Oliver Söderström targets title in fourth STCC season with Lestrup Racing Team

Reigning junior champion Oliver Söderström has got his sights set on the most prestigious motorsport title in Scandinavia as he will start his fourth STCC TCR Scandinavia season with Lestrup Racing Team this year.

“I am aiming for the title, it is the logical next step forward for me and the team,” said Oliver Söderström.

“We had a season of ups and down last year, but I see that as something positive as we know where we need to improve for this season. I feel really motivated and I know that we have the pieces of the puzzle to challenge for the title on a new level.”

The 23-year-old has steadily improved his results in the STCC, finishing eleventh in his debut season, fifth in 2020 and fourth last year.

“Oliver crowns our strengthened programme for 2022 and the entire team is just as motivated as him to take on the titles this year,” said Fredrik Lestrup, co-owner of Lestrup Racing Team.

“We are delighted with our line-up, to have Oliver joining Andreas Bäckman, and we are confident that we have one of the strongest line-ups of the championship this year. And that will be needed as we’re facing a really tough field.”

Oliver Söderström, who claimed the 2015 Formula Renault NEZ title, joins new team-mate Andreas Bäckman and the duo will drive two brand new TCR cars of a yet to be revealed manufacturer.

“The new car is a real boost for us as we struggled in some areas with our old car last year,” said Oliver Söderström.

“There are of course additional challenges in switching to a new car. But we struggled a lot in qualifying and on the straights last year, something we should not do this year. I’m really excited ahead of when we reveal the new car.

“I also want to extend a big thanks to the team, my sponsors and my family who have made this possible.”

The 2022 STCC TCR Scandinavia season starts on June 3-4 at Ljungbyhed in Sweden.