Photo: STCC

John Bryant-Meisner to substitute for Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky at Mantorp

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PWR Racing have announced that John Bryant-Meisner will stand in for Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky at the final STCC round at Mantorp Park next month.

Åhlin-Kottlulinsky, who has raced in four out the season’s five rounds with the Junior team, will miss the season finale due to her ADAC GT Masters commitments at the Sachsenring on the weekend of the 16th September, paving the way for ex-F3 and GP3 driver Bryant-Meisner to make his touring car debut.

In a team statement, Bryant-Meisner said: “It’s fun to be able to compete at home after many years abroad, and all the more enjoyable with it being the STCC finale too.”

“It will be an exciting challenge to come from formula cars and race against a field filled with experienced drivers. Many thanks to PWR Racing for this opportunity,” Bryant-Meisner added.

Bryant-Meisner will take over the Combitech-liveried Audi RS 3 LMS in which Åhlin-Kottulinsky scored points at Solvalla and Falkenberg this year, marking a first foray into touring cars for the 22-year-old.

The Stockholm-local scored six points in his sole season of European F3 in 2014 with Fortec Motorsport, before competing in two rounds – Spa-Francorchamps and Monza – of that year’s GP3 season with Trident.

Since then, Bryant-Meisner has spent two seasons in the Asian Le Mans Series, finishing third in the 2015-16 standings.

Bryant-Meisner was announced as Nika Racing’s entry in the 2016 World Touring Car Championship season, with the team planning to enter a Chevrolet Cruze, but they never made it to the grid.

Daniel Haglöf – whose PWR Racing team have historically helped young and female drivers secure top-line seats in Swedish motorsport – said Bryant-Meisner’s drive is a continuation of this tradition.

He said: “We have been looking for someone to stand in for Mikaela for a while, with the criterion being that it is a junior driver and someone we consider to be a card for the future.”

“John is someone we think has a great capacity and good ability to develop into a top driver in Swedish racing in the long run, so it’s exciting to let him show what he’s got,” Haglöf added.

“Finally, we wish Mikaela good luck in the ADAC GT Masters at the Sachsenring.”