Female drivers battle adversities in dramatic 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
- MIKA BÖCKER
- 2 days ago
- 16 min read
In a race marked by incidents, mechanical failures, changing weather and late heartbreak for the female entries at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, there were still some positive take-away points - with Patricija Stalidzane's early run at the top of the GT3 class; Michelle Gatting's lengthy run in contention for the class podium; Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky leading in class before misfortunes, as well as Miki Koyama's recovery to the top-5 in the GT4 class and some hard-earned class podiums.
At the Nürburgring 24 Hours, joy and sorrow famously go hand in hand - and the many female entries of the 2026 edition endured a great deal of misfortunes this year.
Just as in the NLS, a significant number of women were entered for the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, resulting in a near-record female participation rate for this race as well. At least three teams were aiming for overall finishes within the top 30. Among them, the #7 Konrad Lamborghini piloted by Patricija Stalidzane was undoubtedly the top favorite, as they were competing in the SP9 class, the GT3 category.
Michelle Gatting drove her first race in a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup (#918) in the Cup 2 class, a category that frequently yields strong overall results. The Girls Only team (#146) featuring Carrie Schreiner, Janina Schall, Fabienne Wohlwend, and Michelle Halder was set to drive a similar car in the Alternative Fuels (AT) class, specifically the 2021 model generation.
The strongest contenders challenging these top-tier entries were Miki Koyama in a Toyota GT4 in the SP10 class (#170), Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky in an Audi TCR (#776), and Pippa Mann in a Porsche Cayman (#967) in the Cup 3 class.
Also driving a Porsche was Tabea Jünger in the #418 entry in the V6 class - a category featuring near-production-spec cars. Another near-production-spec car was driven by Julia Ponkratz in a Toyota Supra in the VT2-Hecka class (where "Hecka" denotes rear-wheel-drive vehicles). The remaining female teams competed in BMWs: the Kreutzpointer sisters Alesia and Jacqueline entered the BMW Cup class (#870), and Sarah Ganser in the #108 entry in the BMW 325i class.
However, the fact that a strong female driver lineup wouldn't necessarily guarantee success this year became unfortunately apparent during the very first qualifying session, when the first car was forced to withdraw. Due to poor weather conditions, every team was eager to set fast lap times right from the start. Consequently, incidents and Code 60 zones began appearing as early as the very first lap. Just a few minutes into the session, a massive plume of smoke rose from the pit lane: the #7 Konrad Lamborghini suffered a failure before it had even left the pit lane. However, it was revealed that the damage was minor and could be repaired within the session.
Things took a turn for the worse a few moments later: a Cup2 Porsche 992 came to a halt directly at the exit of the Michael Schumacher S-bends right on the racing line, and subsequently caught fire. Instead of seeking safety, the driver - who had already exited the vehicle - ran back toward the car and stood right beside it. Just moments later, the Girls Only Porsche, unable to take evasive action, slammed into the stationary vehicle.
Car #146 was completely destroyed in the impact; its chassis was fractured and deemed irreparable. Schall emerged from the accident uninjured. Perhaps the worst part of the incident unfolded afterward, when a video replay of the crash circulated globally without further context, revealing the internet's ugly, sexist side through a barrage of hateful comments.
Firstly, the safety and well-being of those involved should always be the paramount concern. Secondly, the driver of the Cup 2 Porsche was penalized for standing beside his vehicle, while no further action was taken against Janina Schall. The online commentary focused primarily on the assertions that she could have taken better evasive action or was driving too fast.
In a subsequent interview, the driver of the Cup 2 Porsche stated that a 120 km/h speed limit imposed due to double yellow flags was already in effect at that specific location. However, this speed restriction was not visible on the live GPS tracker at the moment of impact, nor does a replay filmed from a different angle provide any definitive clarity on the matter. Furthermore, taking evasive action at this particular spot is inherently difficult. The stricken vehicle was positioned at the exit of a corner sequence - which the Porsche Cup cars typically negotiate at speeds of around 160 km/h - on a steep uphill that severely restricts visibility.
