Nina Østergaard claims class second place in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe at the Nürburgring
- RACERS
- 3 hours ago
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Nina Østergaard returned to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe at the Nürburgring with another podium finish in the LB Cup class, continuing an impressive debut campaign for the Danish racer.
Nina Østergaard and Peder Moller-Demant returned to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe at the Nürburgring with another podium finish in the LB Cup class, continuing an impressive debut campaign for the Danish pairing.
After winning the opening race of the season and emerging as regular front-runners in class in their first year in the championship, the DC Motorsport drivers overcame a difficult opening race in changing conditions before fighting back to finish second in class in Race 2.
The Nürburgring marked the return of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe following the summer break, with the championship resuming its campaign after its previous round supporting the 24 Hours of Spa. For Østergaard, competing in her first season in the series alongside Moller-Demant in the #67 DC Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán, the objective was to maintain the strong form that had made the duo regular contenders for LB Cup honours throughout the opening rounds.
Østergaard was first into the #67 Lamborghini for the opening qualifying session and quickly built her pace around the Nürburgring. After an initial 2:08.3 lap, she lowered her benchmark to 2:05.059 to move into fifth position in LB Cup before finding another significant improvement with a 2:04.016.
That lap moved Østergaard into fourth in class, just 0.002 seconds away from third, highlighting the extremely tight margins at the front of the LB Cup field.
Moller-Demant took over driving duties for the second qualifying session. The Dane initially set a 2:04.3 before improving to a 2:03.865, a time that put the #67 Lamborghini at the top of the LB Cup classification with four minutes remaining. The benchmark ultimately proved just short of pole, however, as Moller-Demant finished second in class, only 0.19 seconds away from the fastest LB Cup entry. The result gave the DC Motorsport pairing strong starting positions for both races.
Østergaard took the opening stint of Saturday afternoon's first race, starting 26th overall and fourth in LB Cup. She made a clean getaway and immediately gained one position, moving to 25th overall and fourth in class.
The early stages quickly became more difficult, however, with Østergaard dropping down the order to seventh in LB Cup and 29th overall. With the weather beginning to change and spots of rain appearing around the circuit, the Danish driver had to balance recovery attempts with the increasingly slippery conditions.
Østergaard however continued to produce competitive lap times in the 2:06 range and gradually began closing on the cars ahead. By lap seven, she had reduced the gap to Turzo by around two seconds before making her move for sixth in class and pulling clear.
As the rain intensified, track conditions became progressively more challenging. Østergaard nevertheless continued to find improvements through individual sectors and began closing on Holger Harmsen ahead.
The pit window eventually opened, but DC Motorsport elected to keep the Lamborghini out on track, allowing Østergaard to maximize her opening stint. The strategy nearly paid off, although she suffered a spin at Turn 2 on lap 10, costing her a position as Philip Tang moved ahead and dropped her back to seventh in LB Cup.
Østergaard recovered her rhythm during the final part of her stint and remained competitive as the rain eased slightly. She stayed out until the end of lap 13 before handing the #67 Lamborghini over to Moller-Demant from seventh in class and 29th overall.
Moller-Demant initially settled into a 2:07.1 pace, but Tang soon moved ahead to put the DC Motorsport car eighth in LB Cup. The Dane then began finding significant time, lowering his best lap to 2:05.768 as the track continued to improve.
With the rain easing, Moller-Demant steadily reduced the gap to Harmsen ahead. Over the following six minutes, he continued to close, eventually arriving within striking distance of the rival Lamborghini. By the finish, the gap had been reduced to just 0.6 seconds.
The late recovery was not quite enough to regain another class position, leaving Moller-Demant and Østergaard eighth in LB Cup and 29th overall. It was a difficult race for the pairing, but their pace throughout the changing conditions offered encouragement heading into Sunday's second contest.
Moller-Demant took the start for Sunday's second race, with the skies remaining grey but the track dry. The #67 Lamborghini lined up 20th overall and second in LB Cup, putting the DC Motorsport driver in a strong position to fight for the class lead.
The race immediately proved chaotic at Turn 1, however, when a midfield incident sent one car off track. Moller-Demant attempted to take advantage by moving down the inside but was himself tagged into a spin. Although he was able to rejoin relatively quickly, the incident dropped him to 29th overall, costing nine positions on the opening lap.
Moller-Demant immediately launched a recovery drive. He passed several cars to climb to 26th overall and gained another position when Leitzke Grotta spun on lap two.
The Dane then set his sights on Tang, steadily reducing the gap to the LB Cup rival. Moller-Demant gained several tenths per lap before making the decisive move on lap five, passing Tang for sixth in class while continuing to improve his lap times into the 2:05 range.
His next target was the AM-class Lamborghini of Moczulski, while Basalamah represented another direct LB Cup rival just ahead. As the two cars continued to run close together, Moller-Demant applied increasing pressure before overtaking Basalamah.
With the pit window opening, the #67 driver opted to stay out, and the strategy began to transform the race. As rivals came into the pits, Moller-Demant climbed through the LB Cup order to fourth and then third in class. By lap 13, he had moved into second position in LB Cup as the pit cycle continued before finally bringing the Lamborghini into the pits at the end of lap 14, having climbed as high as second in class and eighth overall.
Nina Østergaard took over for the final stint, with DC Motorsport completing a clean pit stop. The strategy paid off immediately, as she rejoined in second position in LB Cup. Her job, however, was far from straightforward: a large group of cars was immediately behind her #67 Lamborghini, with Harmsen, Matic and Turzo all applying pressure for class position. Østergaard defended strongly while also having to negotiate traffic from Pro-Am competitors moving through the field.
Matic eventually ran into trouble at Turn 8, going into the gravel and triggering a Safety Car with 11 minutes remaining. Østergaard remained second in class, with the neutralization giving her some breathing room.
Racing resumed with six minutes remaining and Østergaard immediately found herself under renewed pressure from Harmsen. The situation changed again when LB Cup leader Gosselin encountered problems and dropped down the order, allowing Østergaard to move into the class lead.
The Danish driver appeared on course for victory, but the race was dramatically interrupted with only two minutes remaining when Basalamah suffered a heavy crash at Turn 1. The incident brought out the red flag and ended the race prematurely. The classification was subsequently taken back by one lap, meaning Østergaard was classified second in LB Cup rather than the top spot she had briefly held in the closing stages.
Nevertheless, the result represented another strong podium for Østergaard and Moller-Demant and provided another demonstration of the competitiveness they have shown throughout their first Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe campaign.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe season now heads to Barcelona for the next round from October 2-4, where Østergaard and Moller-Demant will look to continue their strong debut campaign and add to their growing collection of class podiums.
