The first day in Gothenburg is over. Two tests were run during Friday afternoon in preperation for Gothenburg City Race and WestCoast Racing is happy with the test day. Richard Göransson was second fastest in the second test after having had the seventh best time during the first one hour long test.
“A good day at work, this is what I’ve missed. It’s been a lot of fun and this is a very good start. It’s been completely normal to be back, it’s another day at my office and I think we will have an exciting day tomorrow,” Richard said.

Martin Öhlin drove his first two tests on the city track in a STCC-car today and spent the first test working on the set up on his BMW. He set the 12th best time in the second test.
“We worked a lot on the set up in the first test and now it felt like we’ve found the right way to go. Of course I would have liked to finish higher up but it’s more important we are going in the right direction. It feels good for tomorrow,” Martin said.

Saturday is race day in Gothenburg with qualifying starting at 10:20 and with the two heats starting 13:05 and 15:35.

Result, test 1

Result, test 2

Time schedule, Göteborg City Race STCC June 18th:

10.20 – Q1 – STCC
10.45 – Q2 – STCC
11.55 – Gridshow
13.05 – Race 2 – STCC
15.35 – Race 2 – STCC

Weight list – Gothenburg City Race

1225 kilo – BMW 320si E90 [6 speed SQ-box] 1210 kilo – BMW 320si E90 [5 speed H-box] 1200 kilo – Volkswagen Scirocco
1205 kilo – Chevrolet Cruze
1199 kilo – Volvo C30
1180 kilo – Alfa Romeo 156
1180 kilo – SEAT León TFSi
1160 kilo – SEAT León TFSi [Jason Watt] 1150 kilo – Honda Accord
1120 kilo – BMW 320i E46

Martin Öhlin looks forward to the city race in Gothenburg this weekend, his first taste of city race in the STCC-car and he already has a gameplan.
“It seems to be a trend this year that drivers from the area where we race are driving into me. So this weekend I will avoid such drivers which means avoiding the Volvo-drivers. The best way is to be in front of them,” he says.

He’s had a mixed start to his first season in STCC. He’s been showing he has the speed and has been the fastest BMW-driver so far but has not the results to show for that. Something he hopes can be changed this weekend.
“It’s about time for that and why not in Gothenburg which is a bit like the race of the year. I enjoy it there, the atmosphere with racing in the city and with a lot of specatators is good for you as a driver. It’s also a fun track to drive, being close to the walls gives you the same kind of extra focus you have racing at a track like Nordschleife and a single mistake can be very costly. You have a extra level of focus and that is a graet feeling.”

After having been the sole driver in the team the last few race weekends Martin Öhlin once again has a team mate. Richard Göransson returns to STCC after his violent crash in Denmark in April and the injuries he got there. Martin is happy to have a team mate again.
“It’s great to have Richard back. It especially benefits me to be able to compare my data with his and having two cars in the team to try things on. It’s a big thing for the whole team and I have great expectations for this weekend. It will be fun and the goal is of course to head back home with two great results with me. It’s about time!”

An optimism for the weekend is also shared by team manager Dick Jönsson Wigroth, happy to have Richard back in the team and see WestCoast Racing as a two-car team again. Something he thinks is positive for the whole team.
“Gothenburg track is difficult race track but we always have a nice weekend racing there. This will be an extra nice weekend for us since Richard is back which motivates the whole team. Martin has been really quick so far and he has shown we have a great car and proved he is capable of using that. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the results to show for that but we know that will come. Now we have two cars again and can share data between them which is an advantage for both us and the drivers. We have a victory here from last year to defend and WestCoast Racing are looking forward to this weekend!”

Extra tests and free practice will be held tomorrow Friday and a time schedule for the weekend will be published here tomorrow.

Car # 1 returns to STCC. Reigning STCC-champion Richard Göransson returns to STCC earlier than planned after his violent crash in the season opener at Jyllandsringen in Denmark in April. The doctors estimated a recovery time of three months but Richard Göransson returns already this weekend for the city race in Gothenburg.
”This feels really good and I feel completely recovered and back in business again,” Richard says. ”The pain in my back went away relatively quick and I could start working on my fitness and start the recovery a bit earlier than planned. The bones are healed and I feel ready for a comeback.”

Richard will make his comeback in the city race in Gothenburg, a race he won last year which so far is the only BMW-win on the harbour city track. Richard drove a secret test with WestCoast Racing this week before the decision to return this weekend was taken.
”Gothenburg is one of those races you don’t want to miss and that has been a good motivational factor in my recovery and during the many hours at the gym. It was one of the races I won last year and it’s great to be back there again. I felt completely normal after just a few laps when we tested on Tuesday and after that we took the decision to return to racing this weekend.”

