Two-time W Series race winner Emma Kimiläinen returns to Scandinavia's premier racing series STCC, in the championship's first ever all-electric season. Kimiläinen joins Exion Racing at the wheel of the BMW i4.
Seven years after her last STCC season, Finnish racer Emma Kimiläinen is set to return to Scandinavia's premier racing series for its inaugural electric season.
Kimiläinen, 34, competed in the all-female W Series championship since its inception in 2019, winning 2 races and scoring 8 podiums, 5 fastest laps and 2 pole positions.
The Finnish racer completed the 2019 season in 5th place despite missing much of the first half of the season due to an injury; she would carry momentum into 2021, ending third in the drivers' standings after a very solid run.
Emma had raced in the popular Scandinavian Touring Car Championship from 2014 to 2016 - before being selected for W Series. She collected three podiums and a fastest lap racing for team PWR Racing, after coming back from a 5-year hiatus and after the birth of her daughter.
Her previous experience in STCC - as well as recent experience of high-power and high downforce single seaters are surely going to be a big asset for team Exion Racing, which she joins in 2023 for the upcoming season.
"Just like when I drove in STCC before, my goal is to be there and fight for the absolute top", Emma said. "Of course, a lot has to happen for that and the preparations will be minimal. But powerful rear wheel drive cars are a bit of my specialty and I feel extremely motivated!"
STCC is gearing up for its first season since switching to a fully electric format - the first major motorsport championship to do so. The move resulted in delays due to delivery/supply challenges, and the championship has scaled back to a three double-headers event calendar scheduled to start in September.
"It feels really good to be back in STCC, which has a unique place in my heart, especially when we become the first in the world as a national electric championship", Kimiläinen added.
She will get behind the wheel of the Exion Racing's electric BMW i4, in a three car operation alongside teammates Calle Bergman and Isac Aronsson.
"We are proud to be able to welcome Emma back to STCC and to Exion Racing where with her we get a proven fast and experienced talent", commented Daniel Aronsson, team manager at Exion Racing.
"It has been an incredibly challenging year so far for all of us, but we now have a strong driver line-up and are as ready as we can be for the delivery of the new cars."
Ring Knutstorp, Ljungbyhed Motorbana and Mantorp Park will host the inaugural events of the new STCC era in 2023, while Skellefteå, Gelleråsen and Helsingborg have been rescheduled for 2024 following the delay.
The new electric cars will produce close to 550 horsepower - the most powerful cars in STCC history. Races will be broadcasted live via the championship's streaming platform STCC+.
The Scandinavian Touring Car Championship has traditionally featured talented female drivers on its grid: Elisabeth Nilsson climbed the podium in the inaugural season in 1996 and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky made history in 2021 by finishing Vice-Champion. Emma Kimiläinen aims to top this achievement.