NIKA Racing

Swedish Touring Car Championship

Chevrolet Lacetti (2007–2009)

Karlsson founded the team in 2006 and to run a Chevrolet Lacetti for himself under the Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden banner in Swedish Touring Car Championship in 2007, but started at two races only during the season.

He stepped aside for 2008 to become team manager and the team ran Norwegian Thomas Schie in their car. Schie remained for the most part among the top ten and scored a best result second place in Gothenburg. He finished seventh in the drivers' championship while the team finished fifth in the teams' championship.

Schie continued for the team during the 2009 season, but was forced to leave after six races. What actually was the reason for this is not entirely clear. Schie said that the team was not enough professionally, while Nicklas Karlsson said that was because Schie could not afford to continue. The seat was taken over by Pontus Mörth, who completed the season. He often took a few points in the races, but never came up on the podium. Mörth finished eleven in total, while Schie was fourteenth. In the team championship Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden finished fifth.

Chevrolet Cruze (2010)

Scandinavian Touring Car Championship

Chevrolet Cruze (2011–2012)

World Touring Car Championship

Chevrolet Cruze (2010, 2012–2013)

In 2010 Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden joined the World Touring Car Championship for the 2010 FIA WTCC Race of Italy, running a Chevrolet Cruze LT for TC 2000 Championship driver Leonel Pernía who became the first Argentine to race in the WTCC. The team were not eligible for the Yokohama Team's Trophy as the regulations exclude any teams with the name of a car manufacturer from inclusion in the trophy. Pernía finished eighteenth in race one after an excursion through the gravel trap at the Parabolica but he scored a single point in race two when he finished tenth.

The team returned to the championship in 2012, entering a Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T for Rickard Rydell at the season opening 2012 FIA WTCC Race of Italy. Rydell lined up fifth in qualifying and finished both races in the points, including fourth place and a fastest lap in race one.

The team running as NIKA Racing will return to the WTCC in 2013 for the full season with a single Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T. They signed Michel Nykjær to drive for them having finished third in the 2012 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship season with the team. However Nykjær left the team before the end of the season and was replaced by Hiroki Yoshimoto in Japan, Rickard Rydell in China and Yukinori Taniguchi in Macau respectively.

Honda Civic (2014-2015)

In 2014 NIKA Racing announced that they will compete in the TC2 category with Yukinori Taniguchi driving Honda Civic The team ultimately appeareded only in Hungary.

For the 2015 season the team upgraded to TC1-spec Honda Civic WTCC, built by JAS Motorsport. Rickard Rydell returned to the series with the team. However, illness forced him to miss some early-season events, and Néstor Girolami was later drafted in to race in Slovakia and Portugal, the latter of which turned out to be the team's last-ever race meeting.

Chevrolet Cruze (2016)

For 2016 season the team sold the Honda Civic to Zengő Motorsport to compete with a Chevrolet Cruze and the driver John Bryant-Meisner. However, the team never showed up owing to financial challenges with Bryant-Meisner's sponsors, and the team withdrew from all racing activities thereafter.

Results

World Touring Car Championship

References

References

1. (7 December 2006). "Karlsson starts a new team". TouringCarTimes.
2. (12 June 2007). "Swedish Chevrolet team Launched". TouringCarTimes.
3. (1 February 2008). "Chevrolet signs Norwegian Thomas Schie". TouringCarTimes.
4. (12 June 2009). "Thomas Schie leaves Chevrolet". TouringCarTimes.
5. (18 June 2009). "Conflict behind Thomas Schie dropout". TouringCarTimes.
6. (17 June 2009). "Pontus Mörth Confirmed for Chevrolet". TouringCarTimes.
7. (14 May 2010). "Pernia joins Chevrolet for Monza WTCC races". Richard's F1.
8. Veltman, Rob. (4 February 2012). "Rydell aiming for opening WTCC rounds with new Cruze". Mediaempire Stockholm AB.
9. O'Leary, Jamie. (5 March 2013). "NIKA Racing to step up to WTCC on full-time basis in 2013". [[Haymarket Media Group.
10. (15 March 2013). "NIKA RACING CONFIRM MICHEL NYKJÆR". Kigema Sport Organisation.
11. Tremayne, Sam. (19 September 2013). "Hiroki Yoshimoto takes Michel Nykjaer's World Touring Car seat". [[Haymarket Media Group.
12. (7 October 2013). "Rickard Rydell to make WTCC return in Shanghai". Mediaempire Stockholm AB.
13. Hudson, Neil. (9 November 2013). "Yukinori Taniguchi jumps ship again, joins Nika for Macau". Mediaempire Stockholm AB.
14. (21 March 2014). "22 CARS ENTERED FOR THE SEASON". World Touring Car Championship.
15. Hudson, Neil. (26 March 2014). "Yukinori Taniguchi to drive for Nika Racing in TC2". Mediaempire Stockholm AB.
16. Hudson, Neil. (16 April 2014). "Rickard Rydell to enter the 2015 WTCC with NIKA-run Honda". Mediaempire Stockholm AB.
17. (9 December 2014). "Rickard Rydell all set for his WTCC return next season". Mediaempire Stockholm AB.
18. (30 March 2016). "Nika International switch to Chevrolet". Nika International.