Richard Göransson is out of racing for at least three months after injuring his spine during the STCC premiere in Denmark. The reigning champion is going to miss his first STCC race in eight years this weekend.
”Right now it is nice not having to think about racing. But it is also a bit strange as racing always has been a part of my life,” said Göransson.

Göransson lost brake pressure at 190 km/h and hit a concrete barrier at close to 90 km/h.

”If you miss your brake point as much as one meter, you know that things are going to get messy. I was doing 190 km/h and the pedal just went to the floor, when I managed to get the pressure back up it was too late. I guess 190 km/h is not that quick in a racing car, but when there are no margins left, it suddenly becomes very fast,” said Göransson.

The force of the crash left Göransson with two fractured vertebrae and a completely destroyed BMW 320si.

”The pain was indescribable. It felt like someone shoved an iron rod in to my back. You kind of think that you are indestructible and that you can just walk out of the car, wave to the spectators and head down the pitlane to talk about the next race. But it hit me quite quickly that it was not going to be the case,” said Göransson.

The doctors at the Århus Hospital in Denmark established that Göransson had to be out of racing for at least three months.

”The doctors have said that I am going to fully recover but that it is going to take time. I have to wear a support corset for three months and stay off physical training. But I am in too much pain now anyway, how things turn out further ahead is something I have to discuss with the doctors,” said Göransson.

The fact that the crash was caused by the fact that the team missed to fasten a rear brake pad properly is not something Göransson is focused on.

”I have 100 % confidence for Dick [Jönsson-Wigroth, team principal] and everyone at WestCoast Racing. As soon as they knew the cause of the accident they acted professional. This is not only hard for me, it is hard for everyone in the team and the way that they have handled it is impressive,” said Göransson.

Something that Göransson’s focus is on is his eventual comeback in the STCC later this year.

”Neither me nor WestCoast Racing are here to finish second. We are here to win and the goal for this year was to claim the final gold under the current regulations. That is obviously not going to happen, we have to set up new goals together. One thing is for sure, I am coming back when the team and I feel that we can win, not a day earlier than that. It is a clear goal, we cannot win the championship this year, but when we do return, we are returning to fight for the individual race wins that are left. I have a long-term contract with the team and we are for sure going to win again,” said Göransson.