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Ivars Vallers from LV Racing has already secured a podium finish at the Salzburgring and currently sits fifth in the drivers’ championship. He knows his Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 inside and out and is confident he can fight hard for top positions, and as he says, even for the title.

How do you evaluate your season so far? Has it met your expectations?
I find my season is going very well so far. As a new driver in this amazing sport, I can honestly say I’m doing better than expected! I’m currently in the Top 5 in the standings, and the Top 3 isn’t far away. Anything can happen — we still have four races left, with eight opportunities to score points, plus four qualifying sessions where points are also up for grabs!

Which race weekend has been your best one so far, and what made it special?
My favorite track is definitely the Salzburgring. I absolutely love this place! I had incredible support from my friend Rob Huff, who managed to be there that weekend — thank you, mate! We had a great first race, and thanks to Germandi’s penalty, we were able to finish P3. But what made the race really special was that I made a huge mistake right at the start and had to fight my way back from the last position. By the end, I was the second-fastest car on track and managed to close the gap to Germandi from 6 seconds down to just 0.433 at the checkered flag! Race 2, unfortunately, didn’t go as well — my rear wing broke, so I didn’t have enough downforce in the fast corners. Still, it was a good race overall!

As you said, you scored third place at the Salzburgring after a time penalty of another driver, so we unfortunately didn’t see you on the podium. How did you feel about that result? Did it feel more like a reward or a missed opportunity?
That P3 definitely felt like a reward. The speed was there, and I truly felt I could fight for a podium. No regrets, I earned that P3!

How is your car performing this year?
As you know, we’ve had some BoP changes for Audi, and maybe that had a slight impact, but not too much. The car still feels very good. Huge thanks to Audi Sport customer racing, and especially to Detlef Schmidt for this amazing car!

What are your goals for the remainder of the season?
My goal is definitely to fight for the championship. Everything is still open! I know I have the speed, but I need to work a lot on maintaining consistent performance.

You used to race with starting number 121. This year, you’ve switched to 21. What’s the story behind the change and your numbers?
Hahaa, yeah! There’s always some story behind changes, whether it’s about numbers, cars, or something else! This one was definitely made with some serious thought behind it… but for now, I’ll keep the reason to myself!

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