Snowfall forces cancellation of NLS1
- MIKA BÖCKER
- 1 minute ago
- 3 min read
Due to snowfall until Saturday afternoon, the NLS season opener - that featured nine women on the grid - had to be cancelled.
Due to snowfall until Saturday afternoon, the NLS season opener had to be cancelled.
It was supposed to be a major event to kick off the NLS season, with over 130 cars were registered for the race. But instead, only the DMSB team took to the track on Saturday; all nine registered women drivers also had to leave empty-handed.
Even beforehand, the weather forecast offered little cause for celebration. Cold temperatures and wet conditions were predicted for the Eifel region. Friday, traditionally the day for testing and setup runs, was completely soaked. As a result, participation in these runs was limited. Most runs were therefore used for Permit preparation or for taxi rides by fans and sponsors.
Then came the rude awakening, quite literally. The Grand Prix circuit was relatively unaffected, but large sections of the track were covered in snow. The area around the Hohe Acht was particularly badly affected. When qualifying was scheduled, there was still snow there, and fog had also formed. The session was postponed.
After waiting for over two hours, the bitter news arrived: track conditions weren't improving, making a safe race impossible. As if on cue, it started snowing again in the paddock just minutes after the announcement. The sight of snow, a rare treat for some drivers, provided at least a brief distraction from the disappointment and even sparked some genuine entertainment.
With nine women among the entry list, whom we will introduce in more detail below, female participation would have been once again high in this series: Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes was scheduled to start in the VT2 Front class in the #404 VW Golf 8 GTI Clubsport. She had consistently competed for the Ladies Trophy in recent years and was aiming for it again this year. Chantal Prinz would be behind the wheel for Hofor Racing in the Cup 2 class.
The other seven women are all part of the Girls Only Team or their immediate circle: Chloe Chang had planned her sports car debut in a BMW 228i - the only one of the seven without female teammates. On Friday, Chong was able to complete enough laps for her first permit.
In the same class, the VT2 Rear class, three more female drivers will compete in the Girls Only Junior Team’s Toyota Supra: Carmen Kraav and Elena Egger already raced for the team last year. New to the team is the Swede Siri Hökfelt. After her starts in the electric touring car series NXT Gen Cup, she is now facing her next challenge.
While waiting, Hökfelt told us that her Friday laps in the rain were very difficult, but also a lot of fun: "I still have a lot to learn and was being very cautious. The track is very difficult and so long. It’s hard to learn everything quickly.“ She is however more than satisfied with her team: "They are all super nice.“ Unfortunately, the snowfall also meant that Siri couldn’t complete her permit.
The remaining trio from Girls Only consists of Fabienne Wohlwend, Patricija Stalidzane, and Janina Schall. Schall, last year's Ladies Trophy winner, was looking forward to driving the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, albeit aware of the forecasted adverse weather. "We're driving our first race in the new car on this track. And in the rain, no less," she explained to us on Friday. Her plan was to gradually get a feel for it before aiming for class wins in the future.
It is expected that the aforementioned drivers will also compete in most parts of the rest of the NLS season; additional female drivers are also expected, as Carrie Schreiner is confirmed for several races as well as the 24-hour race. Julia Ponkratz will also compete in some races for Girls Only.
The next race, and thus indirectly the first of the season, will take place next weekend. As is well known, the weather in the Eifel region is notoriously unpredictable, but it should at least be warmer during the day.
