Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk says he is feeling confident for this weekend’s World Touring Car Championship races on the streets of Macau, despite the points leader never having raced on the Circuito da Guia before.
Björk leads Honda’s Norbert Michelisz by 16.5 points heading into the final Asian race of the season, and the Swede is more confident than ever heading to the legendary circuit at a crucial moment in the season.
”Macau is the biggest challenge of the season,” said Björk. “It’s the penultimate round of the season and I have never have driven there before.
“I am the chased driver of the Championship, but that is something I will use as a strength. I am right where I want to be – at the front of the pack – and we are in our strongest position yet with the development of the car.
“I feel confident, but of course we need to be on our toes all weekend and try not to make any errors. The consequences of mistakes in Macau can be significant.”
All three Volvo S60 Polestar cars are given the maximum 80 kg of compensation weight for this weekend, which is 10 kg heavier than rivals Honda.
But both manufacturers will have to watch out for the dominant Citroën cars, which will carry no additional weight for the first time this weekend.
Volvo last made an appearance on the world-famous street circuit in 2011, but it was Robert Dahlgren who then drove the car – and crashed it in qualifying, ending the team’s only previous foray into the Guia race.
”There is no room for error at the unforgiving Macau, especially with just two race weekends left,” said Polestar’s Head of Motorsport Alexander Murdzevski-Schedvin. “This is one of the legendary races of the racing world that everyone wants to win.
“We have a tough task ahead of us as we haven’t raced here since 2011 and we are the heaviest of all with 80 kg of compensation weight.
“That said, our racing package is at its strongest so far this season and our ambition is the same as always – aim to leave the race with a big bag of points and continued double championship lead.”