PWR Racing ”super interested” in ETCR but refuse to confirm WTCR continuation
PWR Racing team manager Daniel Haglöf has admitted to the Swedish squad being “super interested” in the new electric PURE ETCR series, but would not be drawn on whether its future plans continue to involve the World Touring Car Cup.
PWR Racing delivered several standout performances in what marked the team’s maiden WTCR campaign last year, fielding driving co-founder Haglöf and impressive race-winning rookie Mikel Azcona in a pair of Cupra TCRs.
The team also brought in the experienced Robert Dahlgren, who at the time had just clinched the 2019 STCC TCR Scandinavia title for PWR Racing, to substitute for Haglöf in Macau while the latter opted to remain in Sweden to focus on business development.
Speaking to TouringCarTimes, however, Haglöf refused to confirm any plans relating to WTCR for the up-coming season.
“We will be in the STCC again this year, but beyond that I can not confirm or deny anything,” Haglöf said to TouringCarTimes. “We will have to see how certain things pan out.”
PWR Racing are known to have ordered at least two brand new Cupra Leon Competición TCR cars for their 2020 STCC assault, where they have already confirmed defending champion Dahlgren and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, but preparations have been halted by the effects of coronavirus.
“We have not taken delivery of the new cars yet because Spain [where Cupra is based] has been in complete shutdown,” Haglöf continues. “We are in regular talks with them on a weekly basis to try and get the cars here, but it’s a difficult situation which none of us can fully control.”
Meanwhile, there are lingering doubts about Cupra’s own WTCR future, with the Spanish manufacturer currently having zero cars represented on the preliminary 2020 grid.
Alongside the uncertainty surrounding PWR Racing, fellow 2019 Cupra outfit Comtoyou Racing have already announced a switch to Audi machinery for driver Tom Coronel.
Cupra, however, are founding partners of the all-new PURE ETCR electric touring car category, and Haglöf said PWR Racing – who are backed by renewable energies company Skellefteå Kraft – keep a keen eye on the series.
“We want to be in electric racing,” Haglöf stated. “That’s what we are preparing the entire business for. I would say we are super interested in PURE ETCR, but I don’t know enough about the details at this stage. There are some uncertainties, for sure, but PURE ETCR is definitely the best thing around right now and something we keep very much in mind.”
PURE ETCR was originally due to launch its 2020 promotional campaign at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, but the British hill climb event has since been postponed due to Covid-19 and a revised calendar is yet to be announced.
