NLS: Miki Koyama secures class podium, Hökfelt returns to the track

The sixth NLS round proved to be another challenging but encouraging outing for the female drivers, Miki Koyama once again emerged with a competitive performance, finishing 23rd overall and second in the SP10 class aboard the Toyota GT4 after spending much of the race fighting near the front of the category.

Photo credits: Mika Böcker

The sixth NLS round proved to be another challenging but encouraging outing for the female drivers, Miki Koyama once again emerged with a competitive performance, finishing 23rd overall and second in the SP10 class aboard the Toyota GT4 after spending much of the race fighting near the front of the category.

Siri Hökfelt enjoyed a successful return to the track following her accident earlier this year, securing fifth in class with a mixed WS Racing outfit. Rookie Sofia Necchi completed a promising first NLS race with sixth in class, while Katja Thomas led the V3 class, overcoming a penalty in the closing stages.

The weekend featured not only the race itself but also several special tests and events for a number of female racing drivers.

Swedish driver Siri Hökfelt kicked things off on Friday. After recovering from a serious accident during qualifying earlier in the season, she was making her NLS comeback, an occasion that led to some very special moments right from the start. Throughout the season so far, she has impressed fans and rival teams alike with her rapid learning curve and steadily improving pace, establishing good connections along the way. It came as little surprise to insiders, then, that Hökfelt would be conducting test drives for a team that weekend. However, the nature of the tests was particularly noteworthy. She had the opportunity to test a BMW GT4 with the Black Falcon team.

GT4 star Gabriele Piana, widely regarded as one of the world's best and fastest GT4 drivers, had set a reference lap time for the session. The goal was not to beat his time, but rather to get as close to it as possible on the Nordschleife while driving flawlessly. According to our information, Hökfelt’s best laps were just 2.5 seconds off the Italian’s pace, making a strong impression.

Photo credits: Mika Böcker

While future collaboration or GT4 races cannot be ruled out, they remain highly unlikely for the current season. Nevertheless, Hökfelt was delighted with her pace and thrilled by the experience. Her enthusiasm grew even further when she got to ride with Piana for a few additional laps to learn the track.

Hökfelt wasn't the only one logging test kilometers. German sim-racing influencer "ShevaLion" also fulfilled a dream by completing a few laps in a Porsche Cayman GT4. This opportunity was made possible by her community in collaboration with the Adrenalin Motorsport racing team. On Instagram, she describes it as an “absolutely mega experience” and the dream of every sim racer.

Afterward, she also got to enjoy a so-called “taxi ride” with a professional driver. The question of whether further drives—or perhaps even real-world races in the distant future—might be on the cards for her remained open at the time of writing.

ShevaLion is known on Twitch for her streams of the racing simulation iRacing; she regularly broadcasts her races there while maintaining an active dialogue with the community. She typically holds an iRating of around 2000. In addition to streaming, she hosts servers for community practice sessions via her Discord.

Of course, these test drives weren't the only activity at the sixth NLS round. After Friday’s record heat was suddenly interrupted by a thunderstorm, Saturday saw the usual qualifying and race sessions take place amidst continuing hot weather. This time, Siri Hökfelt and Elena Egger were unable to compete as an all-female junior team. Their Toyota Supra had in fact been completely destroyed during the 24-hour race, and the repaired chassis was returned to the team too late.

Consequently, the pair shared a car with two male drivers from the parent WS Racing team. The Porsche belonging to the regular “Girls Only” team was also sidelined for similar reasons; the replacement car could not be fully prepared and tested in time for the race. However, the car is expected to race again at NLS 7.

Photo credits: Mika Böcker

Overall, female participation has declined since the 24-hour race; alongside the two drivers mentioned above, Julia Ponkratz competed in a BMW 325i in the cup series of the same name. While heat was the car's main issue on Friday, it faced such significant problems on Saturday that mechanics were working on it right up until the start of the race. As a result, the team started from the very back of the grid.

Miki Koyama, tipped as a driver for Toyota’s future GT3 factory program, started as usual in the Toyota GT4 in the SP10 class, lining up 35th overall. Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes was also competing in her usual VW machinery, starting from 82nd place overall. Katja Thomas began the race in 107th place overall, driving a BMW in the V3 class. Debutant Sofia Necchi and her team started from 103rd place. They encountered issues early on, however; a Code 60 violation resulted in an immediate 45-second stop-and-go penalty.

