So, with the race launching this coming weekend, who do you think will adapt to the cars best? The cars are not exactly what most of the drivers use to drive; the cars have manual transmission, turbo engine, etc. Will Alain Menu use his skill and expercience to win, or will Rydell use his advantage of being with Volvo for a long time, or will it be the italian Roberto Colciago with experience from turbo charged cars...
All S60 Challenge drivers
STCC 24/08/01
All of the drivers and their start positions for the Volvo S60 Challenge Race Of Champions have been released today. The race will take place on the 1
t / 2:nd of September on the south - Swedish track Knutstorp. The grid is filled with talented drivers. The British Touring Car ace John Cleland who has won the BTCC two times, the super Swede Rickard Rydell who won the BTCC 1998, the Dutch BMW-ace Peter Kox who currently is a top runner in the ETCC, Alain Menu who won the BTCC 1997 and is currently driving for Opel in the DTM, the Italian Roberto Colciago who is factory driver for Audi in both the STCC and the ETCC, Janne "Flash" Nilsson double STCC champion, the Swede Thed Björk who currently is driving in the FIA Sportscar Championship. Then we have a few talented "unknown" Swedes as dark horses.
Thed Björk's brother Lars-Åke Björk will be found in one S60. The current Junior Touring Car Championship (S40 singe make series in Sweden) leader Daniel Haglöv will drive the number one S60. Tommy Brorsson will drive the final S60, the only S60 that will be painted totally black, certainly a dark horse. Brorsson has won the historic touring car championship several times and has alot of experience. The Volvo S60 Challenge cars have certainly proved to be really quick. The cars are "only" 5 seconds slower than a Super Touring Volvo S40 around the Knutstorp track and has produced times several seconds quicker than Ferrari 360 Challenge cars for example.
Certainly a very quick for being almost in standard conditions. The car has only 15 extra horsepowers than the road car (S60 T5) and has only got few alterations in chassis etc. The series is already a guaranteed success in Sweden. All of the 25 cars available for next year are reserved. Stay tuned to TouringCarTimes for full coverage of the race next weekend!
S60 Challenge Grid
1 Daniel Haglöf
2 Stefan Söderberg
3 Rickard Rydell
4 Alain Menu
5 Peter Kox
6 Thed Björk
7 Roberto Colciago
8 John Cleland
9 Lars-Åke Björk
10 Tommy Brorsson
11 Jan "Flash" Nilsson
Johan Meissner
johan@touringcartimes.com