By: Christina Nielsen Racing
August 29 2016
Danville, Virginia - Christina Nielsen remains hopeful for her next IMSA WeatherTech Championship race and grateful that Scuderia Corsa remains in the GT Daytona lead despite a disappointing seventh-place finish Sunday at the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway.
"It was a very hard start," Nielsen said about the two-hour, 40-minute race. "The temperature at the track was very high, and I had no pressure in my tires so I had no heat in them. I was sliding around and I couldn't push, so we dropped a couple of spots."
Danish driver Nielsen admitted before the race that the 17-turn, 3.27-mile track, located just north of the Virginia-North Carolina state line, could pose specific challenges for the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3.
"The track here is super difficult in terms of finding grip, especially with the traffic," Nielsen said. "We came back to a good pace, and I pushed myself to try to find that rhythm again even though it wasn't easy."
Nielsen started seventh in class. On one of her last laps, an off-track route caused her to pick up a good amount of grass in her tires and front grid. She lost a few seconds, but the timing was right - just before her pit stop. Her teammate, Alessandro Balzan, took over. He suffered a flat tire during his stint, halting his progress.
"Balzan was doing a great job, but unfortunately he had a puncture," Nielsen said. "We don't know why. Lucky for us, it was just around the time when we were supposed to pit again, so we got away with it. It could've been a lot worse.
"We fought our way back to position six, but for some reason, we over-boosted and got a driver penalty for that. So that put us back to position eight."
Following the post-race exclusion for the No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS due to a ride-height infringement, Nielsen and Balzan ended up in seventh place and continue to lead the GT Daytona class by 20 points.
"Of course it takes a bit of pressure off that we extended our points lead, but at the same time, that's not how we like to do it," Nielsen said. "Magnus did a good job yesterday, but rules are rules. Just like we got a penalty for over boost and lost some positions there, they also lost theirs because the rules were bended."
"It's not the race we wanted, but that's what happens. You'll have these races once in a while. I'm incredibly grateful for being with guys and gals who are fighters. People who push through even when you go through situations like these."
Next up for Nielsen is the Lone Star Le Mans on Sept. 15-17 at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
"I can't wait for COTA - I wish it was next week already!" Nielsen said. "I hate that I have to wait two and a half weeks before I get to sit behind the wheel again. I'm hungry for COTA, and I want a strong comeback. This was not our finest weekend, and I know we can do better - the team has proven that all year.
"There's two rounds left of the championship so there's pressure, but it's also exciting."
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.
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