Nina Østergaard takes class victory on Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe debut

Nina Østergaard enjoyed a sensational debut weekend in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, securing an LB Cup class victory in Race 1 at Circuit Paul Ricard as she teamed up with compatriot Peder Møller Demant in the #67 DC Motorsport Huracán Super Trofeo.

Photo credits: Lamborghini Corse

Nina Østergaard enjoyed a sensational debut weekend in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, securing an LB Cup class victory in Race 1 at Circuit Paul Ricard as she teamed up with compatriot Peder Møller Demant in the #67 DC Motorsport Huracán Super Trofeo.

The Danish duo immediately emerged as one of the quickest pairings in class, combining good qualifying sessions with race-winning execution across the opening round in the South of France, and only missed out on a potential second win in Race 2 after contact from a competitor.

Østergaard arrived at Le Castellet off the back of a productive preparation earlier in the year, which included appearances in the GT Winter Series at Valencia, where she secured podium finishes and a class win in the Cup4 category. Bringing experience from national GT championships and benefitting from coaching by factory driver Frederik Schandorff, she showed strong adaptation to the highly competitive Super Trofeo Europe field. Together with Møller Demant, the pair made steady progress throughout the season opener, building confidence and pace in the one-make series.

Qualifying already highlighted their potential: Østergaard took on Q1 duties and delivered a 2:08.222 lap to place 18th overall and second in the LB Cup class in her series debut. Møller Demant followed in Q2, setting a 2:10.487 to secure fourth in class, positioning the duo well for the opening races.

Photo credits: Selected Car Group

Race 1 saw Østergaard line up P18 overall and second in LB Cup under sunny conditions at Paul Ricard. The race began cleanly despite a few excursions through the run-off areas, though an early dramatic engine failure for Privitelio’s Rexal Villorba Corse entry on the main straight added to the opening-lap drama.

Østergaard maintained her position and settled into a strong rhythm behind class leader Baptista. As the race unfolded, she steadily increased her pace, first setting a 2:09.465 to claim the fastest lap in LB Cup, then improving further into the 2:08s.

With confidence building, Østergaard began to close the gap to Baptista’s #14 Oregon Team Huracán, reducing it to just one second before making a decisive move on lap 7 to take the class lead. From there, she controlled the race at the front, opening a margin while navigating traffic and climbing as high as P11 overall as the pit window approached. Pitting from the LB Cup lead on lap 12, she handed over to Møller Demant after an excellent opening stint.

Following the pit cycle, Møller Demant rejoined P15 overall and retained the class lead, though under immediate pressure from Gosselin in the #4 Rexal Villorba Corse car. With Turzo dropping back, the fight for victory became a direct duel, but the Dane responded with consistency and cool head.

Lapping quicker than his rival, he first set a 2:11.640 before improving to a 2:11.0, gradually stretching the gap. Despite Gosselin remaining within striking distance, Møller Demant maintained control, keeping the margin just above one second through the closing laps. After a clean and measured stint, he took the chequered flag in P13 overall and secured the LB Cup class victory, marking a remarkable debut win for him and Østergaard in a near-perfect first race for the Danish pairing.

Photo credits: Selected Car Group

Race 2 on Sunday offered another opportunity to showcase their pace, with Møller Demant starting from P22 overall and fifth in LB Cup. As the lights went out for the 50-minute contest, he had an exceptional launch, slicing through the field to gain five positions by the first sector and immediately taking the class lead. By the end of the opening lap, he had not only moved into P17 overall but also inserted an AM-class car between himself and his closest LB Cup rival, Gosselin.

Running consistently in the low 2:11s, significantly quicker than the rest of the class, Møller Demant began to build a gap, extending it to three seconds by lap two. Although Turzo later emerged as his closest challenger and dipped into similar lap times, the Dane maintained control of the race, keeping the gap stable while climbing to P14 overall as other cars encountered issues. Demonstrating both pace and race management, he set a new class-best 2:11.142 on lap 8 to reassert his advantage before the pit window opened.

Staying out for a couple of extra laps, Møller Demant pitted on lap 11 from the class lead and handed over to Østergaard after another superb stint. However, the race took a difficult turn during the pit cycle: Østergaard rejoined third in class as rivals completed their stops, with the #23 DL Racing and #4 Rexal Villorba Corse entries emerging ahead. Running in competitive 2:12 pace, she remained in contention until lap 15, when she would receive contact from Basalamah’s #86 ASR entry under braking at the Mistral Chicane that sent her into a spin.

Although Østergaard managed to rejoin, the incident cost her several positions, dropping her to sixth in class. Basalamah was handed a drive-through penalty, which allowed Østergaard to recover one place, but the gap to the cars ahead, exacerbated by traffic from leading overall runners, proved too large to close in the remaining time. She ultimately brought the car home in fifth in LB Cup, with a result that did not reflect the duo’s true pace.

Despite the setback in Race 2, the opening weekend of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe season marked a brilliant debut for Østergaard. With a class victory, strong qualifying performances, and race-leading pace demonstrated by both drivers, the Danish duo emerged as front-runners in LB Cup, and will now head to round 2 at Imola on 9–10 May with significant momentum to fight consistently at the front of the class.