TouringCarTimes top ten drivers ranking

The twelfth running of the Swedish Touring Car Championship ended a little less than a month ago. Richard Göransson stood champion after eleven tough races. While the final standings say one thing, we have taken forth another ranking. Swedish motorsport freelance journalist Ola Lennström ranks the drivers he thinks are this season’s top ten in STCC.

1st – Richard Göransson – Flash Engineering – BMW 320si
When he combined his unquestionable speed with reliability, smart driving and title winning focus Richard Göransson became unstoppable on his way to a third STCC-title. Won more races, four, than anyone else but even more impressive was that he from 10 races was on the podium seven times and only missed out on a top five once and finished all the races. A title winning campaign no doubt.

Shining moment: Winning the second race at Ring Knutstorp in the fall in a heavy car and from a position where he shouldn’t been able to win. A race he just shouldn’t have won.

2nd – Fredrik Ekblom – WestCoast Racing – BMW 320si
Reigning champion Ekblom looked on his way to his fourth title and second in a row in the first seven races. But two bad races after the summer break where he didn’t score a point and was involved in incidents finally decided the championship. The fastest driver in 2008 with more fastest laps and a better qualifying average than anyone else. Ekblom never once missed out on super pole this season. A title defence that almost went all the way.

Shining moment: Leading home a double victory at Falkenberg from eighth place on the grid.

3rd – Robert Dahlgren – Polestar Racing – Volvo C30
The Volvo driver had a new toy this year, a Volvo C30 that was fast but hard on the front tyres. Robert was this year’s qualifying king with five pole positions but with two races remaining he had yet to win a race and was close to having his first season ever in motorsport without a victory. He changed all that by winning the final two rounds and lining himself up as a favourite for next year’s title. Robert and Volvo also made one-off appearance at the WTCC-round at Brands Hatch.

Shining moment: Five pole positions and winning the final two rounds.

4th – Thed Björk – Honda Racing – Honda Accord
Honda stepped up their STCC-campaign with a two-car effort this year and Thed Björk proved to be the best choice they could have made. He finished third in the championship courtesy of three victories. Even though he arrived in the team quite late he quickly took the command and was as always reliable. Did a great race at the street circuit in Gothenburg where he won but there was another victory that was even more impressive.

Shining moment: Once again the master on slicks on a wet track, dominating the first race at Mantorp Park.

5th – Robin Rudholm – WestCoast Racing – BMW 320si
Robin Rudholm put himself in the title fight before the summer break with a string of consistent point scoring finishes and was third or fourth in the championship the whole year. Came close to winning several times but didn’t quite nail it. A sub-par performance in the final four rounds with excellent speed one weekend followed by nothing the next was a disappointment in an otherwise stable season.

Shining moment: Adrenaline charged comeback in the final race of the season after being pushed off the track at the start.

6th – Mattias Andersson – MA GP – Alfa Romeo 156
The small team had a new car, James Thompson’s ex-WTCC Alfa Romeo, this year and performed some stunning drives with it. Took a second place at the second round of the season and challenged the top teams every now and then. But it showed it’s a small team during the season as it gradually got away from them.

Shining moment: Second place at Sturup Raceway in the second round.

7th – Jan Nilsson – Flash Engineering – BMW 320si
Being a team owner, overseeing the record growing Carrera Cup Scandinavia, managing to get Prince Carl-Philip to race the team’s Porsche while running one of the largest touring car teams in Sweden is a burden for anyone. Combine that with a full season of racing drivers ten years younger or more in one of the toughest touringcar championships. Relatively speaking “Flash” the racing driver did very well with a sixth place in the championship but should have had more podiums.

Shining moment: Podium at Karlskoga from a lowly starting position, finally sharing a podium with teammate Göransson.

8th – Johan Sturesson – IPS Motorsport – Peugeot 308
Speaking of team owners racing – Sturesson managed to get his small family team to build a brand new Peugeot 308 late in the winter. Despite being down on power and missing the first round, he finished ninth in the championship and got a podium. It should have been another podium in Norway, had a drive-shaft not snapped in the pit stop.

Shining moment: Finishing a close second to Richard Göransson at Sturup Raceway.

9th – Tommy Rustad – Polestar Racing – Volvo C30
As a former STCC and BTCC Independent champion more was expected of the experienced Norwegian when he got his hands on the second Volvo C30. One podium is a poor reflection on a season where he struggled to match team-mate Dahlgren. Tommy Rustad seemed to be hit by every problem the C30 had as the team developed it during the season though. But having said that, the speed in qualifying should have been much better. Robert Dahlgren showed what the car could do over a lap.

Shining moment: Bringing home a commanding second at Mantorp Park on a wet track.

10th – Roger Eriksson – Nordic Fine Art – SEAT Leon
The young Eriksson went from an old BMW 320i last season to the former DTC-winning SEAT Leon this year, and definitely made an impression. Despite being in a small underfunded team that struggled with setting up the car, Eriksson once again proved he belongs in STCC and performed some eye-catching races. Stole the pole at Falkenberg and in Norway he finally managed to bring it home altogether with a well merited second place. Keep your fingers crossed that Eriksson gets a good drive next season.

Shining moment: Challenging anyone and everyone in Norway where he finished a well-deserved second.