Volvo happy with competitive showing in Shanghai

Volvo ditjes en Volvo datjes.


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Emiel
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Volvo happy with competitive showing in Shanghai

Post by Emiel »

Volvo Polestar Racing’s one-off return to the FIA World Touring Car Championship showcased the pace of the Volvo C30 and its 1.6 turbo DRIVe engine, despite a troubled pair of races for the Swedish manufacturer in Shanghai.
Two-time STCC champion Thed Björk set the fastest time in FP1 on Saturday and was again fastest in the Sunday morning warm up, despite the Volvo C30 not having competed in a session since qualifying at Macau in 2011 prior to this weekend.

Björk had set the seventh fastest time in the first part of qualifying, which if the Volvo had been eligible for points, would have allowed the Swedish manufacturer into Q2 and into the fight for pole position. The best possible therefore was achieved with the Volvo initially qualifying 12th, but unfortunately the team picked up a five-place penalty for both races after the car was found to be 3kg underweight in scrutineering, with the team not carrying the ballasting weight required for cars which were not fitted by cameras by the broadcaster.

A battery problem saw Björk dive into the pits before the start of race one, in order to have the issue resolved for race two. Surrounded by the fast-starting rear-wheel drive BMWs in race two for the standing start, Björk slipped to 21st as the lights went out but was able to work his way forward to 15th by the end of the race.

“The car worked like dream from the first lap on all areas, from straight line speed to handling. To be in the top of qualifying was very satisfying and I had a lot of traffic on my fastest lap, so we had more to give,” said Björk.

“The second race was as tough as we expected, especially as the track was slippery after some light rain. I fought hard and while 15th position isn’t telling the entire story of our weekend, I am still pleased. This was a one-off entry and we showed that we are on par with Chevrolet, Honda and the others in terms of performance. That is what we bring with us back home to Sweden.”

By Neil Hudson : TouringCarTimes
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