Volvos in Motorsport: Swedespeed's 2010 Season Preview

by Stu Fowle

Apr 13, 2010 - 1:27:00 PM

For Volvos in motorsport, 2010 is already shaping up to be a very busy year. Hopefully, it’ll also be a very successful one. The events and vehicles involved also cover a pretty wide range, with multiple C30s and a few generations of S60 representing the brand in prominent racing series. While winning is always most important, there’s also an increasing effort to make racing Volvos more friendly to Mother Earth. But enoughï申we’ve assembled a short list of the most exciting Volvos in racing this year. So here we go:



2011 C30 Swedish Touring Car Championship, run by Volvo Cars and Polestar
"This is the fastest Volvo I've ever driven." Bold words to come from Robert Dahlgren, star driver for the Volvo/Polestar STCC race team. But a lot of effort has been put into the car behind the statement, with hours upon hours spent in the wind tunnel honing the aerodynamics of the nose. As a result, downforce is higher at the front and airflow around the car is also improved. Plus, it looks pretty cool. 


Volvo won the STCC in a thrilling season ending finish over a BMW team in 2009, and we have to think that the other crews are out for revenge. The C30 has a new face, but the engineering effort and team members behind the car remain and is looking for a repeat. Racing starts soon, so we shall see how the Swedish home company does in the series.

LINKS:
- Pre-season Press Release and Photos
- Official STCC Website
- Polestar Performance



2011 S60 ï申 Belgian Touring Car Series, run by Volvo Cars Belgium
Just weeks after the new second-generation S60 hit the show stand for the first time, it’s already been done up as a steroidal stock car for a new series in Belgium, where the 2011 S60 will actually start production soon. To fit on its series-mandated tube frame chassis and surrounding silhouette, this S60 loses its rear doors and takes on more coupe-like proportions. Volvo needs to build a production one, minus the wild spoilers and bare shell interior, of course. In addition to the standardized chassis, the S60 BTCS also uses a standardized engine producing just over 400 hp. Unique engines are allowed, and we’re told Volvo will introduce a 400-hp inline engine next year if the series proves valuable.

In its debut on the Zolder circuit, the S60 ran into early problems due to a fuel tank clog. Back on course in the second head, the car was running strong and had worked its way up to second place before contact with a slower car lead to a gravel trap and eventually, another trip to the pits. The car ended the race in ninth place, but driver Vincent Radermecker was upbeat, saying the car “has lots of potential.” We’ll see what happens when the S60 puts in a solid, trouble-free race.

LINKS:
-Pre-season Press Release and Photos
- First Race Result
- BTCS Official Site



2011 C30 ï申 Nurburgring Endurance Races, run by Heico Sportiv
The world of motorsports is riding a very fine line right now. Yes, it's exciting to watch and be involved in, but the more the public starts thinking about fuel prices and the costs to the environment, the trickier it is going to be for racing teams to avoid criticism. That's inspired a new movement of more eco-friendly racing, which in addition to being simply responsible also works quite well as a marketing tool for businesses as a whole. Volvo tuning firm Heico Sportiv looks to be at the head of the game.



Build primarily for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race this summer, this 2011 Volvo C30 converted to race duty picks up where Heico's past four entries--all class winners--have left off. Those previous cars used biofuel, but in the off-season Heico has worked with ethanol scientists at CropEnergies to optimize the fuel and the car's engine management even further. Since last year, fuel consumption is down by 10 percent, while looking at the company's 2007 race car will show a 25 percent drop. In a race that lasts a full day and night, small changes like that can be the difference between the podium and everyone else.


Additionally, we saw spy photos of the car a few weeks ago and noticed the odd color of the unpainted front spoiler. Turns out, it looked strange because it, along with a few other panels, is made of a special mix of decomposable natural fibers. The tires, provided by Pirelli, are also made of a more earth-friendly rubber compound. These efforts are very encouraging for the future of motorsports, but what would be really good is if the Captain Planet Volvo manages to pull off yet another class win at the 'Ring this year.

LINKS:
- Pre-season Press Release and Photos
- Heico Sportiv Official Site



2010 Volvo S60 T5 AWD ï申 SCCA World Challenge GT, run by K-Pax Racing
Last year, K-Pax racing went against the odds by entering two 2.5-liter turbo S60s in the World Challenge GT, a race run by a diverse group of cars, most with much larger engines under the hood. The experienced driving team of Randy Pobst and Andy Pilgrim still managed three wins in their debut year, and they’re even more confident going into 2010.

“I predict that 2010 will be the year of the K-Pax Racing Volvo S60,” Pobst said. “We will benefit from what we learned in our first season in the new Volvos, mostly from reliability, I predict. We had good speed from the beginning with a sound design on the solid Volvo chassis. I really enjoy driving something unusual and attention getting. The K-Pax Volvo S60 stands out, even in the World Challenge GT crowd. I also relish the chance to be part of developing something so new and different.”

The World Challenge will mix things up this year by running three car classes in one race, making traffic a serious challenge for drivers and a larger draw for fans, who want to see some paint-scraping head-to-head duels.

LINKS:
- K-Pax Racing Official Site
- SCCA World Challenge Official Site



2010 Volvo S60 ï申 NASA GTS3, run by TKi Motorsport
Representing the most grassroots-style racing effort of our group here, TKi Motorsport is returning its seafoam green and orange S60 to the NASA GTS3 series. Stripped of its non-essentials, the S60 is slimmed down to about 2700 pounds, with TKi churning a reliable 300 hp and 300 lb-ft from the car’s five-cylinder turbo.

“We had an outstanding weekend of testing, and much of it is due to the efficient and
enthusiastic crew. We were able to run numerous laps to gather data, and make adjustments
accordingly. We are in a fantastic position for the upcoming season, and look forward to the
challenge for the championship this season,” we were told recently by Josh Koropchak, Driver and Team Principal
for TKi Motorsport.

We hate to toot our own horn, but we at Swedespeed are especially interested in how the TKi car runs this year, as our stickers will be all over the car as one of the team’s sponsors. We wish the best of luck to every Volvo racing in 2010, but yes, we wish a little extra luck to Josh and the boys at TKi.

LINKS:
- Pre-season Press Release and Photos
- TKi Motorsport Official Site

Do you have some other Volvos running in motorsport this year that you think we should be keeping an eye on? Head through the forum link below and post the information.

For more discussion on this story, click on the link to our discussion forums at the left.