Motor Girls

Our first visit with official media accreditation is cut short by the notorious Eifel weather.

In cooperation with our partner magazine “Racers – Behind the Helmet” (or simply “Racers”), I’m attending the NLS this year not just as a fan, but as an officially accredited journalist. In recent years, I’ve been a regular at the track and reported on the well-known Girls Only Team and their races last season. This year, the team has expanded with a junior team, and we’ve also broadened our coverage. I’ll be reporting live from the track throughout the entire NLS season, covering the team, the races, and the other female drivers. I won’t just be limiting myself to typical reports, but will also be sharing my experiences and personal impressions from the track, as in this diary-like format.

The NLS season opener didn’t exactly get off to a good start. The weather forecast had been poor for days and proved accurate by mid-morning. Cold temperatures, light fog, and especially the rain caused problems. I was already soaked on my way from my car to the paddock. At the entrance, I first collected my accreditation and press pass – a special occasion for me. As described above, I’d always been there as a fan, but now the experience was taken to a whole new level. With this pass, I familiarized myself with the paddock and introduced myself to the individual drivers and teams I wanted to write about. Of course, not everyone had time for me, as the test and setup runs were underway. But everything went well, especially with Girls Only. Some of them already knew me, and I introduced myself to others. The Porsche Cup car was currently out on the track with Fabienne Wohlwend, but I got talking to Janina Schall. She told me that the conditions were quite tricky, but the Porsche also performed well in the rain. “First time with a new car on the Nordschleife, and then straight away in the rain. I wasn’t there for testing in Valencia. We’re getting used to the car and feeling our way around before we push for wins,” she explained.

In addition to the main Girls Only team, the crew has expanded to include a junior team. The team will be competing with a Toyota Supra, giving young drivers the opportunity to obtain their racing licenses. Among them is a driver we’ve been following for some time with Racers: the Swede Siri Hökfelt. My co-author has been writing about Siri since she was 15. The Swede was very happy to meet a new colleague from our writing team. Her car was still in the pits, and teammate Elana Egger was getting ready for the run. Siri had already been in the car and explained to me that she would get back in after Elana and stay out until the end of the practice session.

After speaking with everyone I knew and introducing myself, I left the paddock for my first photo spot. I wasn’t supposed to get a photo vest, which would allow me to go right up to the guardrail, until Saturday. So I made do with a camera spot in the catch fence. First up was the Sabine Schmitz corner. The beginning of the Nordschleife was good for a few slow shots. Meanwhile, the rain was getting heavier, and the temperatures were dropping significantly. Although over 130 cars were registered, there were only a few different teams left on the track. Nevertheless, I managed to get many good photos, especially of the all-female teams. Siri was already in the Toyota at that time. She was still new to the track, and you could tell she was cautiously getting used to it. But already on the second lap I saw her on, she was noticeably faster and engaged in a little duel with another Supra. Overall, there was plenty to see in the corner despite the light traffic. There were repeated instances where the drivers underestimated the wet conditions or the banked corners. They repeatedly slid too wide, struggled to control drifts, or pushed the traction control to its limits.

The second point was the entrance to Hatzenbach. Here, the pace was naturally much faster, but the scenery was no less spectacular. Unfortunately, the practice session was already drawing to a close, and there weren’t many cars left to see. The few that were there, however, provided excellent entertainment. This made it entirely worthwhile to stand in the pouring rain for two hours at 2°C. My equipment thankfully survived as well. The walk back, however, was anything but pleasant in that weather.

Saturday morning, according to the accreditation email, I was supposed to pick up the photo vest for extended access. Arriving at the Media Center, I was in for a surprise. I wasn’t going to get one after all. They deemed the vest, or rather the granted access, unnecessary for us, and therefore only issued journalistic accreditation. According to the officials on site, standard access would be perfectly sufficient after evaluating our work. Why this was the case, or why they had previously informed me that I could pick up a vest, remains unclear. So, I went to the garages without a vest. I had plenty of time, as it had even snowed overnight and the Sessions were delayed.

