By: Christina Nielsen Racing
September 13 2016
Austin, Texas - With only two races left in her successful 2016 season, IMSA WeatherTech Championship driver Christina Nielsen looks for a strong finish to fortify her lead in the GT Daytona class at the Lone Star Le Mans on Sept. 15-17 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Nielsen and teammate Alessandro Balzan leading the GT Daytona (GTD) class in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 by 20 points. Nielsen thinks the 3.427-mile, 20-turn track located in Austin, Texas, offers a complete test of driver and machine.
"I think every type of car competing at COTA could have their strongest sides shown, but also their weakest sides shown," Nielsen said. "So, it should be interesting to see how it pans out. We may struggle with the straight but we will fight for every bit that we can.
"I'm very much looking forward to COTA. I love going to Austin; it's one of my favorite cities that we travel to."
The two hour and 40-minute event at COTA, which starts at 11:35 a.m. (CT) Saturday, Sept. 17, is the first of her final two races of the IMSA season. The season-ending Petit Le Mans takes place Sept. 29-Oct. 1.
Nielsen hopes for a comeback at COTA after she and Scuderia Corsa placed seventh in late August at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) after battling many challenges, including difficulty to get heat in the tires, a run-off, a puncture and a driver penalty for an unpredicted over-boost.
"I've read that Balzan is pretty quick at COTA," Nielsen said. "I haven't seen him yet, but I'm going to let him work his magic. I'm looking forward to being back with the Scuderia Corsa team. It's been strange to have two weekends off with no racing."
With two rounds left in the championship, the pressure is there. Nielsen could become the first female driver to win a championship in a major North American sports car series, including IMSA, GRAND-AM and ALMS.
She is also preparing to criss-cross the Atlantic for a string of important races in both of her racing series. She competes with Formula Racing in the European Le Mans Series on Sept. 23-25 at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, the weekend after the IMSA event at COTA.
"It's going to be a busy couple of weeks for me," Nielsen said. "We have COTA and then I compete in the ELMS series at the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. After that, I have the IMSA season finale at Petit Le Mans, so that's three weekends in a row for me."
"It's been nice to be home the past two weeks to recharge my batteries."
Up Next
Race: Lone Star Le Mans (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship)
Date: Thursday, Sept. 15 to Saturday, Sept. 17
Venue: Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Austin, Texas. Turns: 20. Circuit Length: 3.427 miles.
Car: No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 (GT Daytona class)
Co-Driver: Alessandro Balzan, Italy
Schedule (all times local, CT): Thursday, Sept. 15 - Practice 1: 10:25-11:25 a.m.; Practice 2: 4:35-5:35 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 - Practice 3: 9:10-10:10 a.m. Qualifying: 3:45-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 - Warm-up: 8-8:20 a.m. Lone Star Le Mans WeatherTech Championship race: 11:35 a.m.-2:15 p.m.
Race broadcast: 1:30-4:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday, Sept. 17, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO; audio from all sessions live at imsa.com and radiolemans.com.
Live Timing: www.imsa.com, IMSA app for iOS, Android
About Christina Nielsen
Christina Nielsen has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in global sports car racing since she began competition in North America in 2014.
Nielsen, 24, was a breakout star in 2015 during her first season in the GT Daytona (GTD) class of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the most prestigious sports car series in North America. She finished second in the championship standings, just two points behind the winner, and scored the most podium finishes in the class.
Denmark native Nielsen is racing for the GTD class championship in 2016 in a Ferrari 488 GT3 car. She earned her first career victory in the WeatherTech Championship in March at the 12 Hours of Sebring, becoming the first female class winner at that legendary race in a decade. She also is driving a Ferrari F458 Italia in the LM GTE class in the European Le Mans Series with Formula Racing.
A resident of Los Angeles, Nielsen is focused on being one of the most skilled, well-rounded drivers in global motorsport by also studying for a bachelor's degree in marketing and management communication, as she aims to deliver results for her team and personal commercial partners both on and off the track.
For the latest news from Christina Nielsen, please visit christinanielsenracing.com.
For updates, like her on Facebook and follow @ChristinaRacing on Twitter.