'Girls Only' Team announces 2023 line up and programmes

The all-female team 'Girls Only' by WS Racing announced its 2023 programmes, including its line-up for the NLS and 24H of the Nürburgring

Photo credits: Jan Brucke/VLN

The all-female project 'Girls-Only' by WS Racing has been a disruptive force in the German endurance racing scene, as the first ever racing team featuring all female drivers, mechanics, engineers and management took class victories and podiums in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, as well as at the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NLS), shining a light on some of the most talented sportscar female drivers.

The project was launched in 2018 and stepped up from TCR to GT4 machinery in 2021, extending its programmes; with a star-studded line up at the highly prestigious 24 Hours of the Nürburgring in 2021, Pippa Mann, Célia Martin, Carrie Schreiner and Christina Nielsen claimed a stunning class victory in extreme weather conditions.

The team then switched from Audi to BMW machinery in 2022, entering the SP8T class of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NLS), formerly known as VLN. The Girls Only operation brought the returning Pippa Mann, Célia Martin and Carrie Schreiner joined by W Series star Fabienne Wohlwend – to a podium finish in the 2022 edition of the 24H Nürburgring, as the BMW M4 GT4 finished third in class and P35 overall.

Towards the end of the season, WS Racing also fielded a LMP3 Norma M30 for Emirati racing star Amna Al Qubaisi, at her return from racing after contesting the Formula Regional Asian Championship. Al Qubaisi entered the Hockenheim round of the STT (Special Tourenwagen Trophy) is a German-based multi-class championship that features a wide variety of race cars, from prototypes, Class-1 DTM cars, GT3 vehicles, as well as touring cars.

The project is now ready to enter a new season of racing – and announced its 2023 programmes and line-ups.

The Girls Only by WS Racing team will enter four races in the NLS championship at the Nürburgring, plus the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring and the Qualifying Race. The drivers line up that is set to bring the BMW M4 GT4 to success will again see a highly-qualified quartet:

Célia Martin, Pippa Mann, Carrie Schreiner and Fabienne Wohlwend.

Martin, a real Nürburgring specialist, has been racing at the mighty Nordschleife since she started her motorsport adventure, which was sparked by her love for this legendary venue.

Schreiner has been part of the project since its early days and has also competed at the Nordschleife in GT3 machinery, claiming top ten finishes overall.

The 24 year old German was crowned 2022 GT-60 by Pirelli champion thanks to her remarkable season in the GTC Series.

Pippa Mann is one of those names that barely needs introduction, as the British racer, coach and now President of the Shift Up Now collective, has been breaking barriers for women in the sport for almost 20 years. Having reached elite single-seater championships such as the Formula Renault 3.5, Mann moved to the US, where she competed in IndyLights before moving to IndyCar in 2011. Since then, she has started 7 Indianapolis 500.

Mann, who leads the Shift Up Now organization with the aim of helping fund female talent in motorsport, was part of the 2021 crew that took top honors at the Nordschleife.

Having joined the team last year, Fabienne Wohlwend is also set to return behind the wheel of the BMW M4 GT4: a W Series podium finisher and pole-sitter, Fabienne also has a significant GT experience, having made history in 2018, becoming the first woman to win the Ferrari World Finals. After being selected for the all-female F3 championship W Series, Wohlwend continued to race in Ferrari Challenge and was runner up in 2020. Furthermore, she has already raced in two 24H of the Ring.

Additionally to their NLS programme, the Girls Only by WS Racing team is set to field a Duqueine D-08 LMP3 car in the ADAC/CREVENTIC promoted Prototype Cup.

The team's LMP3 line-up, though, has not been revealed yet.