Calvin de Groot claims back-to-back NXT Gen Cup wins at Nürburgring
The NXT Gen Cup first two races of the Nürburgring weekend delivered ultra-tight racing, with Dutch championship leader Calvin de Groot mastering the legendary track to secure back-to-back victories.
20-year-old Calvin de Groot topped both of Friday’s practice sessions at the Nürburgring. However, it was championship contender Victor Nielsen who edged out de Groot in qualifying, securing pole position by just 0.088 seconds.
In a dry and sunny Race 1, five cars fiercely battled for victory. The race culminated in a last-lap showdown between Calvin de Groot and Enzo Hallman. The Swedish racer led out of the final corner, only to be overtaken at the finish line by the flying Dutchman, who clinched the win by a mere 0.044 seconds.
Starting from eighth in a wet, reversed-grid Race 2, Calvin de Groot stormed through the field in his Hankook-shod LRT NXT1 to claim his second consecutive Nürburgring victory, further extending his championship lead.
“At Norisring, I was Mr. P2, but I hope to change that to Mr. P1 now. I really enjoyed the day. In the second race, I was searching for grip in weird places, and it paid off. I built a lot of confidence and was able to move through the field,” said Calvin de Groot.
“Whether it's wet or dry tomorrow doesn't matter to me. I feel comfortable in any condition. I'm aiming for another win, but we'll have to see how it goes."
Victor Nielsen holds second in the championship, 31 points off the lead. The Dane recovered from a fifth-place finish in Race 1, where he started from pole, to return to the podium with a second-place finish in Race 2.
"It was a bit of revenge in Race 2. I had a decent lead, but Calvin was just quicker, and I didn’t see any reason to defend because he was so much faster. I tried to follow him and take his lines, but he opened up a gap, and I couldn’t catch him. Overall, it was a good day with some solid points,” said Victor Nielsen.
15-year-old Swede Linus Stjernelund built on his impressive debut at the Norisring to secure his first NXT Gen Cup podium in Race 1. The young sim racing star made a second trip to the podium with another third-place finish.
“It feels great to be on the podium, especially to do it twice. I had never driven in mixed conditions like we had in Race 2, it was quite scary. I got a good start from sixth, and was able to overtake with push-to-pass for third. It was a really good day, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” said Linus Stjernelund.
Enzo Hallman climbed to third in the championship with his Race 1 podium, overtaking Lukas Stiefelhagen, who faced challenges in the races.
Patricija Keita-Stalidzane continued her strong performance from Norisring, battling with Linus Stjernelund for a podium finish in Race 2 and ultimately securing fourth place. The Latvian driver climbs to sixth in the standings, maintaining her position as the top female competitor in the championship.
The third and final Nürburgring race starts at 08:45 tomorrow and will be broadcast LIVE on the NXT Gen Cup YouTube channel.
Schedule - NXT Gen Cup Nürburgring
Times in CEST
Sunday August 18th
08:45 – Race 3 (20 min)
Points and results
Standings
Results
2024 NXT Gen Cup entry list
# – Name – Nationality
2 – Greaham Hofmans - Netherlands
3 – Linus Stjernelund – Sweden
4 – Patricija Keita-Stalidzane – Latvia
7 – Enzo Hallman – Sweden
8 – Chantal Röhner – Germany
9 – Lukas Stiefelhagen – Netherlands
10 – Ben Bendler – Germany
11 – Storm Julius Gjerdrum – Norway
12 – Filip Bartoš – Czechia
21 – Siri Hökfelt – Sweden
23 – Laurenz Rühl – Germany
24 – Calvin de Groot – Netherlands
35 – Benjamin Mazatis – Germany
47 – Sophie Hofmann – Germany
50 – Victor Nielsen – Denmark
91 – Misha Charoudin – Netherlands
About NXT Gen Cup
The NXT Gen Cup is the world’s first 100% electric junior touring car cup where young female and male drivers race the LRT NXT1, a fully electric race car based on the MINI Cooper SE road car - engineered and built by Lestrup Racing Team. The series races together with DTM and is organised through an “arrive and drive” concept, enabling the junior drivers to focus on driving and creating the foundation for a professional racing career.
About DTM
DTM is Europe’s premier and best-known racing series and is celebrating its 40th birthday in 2024. As one of the most competitive racing series, DTM features seven prestigious brands in its anniversary season. The DTM has a German core, but a strong international fan base. Races are broadcasted live in 150 territories. The series is also a leader in sustainable motorsport. For the second season, all cars are powered by a sustainable fuel made of 50% renewable components. Not only the cars racing in DTM are in the centre of sustainable projects. For the events itself the ADAC as promoter of the DTM offers innovations like an initiative to reduce plastic waste and a digital carpool solution, which has been recognised and awarded by the FIA.