Rickard Rydell happy with Mantorp Park result

Reigning Scandinavian Touring Car Champion Rickard Rydell is happy with the two second places he took at Mantorp Park last weekend, which keeps him just 14 points behind the Team Biogas.se Volkswagen of Johan Kristoffersson.

Rydell qualified in third place for the opening round of the season in the WTCC-specification Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T, starting behind the 2.0 litre turbocharged Super 2000 spec Volkswagen Scirocco of Johan Stureson and Kristoffersson on the grid.

The 44-year-old managed to pass Stureson on lap seven and held on to finish second, just over 4.2 seconds down on Kristoffersson. Rydell repeated the move in race two on Stureson for second, and closed in on Kristoffersson’s VW, finishing less than half a second behind the International Superstars points leader.

“I am very pleased with the start of the season, and two second places is absolutely a good result in this competition,” said Rydell.

“Our race pace bodes well for the rest of the year, and our two fastest laps confirms that we have a strong car over longer distances. I tried to push Johan (Kristofferson) as much as possible in Race 2 and was very close at a shot at overtaking, but he made no mistakes.”

“It’s a long season, and we have a good chance to fight at the top in the future.”

STCC Standings after Mantorp Park