Sweden's Prince Carl Philip to race for Volvo in STCC
Tue, 04 Dec 2012
Starting in 2008, Prince Carl Philip began competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup, where he placed as high as 11th. In 2010, he finished first in the Porsche GT3 Endurance competition, and most recently, he placed fourth in the 2012 Swedish GT GTB.
As his motorsport career up to this point suggests, the prince is quite serious about racing and the STCC is the next step up. According to Prince Carl Philip, "There is no tougher championship in Sweden and at the same time as I have respect for it, it motivates me greatly." You can read more on Prince Carl Philip's upcoming campaign with Polestar in the press release below.
Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte is going to race in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, STCC, next year for Volvo Polestar Racing
"I am really happy and excited ahead of this new program. This is for sure going to be the greatest challenge so far in my racing career," said Prince Carl Philip.
The Prince is going to drive a fifth Volvo S60 alongside already confirmed Volvo drivers Fredrik Ekblom, Thed Björk, Robert Dahlgren and Linus Ohlsson.
"Our domestic market and motorsport are our two core issues. That is why we are very happy to be able to extend our motorsport program in STCC together with Prince Carl Philip," said Derek Crabb, head of Volvo Motorsport.
The program for Prince Carl Philip with Volvo Polestar Racing spans over several years where the plan for the Prince is to continue his development as racing driver by matching him against the very elite of Swedish racing drivers.
"It is inspiring to see how serious Prince Carl Philip is with his motorsport career and we think that Volvo Polestar can help him to take the next step up. The development he has done so far as a driver is impressive, especially keeping in mind how late he started compared to his competitors who have driven gokarts since they were kids," said Christian Dahl, Team Manager of Volvo Polestar Racing.
Prince Carl Philip made his racing debut in Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia in 2008 and he has since then steadily developed as a racing driver, most recently competing in Swedish GT 2012 where he finished fourth overall in the GTB class.
"I want to give a big thanks to Janne "Flash" Nilsson and Flash Engineering for all the help during the past seasons. It has been invaluable, providing me with a lot of great memories and experiences. I am grateful that Janne believed in me as an unexperienced driver and helped me to develop as a racing driver, a dream that I have had since I was a kid. STCC and the cars there will be completely new for me and I am humble before my task. There is no tougher championship in Sweden and at the same time as I have respect for it, it motivates me greatly," said Prince Carl Philip.
Racing Career - Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte
2008 - Porsche Carrera Cup – 27th
2009 - Porsche Carrera Cup – 15th
2010 - Porsche Carrera Cup – 11th
2010 - Porsche GT3 Endurance – 1st
2011 - Porsche Carrera Cup – 11th
2012 - Swedish GT GTB – 4th
By George Kennedy
See also: Volvo recommits to Sweden with development of next-gen platform and engines, Volvo S60 Polestar Concept finally spotted in the flesh, This Volvo truck is for the birds... literally.