Thed Björk has hailed his victory in the World Touring Car Championship in Shanghai as ‘absolutely amazing’ and says that his, and Polestar’s, first win in the championship was more than they could have asked for.
Björk took victory after passing Honda’s Norbert Michelisz on the final lap of the Opening Race, despite crossing the line with broken suspension.
The win is the first for the Sweden, and it also marks the first-ever podium, let alone first win, for Polestar Cyan Racing.
Furthermore, the win for the Volvo team comes at an important race, which is effectively their home event as the car company as owned by China-based Geely Automotive.
“I just have to start by saying it’s absolutely amazing for the team to get the first win here in China, in front of all the people and all the guests,” said Björk. “It was completely the right place, sorry Norbert, and the last lap was really, really nice.
“I decided if he was going to the inside I was going to get him on the outside and it worked. It was so nice feeling. It’s the first victory in the WTCC and it feels very special. I am so happy.”
Björk was surprised to score a win in Shanghai, having previously only secured a best finish of fourth in the championship.
“We were working really hard for this podium but a win in the first year was really more than we could ask for, so it’s absolutely fantastic to get the victory here.
“Like everybody else in the other teams the mechanics are working really hard for this. It just brings a lot of joy and we can be very happy to continue like this next year.”
Polestar Head of Motorsport, Alexander Murdzevski-Schedvin, believes that the win will help the morale of the team as they prepare to expand to three cars in 2017.
“This has been an amazing weekend with a fantastic race and a fantastic first victory for Thed, us and Volvo Cars,” he added. “We have had many guests and commercial activities connected to this race, so to be able to deliver a win here is of course special for us.
“This victory is also an important morale booster as we have a lot of work ahead of us to be frequently at the top of the championship next year and beyond.”