Johansson out!

Tech problems end DS3 debut.

Super1600 front runner David Johansson has high hopes for his new Citroën DS3 but has resigned himself to leaving Lydden early and returning home to Sweden where he will have to make ‘big changes’ to the car. Scrutineers in the opening round of the FIA championship found the car contravened the regulations. Reluctant to go into details, Johansson cannot hide his disappointment.

“I have worked for this since November last year, everything I have is in the car but now I will have to go home and work on it again,” he said, “I am very upset about it because I built the car together with Ingvar Gunnarsson and he checked out the details of things we can do with the FIA and we had emails to say that it was okay. I will not tell you exactly the problems are, there are two things, that we will have to change now and they are quite big, a lot of work.”

Johansson managed to notch up 20 laps of testing in the DS3 before coming to Lydden and, after some discussion, has been granted permission to drive the car in the free practice sessions. He does not, however, expect to be allowed to drive after this. “I think I have to go home. It’s a very bad situation and I feel terrible that I am here with the car and I cannot race. I think they [the event officials] are still talking but I don’t expect the decision will change now,” said Johansson.

If the Swede can draw any solace from the affair, it is that he is happy with the performance of his car, “I did one test before we came here now these few laps. The car feels very good; there are things to change with the setup – and there is a problem with dust getting inside the car, but they are quite small things, I think this will be a very good car,” he said.

* The official notice of Johansson’s exclusion states that his car contravened the regulations on two counts: Having a non-original dashboard and because of modifications to the floor.

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