Hugo Andersson sets sights on 2021 Scandinavia Title
The days before Christmas, Edvin Hellsten told that the motorsport World that he was aiming for the championship title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia 2021. Now the young driver sticks out his neck and talks about taking over from Lukas Sundahl on the Carrera Cup throne. - There is really no reason to aim for anything else, says Hugo Andersson.
The countdown to the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia 2021 has begun and the queue for the 18th title in the history of the championship is growing. Behind reigning champion Lukas Sundahl and Edvin Hellsten, Hugo Andersson is now joining the ranks. The 19-year-old from Täby has begun preparations for his fourth season in PCCS. After his debut as a 16-year-old In 2018, Andersson has developed each year and he has already won two titles. In 2019 he won the Porsche Approved Cup (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 991 generation I) and last year he, together with Patrick Rundquist and Steber Racing, became team champions. This year, the young racing talent has set his sights on Carrera Cup Scandinavia's heaviest title and makes no secret of that. - No, it's the one I'm aiming for. There is really no reason to aim for anything else, I think, he says.
More pre-season tests in
2018, Hugo Andersson finished in 13th place overall in PCCS - and fourth in the Porsche Approved Cup, a meager point from the bronze. The following season, he took revenge with the title in the Approved Cup (with a points margin of victory) and an eleventh place in the entire championship. Before last year's season, Andersson switched to a 991 generation II and with the same material conditions as everyone else, he took a decisive step towards the championship top. Although it took some competition. But it was not the change in the car itself that made the first competition weekends 2020 tough for Andersson. - No, I think it was more about the fact that I had to drive more cars to get into driving again before the championship started. It was a lot because of Corona that it became what it was last year. It was not really knowing when the season would start, or if there would even be a season. This year we will try to carry out more test opportunities in the pre-season to really warm up properly. It is a lesson we learnt from last year, says Andersson, whose result in the initial two competitions in 2020 did not at all correspond to his own expectations or the hopes of others. Andersson finished eighth in both races in the delayed season premiere in Falkenberg July 17-18 and in Fällfors less than two weeks later he finished in tenth and 14th place respectively.
Influenced by the success of others
While Andersson was having problems, things went much better for drivers with whom many compared him to; one year younger debutant Hampus Ericsson and 2019 silverman in the Porsche Approved Cup, Edvin Hellsten, who also changed from 991 generation I to 991 generation II. Ericsson was successful in the qualifiers in both Falkenberg and Fällfors and even though the results were not good in the race, he was still noted for three places among the top seven. Hellsten was also strong in qualifying and reached just like Ericsson Q2 in both the initial competitions. But he was most convincing in the race where he finished fourth in both races just missing out of a podium finish. Andersson admits that the competitors' successes had a negative effect on him.- With them they also triggered me to fight more to catch up, he says.
Important lift in Karlskoga
The turning point came in the season's third sub-competition, Kanonloppet at Gelleråsen Arena, where Andersson after qualifying eighth and sixth finished eighth and fifth in the race. the fifth place was especially important for the young driver. - That race meant almost more than any other race during the season. Fifth place still showed that I was back where I should be and that I kept up with the pace again. It was an important boost. When asked why the change came in Karlskoga, Andersson answers: - Gelleråsen is a course that I can and that I have performed well on before. Thanks to that, it was a little easier to relax, I could concentrate on the small details instead of driving in and learning the course.
Podium - and victory!
After the success in Värmland, it was a Hugo Andersson with strengthened self-confidence who came to Scandinavian Raceway in mid-September looking for the win . The Young driver went on to take third place but was promoted to seconded after Fredricsson who had finished in seconded was disqualified after the race.
The next day, Andersson was on the top of the podium since he, as the only driver in the entire starting field, took a chance on slicks in the weekend's second race. Starting in fifth place on the grid, he admittedly lost some places initially, but then he started to advance in through field but had to wait after a few laps behind the safety car to progress any further. Andersson picked off car after car and in the end he also managed to pass Sundahl and cross the finish line as the winner. - When I went and looked at the track before the race, I thought that slicks were a pretty obvious choice. The start and finish line was wet, but other parts of the track looked drier. Before the start I was still very nervous. There was a risk that it was wet on parts that I had not seen and then it might have been run. But when we drove out on the first lap, I remember thinking that this will probably go the way anyway.
The fact that the safety car was called out naturally made it easier for Andersson to take the lead. - The safety car helped but… It had become tight, but I think it would have gone the way anyway, he says.
Tough duel for the bronze
Of course, it is with great joy that Hugo Andersson looks back on the weekend in Anderstorp. - In terms of results, it is my best competition weekend in my career. Fun with the first victory, says Andersson, who thanks to the successes in Småland advanced to third place in the table.
He also kept the pressure on the competition leaders at Mantorp Park, despite the fact that after a completely unsuccessful qualifier he was forced to start all three races from the back of the grid. Andersson moved up to sixth, ninth and fifth place and was thus able to secure third place in the table. However, the points margin down to Hampus Ericsson and Edvin Hellsten was narrow (six and eight points respectively) before the final race at Ring Knutstorp in the second weekend of October. After a strong qualifier for both races (four and five) and a promising start (low four) on the first of the final races, Andersson collided with guest driver Rasmus Lindh resulting in a eleventh place finish and dropping him down to fifth place in the table. With a strong fourth place finish in the last race, Andersson advanced one place in the championship table, but the bronze place in the championship went to Hellsten - with an eight point margin. – Things did not go so well at the end of the season, it obviously hurt that I did not manage to guard my bronze place. If you look at what it looked like at the beginning of the championship, it ended well, and we really succeeded with everything we had set as a goal at the beginning of the season. We should have finished in the top five somewhere in race one on the last weekend and at least one podium place in race two, says Andersson, but we must not forget the title of the team championship. - It felt fantastic.
Knows what he needs to improve
This year, Hugo Andersson is aiming for another gold - the driver's title in PCCS. But as I said, he is not alone. - Most people want to take Sundahl off the throne. It will be a strong starting field in the championship this season too and it's just fun. If you are at the top after the end of the season, you have really shown who you are and what you stand for.
To achieve the goals of his dreams, these are things that Hugo Andersson must develop. He is aware of that. - I need to improve both in qualifiers and races, and above all I have to be smoother and avoid mistakes. Lukas makes almost no mistakes last season, that's what he wins and that's what makes him brutally fast, says Andersson and concludes - I cant wait for the season will start. I want to get in the car again, get out and drive. And as I said, we aim to be on top come the end of the season.