NLS4: Michelle Halder wins in class, Kahler makes positive series debut

In a weekend marred by a serious paddock accident, the NLS4 round also brought positive news for the female drivers of the Nordschleife, as Michelle Halder took a dominant victory in the AT class, her second in the Porsche GT3 Cup. While there was no luck for the Girls Only squad, out for a technical issue while solidly in second place in SP8T, 18 year old Luisa Kahler made a highly promising debut in NLS with a strong run in the VT2-R+4 class.

Michelle Halder achieved a class victory in the fourth round of the NLS (Nürburgring Endurance Series) season by converting pole position in the AT category into her second race win in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. This victory follows her success earlier this year at the Nürburgring 24 Hours with the Four Motors team.

The weekend at the Nordschleife was overshadowed by a serious accident in the paddock on Friday afternoon, where several team personnel were injured due to the explosion of an air-compressed cylinder during pre-event testing.

A statement from the series read, “Extensive emergency personnel on site immediately initiated appropriate first measures and secured the accident scene. Initial reports indicate that there are several injured individuals who, after receiving immediate care at the Nürburgring Medical Center, were transported by rescue helicopter to nearby hospitals."

Despite the incident, NLS promoters confirmed later that evening that the event would proceed on Saturday, with qualifying scheduled for the morning and the race starting at 12pm. However, due to ongoing investigations, a few teams withdrew from the event.

Nine female drivers competed across different categories: alongside Michelle Halder in the AT class, Fabienne Wohlwend, Beitske Visser, Carrie Schreiner, and Patricija Stalidzane entered the SP8T class as part of the Girls-Only all-female lineup. Luisa Kahler completed her first NLS race with WS Racing in a BMW 330i in the production-based VT2-R+4 class and Nordschleife regulars Desiree Müller, Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes, and Katja Thomas also returned to the "Green Hell," respectively in the #701, #703, and #721 BMW 325i cars in the V4 class.

Michelle Halder transitioned full-time to the Nürburgring-based NLS in 2024, racing a Porsche GT3 Cup car after several successful seasons in TCR competitions across Europe. She previously partnered with her brother, Mike in the family-run Halder Motorsport team, achieving victories in national and continental TCR series, including TCR Germany, TCR Europe, TCR Spain and TCR Denmark.

This season, Michelle teamed up with Mike for the opening races of the NLS season - her first experience with Porsche machinery - in the Cup2 class, where they finished eighth in the NLS1 round and improved to sixth in NLS2, competing against a strong field of 12 cars.

During the 52nd ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, Michelle joined Four Motors in a 992 Porsche GT3 Cup in the AT2 class, alongside Henrik Bollerslev, Thomas von Löwis of Menar, and "Smudo." They completed 39 laps in a red flag-shortened race, taking victory in their class.

While Michelle Halder did not enter the NLS3 round, she returned for NLS4, once again joining the Four Motors squad in the #320 Porsche. The four-driver lineup included Michelle, Henrik Bollerslev, "Smudo," and newcomer Matthias Beckwermert: they secured pole position on Saturday morning with a lap time of 8:27.420, eight seconds ahead of their closest competitor.

Michelle started the race in the afternoon, retaining the lead in the first stint. However, heavy rain suddenly hit the Green Hell, causing several cars to crash and leading to a red flag. Two hours later, the race resumed with Michelle once again behind the wheel, maintaining the top position in class throughout her stint.

After the first driver change, the car dropped to third place but later climbed back to second. Matthias Beckwermert drove the final stint, posting the fastest laps in class and reclaiming the lead. The team secured a class victory by nearly a lap and achieved a commendable 23rd place overall.

The all-female "Girls-Only by WS Racing" lineup returned to NLS with their BMW M4 GT4 in the SP8T class after earning a class podium at the 24 Hour race. The team featured star racers Fabienne Wohlwend, Beitske Visser, F1 Academy race winner and GT3 specialist Carrie Schreiner, and Patricija Stalidzane, a former ADAC GT4 driver who recently competed in the electric NXT Gen Cup with an impressive debut at the Norisring.

