Motorsport, a family affair for Backman's

You've gone from driving Rallycross cars to TCR cars that have completely different construction philosophies and compete on the opposite tracks and surfaces; from this experience you think you have managed to transport some characteristics and knowledge of driving from one car to another that have helped you during these two years?

For sure it was a big step for me to go from Rallycross to the TCR cars, but at the same time, it was still a more "natural" step for me, as I'm coming from a background in Karting (from 2006-2016). In 2017 when I stepped up from Karting to Rallycross, it was a big step as I now was driving on tracks with new surfaces as gravel and snow, as well as jumps and also the car I was driving was 4WD. Also the format quite different with short and intense heat racing.

So then in 2018 when I decided to take the step to TCR and the "circuit racing world", it was much more familiar for me, as it's a much more similar driving style to Karting.

But I still think I learned a lot of valuable things from my 2017 season in Rallycross, for example, the ability to be fast already from the first lap, which is very important in Rallycross and I think that has helped me also in TCR when it comes to be fast already on the first lap of the race. Also I think I learned to adapt myself to different conditions, as the track is always changing in Rallycross every time you go out on the track. And also of course, in Rallycross it's much more common to be sliding, so I have learned a lot car control from there, which has proved to be important in difficult situations in TCR when you have to save the car from spinning or crashing.

Since 2019 you are included in the youth program of Hyundai Motorsport for the TCR category which feelings you feel and how you manage the pressure to be aware of representing such an important manufacturer and which is the final goal for you to achieve and which are expectations for the future?

It's a big honour for me to represent Hyundai Motorsport as Junior Driver, it's a big achievement for me to be able to represent such a big manufacturer such as Hyundai Motorsport. I only see the support from them as a positive thing, of course you want to do the best possible result and show what you can do, but I think the pressure is just in a positive way and it have worked out well the last two years. Of course it's puts more pressure on you to perform when you have a big manufacturer behind you, but I don't really think about that, I only see it as a positive thing and I always try to the best job possible in every session when I'm out on the track.

The final goal for me to achieve is to join FIA WTCR and to win and become the World Champion.

For this season now my goal is to finish off the year in the best possible way and then after the season we will start to look into 2021 and the future.

Even your sister is engaged in motor racing and in recent seasons in addition to the series you have also shared the team; how it is to work with her every day knowing that you are related but at the same time that she represents an adversary if not the first of them, also in situations of battle on the track if it happens one day to see your sister involved in a direct way would change something in your approach with her?

I think we are very unique to be racing as siblings in the same championship and team, which is very cool. We have been racing together in Karting, Rallycross and now in TCR for a total of 15 years, although we haven't always been competing in the same categories. We are very used to spending time and working together on the race tracks and we are working very well together. A big advantage we have as siblings is that we can help each other whenever we need help with something. For example if I'm struggling with a corner on the track and she's is faster there, I can ask her what she's doing that corner. And also the same for her if she's struggling with something. That is very unique I think. Also in general in life, we are not like most siblings that is arguing a lot, we are getting well with each other both at home and on the race tracks. And when it comes to racing each other out on the track, of course we are think a little bit more before doing a risky overtake, as you don't want to take each other out, especially if we are competing for a top position. But we have raced each other before and it has been working out well every time, so it's not really any issue to race each other. We always want to beat each other but we always try to race each other fair. We want both of us to succeed as a family and it would be really cool for both of us to stand on the same podium, it's not something we have done yet, hopefully soon :)

In the Barcelona-Catalunya Round you masterfully conducted the second race, what characterized this result and how much your sympathy and the good memories towards the catatlan track helped you to extract all the potential from the car? In addition,this 2020 calendar that due to the global pandemic has been included in a few months and with back to back races affects your physical and mental concentration being very exhaustive races.

I really like the track in Barcelona. It's a track that suits touring cars very well in my opinion and it's actually the track I have been racing at the most times of all car racing tracks.

Until Barcelona, I had a tough start of the season with two crashes in Zolder and missing out the race's in Monza due to a hand injury. So when I arrived in Barcelona I was still not sure if I could drive due to recovery of the injury, but it was fine and I was able to drive which was good. Then in the second Race to finally get back on the top step of the podium was very emotional after the tough start of the season and also to do it for the second consecutive year on this track was very cool as well. This will give both me and the team a great confidence boost for the final two TCR Europe rounds of the season.

The global pandemic has made this years schedule much more compact, which has affected both me and the teams preparations for this season, as we haven't been able to do much testing due to the restrictions. Also the season started much later than usual, so now it has been a very busy last two months. For me as a driver, to have a busy schedule like this is almost only a positive thing, as you have less days between the race's without seat time in the car, but for my team Target Competition it's much more work to travel and prepare the cars for each race weekend. Also the global pandemic has made the traveling to the races much more complicated and longer, which can be exhausting sometimes. But I'm very happy that the season finally started, even though it became a much shorter season than we expected at the start of the year.

In these years of racing you have had the opportunity to compete and see many tracks around the world which of these has impressed you most and by chance there is a specific circuit or particular event in which you would like to participate in the near future?

This is my third year in racing this year, so I been able to visit some very nice tracks. In my first year in TCR in 2018, when I raced in TCR UK I really enjoyed most of the tracks there. There I raced at famous British tracks such as Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Donington. Also here in TCR Europe, I really like most of the tracks. We race at Formula 1 tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps, Barcelona, Paul Ricard and Monza which are very enjoyable. My favourite ones I have driven on so far in my racing career are; Spa-Francorchamps, Barcelona and Oulton Park.

The most impressive track I have driving on is for sure Spa-Francorchamps, it's very exciting to go through the high-speed corners there such as Eau Rouge, Raidillon and Blanchimont, where you have to be driving on the limit of the grip to be fast.

Still some tracks that I would like to drive on in the future are some of the very world famous tracks such as the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Macau and Bathurst.