“The races on the Nordschleife were good training for the next step. And TCR is my future.”

– Jasmin Preisig –

Jasmin Preisig has proven several times that she is a fast driver. She will also be making waves this season in the new 330 horsepower Astra TCR, which celebrated its debut at the 86th International Geneva Motor Show. The 23-year-old Swiss driver is off to a strong start with the customer racing series ADAC TCR Germany 2016.

GO-KART DRIVER AT NINE YEARS OLD
Jasmin Preisig, a businesswoman by trade, is one of just a handful of female participants and is looking forward to the competition. The Swiss driver grew up with a passion for fast cars. Her father Walter drove in mountain and circuit races. So it’s hardly surprising that his daughter was already driving a go-kart at the age of nine. “I went through all levels of go-kart racing, all the way to the European championship and world finale,” she recounts.

Touring Car Racer Series

The acronym TCR stands for the newly introduced Touring Car Racer Series. It perfectly caters to the needs of private teams, which engage in high-quality motor sports with spectacular touring cars that are still closely related to the series. The TCR concept ensures consistent guidelines for national and even international series, such as the German ADAC TCF Germany and the global TCR International Series.

When she isn’t behind the wheel, Jasmin Preisig, born in 1992, enjoys spending time with friends and at the gym.

2016 TCR International Series Schedule

2–3 April: Sakhir, Bahrain (Formula One)

24 April: Estoril, Portugal

7 May: Spa, Belgium

21 May: Monza, Italy

5 June: Salzburgring, Austria

19 June: Oschersleben, Germany

3 July: Sochi, Russia

28 August: Buriram, Thailand

17– 18 September: Singapore (Formula One)

1–2 October: Sepang, Malaysia (Formula One)

20 November: Macau, China

2016 TCR Germany

16–17 April: Oschersleben, Germany

30 April to 01 May: Sachsenring, Germany

18–19 June: Oschersleben, Germany

23–24 July: Red Bull Ring Spielberg, Austria

06–07 August: Nürburgring, Germany

20–21 August: Zandvoort, Netherlands

01–02 October: Hockenheim, Germany

When it comes to car racing, the choice was clear: She had to go abroad.
“In Switzerland there are no circuit race tracks. Thanks to our Opel car dealership, we always had a good relationship with the brand, and the Astra OPC Cup was an excellent choice.”

SHE LIKES THE DUELS ON THE RACETRACK
Jasmin Preisig quickly became an experienced driver in the popular Opel Cup on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, becoming a hard but fair combatant. In the second half of her first complete season (2015), she and her teammate Marcel Senn became familiar faces at the podium. “Throughout the season, I was able to improve by almost 20 seconds,” Preisig recalls. “Of course it’s also because of my increased confidence and familiarity with the racetrack. And the setup of the car; Marcel and I had to find a compromise since we have very different styles of driving.”

NORDSCHLEIFE: THE PERFECT TRAINING
The switch to ADAC TCR Germany and the transition to the Astra TCR was a logical step for Jasmin Preisig: “I think that the races on the Nordschleife were good training for the next step. And TCR is my future. With an internationally consistent set of regulations, great cars, several brands – it is so cool that Opel is represented there!”

An incredibly maneuverable car

The customer sport touring car is powered by a strong two-liter turbo engine that facilitates the 330 horsepower and 420 Newton meters of torque. This thrust is generated by a sequential six-speed racing transmission on the front wheels, which is operated by a paddle shift on the steering wheel. The dual-plate, sintered metal clutch generates the necessary traction, while an automatic double declutching system makes downshifting easier. The Astra TCR is decelerated with 378-millimeter discs and six-piston brake calipers in front as well as 265-millimeter discs and two-piston calipers in back. The driver can modify the brake balance from the cockpit.

Jasmin Preisig knows how high the bar is set in the ADAC TCR Germany, where more than 25 vehicles from five different manufacturers are competing. That’s why her goals are both ambitious and realistic: “It is definitely no walk in the park. There will be really good drivers at the starting line, and it’s an extremely tight schedule to prepare for the season. So it’s hard to make concrete predictions. The main goal is to finish the race. And then we want to try to come in among the top ten.”

PREMIERE IN OSCHERSLEBEN
On April 16/17, the race is on for Jasmin Preisig and her competitors from ADAC TCR Germany in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt. Just like all of the other events in the ADAC GT Masters, the touring car professionals compete in two races here. Two weeks beforehand, the Opel Astra TCR has its racing debut before an impressive backdrop: The season kickoff for the TCR International Series takes place during the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bahrain.