Thed Björk: Macau pole ”something I’ve always wanted to achieve”

Thed Björk says taking pole position on the famous streets of Macau marks the realisation of something the Swede has long wanted to achieve in his extensive touring car career.

Björk won the World Touring Car Championship in 2017, but has not added another title since then – something that could change this weekend.

By topping a tricky qualifying session in changeable conditions on Friday, Björk hauled himself up to second in the FIA TCR World Tour standings going into the weekend’s pair of all-deciding races on the Macau peninsula.

With pole position for Race 1 on Saturday, and championship leader Michelisz qualifying fourth, Björk has a golden opportunity to make further inroads in his Hyundai rival’s 10-point advantage.

”It’s super important,” Björk said of his chart-topping effort. ”It will not be easy tomorrow, but this makes it less hard.”

Björk also spoke about the significance of stringing together a quick qualifying lap around the notorious Guia street track and taking his first-ever pole in Macau.

“Such a crazy feeling to get pole! It means a lot here in Macau – it’s something I’ve always wanted to achieve.

”The only focus was on my mental flow during the session. It was such a nice feeling. The car was perfectly set up from the beginning. Big thanks to Cyan Racing and Lynk & Co; my 03 TCR race car was fantastic.”

Björk will share the front row with Hyundai’s Mikel Azcona, another title contender, in Race 1 tomorrow at 12:35 local time / 05:35 CET.