Lynk & Co Cyan Racing and Yann Ehrlacher were crowned the 2021 drivers' and teams' touring car world champions in the WTCR season finale at Sochi Autodrom in Russia.
"It's an overwhelming feeling to realize that we have claimed eight out of ten possible world titles during the past five years. This beyond our wildest expectations that we had when we drove our first full world championship programme in 2016. I want to extend a massive thank you to everyone involved for an exceptional performance this year," said Christian Dahl, owner and founder of Cyan Racing.
"Congratulations to Cyan Racing and Yann Ehrlacher to the 2021 world titles. This has been a very tough year due to the pandemic and for the team to achieve this result is a tremendous testament to their efforts. It also proves again the strength of the Lynk & Co cars. I want to extend a big thank you to the engineers, mechanics and drivers for their efforts that have made this result possible," said Victor Yang, Vice President of Geely Auto Group.
Yann Ehrlacher became the youngest ever touring car world champion last year and followed it up with a second straight drivers' title this year at the age of just 25.
"World champion again, it feels so amazing! A big thank you to everyone at Cyan Racing and Lynk & Co, I could not have done this without them. There has been so much pressure this weekend and to crown the season with my second straight world title is indescribable. I will keep this feeling with me for a long time," said Yann Ehrlacher.
Cyan Racing claimed the teams' title with a margin of 58 points over Audi team Comtoyou Racing after scoring a total of four wins and 14 podium finishes this year.
"It's been a really tough season which makes this result even better. The competition has been super hard this year and we have had to fight hard from the first to the last race. I am really proud over everyone in the team who have enabled our fifth consecutive world title. This is certainly a day for the history books of Cyan Racing," said Fredrik Wahlén, CEO of Cyan Racing.
"We are happy over the strong results Cyan Racing has achieved with the Lynk & Co 03 TCR race car. In yet another ultra-competitive WTCR season, Cyan Racing with its crew and drivers has come out on top and we extend our warmest congratulations to everyone involved," said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Geely Group Motorsport.
Quadruple world champion Yvan Muller finished fourth overall in the drivers' championship after a tough final race weekend of 2021, having scored a total of three podium finishes this year.
"Unfortunately the final race was a disappointment for me, I locked up my tyres and I couldn't avoid the car in front of me. That meant that I lost any opportunity to finish in the top three of the championship. But I am very happy for Yann who has claimed his second WTCR title and of course that we together have claimed the teams' title once again," said Yvan Muller.
Santiago Urrutia finished fifth overall in what is only his second WTCR season, claiming a total of two victories and five podium finishes.
"My results this weekend were not what I was hoping for, but that's racing some times. I'm proud that we have claimed the team title and big congrats to Yann. Fifth in the standings for me is one place better than last year, so we keep learning and now my focus is on 2022," said Santiago Urrutia.
Two podium finishes and a mixed season brought Thed Björk to ninth position in the standings.
"It's hard to believe that we have together as a team have become world champions again, fantastic! Sochi was a great track, unfortunately it did not bring me the results I aimed for. My mind is already fully set on the 2022 season where I hope to be back stronger than ever," said Thed Björk.
About Cyan Racing
Cyan Racing was founded in 1996 and was formerly named Polestar until Volvo Cars acquired the performance section and trademark in 2015. Cyan Racing is privately owned and operated. The team has claimed the last four touring car World Titles, most recently the 2020 WTCR drivers' and teams' titles with Lynk & Co – and participated in the development of the Polestar performance models of the Volvo S60 and V60 in the years 2013 to 2015, including the concept models Volvo C30 and S60 Polestar Concept Prototype. The company launched the Volvo P1800 Cyan in 2020, Cyan Racing’s interpretation of the iconic Volvo sports car from the sixties.
About Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co was created to provide mobility solutions for the connected generation. We do make really, really good cars (the kind that have all the features you want without you having to ask for them), but we also offer a new way of using those cars. Our membership-based approach makes it simple to get on the go. Members can access a car on a flexible, month-to-month basis and share with friends, family, and the Lynk & Co community.