Jess Bäckman

Jessica Bäckman is a Swedish driver who races touring cars. She was a long-term karter who has won two Swedish championships and switched to cars for the 2018 season, aged 21. Her first-ever races were the opening rounds of the British TCR series, driving a Volkswagen Golf for Westcoast Racing. She was eighth and sixth at Silverstone. By mid-season, she was much improved and she scored one podium finish, a second place at Brands Hatch. She was fourth in the championship. In Sweden, she also raced in TCR, for the same team, although she did not do quite as well, finishing 19th with a best finish of twelfth. This was achieved at Falkenberg.

2019 was a busy year, with a full season in the European TCR series, plus appearances in its German and Scandinavian equivalents, all in a Hyundai i30. Her TCR Europe season was rather inconsistent but she did manage one third place at Hockenheim, one of three top tens. Later in the year, she revisited Hockenheim with the German championship and claimed a second place during a guest appearance for the Hyundai factory team. In November, she also took part in the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games, racing an i30 for Sweden in the Touring Car Cup.

She often races with her brother, Andreas, who is two years older than her. They began competing at the same time.

When the delayed 2020 season finally started, her main focus was the European TCR Championship. Her car was an i30, run by Target Competition. It was an unsatisfactory year for her, with a best finish of seventh at Monza and a lot of car trouble.

The Target team ran her in the World Touring Car Cup in 2021, driving a Hyundai Elantra. After a half-season, she was 21st in the championship, just ahead of her brother, with a best finish of fourteenth at the Nurburgring. Both siblings left the series voluntarily, with Jessica stating that she was not happy with her performances or her progress. She joined the Scandinavia TCR series for its final three rounds, achieving a second place at Anderstorp. Her car was an Audi RS. She also did a round of the NLS in April, driving a Hyundai i30N.

She moved to the German series in 2022, first driving a Hyundai Velostar for ROJA Motorsport, then an Audi RS3 for the Comtoyou team. After a succcessful early season with four wins and five more podiums, she was second in the championship.

In 2023, she switched to sportscars, doing part-seasons in the ADAC GT4 and GT4 European series. She and Andreas drove an Aston Martin Vantage in the first round of the ADAC championship, finishing 24th in one race, before moving to the European championship in a similar car, for two different teams. Their best finish was 16th at Monza.

Apart from some testing and a Time Attack event in a Lamborghini, she has not competed during 2024.

(Image copyright Jess Bäckman)