Honda Racing	Confirmed
T Björk	Honda Accord	Honda Racing	Confirmed
R Eriksson	SEAT León	Nordic Fine Art	Confirmed
M Andersson	Alfa 156	MA-GP	Confirmed
R Dahlgren	Volvo C30	Polestar Racing	Confirmed
?	Volvo C30	Polestar Racing	2nd car confirmed, Jens Edman, Daniel Haglöf, Tommy Rustad, Alx Danielsson?
T Kristoffersson	Audi A4	KMS	Still trying to secure budget
F Stippler?	Audi A4	KMS	Still trying to secure budget
T Rustad?	Opel	Opel Team Sweden	Have Rustad on the wish list, Frid as "backup" driver
D Björk	?	caWalli	Intends to be back - has been linked with Chevrolet, will he run by himself again?
J Frid	?	Team Euromaster	Wants to move upwards, Opel Team Sweden, BTCC Vectra and SEAT has been rumored
T Johansson	?	?	Looking at SEAT, Vauxhall or Chevy. 75% sure he will be on the grid
T Tegelby	BMW 320si?	Tysslinge Racing	Likely to buy E90
C Rosenblad	BMW 320si	Elgh Motorsport	Saying he will be on the grid
?	Chevrolet Lacetti	Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden	David Björk, Nicklas Karlsson?
C Leveau	SEAT León	Team Sturup Raceway	Full season with TDI or selected rounds with old Petrol engine.
G Kristensen	SEAT León	Team Sturup Raceway	Full season with TDI or selected rounds with old Petrol engine.
A Smetsky	Honda Accord	Artman Racing	90% confirmed
A Lvov	Honda Accord	Artman Racing	90% confirmed
V Huggare	BMW 320i?	Huggare Racing	Should be back, Privateers Cup?
R Brandt	Volvo S60	Mälarpower	Should be back, Privateers Cup
J Ahlberg	BMW 320i	?	Privateers Cup, looking at E46 from Huggare or Nordic Fine Art

Can also mention that Carrera Cup Scandinavia are expecting 25 to 28 cars to be on the grid! Should be loads of fun watching that!

[JMeissner]

Danish SEAT team wants diesel engines for STCC:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=1823

[Kim-Van-Gir]

Perfectly. The diesel engine in weights!

[wolfi_555]

One of the Mercedes C200 will run into german ADAC Procar by www.thate-motorsport.de

[PorscheFanNo1]

STCC.se has some undates, David Björk is about to sell the old E46 to a "new-old"-STCC driver to be run in the privateers cup, who? If that goes through he will have the budget to buy a new car, looking at Chevy and different cars but will probably not be a E90.
Hans Simonsson is working to be on the grid with his team PWR Racing. Its STCC or nothing for him.

[PorscheFanNo1]

TcT has a lot of updates too:

Rustad looks set to get the 2nd Volvo drive, leaving Stockenfelds without a drive this year.
Chevy looks to be signing Thomas Schie who recently been doing some rally in Norway and last drove in STCC in an Alfa 156 for Picko Troberg in 2000/2001 (?).
Opel seem to be building a new Astra for Jens Edman who has been driving in DTC for Toyota and Peugeot lately and the old Astra that Rustad drove last year will be driven by Tobias Johansson. Joakim Ahlberg looks set to be driving one of the old Astra Coupés in the Privateers Cup instead of the old E46, they still have a 2nd Astra Coupé too, will Frid drive that one more year?

[Jimmy Magnusson]

I would be surprised if Rustad was Volvo's man. Polestar said that Volvo wished them to get a foreign driver, and while Rustad is that, he is hadly what Volvo had in mind is it? I still consider the fact that Rustad got the impression that Volvo had already settled on a driver when he contacted them a missed statement which could be significant.

I also think we might not see Elgh Motorsport out on the tracks. Sounds like they might close up shop now without Anders Olofsson.

[FIRE]

Why wants Volvo a foreign driver?

[PorscheFanNo1]

I guess for marketing point of view, same as KMS had Colciago and Stippler and WCR had Hoisman.
I too cant really see why they would want Rustad if so, he's as much Swedish as someone can be without actually be one. I guess we can only wait and see.
I think its great tho that Schie and Edman looks to be heading back to STCC! And as expected the privateers cup are now growing. Was thinking, you can even run a BMW E90 in the pricateers cup! If you get one that is built 2006 with no updates newer then 2006 and has a sequensial box, thus it will be nationally homoligated and those you can drive from 06 backwards in the cup. Now thats something to think about.

[FIRE]

I don't think Rustad will generate much media attention in for example Belgium or Germany.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Exactly my point too, he's too much a "Swede" already, they better get someone from Germany or Italy or something from central Europe. Or from the UK maybe. But we'll see what they'll come up with.

[Bramzel]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

I guess for marketing point of view, same as KMS had Colciago and Stippler and WCR had Hoisman.

Huisman, not Hoisman Thats how all non-dutch speaking people pronounce it.