Moreover, due to the high speed involved, the space at the exit of the corner is essential and is incorporated into the natural racing line. A car stationary in that spot is spotted very late, particularly when driving in the slipstream of other cars, which further obstructs the already limited visibility. The natural evasive maneuver in this situation would be to head toward the outside of the track, across the gravel trap. However, the driver was standing right there, rendering this escape route blocked - a fact that, once again, only became apparent at the very last moment.
Consequently, there was no longer any safe way to avoid the stationary vehicle without endangering either the driver or the traffic following close behind. The race stewards reached this very same conclusion following an investigation that lasted several hours.
The remaining qualifying sessions proceeded without any major issues for the female drivers - provided, of course, that one chooses to disregard the weather conditions. During the final 20 minutes, the situation became extreme with heavy rain and even hail fell on the track. During the second qualifying session, heavy downpours occurred repeatedly, leaving no opportunity for drivers to improve their lap times later in the evening.
However, one curious incident did occur: the Dacia Logan spun out in the Karussell section and came to a halt facing the wrong way relative to the track. While attempting to maneuver and turn around, the car blocked the racing line for several other vehicles, resulting in a minor traffic jam. For most teams, their fastest lap times were ultimately set on Friday during the third session - a session in which the repaired Konrad Lamborghini was permitted to participate in the "Top Qualifying“ shootout.
Many promising starting positions were secured, particularly with regard to the individual class standings. The Konrad Lamborghini secured the sixth spot on the starting grid - a position that also corresponded to the same spot within its highly competitive class. Starting behind all the GT3 and SPX entries, Michelle Gatting’s Porsche lined up in 51st place overall, securing pole position within its own class. Scheerbarth took the wheel for the start of the race.
Next up was Miki Koyama’s Toyota, starting from 71st overall (9th in class), followed by Åhlin-Kottulinsky in 87th overall, good enough for 2nd place in their class. However, they would quickly lose this position, as they were required to serve a 30-second speeding penalty incurred during qualifying.
Also starting from the second spot in her class, 138th overall, was Sarah Ganser. Jünger and Ponkratz each started from 3rd place in their respective classes, lining up 124th and 128th overall. The Kreutzpointer twins started from 133rd overall, taking 4th place in their class. Pippa Mann’s team qualified 15th in class and would begin the race from 105th position overall.
Maximilian Paul, driving the Konrad Lamborghini, delivered a particularly strong performance during the opening stages of the race. He gained several positions right on the Grand Prix circuit section and continued to make up ground as he entered the Nordschleife. Following a tyre puncture suffered by the pole-sitter, Paul moved up to third place overall, closely pursued by the "Grello“ Porsche. A fierce battle for the podium positions erupted involving this car and the Winward Mercedes running just ahead of it.
Amidst the traffic during the second lap, Paul managed to prevail against the Mercedes and move up to second place. He then had to continue defending this position against the Grello Porsche, which - hindered by a lower top speed - struggled to execute overtakes at the usual passing spots. However, on the third lap, Paul left the door slightly too wide open while navigating traffic; the Porsche slipped past, forcing Paul to briefly run wide onto the grass. This proved to be of little consequence, however, as the Lamborghini factory driver reclaimed the position on the Döttinger Höhe straight and held onto it until his scheduled pit stop.
Not every team featuring female drivers enjoyed such a smooth start. Scheerbarth was unable to hold onto his Cup2 pole position and dropped back to second place within his class. Things went even worse for car #418, where Ramierez was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop after just two laps, losing a full lap in the process. Although they rejoined the race, they were back in the pits again after completing a total of only four laps. The teams of Ponkratz and Åhlin-Kottulinsky also lost several positions during the opening phase, while other teams, though losing ground in the overall standings, managed to improve their positions within their respective classes.
A notable difference from previous years was the remarkable discipline displayed during the opening phase of this race. Although there were a few minor bumps and scrapes, the entire first hour passed without a single Code 60 zone being deployed. It was only after this period that brief Code 60 zones were implemented at Klostertal, Hohenrain, and the Schwalbenschwanz section. Simultaneously, the first round of pit stops began: Engelhardt took over the Konrad Lamborghini, while Salewsky took the wheel of the Cup 2 Porsche and Koyama stepped into the Toyota GT4.
