Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup - Round 6
Norisring, Germany

Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup driver Michelle Gatting claimed her best result of the season at this weekend’s race at the Norisring street circuit. The young Dane selected by Volkswagen Motorsport and the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission finished 10th overall of the 26 starters, which this weekend included former Formula 1 and DTM drivers Christian Danner, Pedro Lamy and Nicola Larini. Gatting also set fastest lap of the Junior Cup drivers.

The Norisring circuit may be short, at just 2.3 kilometres, but the challenge lies in the fact that its surface is uneven and it has a lack of run-off areas, calling for the utmost precision. It is also a race that puts brakes to the test, thanks to the circuit’s long straights and two hairpins.

Gatting claimed 17th position in the hot qualifying session, improving by two seconds a lap from the practice session. “On a small track like this I was happy with my improvement,” said Michelle. “At the start of qualifying I was running P3 and then P5, but then some of the fast guys started to make really quick laps, so my P17 was a bit disappointing but I knew I had good speed.”

During the race, Michelle dropped position at the start but managed to climb to 10th overall, fifth of the Junior Cup drivers and, importantly, set the fastest lap of the 11 Juniors.

“I managed to make my way through the field with some good overtaking moves under braking and it was great fun,” Michelle continued. “I was in 10th position with two laps to go and then got hit really hard by another driver and was pushed off, for no apparent reason. As a consequence the race was stopped and the other driver was excluded. I feel more and more confident with the car and really enjoyed driving this famous circuit; it was a great experience.”

The Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup is the world’s most eco-conscious one-make cup, in which identical sport coupés delivering up to 285 bhp powered by bio natural gas are used. The next race takes the contenders to the famous Nürburgring (17/18 August).