Touring car specialist Jessica Bäckman will compete full time in ADAC TCR Germany, as the Bäckman siblings split racing programs for the first time.
In 2021, Jessica Bäckman turned her dream into reality and took part in the World Touring Car Championship. After a partial campaign and a point-scoring performance at debut - at the mighty Nürburgring Nordschleife - the young Swede now announces her 2022 plans: for the first time, the Bäckman siblings will split their racing programs.
While Andreas will race on home soil in STCC, Jessica is set to make her full-time debut in ADAC TCR Germany, where she had started in a one-off at Nürburgring in 2020.
"It will be fun to compete in TCR Germany again, I like both the race format and the German circuits", she commented. "Last time I drove in TCR Germany I was 2nd at Hockenheimring and close to my first win. My goal for the 2022 season is to fight for the top places in the championship and take my first win in TCR."
24-year-old Bäckman directly moved into touring cars after karting and has since then entered most of the major European TCR series. In 2018, Jessica competed both in the Scandinavian and British-based championships, where she scored her first podium.
In 2019, Bäckman made her debut in TCR Europe and made history once again after finishing third in Hockenheim - an all time best for women in the series. Over the years, she managed to climb the steps of the rostrum in four different TCR championships.
Alongside her main commitments in TCR Europe (2020) and WTCR (2021), Bäckman made one-off appearances in both TCR Germany and STCC, often finishing on the podium. At Anderstorp, Sweden, Jessica finished third in her latest STCC start last year.
A member of the Swedish National Junior Team and having previously represented her country at the 2019 Motorsport Games in the TCR category, Bäckman was a strong contender in every series entered. 2021 was unfortunately her toughest season, with the team switching from the Hyundai i30 to the new Elantra machine. The move did not pay off and the Bäckman siblings struggled to adapt to the new car.
For the first time in the last four years, Jessica and Andreas will not be racing in the same championship, as Andreas announced a move to STCC - Scandinavian's premier racing series - with Lestrup Racing. Jessica, on the other hand, will return to Germany and will contest her first full-season in ADAC TCR Germany. She will drive a ROJA Motorsport Hyundai.
"We are very proud to welcome Jessica to our team for the ADAC TCR Germany 2022 season" - Andreas Klinge, Team Manager of ROJA Motorsport, said.
"I know and have followed Jessica's career for quite a while and she already did a guest start in 2019 for my former team Engstler Motorsport in ADAC TCR Germany at Most."
"I am totally convinced of her both very strong driving skills and her fighting spirit and I am sure that Jessica will achieve stunning results in her first full season entry in ADAC TCR Germany series."
Bäckman targets her first win in TCR.
The calendar consists of 7 race events - five in Germany and two in Austria. The season starts on 22-24 April at Oschersleben, before moving to the Red Bull Ring for the first Austrian weekend. Salzburgring follows, as Nürburgring will host the fourth round at the beginning of August. In the second half of the championship, teams will travel to Lausitzring, Sachsenring and Hockenheim for the season finale on 21-23 October. Each weekend consists of two free practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and two races.
ADAC TCR Germany 2022 Calendar:
April 22nd-24th - Oschersleben, Germany
May 20th-22nd - Red Bull Ring, Austria
June 17th-19th - Salzburgring, Austria
August 5th-7th - Nürburgring, Germany
August 19th-21st - Lausitzring, Germany
September 23rd-25th - Sachsenring, Germany
October 21st-23rd - Hockenheim, Germany
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