WestCoast Racing

The Team

WestCoast Racing was established in 1994 by Dick Jönsson Wigroth and today it is one of Sweden’s most succesful racing teams.

Dick began his career in motorsports as a junior mechanic with Greger Petersson and quickly became one the young experts in Swedish racing. At the end of the 1980s he headed abroad and worked as a mechanic in Europe, the USA and New Zealand. This provided him with experience which became very valuable upon his return to Sweden in 1994 where he founded his company WestCoast Racing which quickly became one of the top teams in Swedish motorsports.

A partnership with BMW was formed early on and this collaboration still exists today. As a BMW Dealer Team WestCoast Racing has secured a total of five victories in the Swedish Touring Car Championship. In addition the team won the European Touring Car Championship in 2005 as well as the FIA Sportscar Championship in 2001.

In 2007 WestCoast Racing together with TOOLS put in a notable effort which paid off the first year when Fredrik Ekblom won the STCC championship, his second STCC championship win with WestCoast Racing. The following year was also successful with both Fredrik Ekblom and team mate Robin Rudholm fighting at the top of the standings. In the end Fredrik Ekblom took second place in the drivers’ championship and he and Robin Rudholm took the teams’ championship.

In 2009, Richard Göransson returned to WestCoast Racing, the team with which he had won two of his three STCC championships with. He was team mates with Robin Rudholm who drove his fourth straight season for WestCoast Racing. The two fought for the championship until the final and together they won five races that season. Robin Rudholm finished third in the championship. The success of Göransson and Rudholm also led to WestCoast Racing claiming the most team victories during the season which was enough to secure a second place in the teams’ championship.

The following year WestCoast Racing broadened its views. Richard Göransson stayed with the team and drove a BMW in the STCC. He got a new team mate in Martin Öhlin who competed in Carrera Cup Scandinavia. With two racing pograms in the two biggest series in Sweden, the team faced new challenges. However, that did not stop the team’s run of victories. Putting in an extraordinary effort everyone fought together to make history and make Richard Göransson the first driver to win the STCC four times. While in the process he also broke the record for most wins in the STCC, and with five drivers’ championships and two teams’ championships WestCoast Racing laid claim to the title of most successful STCC team. And the medals kept coming with Martin Öhlin delivering his best result in the Carrera Cup finishing third in the championship after his move to WestCoast Racing.

Ahead lies the 2011 season and WestCoast Racing have upped the ante once again. The team will participate in the STCC with two BMW 320 Sis to be driven by Richard Göransson and Martin Öhlin, the latter taking the step up to the STCC after his best season in the Carrera Cup. In addition to this WestCoast Racing will expand their GT racing programme with the team’s BMW Z4 GT3. A great number of races across Europe have been scheduled with drivers soon to be announced.

Over 20 years in Swedish as well as international motorsports has given Dick Jönsson Wigroth and WestCoast Racing the experience necessary to produce a winning team and stay at the top. The proof of this can be found in the team’s results.