Caught in a semi-final collision in Race 1, Isak Sjökvist got his revenge in Race 2 by scoring his second podium of the 2023 season in Tierp last weekend.
Third in the overall standings coming to Tierp, Isak Sjökvist faced a far from easy start to the weekend.
Fifth in the intermediate classification with a Top 3 in Q1 to his credit, Isak Sjökvist saw his road stopped in the semi-final of race 1 following a heavy contact with a safety barrier. This incident required several hours of work by his team to get the Supercar Lites back in working order.
Nevertheless, the 2022 FIA RX2e runner-up did not miss the opportunity to react in Race 2.
Despite being fifth in the intermediate classification, Sjokvist secured his third qualification for a final in four races this year, while taking the third step of the podium behind Lukas Andersson and Martin Enlund.
This was enough to satisfy Isak Sjökvist.
“Saturday was an extremely complicated first day of racing but we had to keep fighting and try to come back even stronger.”
“That’s what we managed to do on Sunday and this podium is a great reward for our mechanics who worked very late on Saturday night to get the car back in shape. What we experienced on Saturday is clearly the kind of day we wanted to forget as soon as possible and this podium will help us do that.”
An incident that also prompted Isak Sjökvist to step up his game in Race 2.
“We’re racing against very competitive drivers. The top drivers always do a great job and you really have to give it your all and be at your best to stay in the game. After my crash on Saturday night, whether it was the car or my mental attitude, I had to start from scratch.”
“I had to try to be a little less of a gentleman on the track and my approach worked perfectly. Of course, you always want to win races, but considering the problems we had on Saturday, this third place is a wonderful conclusion. I think we can be happy.”
With 34 points scored on this double header of Tierp against 41 during the Nysum event, Isak Sjökvist lost two positions in the general classification and is now only fifth in the Supercar Lites but the Swede does not really intend to accept defeat. Now 28 points behind leader Lukas Andersson, Isak Sjökvist remains more than confident.
“The season is still long. Of course, Lukas has taken a good lead over us in the overall standings but anything can still happen. I’m still confident for the rest of the championship. We’ll keep pushing as hard as we can.”
“Miracles and turnarounds can always happen. For my part, I intend to give it my all. What is certain is that I will fight till the end. The championship is still far from over. For the time being, we’ll make sure we recharge our batteries before a race in Kouvola that I’ll approach with full confidence”.
