The 2018 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship season gets underway this weekend, and the signs point to one of the most exciting seasons yet for the championship, with the largest full-season entry field since 2011.

21 cars are entered for the full season, with four of the world’s top TCR manufacturers all competing, with cars from Volkswagen, Honda, Audi and SEAT’s brand-new performance brand Cupra all represented on the grid.

The most likely candidates for the title are also previous winners, with current champion Robert Dahlgren returning for another shot with PWR Racing, now carrying with pride the #1 on his Cupra TCR.

“We have done a lot of work during the winter and we start from a strong position after a great STCC season last year,” said Dahlgren. ”The feeling is really good after the pre-season tests, I have a lot of confidence. I know that being the champions puts a lot of pressure on us, but that is something I’d gladly take and I never race for anything else but to win.”

The 38-year-old will have a fight on his hands though from two former champions, both competing in Volkswagen Golf GTI TCRs, with three-time STCC champion Fredrik Ekblom re-joining WestCoast Racing after ten years, the Halmstad-based squad back after a three-year stint in the TCR International Series.

“The feeling in the team is really good, and it is also the team that I have had most success with,” said Ekblom. ”I have no secrets from my team-mates, I am here to make sure that they are as prepared as possible. It feels like it is going to be a really tough season this year. The ambition for this year is to do a great job with the team, and that does of course include to win. We are aware of the task ahead though, as it has been a long time since the field was this strong.”

The other star driver who’s set to be a contender from the get-go is reigning FIA World Rallycross Championship drivers’ champion, and 2012 STCC title holder Johan Kristoffersson, who will compete in his first full season since his championship-winning year in a Kristoffersson Motorsport-run Golf GTI TCR, after taking six race victories during a partial campaign last year.

“The pre-season tests were positive. My ambition is without a doubt to fight for the title. STCC is stronger this year than it has been for many years, and we are preparing for it to be super-tough,” said Kristoffersson.

While Dahlgren, Ekblom and Kristoffersson are expected to be favourites for the title, they could well be under threat from a whole host of rising stars, and if not for the championship, at least for race victories.

Philip Morin joins PWR Racing in one of their Cupra TCRs and has proven speed in the STCC before, while team-mate and team owner Daniel Haglöf has won four races in his career and will be chasing to add more to his tally.

The STCC’s most experienced racer, Mattias Andersson, will be the sole Honda driver on the grid this year, and will also be looking to add to his career total of four race wins, coming off the back of two magnificent second-place finishes at the 2017 season finale at Mantorp Park.

Andersson will also become the STCC’s most experienced racer by the end of the first race weekend, as he’s set to pass Jan ‘Flash’ Nilsson’s starting record of 231 STCC race starts in the second race at Ring Knutstorp.

23-year-old Andreas Wernersson, who just misses the cut to be entered in the JTCC, is a previous race winner from 2014, and now racing full-time with Lestrup Racing Team in one of their Volkswagens, is also expected to be a regular podium visitor.

Brink Motorsport will fly the banner for Audi, with driver Micke Ohlsson showing strong form during the pre-season test at Knutstorp.

“I am really looking forward to the 2018 season. There is no doubt on that I want to be in the top this year. The season starts at my home track, it can’t get any better than that. I am really motivated,” said Ohlsson.

Other drivers will be aiming to put their experience from 2017 to use this year and fight at the front. Nicklas Oscarsson has made the switch from the Kia Cee’d TCR to a Kristoffersson Motorsport-run Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, and will be aiming to make the most of one of the most competitive packages on the grid.

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky is back for another year in the STCC, will switch to focussing full-time on touring cars, after completing a split touring car and GT programme last year. The 25-year-old remains with the championship-winning PWR Racing team, but will now be behind the wheel of one of their new Cupra TCRs.

Eight drivers will compete for the new JTCC (Junior Touring Car Championship) title this year, which open to competitors aged 17-22.

This includes Oliver Söderström, Oskar Krüger, Andreas Ahlberg, Albin Wärnelöv, Olli Kangas, Hugo Nerman and the Bäckman siblings Andreas and Jessica.

Five of those are also brand-new drivers to the championship, with Söderström, Krüger, Nerman and the Bäckmans all making their STCC debuts at Knutstorp, the other rookie being Alex Andersson, the 26-year-old graduating from the Radical Cup to race a Brovallen Design Audi RS 3 LMS this season.

The first race takes place on Saturday afternoon at the Ring Knutstorp, where the pre-season launch event was held just a week ago.

Entry list

No – Driver – Team – Car

1 – Robert Dahlgren – PWR Racing – SEAT Dealer Team – Cupra TCR

3 – Johan Kristoffersson – Kristoffersson Motorsport – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

4 – Oliver Söderström – Lestrup Racing Team – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

7 – Andreas Wernersson – Lestrup Racing Team – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

14 – Fredrik Ekblom – WestCoast Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

15 – Oskar Krüger – Micke Kågered Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

19 – Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky – SEAT Dealer Team – PWR Racing – Cupra TCR

20 – Mattias Andersson – Honda Racing Sweden – Honda Civic Type R TCR

21 – Andreas Ahlberg – Micke Kågered Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

22 – Albin Wärnelöv – Experion Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

23 – Alex Andersson – Brovallen Design – Audi RS 3 LMS

26 – Jessica Bäckman – WestCoast Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

29 – Andreas Bäckman – WestCoast Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

36 – Micke Ohlsson – Brink Motorsport – Audi RS 3 LMS

37 – Daniel Haglöf – PWR Racing – SEAT Dealer Team – Cupra TCR

44 – Olli Kangas – LMS Racing – Cupra TCR

59 – Peter “Poker” Wallenberg – PWR Racing – Customer Team – Audi RS 3 LMS

69 – Hugo Nerman – Kristoffersson Motorsport Volkswagen – Golf GTI TCR

71 – Tobias Brink – Brink Motorsport – Audi RS 3 LMS

81 – Nicklas Oscarsson – Kristoffersson Motorsport – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

86 – Philip Morin – SEAT Dealer Team – PWR Racing Cupra TCR

Timetable

Friday 4th May

10:00 – Test 1

13:50 – Test 2

16:30 – Qualifying 1

16:55 – Qualifying 2

Saturday 5th May

09:00 – Warm up

13:10 – Race 1

15:30 – Race 2

All times CEST