Jasmin Preisig celebrates class victory in penultimate NLS round

Jasmin Preisig secured another AT class win to keep her Ladies’ Trophy hopes alive, while Katja Thomas also triumphed in V3, as Miki Koyama battled to fourth in class in the penultimate Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie race.

Photo credits: Gruppe C Photography

With another victory in the AT class, Jasmin Preisig continued her strong season in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, keeping her chances for the Ladies’ Trophy alive. Katja Thomas also celebrated another triumph, taking victory in the V3 category.

In addition to the two GirlsOnly teams, Miki Koyama also entered the SP8T class in the #170 Toyo Tyres Toyota, Jasmin Preisig contested the AT class in the #10 Audi, and Katja Thomas lined up in the #529 BMW in the V3 class.

Qualifying for the penultimate race of the season was once again delayed by the unpredictable Eifel weather. Heavy fog shrouded the track and left it damp. When the session finally got underway, the circuit had not fully dried, making it difficult to set competitive times off the racing line. Nevertheless, all female-driven entries managed to complete the session safely.

Most notably, the team of Miki Koyama secured an impressive 21st place overall with a time of 8:48.482. Preisig qualified on pole position in the AT class, seven seconds back, in 26th overall. Katja Thomas’s BMW 318i qualified with a time of 13:52.483, starting from 106th place overall and the final grid slot.

The start took place on a dry track, but the opening two groups saw plenty of drama. In the first group, a collision between a Cup Porsche and an Aston Martin spread coolant across the track, while the second group also witnessed several minor incidents. Preisig’s team, in particular, benefitted from the chaos.

Photo credits: Gruppe C Photography

Starting driver Hochwind brought the Audi back to 16th place overall and as class leader after the opening lap. In contrast, Toyota starter Giuliano Alesi lost significant ground, ending the lap third in class and 30th overall. Thomas managed to climb one place, completing lap one as class leader in 105th.

The first hour of racing was unusually quiet, partly due to the reduced number of entries in the top categories. Once the cars affected by damp qualifying conditions returned to their natural positions in the dry, the field settled without major duels. Alesi brought the Toyota into its first pit stop earlier than expected, effectively bringing forward the team’s short late-race stop. This however dropped them to 44th overall.

Hochwind, meanwhile, stayed out longer in the Audi and extended his class lead, holding 16th overall. Thomas gained three places in the BMW during the first hour. After eight laps, the Audi pitted for the first time, with Jasmin Preisig taking over. Despite the special AT class regulations, the time loss was minimal. The #529 BMW also pitted after eight laps, a few minutes later.

The race remained calm until just past halfway, when accidents began to occur more frequently, particularly in the fast Pflanzgarten section and the narrow Karussell. By then, Koyama had already taken over the Toyota after a second stop and brought it back up to 23rd overall and fourth in class, ahead of the GirlsOnly entry.

Preisig maintained her class lead, though after the stop the Audi was down to 28th overall. Thomas’s BMW slipped to 104th after a lengthy stop but still held its class lead; a lengthy Code 60 in the Pflanzgarten 1 area cost all teams valuable time. Having just pitted, none of them could use strategy to avoid the slowdown. This reshuffled positions in the overall order, favoring teams whose stops aligned better with the timing of the caution. However, class rivals could not capitalize.

Photo credits: Gruppe C Photography

The Toyota held 23rd overall into the final hour, climbing to third in class on strategy. The #10 Audi made its second stop on lap 18, with Lenz rejoining in 33rd overall. Schmitz had taken over the BMW 318i, which retained its V3 class lead while running 100th overall.

Another Code 60 was triggered by an incident approaching Klostertal/Steilstrecke. Although the cars were recovered, damage to the guardrail meant the caution remained in place until the finish. This eliminated strategic opportunities, leaving positions to be decided on track.

Jasmin Preisig’s victory in the AT class went unchallenged: her Audi crossed the line 28th overall, comfortably securing the win. Miki Koyama’s Toyota finished 31st overall, prevailing over the GirlsOnly entry in the closing laps but missing the SP8T podium with fourth in class. Katja Thomas’s BMW finished 89th overall and claimed the V3 class win.

With her victory, Preisig kept her Ladies’ Trophy hopes alive: she now sits eight points behind Janina Schall, meaning she must win the season finale in a fully subscribed class to score maximum points. In case of a tie, Preisig would lead the standings on countback, with more class wins to her name.