Nina Østergaard ends Lamborghini World Finals 11th in Monza
Freshly crowned LC Cup Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe champion, Nina Østergaard endured a more challenging World Finals at Monza, finishing 11th in the combined LC standings after a seventh-place class result in the opening race.
Nina Østergaard and Peder Møller-Demant endured a challenging Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final at Monza, finishing 11th in the combined LC Cup standings after a seventh-place class result in the opening race and a difficult second contest.
The Danish pairing had arrived as newly crowned Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe LC Cup champions, having secured the title in their debut season, but a series of setbacks prevented them from challenging for a stronger result in the Finals.
Following the conclusion of the European championship, the World Finals brought together competitors from the European, North American and Asian Lamborghini Super Trofeo series at the Temple of Speed, with the drivers battling for the world titles in the Lamborghini one-make championship.
Østergaard and Møller-Demant had enjoyed an impressive European campaign, securing the LC Cup crown by three points after a strong season finale. The #67 DC Motorsport pairing won the opening race at Monza before finishing second in class in the final European championship contest, adding to their earlier victories at the season opener and Barcelona. The event also marked Østergaard's first visit to the Italian circuit.
Saturday's World Finals qualifying sessions took place in colder conditions, with Østergaard taking the wheel of the #67 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 for Q1. She progressively improved her pace, starting with a 1:52.0 before dipping below the 1:52 mark with a 1:51.2. She then found another second to record a 1:50.1, before setting a best lap of 1:49.733 on her final run.
The improvement secured seventh in the LC Cup class and 16th overall, giving the Danish duo a solid starting position for the opening race.
Møller-Demant took over for Q2, but his session was more disrupted. The Dane went off track, although he managed to return to the pits to assess the damage before rejoining the session. He subsequently recorded a 1:51.5 before improving to 1:51.106, qualifying 14th in class and 27th overall for Sunday's race.
Østergaard took the start for Saturday's opening World Finals race from 16th overall and seventh in LC Cup. The field arrived tightly packed at Turn 1, forcing the Dane to take evasive action through the escape road and costing her a couple of positions. She initially dropped to eighth in class but remained close behind Tang and Baptista as the race settled down.
Baptista later spun into the gravel at the first chicane after contact with Groat, allowing Østergaard to move back up to seventh in class. She began to build a margin over Turzo behind while remaining around a second behind Tang, setting a 1:50.8 before improving to 1:50.4 as she continued to find pace.
With positions relatively settled, Østergaard maintained her consistency as the pit window opened. She initially stayed out while several rivals made their stops, gradually climbing the order as the pit cycle unfolded. By lap 11, she had moved up to fourth in class, before advancing to third a lap later and then second on lap 14 as more cars came into the pits.
Østergaard finally pitted on lap 14 from second in class and third overall, handing the #67 Lamborghini over to Møller-Demant. He rejoined fifth in class but soon lost positions, dropping to seventh by lap 17 after being passed by Koebbe.
Møller-Demant continued to maintain steady pace, recording laps of 1:50.8 and 1:50.4 while holding a five-second margin over Matic behind. With six minutes remaining, the Safety Car was deployed after the #62 car of Galli went off into the gravel at Lesmo.
The race resumed with two minutes on the clock. Møller-Demant stayed close to Koebbe and looked for an opportunity to gain another position, but he also had to defend against Turzo. Although Turzo managed to pass, a subsequent penalty promoted the Danish pairing back to seventh in the LC Cup class at the finish, giving them four points towards the combined World Finals classification.
Sunday's second race presented a more difficult challenge. Møller-Demant started 27th overall following the issues in qualifying, leaving the team with ground to make up in the final contest.
The opening lap was chaotic, with several drivers missing their braking points into Turn 1 and taking the escape road. Møller-Demant was caught behind a car slowing in the middle of the corner and was also forced to take evasive action, making some contact into the back of the car ahead. As the field settled, he climbed to 23rd overall and 11th in class, chasing the North American entries of Shahi and Broll.
However, the recovery drive was interrupted on lap three when Møller-Demant had to return to the pits with a puncture. He was able to rejoin but had lost considerable time, leaving the team hoping for a Safety Car to close the gap to the cars ahead.
Møller-Demant recorded a 1:51.2 and was lapping significantly faster than the car in front, but faced a gap of around 36 seconds to Privitelio. When the pit window opened, the team opted to extend his stint in the hope that a Safety Car would provide a strategic opportunity. Ultimately, he was left the a lap down as the leaders came through.
Møller-Demant eventually pitted on lap 13 to hand over to Østergaard, who rejoined 15th in class. The team was also handed a five-second penalty for cutting the corner during the opening-lap incident at Turn 1, adding to an already difficult race.
Østergaard quickly settled into a consistent rhythm, recording a 1:51.3 before improving to lap times below the 1:52 mark. A further Safety Car was deployed after Giannone and Galli made contact at Ascari, with damage to the #62 car eventually forcing it to stop. The incident briefly neutralised the race, but the field returned to green with only two minutes remaining.
Still 15th in class and already a lap down, Østergaard had little opportunity to make up further ground in the closing stages. She brought the car home to complete the race, with the Danish pairing finishing 15th in class in the second contest and 11th in the combined World Finals results.
Although the World Finals did not deliver the result the team had hoped for, the difficult World Final does little to diminish Østergaard and Møller-Demant's achievements in their first season of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe. Their class victories, consistent performances and ultimately successful title fight made the #67 DC Motorsport pairing the LC Cup champions and providing a strong foundation for their next campaign.
