Volkswagen Team Sweden

Johan is driving with his ears, copies his father and does not get a leave.

”I had been longing all season for the race at ’Knutan’. It’s a track that contains several really tricky parts and you have to be patient and let the car do the job. Ronnie and me have been working together for many years and we have found a good way to communicate how the car should be moving. I’m not always aware of what he’s up to but I can see from the graphs that I have been driving better and better during the season and that was exactly what I wanted from the Porsche project."

It was some kind of graduation then and you were quickest already in training and qualification.

”It think I could have maximised the car a bit more in qualification, but I wasn’t able to do that. A broken display the whole first day didn’t make it easier. I couldn’t get any information about temperature or gears and I couldn’t see the lap times. Nor could I get delta times, where I can see if a corner has been faster than the one on the lap before. I had to go for ear, but luckily I have been on this track many times before so I know what gear to use in different parts.”

You went through both races with quite some ease.

”To be honest I was a bit nervous before the first race, for the first time this year. I got Jocke right behind me and Lukas on the outside. I went really smooth through the first corner and then I just covered for Lukas out on the next straight. Our strategy was to go hard from the start to find the right temperature in the tyres and that worked. The rest was of the race was under control.”

And the same in the second race.

”Yes, but there was a little bit more drama inside the car than you could notice from the outside. I increased my lead durng the first six or seven laps but then I stopped pushing. I noticed Jocke was getting closer so I tried to go faster again. It’s difficult to step up a gear when you are also losing grip. You notice very quickly in the rear mirror when someone is getting closer. But the last laps were just fun to drive. It’s so nice to be able to put everything together with thirteen straight wins.”

In the first two sections of the track you weren’t faster than the others but in the last section there was no doubt about it. Are there any special tricks to use there?

”There are small small things that you have to learn. In fact it was my father who taught me about the secrets when I was in JTCC. He had cracked the code going behind Fredrik Ekblom in the Super Touring Championship, so Knutstorp is a circuit that means a lot for us. For a long time my father had a note from a warm up posted in his office where was number one, Ekblom second and Colciago third, ha-ha.”

Ekblom was impressive at Knutstorp this time as well.

”It was really fun to see Fredrik in the second race where he had to win to stand a chance on the championship. It was like he was re-born when went for all the chances he could get. But Thed is also fantastic. Three titles in a row. He knows how to get the most out of his car.”

And talking about STCC. Last week you were talking about wearing a full helmet partly due to the risk of things flying around in the car. Emma Kimiläinen’s eye injury shows that you were quite right about that.

”Yes, as you could see. Something has apparently flown into her eye, causing damage.”

You pull down your visor and head for rallycross in Turkey.

”I have really been looking forward to this race since Spain where everything went so well. I have watched some films from last year but it’s difficult to get a good view of the track. The gravel parts seem to be slippery and it’s a bit tricky here and there. But it will be a new challenge, really interesting to see if we have found the right set up.”

You have had a pretty normal life at home during the week.

”I’ve done some exercise. I went for a couple of bicycle rides in this fantastic weather that we have had. And of course I’ve had some time with Zandra and Colin.”

But this weekend there is a big feast in your hometown, ’Arvika-mârten’. You should ask for parental leave and go for some merry-go-rounds with Colin.

”Ha-ha, yes I should but my permission was denied.”