The third and final NXT Gen Cup race at the iconic Norisring street circuit delivered yet another thriller.
Championship leader Lukas Stiefelhagen clinched his third consecutive victory, edging out Maxim Dacher by just 0.161 seconds to complete a clean sweep of the German race weekend alongside the DTM.
After winning both races on Saturday, Dutch talent Lukas Stiefelhagen lined up third on the grid for Sunday’s finale. Austrian driver Philipp Dietrich started from pole in his all-electric LRT NXT 1 and led the field into Turn 1, closely followed by Stiefelhagen and Race 1 podium finisher Patricija Stalidzane.
Championship leader Lukas Stiefelhagen made a decisive move on lap five to overtake Philipp Dietrich and take the lead. From there, the 18-year-old completed a dominant hat-trick of wins at the Nuremberg street track. With 90 points scored over the weekend, he extends his championship lead to 61 points.
We worked together – Patricija, Maxim, and I – to build a bit of a gap, and I saved my push-to-pass for the final lap, which I think was the key to winning Race 3. Now leading the championship with a solid margin, I don’t really need to take any big risks. It feels great to head into the next weekend with a comfortable lead – said Lukas Stiefelhagen.
German racer Maxim Dacher once again demonstrated his pace, climbing from the third row to join the battle at the front. He fought hard with Patricija Stalidzane for the final podium spot, and in a drag race to the finish line, Dacher clinched his second runner-up finish of the weekend. Stalidzane followed closely, securing her second third place at Norisring.
Maxim Dacher now shares second place in the championship standings with Philipp Dietrich, both tied on 132 points and trailing Lukas Stiefelhagen by 61 ahead of the penultimate round at the Nürburgring.
Great race from P5 to P2. I missed the last lap board and didn’t use my push-to-pass — unlucky, but that’s on me. Still, a solid weekend overall with good points in the bag – said Maxim Dacher.
Two podiums — but it could’ve been three, maybe even a win — so I’m not completely satisfied. I think we had the pace to win every race, and we didn’t make it happen. I’m blaming myself and trying to figure out what was missing so we can get it right next time. We’ll keep pushing and keep collecting points – said Patricija Stalidzane.
Maiden pole and podium for Benjamin Mazatis
Benjamin Mazatis completed his best-ever NXT Gen Cup weekend, taking pole position for Race 1, securing his maiden podium in Race 2, and finishing Race 3 fourth.
Julian Würtele – now fourth in the standings
Julian Würtele climbed to fourth in the standings following the Norisring DTM weekend, thanks to his second-place finish in Race 2. Just one point behind is Patricija Stalidzane, after securing double podiums across the weekend.
NXT Gen Cup newcomers Olav Vaa and Pit Venanzi rounded off their debut weekend with eighth and fifteenth place finishes respectively in Race 3.
NXT Gen Cup continues its electrifying third season in five weeks’ time, as the series heads to the Nürburgring to race alongside DTM on 8–10 August.
Source: NXT Gen Cup
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