Rydell: engineer will boost WTCC bid

Rickard Rydell reckons his relationship with race engineer Nigel Clyde will put him on the right track in the FIA World Touring Car Championship this season.

Swedish ace Rydell has only competed sporadically in recent seasons and last embarked on a full WTCC campaign in 2009. And while he has limited knowledge of his NIKA Racing-run Honda Civic WTCC, he is confident that Clyde’s input will enable him to quickly get up to speed when the new season gets underway in Argentina from 6-8 March.

“I raced with the team in Sweden in 2011 and 2012,” said Rydell. “They’ve done a really good job and I have worked with Nigel Clyde who was also the engineer before. We have experience together and I think we should quite quickly get up to speed. I am not expecting to come [to the first race] and be on the pace straightaway – I don’t think it works like that. Of course the more testing I get the better but the season is about learning the car and for the team to work well together.”