Carrie Schreiner qualified in the morning, securing second place in the SP8T class for the #146 BMW M4 GT4 with a time of 8:50.737, over ten seconds ahead of Kamui Kobayashi's #172 Toyota.

Beitske Visser started the race but was soon halted by the red flag due to the sudden rain shower that caused all the top seven cars to crash and multiple other vehicles to go off-track in nearly undrivable conditions. At the green flag two hours later, it would be Fabienne Wohlwend taking over driving duties.

The race was shortened from six to four hours and Fabienne maintained second place in class throughout her stint, keeping Kamui Kobayashi behind her for the first hour. After five laps, however, she unfortunately had to pit with a power steering failure, forcing the team to retire from the race.

Despite the disappointment, the team was in strong contention for a podium in a highly competitive class field with several top GT4 teams.

"Firstly, I wish all those affected by the paddock accident on Friday the best recovery possible", Fabienne Wohlwend commented. "The race didn't go our way. After a good start, we were running second in our class when we were forced to retire the car due to a power steering failure."

Beitske Visser added: "First of all, my thoughts are with everyone involved in the terrible accident that happened yesterday in the paddock. For the race today, we unfortunately didn’t have luck on our side. We had a good start and were running in P2 in our class, but then the power steering failed, which ended our race. We keep pushing for the next race."

Making her first start in the NLS, 18-year-old Luisa Kahler delivered a brilliant debut, avoiding mistakes and showing significant improvements throughout the six-hour race. Kahler stepped up from karting to the BMW M2 Cup last year and demonstrated impressive development throughout the DTM support series season.

After the cancellation of the BMW M2 one-make series, Kahler, who recently graduated from high school, refocused on the NLS and ran her first laps at the Nordschleife just weeks before the NLS4 event.

She then joined WS Racing in a BMW 330i in the VT2-R+4 class, alongside teammates Marian Möller and Masato Mitsuhashi. The Japanese driver started the race, with Kahler taking over for her first stint mid-race. Starting last in class, the team charged from 12th after the red flag, reaching ninth place.

Kahler maintained ninth, improved her lap times, and got closer to the car's best laps. After her stint, she handed the car over in eighth place. Möller took the third stint, and in the closing stages, Kahler returned to the driving seat for the final laps, keeping eighth and again posting some of her best times, holding the position across the finish line.

"First of all, my thoughts are with everyone involved in the terrible accident that happened in the paddock on Friday", stressed Kahler. "I wish everyone the best and hope you all recover as quickly as possible."

"The Rowe 6 Stunden Ruhr Pokal Rennen with Masato Mitsuhashi and Marian Möller was a great experience, and I learned a lot. In qualifying, we were only able to finish 102nd overall and 12th in our class."

"After a chaotic start in the rain and a red flag, our race went very well", Kahler continued. "In the end, we finished 76th overall and eighth in our class. I was able to secure important laps for my Permit A, and I am looking forward to the next NLS race in October. Thanks to WS Racing for the great work."

Three female drivers competed in the V4 category, a closely contested class with nine cars at the start. Desiree Müller achieved a podium finish, moving from fourth to second in the #701 BMW 325i. Müller drove the challenging first stint, running among the top three before positions settled. Together with Stefan Schäfer and Tim Lukas Müller, they secured a valuable second-place finish.

Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes also made significant progress in the race. Her #703 BMW advanced from fifth in qualifying to finish fourth, just over two minutes from the class podium at the race's end. The team gained a couple of positions in the final stages, with the German-based Brazilian Pellegrino Fernandes completing the last stint.

The #721 BMW of Katja Thomas, Manfred Schmitz, and Reiner Thomas finished sixth, two laps behind the class leader, maintaining their starting position at the end of the race.

The Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy, the fifth round of the NLS championship, is scheduled for 19th October.