Rob Huff makes history with 2020 STCC TCR Scandinavia drivers’ championship glory
Rob Huff has become a British trailblazer by winning the 2020 STCC TCR Scandinavia drivers’ championship.
Two victories and a second-place finish at the Ring Knutstorp saw the 40-year-old Cambridge driver become not just the first Briton to win the title, but even a race in Sweden – and also the first non-Scandinavian driver to win the title since 2002.
Huff, who was competing for the Lestrup Racing Team, took the victory by seven points from Robert Dahlgren.
“I have to say a big thanks to Lestrup Racing Team, without these guys and girls, this would not have been possible,” said Huff.
“With these guys, we can do anything. It’s just brilliant. We’re going to have a pretty good party. It’d be rude not to. It’s been a tough year.”
Huff had qualified in second and fourth in the first two races, with defending champion Dahlgren in the Cupra on pole.
In race one, Huff made his best start of the year to take the lead at turn one and drive off into the distance to win by more than 10 seconds, going ahead in the championship.
From fourth place on the grid in race two, Huff made up one spot at the start and avoided a melee behind which brought out the safety car.
He quickly picked off previous points leader Audi’s Tobias Brink at the restart and settled into a rhythm to finish in second behind Dahlgren.
Going into the final race of the day, the top eight reversed grid, Huff and Dahlgren were tied for the lead in the championship.
Huff started in seventh, but after another good start got up to fourth by passing title rival Brink.
Huff then passed race leader Kevin Engman to take his second win of the day and season – but, more importantly, by easily outscoring his rivals secured the drivers’ title in his first season, as well as the first teams’ title for Lestrup Racing Team.
“What a day!” said Huff.
“In race one, we just got a really good start.
“We’ve worked really hard on the set-up, and the car was perfect – I wish we could have races like that all the time.
“On every lap, the track was changing as it dried out.
“I still knew I had to build a gap to Dahlgren, and couldn’t take it easy.
“In the second race, I had another fantastic start.
“If there was enough track there I could have jumped them all, but I couldn’t – I decided to go left, Brink put me slightly on grass and that put me down to P5, but was able to brake a bit late and got back to P3 and stayed there.
“And then race three – that was mental. What a race. I had a good start, no one really got involved with us, and I just put the car where it needed to be.”