Lukas Stiefelhagen and Victor Nielsen victorious in NXT Gen Cup opener at Norisring
The legendary Norisring delivered plenty of action during the first races of the 2024 NXT Gen Cup season, held alongside the DTM series. Despite both scorching heat and rain, Lukas Stiefelhagen and Victor Nielsen each claimed their maiden victories.
17-year-old Lukas Stiefelhagen started the first race of the double-header weekend in pole position.
On a dry track with temperatures reaching 30 degrees, the Dutch racer claimed his maiden NXT Gen Cup win by a margin of only 0.037 seconds.
In the wet reverse grid race two, Lukas Stiefelhagen quickly moved up the field to challenge for the podium positions, ultimately finishing third.
“I am very happy with the day. It was really tricky in the rain, and I think I was a bit quicker, but third place means good points for the championship. We have another qualifying session and two races tomorrow, and I believe we have a good chance to keep challenging at the top,” said Lukas Stiefelhagen.
Fellow Dutchman Calvin de Groot secured two second-place finishes in his NXT Gen Cup debut. Challenging Lukas Stiefelhagen all the way to the finish line in race one, the 20-year-old used his push-to-pass just fractions of a second too late to overtake his countryman and take the win.
“We tried to be smart and work together through the race, and on the last lap it was all or nothing and every man for himself. He made a mistake in the last corner, but I engaged the push-to-pass a meter too late to catch him,” said Calvin de Groot.
“Tomorrow, I aim for P1, not P2.”
Danish front-runner Victor Nielsen started third in the first race but lost positions due to a challenging start.
In race two, Victor Nielsen mastered the wet Norisring street track in his 100% electric LRT NXT1 race car and passed Linus Stjernelund for the lead, a position he maintained until the checkered flag.
“It feels really good, especially in these conditions. It was a controlled race from my side; when I got the lead, I settled into my pace and didn't think about the others. I aim to win again tomorrow, but as always in this championship, it will be a challenge,” said Victor Nielsen.
Swede Enzo Hallman showed his ambitions to be a top driver in 2024 as well. The fourth-place finisher from last year stood on the podium with a third-place finish in race one and followed it up with fourth place in race two.
Alexander Gustafsson secured a solid haul of points with fourth and fifth places in the Norisring premiere.
Patricija Keita-Stalidzane continued to excel as the top female driver in the record-breaking lineup of six female drivers at Norisring. The Latvian driver contended for a podium finish in race one, ultimately finishing fifth.
In the championship standings, Lukas Stiefelhagen leads Calvin de Groot with two points. Victor Nielsen is third.
Tomorrow means another qualifying and two races in the Norisring double-header season premiere. Both races are broadcast LIVE on the NXT Gen Cup YouTube channel.
Schedule
Times in CEST
Sunday July 9th
08:45 – Qualifying
12:00 – Race 3 (15 min)
17:00 – Race 4 (15 min)
Points and 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 – Jacqueline Kreutzpointner – Germany
11 – Alesia Kreutzpointner – Germany
12 – Filip Bartoš – Czechia
19 – Alexander Gustafsson – Sweden
21 – Siri Hökfelt – Sweden
23 – Laurenz Rühl – Germany
24 – Calvin de Groot – Netherlands
35 – Benjamin Mazatis – Germany
47 – Sophie Hoffman – Germany
50 – Victor Nielsen – Denmark
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.