All three drivers initially lost a few positions during this process, but they subsequently regained them as their class rivals began making their own pit stops. In the smaller classes, the wait for pit stops was slightly longer, though the typical stint length remained consistent at six to eight laps. Thus, Sarah Ganser took over the BMW after more than 80 minutes of racing, while Hilsop took the wheel of the smaller Porsche Cup car. Car #418 remained unreliable and was forced to interrupt its run once again after just 7 laps.
It was not until after the round of pit stops that the first major accidents occurred. An Audi GT3, for instance, flew off the track at the Schwalbenschwanz section following a tyre failure, crashing heavily into the barrier. The #776 TCR entry took advantage of this slowdown to make its pit stop, as did the #418 crew again. Further accidents followed shortly thereafter: at Hatzenbach, the #45 Ferrari ran onto the grass while attempting to overtake, subsequently slamming hard into the wall. Another accident occurred at Pflanzgarten. Thanks to the numerous slow zones, the risk of further accidents was reduced, and the race settled into a slow, yet now steady, rhythm.
After two hours, Engelhardt sat in 4th place. Salewsky had dropped back to 3rd place in the Muehlner Cup 2 class but managed to gain 9 positions in the overall standings. Koyama, the highest-placed female driver at the time, held 5th place in the GT4 class and 68th overall. Hislop has successfully advanced Pippa Mann’s Porsche to 10th place in class, while Eis piloted the Audi back to 3rd place in the TCR category.
The Toyota Supra had dropped to 6th place in the VT2 class. At the back of the field - and trailing behind their respective class leaders - were Ganser in car #108 and Mendita-Blanco in car #418; both had already encountered issues and sat in 4th place in their classes, holding overall positions 142 and 146, respectively.
Just past the two-hour mark, the infamous Eifel weather made its appearance, and a drizzle began. Initially, it wasn't heavy enough to warrant a switch to rain tyres, but it was sufficient to cause an increase in incidents. Aside from a single accident in the Brünnchen section, conditions soon settled down again, and the rain let up. However, it took quite some time for the track to dry out. Amidst this weather, the gap for the Cup 2 Porsche, running second in class, began to widen significantly. While it had managed to stay right on the heels of the class leader during the first stint, it lost ground following its second pit stop.
Ganser’s BMW also began losing time to the car ahead in its class. In this instance, however, the issue was not a lack of pace, but rather a pit stop that lasted over 20 minutes. In the TCR class, Swedish driver Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky took the wheel for the first time just after the three-hour mark. She managed to steer clear of any trouble and this consistency allowed her to make up both time and positions.
There was, however, one incident involving traffic with a lapped HWA from the SPX class in Turn 2. Aside from some paintwork damage, the incident had no consequences. The final pit stop for the Cup 3 Porsche, however, did not go without consequences. The team had entered the pit lane too quickly and failed to meet the minimum required pit stop duration. The penalty for this infraction was a 32-second time penalty, which had to be served during the team's next pit stop.
It took just 90 minutes - from the first light shower - for the rain to return once again, doing so shortly after Stalidzane had taken over the Konrad Lamborghini. In the poor weather, she dropped back to 10th place. By this time, almost all the female drivers were out on the track simultaneously. Gatting, who had now taken over the Cup-2 #918 Porsche, managed to reclaim a position, returning to 2nd place in her class. In the overall standings, she was able to gain even more ground; having started in 51st place, the team now sat in 37th.
The third-best all-female team at that moment was the TCR entry driven by Åhlin-Kottulinsky, running 69th overall. Thanks to her consistent driving style and by avoiding the errors made by their rivals, they had secured the lead in the TCR class and were steadily building a significant advantage.
During a mandatory pit stop, Indy500 veteran Pippa Mann had taken the wheel of the Cup 3 Porsche and was currently running in 10th place in her class. The first of the Kreutzpointer sisters was also behind the wheel; though running far down the field, she held a respectable 3rd place in the BMW Cup.
Among these teams, only the Supra was piloted by a male driver, Erhardt, who had managed to climb back up to 5th place in his class.
