Dahlgren hoping for "dream" WTCC drive with Volvo

Volvo announced its return to the WTCC for 2016 with the Polestar Cyan Racing squad in a multi-year programme on Tuesday, entering two S60 TC1 machines.

Dahlgren, 35, is one of the longest-standing drivers in the Volvo family, contesting the WTCC at the wheel of the C30 back in 2011 when the Swedish manufacturer did their evaluation season.

When reminded that he said in 2011 he would have stayed at Volvo as long as he believed it would compete in the WTCC, Dahlgren said: "That is true, that's because I want to win that title. Hopefully I will be part of the line-up.

"Hopefully it makes sense for Christian [Dahl] to draft me in and build on that experience. It would be exciting, but unfortunately I know nothing about that at the moment."

"I've always dreamed of being World Champion," he added. "It would be a dream to be involved in the championship in 2016, because that's what I've been longing for ever since I joined the Volvo family."

Cyan Racing CEO Dahl, meanwhile, admits it would be "tempting" to sign an existing WTCC driver to help Volvo make in an immediate impact on its return.

"To start with we have a very nice freedom of choice from Volvo, because normally a manufacturer will ask for a driver from a particular nation, but we don't have this restriction, so it is completely up to us," Dahl explained.

"We have a big decision to make, because we know there is a chemistry between our drivers and our team, so having a driver from the Cyan Racing family would be very good.

"But we are also aware that we could buy some experience from a driver who is already competing in the championship, and that is tempting as well.

"We have a decision to make and we want to think about it very carefully, because once we go for one way I want to stick with it, I don't want to sack our Swedish driver for an experienced one."

Pietro Casillo / TouringCarTimes