Koyama dropped to 48th overall on the opening lap but managed to hold onto fourth place in the SP10 class. Schönfeld took the wheel of the VW, moving the car up to 78th overall and third in class. Alger took over Necchi’s BMW M2 and, despite the penalty, advanced the car to 86th place, though they sat in sixth place within their class. Tamm started from 104th for the WS Racing Team and managed to gain two positions. Thomas was running directly behind him, leading the V3 class. The race didn't get off to a good start for Ponkratz; the car headed straight back to the pits.

The usual incidents on the Nordschleife began right from the start. Early Code 60 zones were triggered at both Hatzenbach and Adenauer Forst. The Toyota GT4 also made an unplanned early stop; the GPS signal wasn't working, prompting race control to call the car into the pits. The team pitted just before the one-hour mark, limiting the strategic impact; they dropped only to 49th overall and 5th in class.

At the same time, Necchi's team was running in 83rd place overall and 6th in class. The WS Racing team had cracked the top 100 (sitting in 92nd place) but was grappling with the strategic disadvantage of running four drivers instead of the usual three. The VW also made an early stop to switch drivers, dropping to 100th place. Ponkratz's car completed only one lap during that first hour, while Thomas continued to lead her class.

Incidents increased significantly after the first hour. Adenauer Forst, in particular, saw little respite, while Galgenkopf and Pflanzgarten also proved to be recurring hotspots. Pellegrino Fernandes' Golf was involved in one such incident, returning to the pits via the short link road due to issues. The car was back on track 15 minutes later, though its rear bumper was dragging behind, hanging by a thread. Meanwhile, new problems kept arising on the circuit, ranging from lengthy guardrail repairs at Schwedenkreuz and Schwalbenschwanz to breakdowns in the Karussell.

Photo credits: Mika Böcker

After 90 minutes, however, it was clear that, despite all the incidents and issues, the women's teams remained serious contenders. Kotaka, who had taken over the Toyota GT4, was able to move into the lead thanks to the early pit stop. At the same time, Necchi made her actual race debut. The Italian driver had previously competed in RCN races.

Also behind the wheel was Siri Hökfelt, competing in her first race since her accident. Although somewhat disappointed with her performance in qualifying, she pushed hard and quickly moved the car up to 85th place overall - good for fifth in her class. The situation regarding Ponkratz and Pellegrino Fernandes has also become clear: both cars were permanently sidelined in the pits and could no longer hope for a strong race result, even if they were to rejoin the track.

It would take more than an hour for the Schwedenkreuz section to clear again. However, the Schwalbenschwanz and Galgenkopf sections remained under yellow-flag conditions almost continuously. Consequently, there was little benefit in adjusting strategy to account for the Code 60 zones. Drivers simply kept going until their fuel ran out or they were physically exhausted. A completely drenched Hökfelt handed the BMW over to Egger with 98 minutes remaining; Egger was set to drive for the following hour.

For the Swedish driver, it was time to cool down and recover. Against the odds, the team managed to defend their class position. Twenty minutes later, the track was free of incidents for the first time since the start, with the exception of the Schwalbenschwanz section. Lap times improved immediately as drivers made short sprints to position themselves for the final phase of the race.

In the classes where the women were competing, the field had already spread out significantly, meaning major battles would likely play out through strategy rather than wheel-to-wheel racing. It was at this point that Necchi’s stint ended; she handed her BMW over to Baar, having already climbed to 67th place overall.

Up front, Koyama was back in the car; running 28th overall, she had her sights set on second place in the class, though she still had a pit stop to complete. The WS Racing Team faced a similar situation towards the end, dropping to sixth place in their class. However, Ingo Horst managed to move the BMW back up to fifth in the class.

There was some unwelcome news for Katja Thomas, too: her team incurred an 88-second time penalty for a Code 60 infringement. Nevertheless, they managed to hold onto the class lead and bring it home to the finish.

Miki Koyama finished 23rd overall and second in class; the WS Racing Team took 73rd overall and fifth in class; and Necchi, in her debut, finished 67th overall and secured sixth place in the class.