Jünger and Ganser were also out in their respective cars, though following earlier issues they were currently running too far off the pace to truly contend with the competition. A similar situation faced Miki Koyama in the GT4 Toyota, though she had by now embarked on a slow but steady recovery drive.
Ganser, however, had not yet been able to begin her own comeback. Following contact with a spinning GT3 car, her vehicle was forced into the pits after completing just 10 laps, leaving her several laps behind the rest of her class. The team continued working on the car in the hope of at least finishing the race, though a strong result was no longer to be expected.
The intermittent rain returned once again after five and a half hours of racing. Initially, it was merely a light drizzle, but this time it did not stay that way. The rain intensified, and with it came an increase in on-track incidents. Amidst the chaos, the female teams managed to steer clear of trouble; thanks to their astute tyre choices, they were able to remain on the track for the vast majority of the time. Only the Cup 3 Porsche remained stranded in the Fuchsröhre section. However, this did not mean that their troubles were over. Shortly after repairs were completed, Ganser’s BMW was indeed able to rejoin the race, but it subsequently incurred a 45-second time penalty for a Code 60 infringement.
The Konrad Lamborghini, too, continued to fall further behind. It was revealed that the car was struggling with a power steering failure and, consequently, could no longer maintain its pace. As a result, by the ninth hour of the race, the team had slipped to the very back of the GT3 pack. Meanwhile, the Porsche Cup cars were already closing in from behind.
Amidst these wet conditions, Åhlin-Kottulinsky was able to showcase her rallying skills, extending her class lead to nearly two laps. However, this run came to an end after nine hours when her teammate crashed in the Adenauer Forst section. The car remained stationary on the track for approximately 30 minutes while emergency repairs were carried out, after which it managed to make it back to the pits for more extensive repairs.
Meanwhile, Ramirez began his charge up the field in the #418 Porsche, which was now running with clockwork precision, and found himself just 30 seconds adrift of a podium finish. Kreutzpointer, however, could not share in this good news, having been forced to endure an unusually long pit stop.
As night fell, Ponkratz, driving the Toyota Supra, had her moment in the spotlight. She had the distinct honor of driving the car past the spectator hotspots, where fireworks began lighting up the trackside skies starting at midnight. With the exception of the Cup 3 Porsche in the pits, every car in the female teams got to witness this spectacular sight as they fought their way back toward their class rivals following their respective earlier setbacks.
Incidents however began to increase once again as the night fell. First, a Porsche GT3 crashed in the Lauda-kink, the very corner where the Formula 1 driver suffered his famous fiery accident. Later, Lefterov crashed the Konrad Lamborghini in the Hatzenbach section. The car remained stationary for a while before he managed to limp it back to the pits. Virtually the entire rear section of the vehicle was severely damaged. The team made only a brief attempt at repairs before it became clear that the damage was irreparable.
Patricija Stalidzane later commented: "We are incredibly sad about the retirement. We saw just how much pace this car had.“ These, however, were not the only crashes involving top-tier cars. Fan favorite Jimmy Broadbent was also forced to retire; his teammate crashed in the Breitscheid section. As the replay suggested, the car appeared to suffer a brake failure at that point.
Both the TCR Audi and the Cup 3 Porsche were successfully repaired and were able to rejoin the race by the halfway mark. Unfortunately, however, other teams ran into trouble. In the early hours of the morning, the Toyota Supra was forced into the barriers by overtaking GT3 cars. The vehicle subsequently proved irreparable and, like the Konrad Lamborghini, had to be withdrawn from the race. Nevertheless, Ponkratz takes away positive impressions from the event: “At the 24-hour race, I was able to fulfill a huge dream of mine, and honestly, I am still in the process of processing all the impressions and emotions,” she wrote on Instagram. “Of course, that was a tough moment for us as a team. Yet, we can be incredibly proud of our performance, because up until that point, the race had gone simply fantastically well.”
At the same time, a problem developed with the Cup 2 Porsche driven by Michelle Gatting. The car was still running in third place within its class and in the top 30 overall, but this was not to last until the finish. In the early hours of the morning, the car lost third gear; it was merely making noise without providing the usual forward thrust. For several stints, the team attempted to continue driving, hoping to save the car by skipping the faulty gear and making it to the finish line. However, after three more stints, additional gears began to develop problems, forcing the car to head for the pits. Here, too, it quickly became clear that attempting a repair within the scant three hours remaining in the race would be futile.
