Volvo Polestar S60 TTA Touring Car

A Volvo pode não ser a primeira marca que você lembra quando o assunto é automobilismo, mas a fabricante sueca é líder em alguns campeonatos europeus de turismo. Antes de ingressar no World Touring Car Championship em 2011, a Volvo e a Polestar dominaram o Swedish Touring Car Championship. Como o campeonato se estenderá para toda a Escandinávia, a Volvo decidiu ir para a TTA Racing Elite League, e em vez de utilizar um C30, criou um S60 preparado para as competições.

O Volvo Polestar S60 TTA Touring Car possui carroceria em fibra de carbono, um motor V6 que produz 420 CV de potência, um KERS semelhante ao utilizado na Fórmula 1, e uma transmissão sequencial de seis marchas. Embora a pintura ainda não tenha sido finalizada, será na mesma cor azul predominante no protótipo do C30 criado pela Polestar, cor semelhante aos Fórmula 1 da Renault com os quais Fernando Alonso conquistou seus dois títulos mundiais.

O carro entrará nas corridas com duas equipes: Volvo Polestar Racing e Volvo Polestar Performance. Somente três pilotos já foram confirmados até agora: Robert Dahlgren, Fredrik Ekblom e Thed Björk.

First picture of the new Volvo S60 TTA

Volvo announced in August last year that they are going to switch to TTA – the Swedish Racing Elite League ahead of 2012 and today the first picture is released of the new racing car.
"We have had a big pressure on us from many curious Volvo enthusiasts as it is a new championship and a new racing car. That is why we chosen to reveal the car now. Our final team colors are going to be shown later, but this is our S60 in TTA racing specification," said Alexander Murdzevski, Commercial Director of Volvo Motorsport Sweden.

Volvo is going to compete with four cars in the Racing Elite League with Polestar in two different teams, Volvo Polestar Racing and Volvo Polestar Performance. Three of four drivers are confirmed, Robert Dahlgren, Fredrik Ekblom and Thed Björk. The fourth driver has not yet been named.

"We can't go in to that today. We are negotiating with three drivers, but we have other things that are more time pressing. Polestar and TTA are conducting the final tests at the same time as we are working on the hybrid system, producing the carbon fibre body shells and calibrating the aerodynamics for all cars in our wind tunnel," said Derek Crabb, Director of Volvo Motorsport.

With three months remaining to the TTA premiere on the 12th of May at Karlskoga, a new future awaits Swedish motorsport with sporting values, tight races and completely new regulations with new and exciting technology. Volvo has supported the idea from the start and has contracted their participation in the championship until 2015 at least.

"Motorsport must be cool, exciting and fair. We must fight our meanest competitors in our best selling models. We must be able to win by doing the best job and it should be easy for importers in the country to change racing car when changing model without the need of a heavy factory programme. We are really looking forward to the TTA – Racing Elite League 2012," said Anders Gustafsson, Managing Director of Volvo Cars Sweden.

Calendar – TTA Racing Elite League

12/05 – Karlskoga
02/06 – Anderstorp
16/06 – Gothenburg
07/07 – Falkenberg
18/08 – Karlskoga
01/09 – Anderstorp
15/09 – Tierp Arena
29/09 – Gothenburg

Technical specification – Volvo S60 TTA

Length: 470 mm
Width: 1970 mm
Height: 1205 mm
Wheelbase: 2750 mm
Track width: 1660 mm front/1630 mm rear
Suspension: Double wishbone, three-way dampers, etc.
Body: Carbon fibre
Engine: V6 with hybrid system
Drive: RWD
Power: 420 BHP
Gearbox: 6-speed sequential with paddles on steering wheel
Hybrid system: Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS)
Rear wing: 1600 mm width/300 mm depth
Brakes: Front: 4-piston calipers, 370 mm ventilated discs
Rear: 4-piston calipers, 360 mm ventilated discs
Rims: 18″ with centre wheel nut
Tyres: Front: 260/660-18 Rear: 280/660-18