Victor Nielsen claims crucial final pole as NXT Gen Cup title battle heats up at Hockenheim
Championship contender Victor Nielsen secured the final pole position of the 2024 NXT Gen Cup season, edging out title rival Calvin de Groot in the Hockenheim finale qualifying, setting the stage for a thrilling battle in Sunday’s races.
With the long straights at Hockenheimring, the slipstream effect was significant, making it essential to have a good tow. This meant that drivers closely followed each other during qualifying, as Victor Nielsen managed to set a perfect lap on his last attempt.
“It feels really good now, but when I came into the pits, I thought I was around fifth or something. It was so busy out there, people blocking, and a lot going on. I just tried to stay cool and push for the lap, and it worked out,” said Victor Nielsen.
“I won’t be leading after the first lap with the huge slipstream. We saw in qualifying that everyone is chasing a tow. It’s going to be tight racing all the way to the line, but I’m going for the title tomorrow.”
The Danish driver narrowed the gap in the standings to 22 points, with 62 still up for grabs tomorrow, as championship leader Calvin de Groot finished second.
"That was really fun, it was crazy, almost like a race! Victor and I worked together and came out on top. Tomorrow, we’ll race hard like we always do, have fun, and see how it all plays out," said Calvin de Groot.
17-year-old Lukas Stiefelhagen qualified third, with just under eight-tenths of a second separating the top six drivers.
"It was a bit chaotic, but in the end, a decent result. The slipstream made it tough to nail a perfect lap, but I think I handled it pretty well. Starting third gives me a great view of the championship contenders, but I’m definitely going to go for the win as well," said Lukas Stiefelhagen.
Swedes Linus Stjernelund and Enzo Hallman rounded off the top five in qualifying, with Sachsenring podium finisher Patricija Stalidzane securing sixth on the grid for Race 1 tomorrow. The Latvian driver is pulling double duty this weekend, also competing in an endurance race at Nürburgring between her NXT Gen Cup sessions.
Debutant Niklas Kalus made an impressive showing in his first-ever NXT Gen Cup qualifying, placing his Hankook-shod LRT NXT1 seventh. He finished ahead of Sofie Hoffman, who achieved her best qualifying performance to date.
Filip Bartoš and Benjamin Mazatis rounded out the top ten - complete results here.
The fight for the 100% electric junior touring car title will be decided tomorrow as the final two races of the 2024 season, held alongside DTM, await with the championship battle between Calvin de Groot and Victor Nielsen reaching its conclusion.
Everything is broadcasted LIVE on the NXT Gen Cup YouTube channel.
Schedule - NXT Gen Cup - Hockenheimring
Times in CEST
Sunday October 20th
10:15 – Race 1 (20 min)
18:05 – Race 2 (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 Stalidzane – Latvia
7 – Enzo Hallman – Sweden
8 – Chantal Fugel – Germany
9 – Lukas Stiefelhagen – Netherlands
12 – Filip Bartoš – Czechia
15 – Theo Wieder – Germany
16 – Niklas Kalus – Germany
19 – Leon Arndt – Germany
21 – Siri Hökfelt - Sweden
23 – Laurenz Rühl - Germany
24 – Calvin de Groot – Netherlands
27 – Alexzander Kristiansson – Sweden
35 – Benjamin Mazatis – Germany
47 – Sophie Hofmann – 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.