Nina Østergaard Crowned Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe LC class Champion at Monza
Nina Østergaard and Peder Møller-Demant secured the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe LC Cup title in their debut season in the championship, in a near perfect season finale at Monza to clinch the crown by three points. The Danish pairing finished second in class in the final race of the season after taking another victory in Race 1, completing an impressive campaign for the #67 DC Motorsport team.
Nina Østergaard and Peder Møller-Demant secured the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe LC Cup title in their debut season in the championship, in a near perfect season finale at Monza to clinch the crown by three points. The Danish pairing finished second in class in the final race of the season after taking another victory in Race 1, completing an impressive campaign for the #67 DC Motorsport team.
The all-Danish duo arrived at Monza following another strong performance at Barcelona, where they converted their qualifying pace into an LC Cup class victory in the only race held during the weekend. That result added to the class win they scored at the opening round of the season and kept their championship ambitions on track heading into the final two races.
The season finale marked Østergaard's first visit to Monza, with the opening practice sessions taking place in contrasting wet and dry conditions. The Danish pairing began with fourth place in class in the opening session, setting a 1:53.277, before moving up to second in class in the wet with a 2:03.485.
Thursday morning brought dry conditions for qualifying, with Østergaard taking the wheel for the first session. After posting a 1:50.023, she dipped below the 1:50 barrier with a 1:49.845 before improving again to a 1:49.674, putting her second in class. She was on course to improve further, having gained two tenths in the first sector of her next flying lap, but a red flag interrupted her effort. She therefore had to settle for second in class and 25th overall, while Møller-Demant took over for the second qualifying session. He would clock a 1:49.857 that was good enough for fourth in class.
Østergaard started Race 1 from second in class, with a chaotic opening sequence immediately testing the field. The cars went nearly five-wide at the start before the pack encountered trouble through the first two chicanes, with several incidents at Turn 1 prompting the deployment of the safety car.
Østergaard made a strong start and held second in class, having to use the escape road at the first corner to avoid the accidents in the congested pack. The field returned to green-flag racing with 37 minutes remaining, with Kevin Gilardoni leading the 32-car field across the start-finish straight of the Temple of Speed.
The restart was much cleaner, and Østergaard immediately set about putting pressure on class leader Turzio. She steadily found more pace, setting a 1:51.9 on lap five before improving to a 1:51.3 a lap later. The Danish driver continued her attack and made the move for the class lead, completing the pass to take first place.
Once in front, Østergaard quickly began to build a gap. She set a 1:50.6 and gained 1.4 seconds in a single lap before recording a 1:49.6, establishing a strong rhythm as the pit window approached.
Østergaard initially stayed out to maximise her pace; she improved to 1:49.377 and then 1:49.369, continuing to deliver fast laps as her rivals began making their stops. Her consistency allowed her to climb through the overall order, reaching seventh overall by lap 12 before pitting on lap 13 from the class lead.
Møller-Demant took over the #67 Lamborghini for the second half of the race, rejoining after the pit cycle in 18th overall and still leading the class. Gosselin remained close behind, keeping the pressure on the Danish driver and staying within a handful of tenths in the early stages of his stint.
However, Møller-Demant managed the situation well, maintaining a consistent pace in the low 1:50s and gradually extending his advantage. As the pair navigated traffic, the gap grew to two seconds, giving the Danish driver a more comfortable margin heading into the closing laps.
Møller-Demant ultimately brought the #67 DC Motorsport Lamborghini across the line to secure another LC Cup victory for the pairing. The result represented an important step towards the championship, giving Østergaard and her teammate a six-point lead in the standings with one race remaining.
Reflecting on her first visit to Monza, Østergaard admitted that the mixed conditions had made preparation more challenging, but praised the team's progress throughout the season.
“This is the first time I'm driving at this track, so when I started this weekend, I didn't know what to expect. We had two good practice days, but one was in the dry, one was in the wet, so it was a little bit mixed,” she explained.
“When I came to qualifying, I was still in the wet mode, so I had to push a few laps before I got into the mode again, and then unfortunately there was a red flag. I was on my flying lap, and then it was cut short, so I started P2, which was okay", she continued. "The start was a bit chaotic. I had actually expected a chaotic start here at Monza, so I was prepared mentally, and that's what happened."
“I dropped a little bit behind after the chicane, but it was okay. I managed to push and overtake down the straight, and hold it. And then handed the car over to Peder, who held it until the end, so that was very, very nice.”
The final race of the season brought an even more demanding challenge, with the LC Cup championship still to be decided. Møller-Demant started from 23rd overall and fourth in class, but rain arrived before the grid formed, leaving the track slippery even after the rain seemed to ease a few minutes later. The field remained on slick tyres, and an accident on the formation lap prompted the race to start behind the safety car.
The green flag came out with 37 minutes remaining. Although the opening chicane saw several cars use the escape road, the field initially made it through without major incident. Møller-Demant kept the #67 Lamborghini clear of trouble, moving up to 21st overall while holding fourth in class.
Conditions remained treacherous, however, and a heavy crash for Ruffini at the exit of Ascari brought out another safety car with 31 minutes to go. Several drivers struggled for grip as conditions deteriorated, with cars running wide and dropping into the gravel as the pit window was delayed and some competitors switched to wet-weather tyres.
Møller-Demant stayed out, moving up to 20th overall while maintaining fourth in class. Racing resumed with 23 minutes remaining, just as the pit window approached, and the Danish driver continued to avoid the incidents unfolding around him. When several cars spun just ahead, he navigated through the chaos to climb into third in class.
He subsequently dropped back to fourth, reaching the final lap before the pit stop in 24th overall. The timing of the stop and heavy traffic in the pit lane made for an extra challenge in the pit box, but the #67 crew handled the stop perfectly and made the call to switch to wet tyres as Østergaard climbed aboard for the decisive stint.
She rejoined in fifth in class, although several rivals had yet to make their stops. Within a couple of laps, Østergaard had climbed to second, and when class leader Privitelio pitted on lap 12, the Danish driver took over the lead after the pit cycle.
Østergaard immediately settled into a consistent rhythm, lapping in the 2:03s and beginning to pull away from Matic, who initially trailed by around three seconds. As the race entered its closing stages, however, Matic began to reduce the gap, with seven minutes remaining and the championship still hanging in the balance.
Østergaard remained composed, continuing to post consistent lap times while also facing pressure from Matic and Gosselin, who was moving forward through the field. With three minutes to go, Matic made his way past, and Baptista also joined the fight, passing Østergaard for second.
With two laps remaining, Østergaard fought back, overtaking both Matic and Baptista to briefly regain the lead. Gosselin then moved ahead on the final lap, leaving the #67 Lamborghini to finish second in class.
Although the late battle denied Østergaard and Møller-Demant a second victory of the weekend, second place was enough to secure the LC Cup championship. The Danish pairing finished the season on 105 points, three ahead of their closest rivals on 102, completing a remarkable first campaign in the series.
Østergaard also highlighted how far she had come in a short time. Competing in only her third year of car racing and making her first appearance in an international championship, she credited the team with helping her develop throughout the campaign.
“Just thinking about where I was just last year when I raced a small local championship in Denmark to where I am today, I've learned so much. I have a fantastic team, and we've all developed through the season very together, so even the team has become more professional. We've become better drivers, so it's been a massive change from just where I began a year ago.”
The title marked a significant achievement for both drivers and DC Motorsport. For Østergaard, the result capped an impressive progression to an international title on debut: after a season of steady development and several strong class performances, the Dane emerged as Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe LC Cup champion following an exciting finale at Monza.
