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Volvo V60 Polestar Is the 2016 WTCC Safety Car

Volvo, a manufacturer that everyone associates with top-shelf passenger safety, has a long history with the World Touring Car Championship. The 850 Estate Super Touring Car of the 1990s comes to mind. For the 2016 season of the WTCC, Volvo isn’t just a competitor but it also manufactures the safety car.
2016 Volvo V60 Polestar WTCC Safety Car 7 photos
Photo: Volvo
2016 Volvo V60 Polestar WTCC Safety Car2016 Volvo V60 Polestar WTCC Safety Car2016 Volvo V60 Polestar WTCC Safety Car2016 Volvo V60 Polestar WTCC Safety Car2016 Volvo V60 Polestar WTCC Safety Car2016 Volvo V60 Polestar WTCC Safety Car
On April 3, on the Circuit Paul Ricard in France, the first race of the season will take place. One of the eleven teams is Polestar Cyan Racing, Volvo’s works racing team. Their weapon of choice is the Volvo S60 Polestar TC1, a hell-bent for leather compact executive sedan with little in common with the production car.

The safety car that will lead the WTCC field ahead of the Race of France, on the other hand, is a Volvo V60 Polestar that isn’t different from the model you can buy from a dealership. Between it and the newest WTCC safety car, differences are minimal: the rescue and communication equipment, the roll cage, and the roof-mounted lightbar. “It was an easy decision to start a cooperation with the WTCC on the Official Safety Car,” declared Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, the head of motorsport at Volvo’s performance division.

“This allows us to close the circle from track to road by showcasing customers the take-home alternative of our racing car technology in the form of the Volvo V60 Polestar Safety Car, at the same time being part of the vital and extensive safety work of the championship,” the Polestar head honcho added. These being said, Polestar is no stranger to the series known as the WTCC.

The 2016 season will be a long and unyielding one because there are 12 races on the calendar and the competition is stiffer than ever. On the one hand, you have Gabriele Tarquini behind the wheel of a Lada Vesta WTCC, on the other, there’s Tom Chilton driving a Citroen C-Elysee WTCC for Sebastien Loeb Racing. You can keep up with the latest news about the championship by visiting the official FIA WTCC portal.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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