Kristoffersson: “I can’t wait to race at Spa!”

Johan Kristofferson has joined the Superstars International Series for 2012, completing the season alongside his Scandinavian Touring Car Championship program with Volkswagen. At the wheel of the new Audi RS5 he finished fifth in the Superstars premiere at Monza, just two hundredths of a second behind Thomas Biagi but had to retire after just one lap into the second race. Nevertheless, the Swede is happy with his car and the Superstars Series.

“I enjoy the big crowds coming to the races and the great tracks. We have some classic motorsport venues like Monza, Spa and Imola and it will be very interesting, although I’ve never been to any of them! There are also some big names like Vitantonio Liuzzi, Gianni Morbidelli and Mika Salo and it’s great to compete against them. I’m also lucky to have a great, well-organized team, which helps me a lot, so I’m really happy to be here.”

Kristofferson has joined the Superstars Series as a start for a more international career in motorsport.

“For this season the goal is to look and learn, I’ll just try to be as competitive as possible and if it all works out well my aim is to compete on a more international level. The Superstars Series seemed to be the most interesting choice to fulfill those expectations.”

Kristofferson has driven in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, where he has competed in S2000 cars. The Swede feels that the Superstars cars are quite different from the S2000 cars, although not too big.

“The weight distribution is better in the Superstars car, because of the four-wheel drive, which I couldn’t use in Sweden. These cars also have more power compared to the S2000s, which is nice. There is a difference, but it’s not anything like a different world.”

Kristofferson feels that he can’t compete for the overall victory, although race wins are among his objectives.

“I don’t think I will be able to compete for the championship straight away, we need to learn. Monza was like a shakedown for us, we will have to test more to be competitive over a full season. We will try to score as many points as possible and try to look for podiums and race wins.”

The Audi Sport Italia driver has never been to any track the series will visit, but he is convinced that the Audi RS5 will be more competitive at different tracks.

“Like I said, I’ve never actually been on any of the tracks in the series. I’ve spoken to my colleagues and they told me there are some nicer tracks for us than Monza, which was the worst for us because of the lack of horsepower compared to our opponents. When I fought against Liuzzi I was a sitting duck on the straight! For sure I’m looking forward to Spa, and I can’t wait to go through Eau Rouge flat out… If it’s possible!”

Kristofferson has 10 points in the standings and lies eighth, 29 less than championship leader Max Pigoli. The Swede also takes part in the Rookie championship in which he is second, six points behind fellow Superstars Series rookie Andrea Boffo.