On February 22nd, the Näringslivsgalan (a business gala) was held in Boden with the purpose of honouring the city's empowerment. Several awards were announced, including Citizen of the Year in Boden, where racing driver Jessica Bäckman has been selected as the winner. “2019 is a year I will never forget and to be able to celebrate my successes with this award feels great”, Jessica says.
Every year a business gala called “Näringslivsgalan” is held in Boden and this year the festivities took place on February 22nd. The main purpose of the gala is to promote and pay tribute to the city's empowerment and initiatives, not least through a series of prestigious awards. Behind the initiative is the Entrepreneurs of Boden in collaboration with the municipality of Boden, and one of the evening's award categories was the Citizen of the year in Boden. Five people were nominated for this year's award, and after the people had voted, it is now clear that this year's winner is the racing driver Jessica Bäckman.
The jury's motivation was: She is the racing driver who, with her impressive achievements, has reached the highest elite in the racing sport. This year she also became historical as the first woman of all time to reach the podium in the prestigious championship TCR Europe. A true role model and inspiration for other Boden citizens.
It feels unreal! When I saw who was nominated, I never thought I would win. I am very happy and grateful, especially since it is the people who has voted for me. It's worth a lot, says Jessica.
Jessica’s last year was, to say the least, very exciting, where she finished on the podium in three different championships. Jessica was also selected to represent Sweden in the Olympics of motorsport, FIA Motorsport Games, in Rome - and she also became the first woman of all time to finish on the podium in TCR Europe.
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has voted for me! Now I look forward to begin a new racing season and knowing that I have Boden's support with me in the car feels great, says Jessica Bäckman.
The racing siblings Andreas and Jessica Bäckman started their racing careers as 9 and 7 years old in karting. In categories like Rotax Max, OK and KZ. They have during the years been competing in big championships like STCC, Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and the British counterpart TCR UK, with fantastic success as results. During 2019 the siblings are competing in the prestigious TCR Europe together with the multiple award-winning Italian team Target Competition. The siblings racecars are Hyundai i30 N TCR.