Published: Dec 06, 2012

Swedish Prince Racing for Volvo in STCC

The heir to the throne of Sweden has been working his way up the motorsports ladder, and is now set to race for the Volvo Polestar team in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.

There was a time when motor racing was contested almost exclusively by nobility. Professional racing drivers didn't exist, and the only ones with the kind of money and down-time to pilot cars around street circuits for fun were princes, barons and dukes. Of course these days there are professionals who do that for a living, but that doesn't mean the royalty are locked out of the fun altogether. Upholding that grand tradition of the upper class getting their kicks in motor racing is Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte of Sweden.

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The Duke of Varmland and only son of the ruling King Carl Gustaf XVI has been competing in Porsches for the past few years, often beating the competition, but now he's stepping up to the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship. Starting next year, His Royal Highness will be racing for the Volvo Polestar racing team, driving an STCC-spec Volvo S60 in one of the most competitive touring car series Europe has to offer. The team won the title in 2010 with the previous C30, but switched to the S60 for this year. We'll be watching to see how the prince does in the series next year.