New Audi for STCC 2003 with Ekblom

JMeissner · 14 Nov 2002, 13:31 (Ref:428476)

Audi commits to STCC 2003
STCC 14/11/02

KMS (Kristoffersson Motorsport) confirmed today that they will stay in the STCC 2003. The team will come to start with at least two new Audi A4's build according to the Super 2000 rules. Tommy Kristoffersson will as usual drive one car, but he will get a "new" driver along side him. Fredrik Ekblom will return to STCC and KMS, he last raced in STCC 2000 when he finished second in the championship. The two drivers Tobias Johansson and Marius Erlandsen are also contracted to the team. Tobias will be responsible for co-ordination of the building of the new cars.

"This is a big day for KMS and Audi Sweden. I am extremely happy and proud over this solution that we have accomplished together. My heart has always beaten for Audi, and how strange it may sound I have all the time had the feeling to manage this how impossible it might have been. Perhaps it might be because of the competent co-workers I have the pleasure to surround me with. This you wouldn't believe at the beginning of the 90's when one stood outside the fence of Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and asked to buy five spark plug's, that's right five spark plug's," Tommy Kristoffersson said.

"It will really be great to come back to KMS/Audi. I look with confidence on the coming season together with the team," Fredrik Ekblom said.

Source: KMS

kmchow · 14 Nov 2002, 20:43 (Ref:428733)

At first thought, could the withdrawal of the ETCC S60s be the STCC's gain? Would Volvo Sweden go it alone and race the S60 in the STCC? OTOH, who made the decision--Volvo Sweden or Ford Europe?

Michael H · 15 Nov 2002, 10:44 (Ref:429054)

I am very happy about committing to the STCC in 2003.

The new A4's will look fantastic.

Re Volvo: I would like to see one Volvo in the STCC, and two in the ETCC, or one in the ETCC and two in the STCC. Either way, a presence in both series is necessary.

But back to Audi - does this mean Ekblom has dropped out of the ETCC with RBM?? Why?? It says in Autosport (apologies to JMeissner) that RBM will run two cars, but one will be funded by BMW GB. So two cars. But why is Ekblom leaving?

Anyway, he'll do well in the STCC.

I just hope KMS build more than two new Audis.

racer69 · 15 Nov 2002, 10:59 (Ref:429066)

Awesome, it is great to have another make of car being built to Super 2000 specifications.

I presume the Audi's will be FWD, as opposed to 4WD?

JMeissner · 15 Nov 2002, 12:38 (Ref:429152)

racer69: 4WD is forbidden.

Maxsport: Well, ETCC isn't ruled out yet for Fredrik. No races clashes and Fredrik hasn't said anything about leaving his ETCC team.

kmchow · 15 Nov 2002, 19:49 (Ref:429465)

It will be interesting to see how well these FWD A4s will stack up against the competition. Audi has relatively little experience with FWD cars. So how much engineering, technical and financial support is Audi Sport Germany giving to KMS? Or is it largely a Audi Sweden program???

Damonist · 22 Nov 2002, 18:46 (Ref:434844)

Well, apparently Ekblom was connected to the BMW Team Belgium and they, understandably, wanted a Belgian driver, and since the other seats for BMW are filled, he had no option but to look elsewhere for a drive

- that is what I have heard anyway. But it makes sense, doesn´t it?

Re Audi/STCC: If KMS on their very own can develop a car that will be competitive in the STCC, why can not Volvo let Flash Engineering do the same?????? Especially considering they already have a car??? Silly........ very, very silly.....

kmchow · 23 Nov 2002, 06:45 (Ref:435134)

Quote:

Originally posted by Damonist
If KMS on their very own can develop a car that will be competitive in the STCC, why can not Volvo let Flash Engineering do the same?????? Especially considering they already have a car??? Silly........ very, very silly.....

Does KMS have more existing, richer, supportive sponsors than Flash Engineering could muster?

Damonist · 23 Nov 2002, 15:23 (Ref:435321)

Quote:

Originally posted by kmchow
Does KMS have more existing, richer, supportive sponsors than Flash Engineering could muster?

Well, I dont think so, but they must have some sort of extra support to be able to financially pull such a program through.

On the other hand, Flash Engineering wouldn´t have to build all-new cars, since there already exists a couple of great Volvo cars ready for racing. The only thing needed would be to add sequential gearboxes, and maybe update the cars in terms of suspension and engine, to make them more than competitive in the domestic serie of Sweden. And for that I am sure Flash could find the money very easily.

Anyone who knows anything about what kind of budget Audi/KMS are looking at, by the way?? :confused:

kmchow · 24 Nov 2002, 06:56 (Ref:435639)

Quote:

Originally posted by Damonist
On the other hand, Flash Engineering wouldn´t have to build all-new cars, since there already exists a couple of great Volvo cars ready for racing. The only thing needed would be to add sequential gearboxes, and maybe update the cars in terms of suspension and engine, to make them more than competitive in the domestic serie of Sweden. And for that I am sure Flash could find the money very easily.