Richard praises the help he has received from Örebro Rehabcenter and the University hospital in his hometown Örebro, something he says has been a big contributing factor for a comeback earlier than previously thought.
”I really must thank Magnus Johansson at Örebro Rehabcenter and Ulf Nordström at the Universityhospital in Örebro. They have been absolutely amazing and extremely professional and that has been a big help in my recovery. My family and WestCoast Racing has also been a great support and to have had them to discuss my ideas and thoughts with have been invaluable. This means I feel very comfortable coming back to STCC now,” Richard finishes.

He will be driving a newly bought BMW 320 Si that WestCoast Racing has bought from BMW Motorsport. The car was used in WTCC by BMW Motorsport and Richard tested the car on Tuesday at Falkenberg race circuit.
”I never thought Richard would return already for Gothenburg,” team manager Dick Jönsson Wigroth says. ”It was a very serious accident and I’m impressed by his motivation and tenacity and the help he has received during his recovery. We always wanted to give Richard the best possible circumstances for when he would return and decided very early on that we would buy a new car. The test on Tuesday was very good and we could take this decision together after that test. His return and the fact that we once again are a two car team with both Richard and Martin Öhlin is something that lifts the spirit in the whole team.”

Fredrik Larsson will join WestCoast Racing. He will partner Fredrik Lestrup in the three remaining races in the Swedish GT-league for WestCoast Racing driving the BMW Z4 GT3.
“This will be a lot of fun. Dick asked me if I could help and I didn’t hesitate for one second” Fredrik says.

The next race in the Swedish GT-league will be held at the short and fast track in Falkenberg, the home track for both Fredrik Larsson and WestCoast Racing. He looks forward to drive his first race for WestCoast Racing at that particular track.
“I will enjoy it, I think the track will suit the car and we will be able to take advantage of the downforce in the car at this track. It’s also fitting that that our first race together will be at both mine and WestCoast’s home track. Me and Dick has known each other for a long time but it’s not until now that we can work together. It’s about time after all these years and I really look forward to this” Fredrik finishes.

He returned to racing two years ago after a long retirement after a succesful single seater career both in Europe and USA. Fredrik has been the most winning driver in Carrera Cup Scandinavia for the past two years. This season he’s already been racing in the German endurance series VLN for the German BMW-team Schubert Motorsport for whom he will race a BMW Z4 GT3 in the 24-hour race at Nordschleife in three weeks time. WestCoast Racing team manager Dick Jönsson Wigroth is happy to welcome Fredrik to the team.
“It’s about time, this is something we have talked about for a long time and it started out as a fun thing that now is reality. It’s also about time we have a driver from the westcoast in the team. Fredrik is a very good driver, both fast and experienced, and he will be a very good addition to Richard Göransson and Fredrik Lestrup in our GT-programme. He is a winner with a lot of experience and will fit perfectly with WestCoast Racing. We are looking forward to Falkenberg!”

Next race for Fredrik Larsson will be the 24-hour race at Nürburgring. His first race for WestCoast Racing will be at Falkenberg July 23rd and 24th.

WestCoast Racing took their first victory for the season when the Swedish GT-league held its’ second round at Mantorp Park. Fredrik Lestrup and Lars Stugemo fought back from a poor start to win the one hour long race in the final minutes.
“This feels great, its’ our first victory of the season” says team manager Dick Jönsson Wigroth. “The guys did a good race, the car worked well and this is a nice thing to bring back home from the weekend.”

Lars Stugemo drove the first stint starting in second place after Fredrik Lestrup put the car on the first row in qualifying. Stugemo had a good start initially but got stuck around the outside in the first corner and lost a couple of places. After that he was stuck behind slower cars unable to pass but when the safety car came out he managed to use the situation to take back two places after the restart. He entered the pits in third place for the driver change.
“It was fun but I was too cautious in the start. It was tough losing a couple of places right at the start of the race but it feels good that I could fight back later in the stint. For me this was more like a sprint race, I’m not used to short stints and maybe I took a bit too long getting up to speed. I’m happy I could fight back and take back some of the places I lost. It was really great Fredrik then could take over and do a fantastic job in his stint and pressure the leader into a mistake. It’s great to win!”

Fredrik Lestrup drove the final stint and came back out on the track in third place. He quickly passed Jan Brunstedt in the second placed Audi R8 and started chasing down the leader Daniel Roos in the other Audi R8. Roos had a lead of 12 seconds but with eight minutes remaining Fredrik was on his tail fighting for the lead. Roos then spun off, handing the lead to Lestrup who could finish the race in first place.
“I’m very happy with Stugemo’s effort” Fredrik said afterwards. “He kept us up there in touch with the leaders and really looked after the tyres. That made ny job su much more easier and I could really go for it trying to chase Roos. I could see he started to make mistakes when I got close and I decided to put him under pressure. He spun around but with the speed we had I believe we could have given him a great fight and win nonetheless. This was a real team effort, we fought back and the strategy and set-up for the race worked perfect and this is a very nice victory together.”

Result, GT-race Swedish Racing League Mantorp Park