The 20 car field of the Danish Touringcar Championship had its annual away-from-home meeting at the Ring Knutstorp venue in Southern Sweden, and the Volvo Motorsport Danmark team really choose the venue right, as it scored the Swedish marque’s first ever win in the DTC series on home turf on a weekend, when its sisters in the Swedish Touring Car Championship could claim the top position on the rostrum.

Pontus Mörth had claimed his second pole position aboard the Volvo S60, and although he did not manage to make the best getaway when the lights went green, he could still hold the fast starting Kurt Thiim at bay, until the car reached the first right hander. Here the Renault driver put two wheels outside the tarmac, as thus Jens Edman slipped by to make it a Swedish 1-2, which held right through to the finish. Also getting by Kurt Thiim were championship leader Henrik Lundgaard and last year winner John Nielsen, but even though the latter made several attempts to get by the Toyota, he had to settle for fourth place.

Pontus Mörth’s win was not only his first in the Danish series. It was also the first ever for Volvo, which has been competing in the Danish Touringcar Championship sinces the series’s start in 1999.

On the partly-reversed grid for the final Kurt Thiim was on pole, and initially he made the best getaway, but then his speed slowed.

“I made a fantastic start in first gear,” he said, “but the mounting for the gearbox had broken, so we had to repair it as best as we could for the final. But when I pulled the gear lever to go into second, the main switch got knocked out.”

Instead John Nielsen had quickly to switch position on the road to avoid a collision and take a lead that he only lost momentarily under a rather chaotic safety car period, when he braked to suddenly and was passed his three pursuers, who collided. The top four cars got back into their positions, and at the restart John Nielsen was trailed by Henrik Lundgaard and Kurt Thiim, until the latter’s gearbox re-occurred. This caused several of his pursuers to crash into him, and in the end the yellow Renault was retired.

At the front John Nielsen extended his lead, while teammate Casper Elgaard tried valiantly to find a way past Jens Edman in fourth. While the Swede’s Toyota was fast down the straight, Casper Elgaard’s was fast in the corners, so no positions were changed. However, Michael Carlsen had to give up sixth overall, when he was outbraked by Martin Jensen and Michel Nykjær at the end of the straight, and in the process he got onto the dirty part of the tarmac and ended up with a major grass excursion, handing the privateers’ win to Jørgen Weinreich’s Toyota Corolla T-Sport.

Briefly: Reigning champion Jan Magnussen – who was also racing in the Swedish Touring Car Championship - was denied starting permission for the final after having driven onto the circuit from the pitline, while the rest of the DTC field entered the circuit from the assembly area for the pre-final. This coming Saturday Jan Magnussen will not be racing, but instead marrying long-time girl friend Christian. “I guess they cannot ban me from entering the church,” the Peugeot driver said afterwards.


Result of race 1 – Pre Final of round 4 of 8 – Ring Knutstorp – 12 laps of 2.070 kms:
1. Pontus Mörth Volvo Motorsport Danmark Volvo S60 14.44,28
2. Jens Edman Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 14.47,89
3. Henrik Lundgaard Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 14.48,53
4. John Nielsen Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 14.48,75
5. Kurt Thiim Renault Sport Renault Megane Sports Hatch 14.49,56
6. Casper Elgaard Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 14.49,86
7. Martin Jensen Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 14.50,26
8. Michael Carlsen Carlsen BP Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 14.51,77
9. Michel Nykjær Seat Racing Team Seat Toledo 14.51,95
10. Jørgen Weinreich Team Zulu Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 14.53,25

Fastest lap: Pontus Mörth, 1.03,791 (new lap record).

Result of race 2 –Final of round 4 of 8 – Ring Knutstorp – 15 laps of 2.070 kms:
1. John Nielsen Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 16.55,60
2. Henrik Lundgaard Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 16.57,03
3. Pontus Mörth Volvo Motorsport Danmark Volvo S60 16.58,75
4. Jens Edman Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 16.59,98
5. Casper Elgaard Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 17.00,47
6. Martin Jensen Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 17.02,86
7. Michel Nykjær Seat Racing Team Seat Toledo 17.05,01
8. Jørgen Weinreich Team Zulu Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 17.07,14
9. Michael Carlsen Carlsen BP Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 17.09,67
10. Jesper Sylvest Sylvest Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 17.13,25

Fastest lap: Kurt Thiim, 1.03,617 (new lap record).


*SpeedArena