NXT Gen Cup title fight gets closer as Patricija Stalidzane takes historic podium at Sachsenring
The final day of the 100% electric NXT Gen Cup double-header at Sachsenring delivered plenty of action, as title contender Viktor Nielsen closed the gap to championship leader Calvin de Groot and Patricija Stalidzane made history as the series' first-ever female podium finisher.
Viktor Nielsen claimed one win and a second-place finish at Sachsenring today. Adding to his two victories yesterday, the Danish driver has reduced Calvin de Groot’s points lead from 46 points ahead of the weekend to 24 points ahead of the Hockenheim finale.
“Almost a clean sweep this weekend, just missing out on one win, so I’m really happy with how it went. Heading to Hockenheim, I’ll do my best to catch Calvin. He’s a great driver, but I’m ready to give it my all,” said Viktor Nielsen.
Calvin de Groot had a challenging start to the Sunday, needing to switch car just 15 minutes before qualifying due to a technical issue. Despite the setup not being to his liking, the 20-year-old claimed pole position and won the first race.
The Dutch driver narrowly missed out on a podium in the final race but still leads the championship heading into the final weekend at Hockenheim at the end of October.
“The weekend was tough. In the beginning it was me, then we had some issues with the car. Happy to get a win and the fourth-place after using push-to-pass on the last straight, but overall disappointed with how the weekend went,” said Calvin de Groot.
Latvian racer Patricija Stalidzane made racing history by finishing second in the final race behind Viktor Nielsen, becoming the first-ever female driver to stand on the NXT Gen Cup podium. Earlier in the day, she secured second place in qualifying, just 0.005 seconds behind championship leader Calvin de Groot.
“First podium, could have been a win, but I’m obviously really happy about it. It’s the first time I’ve put it all together, and the pace was really good. Overall, it was a great weekend and encouraging going into the final round, where I’ve been on the podium before in GT4,” said Patricija Stalidzane.
Swedish junior Enzo Hallman leaves Sachsenring holding third in the standings with three podiums from the weekend, having increased his gap to fourth-placed Lukas Stiefelhagen by four points.
“Overall, it was a good weekend. I had strong speed but didn’t quite get the results I wanted. I’m hoping for a win at Hockenheim because second and third places are starting to get frustrating,” said Enzo Hallman.
The battle for fifth in the championship is getting close, as podium finisher Patricija Stalidzane narrowed the gap to Swedish driver Linus Stjernerud to just eight points.
Williams E-sport driver Alexander Spetz made an impressive NXT Gen Cup debut, contending for a podium in the reverse-grid Race 4 and ultimately finished in fifth place.
The NXT Gen Cup now heads to former F1 track Hockenheimring from October 18-20 for the season finale alongside the DTM.
Points and results
Standings
Results
2024 NXT Gen Cup entry list
# – Name – Nationality
2 – Greaham Hofmans - Netherlands
3 – Linus Stjernelund – Sweden
4 – Patricija Stalidzane – Latvia
5 – Nicolas Bever – Belgium
6 – Jodie Sloss – Scotland
7 – Enzo Hallman – Sweden
8 – Chantal Fugel – Germany
9 – Lukas Stiefelhagen – Netherlands
10 – Bennet Ehrl – Germany
12 – Filip Bartoš – Czechia
17 – Alexander Spetz - Sweden
21 – Siri Hökfelt - Sweden
24 – Calvin de Groot – Netherlands
35 – Benjamin Mazatis – Germany
47 – Sophie Hofmann – Germany
50 – Victor Nielsen – Denmark
91 – Matthias Killing – Germany
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.