Swedish Touring Car Championship to be revived as a GT4 racing series

The STCC will be revived in 2027, but following the decision to switch to GT4 regulations, it will no longer be run as a touring car series. The STCC, which was originally launched in 1996 as the Swedish Touring Car Championship and relaunched in 2011 to cover the whole of Scandinavia, was last held in 2024 with all-electric touring cars before the organiser ceased operations. As no new organiser could be found, the 2025 season was postponed, and the hoped-for return in 2026 also failed to materialise.

“Interest in the relaunch of the STCC has exceeded our expectations, and thanks to a strong group of owners and a long-term plan, we are looking to the future with confidence,” says Richard Göransson, representative of the owners’ group, five-time STCC champion and managing director of Gelleråsen Arena. “We have been working behind the scenes on this project for over a year, and several teams have already confirmed their participation through to 2027. With the GT4, we are filling a major gap in Swedish motorsport: a championship in which multiple makes compete against one another, which is cost-effective and offers young talent a clear path to the international stage.”

The new STCC project is being run in collaboration with the SRO Motorsport Group, the organisation behind the world’s most successful GT racing series. The GT4 is currently contested in more than 20 national and international championships worldwide and comprises around 20 homologated car models from leading sports car manufacturers such as Mercedes, BMW, Ford, Toyota and Porsche.

“We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with the STCC and to work together to re-establish the GT4 in the Nordic countries. The STCC has a unique history and a strong position in Nordic motorsport, and we look forward to a successful collaboration,” says Stéphane Ratel, founder and managing director of the SRO Motorsport Group. “The GT4 is a class that attracts both young professional talent and experienced, established drivers at national and international level. We see great potential for this concept in partnership with the STCC in Sweden and across the rest of the Nordic region.”

Since its foundation in 1996, the STCC has been one of Europe’s leading racing series and a springboard for many of the country’s most successful drivers, such as Mattias Ekström, Thed Björk and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, as well as for teams such as Cyan Racing, Kristoffersson Motorsport and WestCoast Racing.

Following a two-year hiatus, the next chapter begins in 2027 with the switch from touring cars to GT cars – for the first time in the championship’s history. Behind this initiative is a group with extensive experience in both national and international motorsport, as well as in organising events and operating some of Sweden’s finest race circuits.

“We are building something sustainable from the ground up and are feeling strong support from teams, drivers and partners. The aim is clear: we want to bring the STCC back to the top of Swedish and Nordic elite motorsport – whilst at the same time we are aware that this task will take time,” says Fredrik Sjöqvist, representative of the owner group and managing director of Mantorp Park. “With GT4, we’re also creating a clear pathway for talented drivers to make the leap into international motor racing, just as we did in the past with Super Touring, for example. The shift from production car racing also follows the international trend, in which GT racing is growing very strongly. Another clear example is the DTM, which made the switch to GT as early as 2021 and has been thriving ever since. We have an exciting time ahead of us with a group of owners who possess a broad range of expertise – this will be key to ensuring that the STCC, in conjunction with GT4, grows strongly.”

In the coming months, the STCC will announce the drivers, teams, partners, race format and the full calendar for the inaugural 2027 season. The 2027 calendar will include more circuits than the four that spearheaded the initiative to relaunch the STCC, and other Swedish championship classes will also be on the starting grid.

“The STCC looks forward to continuing its close collaboration with Svensk Bilsport (SBF) in the development of Swedish motorsport, and we would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the championship’s former owners for their excellent cooperation during the preparations for the relaunch,” concluded Fredrik Sjöqvist.