New Maximum Motorsport driver Dennis Strandberg says he has a ‘good feeling’ ahead of his début in the British Touring Car Championship at Croft, where he has replaced outgoing driver Josh Cook for the weekend.
Swede Strandberg only got the call-up from the team on Thursday, thanks to his previous races in other categories with the outfit.
The 23-year-old booked a flight to the UK for Friday morning, and got his first taste of the Croft Circuit in Saturday’s wet first practice session.
“I got a phone call on Thursday and in the afternoon I was looking to take the first flight available on Friday morning, so it was very, very last minute,” said Strandberg to TouringCars.Net. “The deal so far is just for this race – there’s always an option, but we’ll see how we get on and take it from there.”
Having not even done any simulator runs around Croft, Strandberg admits that he is hoping for conditions to dry out at Croft for race day.
“I think I can do well if it’s dry tomorrow. I’ll use my experience from last year [when Strandberg tested for the team in the summer] to go quick. I’ve never been here before, and I didn’t get the time to go on the simulator, so I’ve just been watching the races from the past couple of years.
“I hope for the weather to stay more consistent. There’s no warm-up tomorrow, so it’s straight into the races, which could be interesting!
“I’ve got a good feeling, we’re making a few adjustments to both the car and to me, but we’ll get there.”
Despite currently racing in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, Strandberg admits that he still considers the BTCC to be the top touring car championship in the world.
“The BTCC is the best touring car championship still, I think,” added Strandberg. “It’s the most competitive touring car championship there is.
“Of course you want to be there, but at the same time it’s always raining and it’s always cold! I’m just trying to take it step-by-step. I had a goal to do the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2018, but I’ve moved from British GT to touring cars, so I have to rethink that now.”