Mikael Karlsson on maiden STCC title: “Unreal!”

Mikael Karlsson claimed the 28th STCC title since the start of the championship in 1996, beating Brink Motorsport team-mate Jimmy Eriksson with a margin of just seven points after an eventful season finale at Mantorp Park.

“It feels incredible! We’ve been fast all season and Brink Motorsport has done an amazing job. It’s great to be able to share this with them,” said Karlsson.

The Tesla driver won the first race of the weekend and finished second in the last.

“The last race was quite calm actually and I even took the opportunity to use a push-to-pass just for the fun of it. It feels unreal to be able to say that we are STCC champions 2024,” said Karlsson.

Team-mate Tobias Brink headed to the season finale in the lead but left it in third after two disastrous races with a massive crash in the first and an incident in the second race.

“I am very happy for Micke but of course disappointed for myself,” said Brink.

“I came to the season final thinking that the title was pretty secure. But then I got hit in the first race and we worked like animals to get the car ready for the last race. Unfortunately, the grip wasn’t there as we had to change tires and I couldn’t challenge for the victory.”

Eriksson became the most victorious driver of the 2024 season with four wins, but his two retirements were too much.

“Really great to end the season on a high and a big congratulations to Mikael!” said Eriksson.

“Of course, the title was what I was aiming for. But after racing several years abroad in GT, being able to come to STCC and challenge for the title on my first attempt feels good. Now we are charging for an exciting 2025.”