The Alfa Romeo 156 first hit the track in anger more than a decade ago and in the hands of the official factory team, run through the N.Technology outfit, it claimed huge successes, the "Super Touring 2000" category car winning race after race in the FIA European- and World-Touring Car Championships with world-class tin-top drivers such as Fabrizio Giovanardi, Gabriele Tarquini, Augusto Farfus, Roberto Colciago and James Thompson. Today the Alfa 156's glories on tracks such as Silverstone, Monza, Pau, Imola, Brno, Brands Hatch and Spa-Francorchamps have been virtually consigned to the history books, with just a handful of privateer-run machines still in race action.

The most competitive of this handful to still be competing at the top-level is the white, red and black example driven by Andersson of the MA:GP team in the hotly-contested STCC where the privately-run car faces tough opposition from factory-supported entries from brands such as Volvo, SEAT, BMW and Chevrolet. Andersson went into this year in buoyant mood having wrapped up the 2010 season with victory at Mantorp Park in the final double-header, a result that handed him an impressive fourth place in the final championship points classification. It was in fact his second win of the season as his Alfa 156 showed no signs of ageing.

Andersson is back for another crack at the STCC this year, ready to take on all challengers. Round 1, which also counted towards the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, took place at Jyllandsringen last month and the Alfa 156 kicked off its campaign with an eighth place finish in race one. That set Andersson up with pole position for race two (as the top eight finishers are reversed for the second race's grid) and while the Alfa 156 was initially able to lead the pack at the front, Andersson eventually dropped back several places to take a solid fourth place overall.

In race one, while Ekblom remained at the front from lights to flag, Andersson was right in the thick of the action; however on lap 12 of the 19 lapper, the Alfa 156 driver went wide as he fought off the close attention of series newcomer Martin Öhlin (WestCoast Racing BMW), rejoining in eighth place behind the BMW of Johan Stureson. Andersson was able to maintain a gap to the chasing ninth placed Roger Eriksson (SEAT) to the finish to take eighth place and set himself up on pole for race two. In the second encounter of the day Andersson was able to soak up all the pressure and run out the winner, his first victory of the year as well as the first for the originally N.Technology-built machine, as both start out on another incredible season. "I am really pleased with this victory, our start to the season has been fantastic so far," commented Andersson, who was chased to the chequered flag by the BMW's of Stureson (+0.564 seconds) and former BTCC star Colin Turkington (+1.45 seconds). Öhlin had been in the battle for the podium places but was tapped into a spin by Stureson and eventually finished in tenth place.

That race two win at Knutstorp propels Andersson onto 45 points and up to fourth place in the drivers' championship standings after 2 rounds and 4 races. Stureson (57) leads the overall classification with Turkington (47) and Rustad (46) being also ahead of the Alfa driver. Behind Andersson comes Rydell (37) and Ekblom (34). The next round of the 2011 STCC will take place at Mantorp Park in just over a week's time (May 21).