Saab Team: “Our goal is to take part this year”

The Saab team, now named Saab Performance, completed 96 laps at Gelleråsen last week. The main question now is when the team is ready to make its debut in the Swedish Touring Car Championship.
“There are some things that have to fall in to position first, but our goal is to take part this year, we do not know when yet,” said team boss Jan Warnestad to STCC.se.

“The ambition is there, but we do not feel ready yet. We have to get the budget in position and test some more,” said Warnestad.

The test at Gelleråsen provided many important laps for the team. But according to Göran Olsson, the man behind the construction of the car, there is a lot left to do.

“We are pleased with the tests so far. We got answers on a number of question but we have a long list over stuff we need to do to make it go even faster,” said Olsson.

Unofficial reports say, according to STCC.se, that driver Jens Edman’s best time was 1:08.5 around Gelleråsen during the test. That time would have placed Edman 12th at the grid of the last STCC race at Gelleråsen.

“We need to cut a couple of tenths before we are ready. This was our first real test with the car and it honestly feels like there is real potential in the car,” said Edman.

The team has used a lot of standard Saab parts in the car, something that makes the car heavier but something that the team hopes is going to inspire Saab.

“We have chosen a strategy to run a lot of original parts from Saab. The steering reck and rear roll bar is taken straight from the road car,” said Olsson.

“We do this because it is cheaper and to inspire Saab to enter the project on a level that suits the situation of today. The car is a bit heavier because of this, but we are working on it and I think if we get a bit more testing done, we can produce respectable lap times,” said Olsson.

According to our sources the Saab team could make it debut after the STCC summer break at Gelleråsen on August the 15th. If Edman is going to drive the car remains to be seen.

Eventhough he is uncertain of the future, Edman firmly believes that the car can win races.

“If we would be able to test the car further and get a budget for the project I absolutely think that this car can win races. Maybe not this year, but next year with hard work during the winter,” said Edman.