After a dazzling start to the season with seven consecutive podium finishes, Martin Juga faced a much tougher challenge during the Alvsbyn double-header. On the Swedish circuit, the Pace Motorsport driver from Estonia saw his streak come to an abrupt halt with a fifth-place finish in Race 1, followed by his first elimination of the 2025 season in the semi-finals of Race 2.
This setback allowed his closest rivals to close the gap in the championship standings ahead of the two decisive rounds in Nysum and Estering. But far from being discouraged, Juga is approaching the next battles with a determined, fighting spirit.
“Alvsbyn was clearly not an easy weekend. The season is still positive, the ambitions are there—both mine and the team’s—but I struggled to find my rhythm on this track. From the practice sessions, I lacked a bit of confidence, and my starting position for the first heat left me stuck in heavy traffic. Even Q2 was complicated. In Q3, we managed to limit the damage and do the best we could. Of course, I would have liked to aim higher, but this championship is a long game. Tomorrow is another day: we’ll analyze what didn’t work and come back stronger,” he explained after the first day of competition.
Although Race 2 in Alvsbyn brought another setback, Juga is determined to take the lessons learned rather than dwell on frustration.
“The ideal scenario would have been to finish as Top Qualifier with a comfortable margin. But there are days like this when you just have to adapt. There’s no point in being frustrated: the key is to learn and turn it into strength for the future. This is a long championship. Sure, this Swedish round didn’t deliver the results we expected, but it’s not the end of the world. We scored points, and we’re still leading the championship.”
Winless since the season opener in Montalegre, the LifeLive driver is eager to make up for lost ground in the final two rounds in Denmark and Germany.
“We know we have the potential to grab that first place that has eluded us so far this season. There’s a little frustration, of course, but that’s normal. There’s nothing alarming. We know exactly what needs to be improved. Alvsbyn taught us a lot. The key now is to build on that experience and come back stronger for the remaining rounds.”
With tension mounting ahead of Nysum, Juga knows the stakes are high—but his recent victory in the Estonian championship should give him the confidence boost he needs heading into the Danish showdown.