The start of training was initially delayed due to the snow. Then fog and cold set in. New information was expected at 10:00 AM, after the usual training time had ended. In the meantime, I chatted with various people from Girls Only. Car Chief Nina approached me, among others, because she had often seen me there as a fan. Since the delay had given her some free time, she was able to talk to me. I briefly explained who I am, what I do here, and how I got involved. We talked about her job in the team, the car itself, and the challenges of competing in the AT class. A unique rule in the alternative fuels class is that refueling and the rest of the pit stop cannot happen simultaneously. There’s a separate pit lane for this. However, the refueling systems aren’t fully developed. “Last year, we had a refueling system that was basically powered by a car battery. Naturally, it didn’t deliver much fuel, and we lost up to five minutes per stop,” I was told. “Now we have a proper system and should have another minute after refueling. Tire changes should take 30 seconds, and the girls will then have a minute,” she continued. She also described the driver lineup for the upcoming season as positive. Yesterday, the junior and debutant drivers Siki Hökfelt and Chloe Chang were able to gain valuable experience. This should allow Chloe to move up to a faster car in the future. In that context, we also discussed the general licensing and permit system for the Nürburgring and sim racing. The licensing regulations turned out to be quite confusing. However, we were able to exchange valuable experiences and have a stimulating conversation about sim racing. Then it was time for race control to release new information, so we had to say our goodbyes.

My next conversation was with Siri Hökfelt again. The main topic was, of course, her training session from the previous day. She had a good feeling about the drive, and although the conditions and the track were very challenging, she enjoyed it. “It was good, but not easy. It’s a big track, and there’s a lot and a lot to learn. The track is very difficult.” Despite everything, she’s convinced she’ll manage it and master the track. She’s looking forward to the season at the Nürburgring and with the team. When asked about the Girls Only Team and her teammates, she was very positive and happy. She feels very welcome: “They are all super nice,” and she’s having a lot of fun with them. As far as I could see that day, everyone in both Girls Only Teams was having a lot of fun, even though they would have preferred to be driving. Siri and I then discussed whether and when the day’s events would begin.

While we were still talking, a crew member from her car came over to us and explained that there was no news yet. First in German, then in spoken English, she informed us that the conditions in the Hohe Acht section were still bad. Since Siri doesn’t know all the corner names by heart, I briefly explained where the section was located. Shortly after we had clarified that, the information came: Race cancelled. The race was completely cancelled due to snow and cold, without a replacement date. The situation in the paddock still seemed peaceful, so we were all accordingly surprised and disappointed, especially the girls, of course. Elana Egger also came over to us, and we talked about the weather. Since we now had some time, I took a few pictures in front of the Toyota with Siri’s father. We had barely finished when Elana spotted through the windows that it had started snowing again in the paddock. She happily ran outside into the snow with Siri. Siri’s father and I followed and took a few more snapshots.

We talked for a while about the canceled race, the missed opportunities regarding the permit, and the rest of the season. The Girls Only Team then brought the day to a close together. All the drivers gathered, chatted, motivated each other, and cheered each other up. They filmed their social media stories with the Porsche that had been pushed outside. Afterwards, they gave us media people the opportunity to take a few more photos. Such a perfect opportunity rarely presents itself during the regular races of the season. Besides the drivers, the team that works on the car also joined us. Although a race wouldn’t be possible without them, they otherwise receive little attention and recognition. That’s why it was all the more wonderful to get this part of the team together as well. In this sense, I would like to thank the team for their work. They enable women who otherwise have few to no opportunities in motorsport to participate in this sport.

After this last photo session, there was nothing left for me to do at the track. So I made my way back, as did most of the remaining people from the Nürburgring. The Ring Boulevard was packed, but unfortunately most of the fan shops had already closed, so frustration was palpable everywhere.

Next weekend, the rescheduled NLS 2 race will take place. I’ll be there in person and will take you along in this diary-style format. We all hope the weather will be better, but nobody can ever predict that.