Consequently, the GT4 Toyota driven by Miki Koyama now became the highest-placed female team. After their initial difficulties, they continued to fight their way up the field in the final four hours of the race. Koyama herself managed to pilot the car, which had at one point dropped back to 99th place overall and 10th in class, back up to 48th place overall and 6th in class. The Kreutzpointer sisters also improved their standing once again: following their unintentionally long pit stop, their race proceeded smoothly and amidst the chaos caused by the night and the intermittent rain, they managed to work their way up to second place in their class.
Sarah Ganser’s BMW experienced a similar trajectory. They, too, had done a flawless job over the last few hours, provisionally securing third place in their class - though they trailed second place by several laps. In the case of Åhlin-Kottulinsky’s TCR entry, the gap to the podium stood at more than six laps following their overnight technical issues. The Cup 3 Porsche was also running several laps behind the top ten, yet it still held out hope of gaining at least a few positions. The #418 Porsche of Jünger came to a halt just before the Karussell but was able to resume driving under its own power after a few moments.
Around midday, a light drizzle began to fall intermittently. It was never heavy enough to warrant rain tyres, but sufficient to leave a slick film on the track surface. This proved particularly treacherous on the painted markings of the circuit, where it frequently caught drivers off guard. The sections from Hatzenbach to Pflanzgarten and on to Schwalbenschwanz, in particular, became accident hotspots - a result of both the slippery conditions and the congestion within the traffic.
For instance, an accident occurred during a lapping maneuver in the Stefan-Bellof-S section; a Porsche Cayman was sent spinning into the barrier multiple times, finally coming to a complete stop only as it approached Schwalbenschwanz. Apart from the first corner, the Grand Prix Track saw no major accidents, though it was the scene of several technical failures - particularly for teams that had hopefully sent their repaired cars back out onto the circuit.
Among these incidents was an Audi GT3 that had to be towed away; at the very same moment, the #108 driven by Sarah Ganser also suffered a failure, though she managed to make it back to the pits under her own power. After a repair stop, the team was able to rejoin the race, albeit having lost further laps.
In the final hours, the rain intensified repeatedly; by the very last hour, conditions had deteriorated so much that some teams switched tyres, while others gambled on slicks and began sliding significantly on the wet track. For the female teams, their positions were effectively locked in by this point. Kotaka drove the GT4 Toyota to 46th place overall, more than a lap behind the fifth-place car in class.
Ramirez piloted the #418 to 80th place overall, securing 3rd in class, four laps behind the second-place finisher. The Kreutzpointers had reached 93rd place overall, but trailed the class leader by 15 laps. Hislop, driving the Cup 3 Porsche, was the only one still making up ground, though the gap to 13th place in class remained substantial. Åhlin-Kottulinsky continued to trail third place in the TCR class by five laps. Sarah Ganser was also on course for a podium finish, though she no longer had any opportunity to close the 15-lap gap to second place.
However, this race served as a reminder that nothing is ever certain until the very end, for the Nürburgring writes its own rules. After the overall race leader had already crossed the finish line, the TCR class met with a particularly bitter conclusion. On the Döttinger Höhe straight, just a few kilometers from the finish line, the brakes on Åhlin-Kottulinsky’s Audi TCR failed catastrophically; the Swedish driver was forced to pull over and abandon the car, with no possibility of nursing it across the finish line.
At the finish line, the Toyota GT4 of Miki Koyama secured 42nd place overall and 5th in the GT4 class; Tabea Jünger’s Porsche took 76th position, corresponding to 3rd place in class; the Kreutzpointer sisters Alesia and Jacqueline finished 86th, 2nd in their class; and Pippa Mann’s Porsche claimed 88th place overall, 12th in class. Sarah Ganser’s BMW 325i finished in 105th place, earning the bronze medal in class.
We will see at least some of these women again on June 20th at the Nürburgring for the next NLS race.