How many ETCC S60s were buit? Only 3? Or are you thinking of converting some of the S60 Challenge cars to ETCC specs to save time/money?

racer69 · 24 Nov 2002, 09:31 (Ref:435660)

Damonist might mean for Flash to run 1, 2 or all of this years ETCC cars in next years STCC.

Damonist · 24 Nov 2002, 11:03 (Ref:435718)

Quote:

Originally posted by kmchow
How many ETCC S60s were buit? Only 3? Or are you thinking of converting some of the S60 Challenge cars to ETCC specs to save time/money?

Ehrm, no, I was only thinking about the three S60 ETCC cars that already exists... A small upgrade to those cars and I am sure they would at least be front runners in the STCC. Dont want to speculate about them winning in the ETCC, though, especially if they would be run by a privateer team in competition with for example Alfa with Colciago...

JMeissner · 24 Nov 2002, 12:38 (Ref:435759)

Well, the thing is quite simple. Volvo's PR-department pulled the plug on Racing which leaves both Flash Engineering and Prodrive in the cold.

KMS has done a very good job and managed to persuade Audi Germany to support them in building a new car. I guess their budget matches Flash Engineering or there about.

It still seem as if the Volvo's will be locked away, if the PR-department still gets to decide. Though things can change, Olle Odsell won't just sit there and let them collect dust me thinks...

Damonist · 24 Nov 2002, 21:55 (Ref:435977)

Well, Prodrive apparently backed the dropping of the racing program, saying that racing for second best was not what neither Volvo nor Prodrive wanted...

And someone from Volvo said that the cars were to be taken back to Sweden and locked away...

Maybe time to wipe the dust from them 850 station wagons again, Flash?

Damonist · 24 Nov 2002, 21:59 (Ref:435982)

By the way, while talking about the Volvo team, there was a rumour some time ago that Volvo, being a Ford-owned company, had to put more of their available-for-sponsorship-money into the Ford-owned Jaguar F1 team. Anyone who think this could be the reason for pulling the plug on the ETCC program??

JMeissner · 24 Nov 2002, 23:22 (Ref:436061)

Quote:

Originally posted by Damonist
By the way, while talking about the Volvo team, there was a rumour some time ago that Volvo, being a Ford-owned company, had to put more of their available-for-sponsorship-money into the Ford-owned Jaguar F1 team. Anyone who think this could be the reason for pulling the plug on the ETCC program??

This is only a rumour, and most likely not true. It was btw dismissed as totally incorrect in that very same article in Tekniken Värld partially quoted in the "Privateer Volvo's" article.

JMeissner · 24 Nov 2002, 23:25 (Ref:436065)

Quote:

Originally posted by Damonist
Well, Prodrive apparently backed the dropping of the racing program, saying that racing for second best was not what neither Volvo nor Prodrive wanted...

Did they? I think not. Prodrive had a plan ready for making up the gap Volvo had in engine power to the Alfa's and BMW. The car had the best handling, the engine was weak due to that they fell after the development at the beginning of the season with all rule changes.

The engine is no weak point, as shown in the Super Touring age where it produced good BHP numbers. Remember, it is the same engine.

Why would Prodrive want to pull the plug, they would loose a big income. They managed to make a fine racer of the Ford Mondeo after many years of no good results.

kmchow · 24 Nov 2002, 23:47 (Ref:436078)

Quote:

Originally posted by JMeissner
Did they? I think not. Prodrive had a plan ready for making up the gap Volvo had in engine power to the Alfa's and BMW. The car had the best handling, the engine was weak due to that they fell after the development at the beginning of the season with all rule changes.

Volvo struggled a lot more with their transmission than engine? Didn't Volvo get weight added to their car as well?

Quote:

The engine is no weak point, as shown in the Super Touring age where it produced good BHP numbers. Remember, it is the same engine.]

It may loosely be the same engine, but did the engine's more production based parts lead to it being more unreliable?

Quote:

Why would Prodrive want to pull the plug, they would loose a big income. They managed to make a fine racer of the Ford Mondeo after many years of no good results.

Well, the S60's competitiveness does depend partly on how much money Volvo--versus what Ford paid in '00--paid Prodrive.

JMeissner · 25 Nov 2002, 10:29 (Ref:436239)

Quote:

Originally posted by kmchow
Volvo struggled a lot more with their transmission than engine? Didn't Volvo get weight added to their car as well?

Well, they did. But sequential gearboxes were coming for 2003.

Quote:

Originally posted by kmchow
It may loosely be the same engine, but did the engine's more production based parts lead to it being more unreliable?

I didn't see any blown up engines in 2002.

Damonist · 25 Nov 2002, 10:51 (Ref:436256)

Hello Meissner,

just to inform you about the prodrive story backing Volvos cancelation:

http://www.bilsport.se/artikel_bild_...rt&avdelning=2

It is in Swedish, sorry all of you who doesnt understand it...

JMeissner · 25 Nov 2002, 12:30 (Ref:436328)

Haven't seen that, thanks. Interestning read, hope the part "coming back when the economical conditions are better..." has some truth in it.

429CJ · 25 Nov 2002, 17:38 (Ref:436553)

Is it true, that the STCC races will be shown in TV4 Nordisk?

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