[PorscheFanNo1]

[werner]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

I guess for marketing point of view, same as KMS had Colciago and Stippler and WCR had Hoisman.
I too cant really see why they would want Rustad if so, he's as much Swedish as someone can be without actually be one. I guess we can only wait and see.
I think its great tho that Schie and Edman looks to be heading back to STCC! And as expected the privateers cup are now growing. Was thinking, you can even run a BMW E90 in the pricateers cup! If you get one that is built 2006 with no updates newer then 2006 and has a sequensial box, thus it will be nationally homoligated and those you can drive from 06 backwards in the cup. Now thats something to think about.

I doubt any foreighn driver would make huge amounts of publicity when they drive for Volvo, or any other brand, in the STCC. Maybe an Italian can tell us how much interest in the BTCC was gained due to Giovanardi driving (and becoming champion!) I doubt anything was on the telly. The same goes for STipller in Sweden. He was just there to help Audi Sweden, and, as he is on the payroll of Audi anyway, to just keep him busy.
I think it has more to do that Volvo could find it intesting for their Swedisch fans to put an 'exotic' driver in their car, and have a larger market to find a driver that is good enough given the budget. And a Norwegian, while not that exotic, can be good for publicity in Norway, wich I'm sure, does have some interest in STCC anyway.
If Volvo really wants to get publicity in other countries, they just will have do do WTCC, BTCC or another S2000-serie, with or without non-Swedisch drivers.

[JMeissner]

Chevrolet signs Thomas Schie:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=1846

[PorscheFanNo1]

Alright, trying to catch up with everything here then.

Driver	Car	Team	Likely/notes?
F Ekblom	BMW 320si	West Coast Racing	Confirmed
R Rudholm	BMW 320si	West Coast Racing	Confirmed
R Göransson	BMW 320si	Flash Engingeering	Confirmed
J Nilsson	BMW 320si	Flash Engingeering	Confirmed
J Stureson	Peugeot 308	IPS Motorsport	Confirmed
T Engström	Honda Accord	Honda Racing	Confirmed
T Björk	Honda Accord	Honda Racing	Confirmed
R Eriksson	SEAT León	Nordic Fine Art	Confirmed
M Andersson	Alfa 156	MA-GP	Confirmed
T Schie	Chevrolet Lacetti	Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden	Confirmed
R Dahlgren	Volvo C30	Polestar Racing	Confirmed
T Rustad?	Volvo C30	Polestar Racing	2nd car confirmed, Tommy Rustad?
T Kristoffersson	Audi A4	KMS	Still trying to secure budget
F Stippler?	Audi A4	KMS	Still trying to secure budget
J Edman?	Opel Astra	Opel Team Sweden	Jens Edman is rumored to switch back to STCC from DTC
T Johansson	Opel Astra?	?	Looking set to drive last years Opel, will it be under the OTS banner or his own team?
J Frid	?	Team Euromaster	Wants to move upwards, BTCC Vectra and SEAT has been rumored, or will he drive the Opel one more year?
T Tegelby	BMW 320si?	Tysslinge Racing	Likely to buy E90
D Björk	?	caWalli	Selling his E46, looking at Chevy amongst others
C Rosenblad	BMW 320si	Elgh Motorsport	Saying he will be on the grid
C Leveau	SEAT León	Team Sturup Raceway	Full season with TDI or selected rounds with old Petrol engine.
G Kristensen	SEAT León	Team Sturup Raceway	Full season with TDI or selected rounds with old Petrol engine.
A Smetsky	Honda Accord	Artman Racing	90% confirmed
A Lvov	Honda Accord	Artman Racing	90% confirmed
H Simonsson	?	PWR Racing	Looking at different options
V Huggare	BMW 320i?	Huggare Racing	Should be back, Privateers Cup?
R Brandt	Volvo S60	Mälarpower	Should be back, Privateers Cup
J Ahlberg	Opel Astra Coupé?	?	Privateers Cup

Lots of questionsmarks right now, dont know hot to arrange it without it looking this messy, but I guess we can wait a few days until Volvo and Opel announce what they'll do and it will look better.

[PorscheFanNo1]

So is it confirmed that Artman will not do any more rounds then just the opening round at Knutstorp? If so its quite dissapointing to see them only once.

[JMeissner]

Andersson has bought Thompson's Alfa Romeo:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=1863

[Bramzel]

Very cool news, that should help him a lot for sure!

[JMeissner]

Rustad confirmed for Volvo:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=1865

[PorscheFanNo1]

Great news today! Now waiting for Opels announcement.

I have no doubt that Andersson will be a front runner this year with the ex Thompson car and N.Technology engineer. So what heppend to his old car then?

[Bezzen]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

I have no doubt that Andersson will be a front runner this year with the ex Thompson car and N.Technology engineer. So what heppend to his old car then?

It was probably sold to the PTCC through a rift in the space-time-continuum.

[PorscheFanNo1]

That explains it! Mystery solved then.

[PorscheFanNo1]

12th of February Alx Danielsson, Rickard Rydell and SEAT Sweden calls for a press conference. What they're about to announce one can only guess. But since Alx havent got a contract for next year, and its been extremly quiet about him this indicates that we probably will see him in a SEAT in either STCC or WTCC this year!