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Norway in, Solvalla and Finland out as 2018 STCC calendar announced

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The Scandinavian Touring Car Championship organisation has revealed its 2018 calendar, which features a first trip to Norway since 2008 and reducing the number of rounds to six.

Alastaro and Solvalla are the rounds which make way in the revamped calendar, with the Rudskogan circuit south of Oslo hosting the penultimate round of the season.

The series will kick off again in Skåne at Ring Knutstorp before heading to Anderstorp on the third weekend in June.

Falkenberg retains its early July slot ahead of the summer break, with Karlskoga being pushed back a week to the second last weekend in August.

Mantorp Park will once more be the season-closing event in September.

In contrast to 2017, the majority of rounds will be Saturday-Sunday meetings, with only Knutstorp and Mantorp maintaining their Friday-Saturday timetables from last season.

The STCC-supporting Porsche Carerra Cup Scandinavia held a stand-alone round at Rudskogen in June this year after plans to host a full package fell through.

But now, new chairman of the STCC organisation Hans Bååth believes the introduction of a Norwegian round is a vital step in ensuring the series remains relevant across Scandinavia.

He said: “We are a Scandinavian championship and as such we would like to have at least one race weekend outside Sweden in our calendar. This year we were in Finland, 2018 we will return to Norway.”

Bååth also feels the championship – which ran to TCR regulations for the first time in 2017 – will be able to grow in the coming year. And that starts with a calendar which suits the cars.

“A good calendar that we are happy with. We will compete on well-known and good courses that will ensure good events, cool and interesting racing,” said Bååth.

“We want to deepen and develop cooperation with the Swedish tracks, its owners and clubs in the locations where the tracks exist.”

2018 STCC Calendar

Ring Knutstorp – 4-5 May

Anderstorp – 16-17 June

Falkenberg – 7-8 July

Karlskoga – 18-19 August

Rudskogen, Norway – 8-9 September

Mantorp Park – 21-22 September