GT Winter Series: Carrie Schreiner battles back into top-ten, Nina Østegaard secrues class win
- MIKA BÖCKER
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
In the condensed GT Winter Series Valencia weekend, Carrie Schreiner fought back to securing an eighth-place overall finish in the endurance race, while Nina Østegaard impressed with consistent pace to earn Cup 4 class victory.
It was a weekend of mixed emotions for the female drivers competing in the third round of the GT Winter Series. Carrie Schreiner fought her way into the overall top ten in the endurance race, while Danish racer Nina Østegaard celebrated podium finishes and a class victory in her debut appearance in the series.
Just one week after the non-championship 6H of Portimão, where Schreiner enjoyed a promising outing in the Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 shared with Florian Scholze and Ariel Levi, securing a top-five finish in the GT3 class, the team aimed to build on that encouraging performance.
Joining the field in the #321 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo entered by DC Motorsport, Danish racer Nina Østegaard brought experience from national GT championships. She shared the car with her coach and teammate Frederik Schandorff in the Cup 4 class.
Once again, weather conditions in the GT Winter Series were far from ideal. On Friday, it became clear that racing on Saturday would be impossible due to adverse weather. As a result, the entire Saturday schedule was cancelled, leading to a highly condensed program on Sunday.
Schreiner shared driving duties this weekend with Ariel Levi, who started the first sprint race from pole position. Østegaard lined up 16th overall and third in her class.
At the start of lap three, the No. 112 Porsche spun in Turn 1 but was able to continue after rejoining the track. The No. 128 car was less fortunate, spinning into the gravel after nine minutes and becoming stranded, which triggered a safety car period. At the restart in the second half of the race, two Mustangs lined up behind Levi’s Audi. However, his victory was never seriously threatened. He steadily extended his advantage before the long straight and controlled the race from the front.
The race nearly ended under caution on the penultimate lap when Shibata spun his Ferrari into the gravel and became stuck. Although a safety car would have secured Levi’s win, race control opted for local yellow flags, as the incident occurred in a relatively slow section and the field was already approaching the final lap. The decision made little difference to Levi, who claimed his first GT3 victory in only his second race in the category.
Østegaard started the race from 16th overall and third in Cup 4. On the opening lap, she was overtaken by a BMW Z4 from the GTX class but maintained her class position. When the Z4 pitted after just two laps, she regained the place. Østegaard used the safety car period to close the gap to the leading duo in Cup 4. Although she was unable to mount a challenge for position, she secured 14th overall and a class podium finish.
For race two, Schreiner found herself in a difficult situation after losing ground at the start. Despite lining up in a strong second-place starting position, she went on the attack and attempted to outbrake her rival into Turn 2. Unfortunately, contact with the No. 74 Mustang resulted in damage that forced her to retire on lap two.
The collision was not an isolated incident in that corner. Østegaard was also spun around and dropped to the back of the field. Only then was the safety car deployed, allowing her to rejoin the pack. Racing resumed after ten minutes, and Østegaard began climbing back through the order. She reduced the gap to the leaders in her class to just three seconds before suffering another setback: a drive-through penalty for a safety car infringement late in the race. Despite this, she managed to retain third place in the Cup 4 class.
Schreiner’s team worked efficiently to repair the Audi in the short turnaround before race three, giving the Attempto Racing duo one final opportunity to salvage the weekend. Starting from tenth position, with the Mustang close behind, Schreiner adopted a more measured approach, maintaining her position while managing traffic and dealing with Shibata’s defensive Ferrari.
The decisive moment came around the six-minute mark, when she executed a brilliant overtake in the infield section to move into contention for a strong result. However, subsequent safety car interventions disrupted her momentum, as did the firm defense from a Mercedes ahead. She completed her mandatory pit stop on the following lap and handed over to Levi.
Østegaard began the endurance race from 15th overall and second in her class. She avoided trouble in the opening laps but lost one overall position before a safety car period provided an opportunity to pit. Østegaard immediately brought the Lamborghini into the pits, and her crew executed a quick stop, allowing Schandorff to rejoin ahead of Levi.
After several attempts to pass, Levi eventually made his move by capitalizing on Schandorff’s wide line into the final corner. The decisive pass came when he carried better exit speed out of Turn 1, allowing him to hold position through Turn 2.
Levi moved into tenth overall and ninth in the GT3 class, running behind the leader of the Lamborghini Cup class. That car was rapidly closing in on Hütter’s GT3 Lamborghini and soon made the overtake. Levi followed suit one lap later and began battling the Cup car for eighth overall. However, the contest was effectively decided when the #333 Lamborghini received a penalty for an insufficiently short pit stop, meaning it would lose the position regardless. Schandorff remained directly behind Levi throughout the stint.
With seven minutes remaining, another incident at Turn 11 prompted race control to deploy the safety car once again. Although the recovery was handled efficiently, it significantly impacted the closing stages. Only one lap remained after the restart: despite being hindered by lapped traffic, Levi maintained his composure, and Attempto Racing crossed the line ninth overall. The penalty for the Cup 4 leader subsequently promoted them to eighth overall.
For Østegaard and Schandorff, that penalty proved even more decisive. Running directly behind Levi and their class leader, they inherited the Cup 4 lead once the time penalty was applied. As a result, the Danish driver Nina Østegaard secured a well-earned class victory in the endurance race and ninth place overall.
