Cyan Racing confirm Thed Björk but Andy Priaulx stands down
Cyan Racing has confirmed that Thed Björk will remain with the team for the 2020 World Touring Car Cup, although there will also be a new face within the four-car Lynk & Co line-up with the departure of Andy Priaulx.
Björk will race under the Cyan Performance Lynk & Co banner alongside a currently unknown team-mate after Priaulx informed the team that he would be standing down from his drive to focus on the career of his son Sebastian.
Yvan Muller and Yann Ehrlacher had already been named as team-mates on the Cyan Racing Lynk & Co side of the garage.
“Thed and Andy are undoubtably two of the best touring car drivers in the world,” Christian Dahl, CEO and founder of Cyan Racing, said.
“While we are delighted to continue our successful co-operation with Thed, we are of course sad to see Andy go. We do however fully respect his decision and we will keep in touch with him for the future.
“We have begun our work to find a new driver for the coming season.”
Björk claimed the 2017 WTCC title with Cyan Racing and goes into the 2020 season looking to try and improve on a fourth place finish last year – with his focus firmly on challenging for the title.
“To win the team title is still the main goal for the 2020 season and my personal goal is obviously to move forward in the drivers’ championship, to again fight for the title,” he said.
“The few test days we were able to perform before the lock down were really promising and fills me with confidence ahead of this season.
“I am sorry to see Andy go, we had a great co-operation last year, and I wish him the best for the future.”
Priaulx meanwhile steps away from the series having joined the Lynk & Co programme for its first season, with a single win at Macau being the highlight of his campaign.
The experienced Guernseyman will leave the team after the current pre-season Esports WTCR Championship series comes to an end.
“It was a tough call, a really heart wrenching decision,” he said, “but sometimes less is more and I had to make a decision to try and be successful in other ways outside of the car, helping my son Sebastian with his commitments in the US.
“It’s not about retirement, but I didn’t want to be in a position where I was not able to fully commit what Cyan Racing is doing.
“The plan is to keep racing and Sebastian needs a lot of time for me to give his career the opportunity that I had and that my father gave me at the beginning of my career. But the situation with the corona pandemic and Sebastian’s US programme just made the situation impossible.
“I am really proud to have secured the first ever Chinese World Title in motorsport with Lynk & Co Cyan Racing and I wish the team all the best. I think they have a really good shot at great results this year again and I hope that we will be back together somehow in the future.”
