Pair of P2 Podium Finishes for Mann at Nordschleife

Shift Up Now Athlete Pippa Mann and her WS Racing Girls Only teammates earned back-to-back second-place finishes for rounds one and two of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) Championship at the Nurburgring Nordschleife on April 5-7, 2024.

Mann piloted the No. 146 Giti Tire BMW GT4, supported by ZF Motorsport and Motul Germany, alongside teammates Beitske Visser (driving Saturday and Sunday), Carrie Schreiner (Saturday), and Fabienne Wohlwend (Sunday). In addition to the driver lineup, the Girls Only team featured a crew of all-female mechanics and engineers.

Testing took place on Friday afternoon. The team’s goal was to get all four drivers on track during the 4.5-hour session on the 24.36-km NLS track layout. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mann was unable to turn laps, but her teammates worked to dial in the handling of the car, looking for both single-lap pace and full-stint performance.

Saturday morning’s qualifying session was damp and cold. After Visser turned one exploratory lap at the start of the session, the team determined the track conditions were still too wet for slicks, and they decided to wait for ten minutes for the grip to improve. Mann was next in the car, and hit the track for her first laps of the weekend. Despite several areas of the track still being wet, she ran lap times that put the team third in their SP8T class, and just below halfway in the GT4 field. After teammates Schreiner and Visser took the wheel, Visser qualified the Girls Only team third for the start of Saturday’s race on the drying race track. 

Race one, began at noon on Saturday, featuring a 110-car field with 15 GT4 cars and five in the SP8T class. Visser was behind the wheel first for the four-hour endurance race. She drove a strong first stint, however a fueling issue caused the team to pit slightly earlier than planned.

Mann took the wheel next for her first dry laps of the weekend on the famous “Green Hell” track. Because the team was off-sequence from the early pit stop, Mann had to re-pass several slower GT4 cars that had not stopped yet, and continued to advance through the field.

Due to an abundance of incidents, causing “slow zones” around the race track, she wasn’t able to drive a single full-green lap, however her pace looked good in the green sectors. Halfway through her stint, while slowing for a “Code 120 slow zone,” she was hit from behind, causing damage to the rear of the car, but not affecting her pace.

After Mann, Schreiner was next in the car to drive a double stint to finish the race. However the damage to the exhaust from the impact sustained in Mann’s stint caused an over-heating gearbox, and the team had to make an additional pit stop to address the issue.

Once she re-joined the race, despite being several minutes back, Schreiner started the charge to chase down P3. When a lead car suffered a tire puncture, the Girls Only team set their sights on P2. An error from the second placed car - speeding in one of the slow zones while under pressure from the closing Schreiner - promoted Mann’s team to second-in-class, and P9 overall in the GT4 class. Overall, they were happy with the pace but looking to dial in the handling on their Giti tires for a faster pace the following day.

Qualifying for race two took place on Sunday morning. Once again, Visser was first on track for a two-lap run, and set a qualifying time that was second-in-class and seventh overall. Mann took the wheel next and in one flying, sub-nine-minute lap, ran two seconds off the best time in her first full green flag lap of the weekend. Wohlwend was the final driver behind the wheel, but a brake-line issue meant she was unable to set a qualifying time.

Race two began at noon on Sunday. Wohlwend drove a strong first stint for the four-hour competition, moving the team up to P2 in class, and P2 overall in the GT4 field. Several GT4 cars - including the P1 competitor - pitted off-sequence, putting them on a different strategy than the Girls Only team.

Mann took the wheel next and caught the leader halfway through her stint. She stayed in its mirrors and forced an error, turning it into an over-under pass at Hohe Acht. The move temporarily advanced Mann’s team to the lead of the SP8T class, which she held through the duration of her stint.

Visser drove the final stint. After fueling during the team’s last scheduled stop, they were forced to hold in pit lane for 15 seconds to meet the minimum pit stop time for the race. Nevertheless, Visser left pit lane in P1.

Unfortunately, a puncture from morning qualifying left the team without a set of new tires, so Visser was left to compete on battle-worn tires without much grip. With two laps to go, the second-place car passed her, putting the Girls Only car P2 in the SP8T class, and P4 overall in GT4 at the checkered flag.

“This was a strong weekend to build on as we prepare for this year’s twenty-four hour race,” said Mann. “Our girls were fantastic at the pit stops. Having to wait through the fifteen seconds of the last pit stop was agonizing, but having that margin left to meet our minimum pit stop time shows how flawless our mechanics were.

“Our Giti Tire BMW M4 GT4 was fast this weekend. We still have a little pace to find as we continue to dial in the car setup for the tires and the ZF Motorsport damping. But all four drivers ran within five seconds of each other on the nine-minute lap, so we should be a strong team in June when we race for twenty-four hours. Personally, I’m very happy to have had this opportunity to get the seat time ahead of that race.

“I want to thank the team, my teammates, and all our sponsors for having me drive both days this weekend. It will be a big help to come back in June with this many laps already under my belt this season. And as for today, while we might have been on different strategies, getting to make a pass for the lead in class, and then stay there with the fastest GT4 car on track this weekend breathing down my neck for the rest of the stint was definitely my kind of fun!”

Visser, Schreiner and Wohlwend will return to Nordschleife next weekend for the 24h Qualifying Race. Mann will rejoin the Girls Only team for the 2024 ADAC Total Energies 24 Hour Race at the Nurburgring on June 1-2, 2024.

Pippa Mann Returns to Nurburgring in 2024 with Girls Only Team

For the fourth consecutive year, Pippa Mann will compete with the Girls Only WS Racing program in the Giti Tire BMW M4 GT4. She’ll return to Germany for the 52nd running of the ADAC Total Energies 24 Hour race at the Nurburgring from June 1-2, 2024.

Originally opened in 1927, and nicknamed “The Green Hell,” the 150-turn Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit winds its way through the forests and hills in the Eifel region of Germany.   The first 24-hour race was held at “The Ring” in 1970, and it has since become known as one of the most challenging 24-hour races of the season.

Following a podium finish there in 2022, Mann and her teammates set the fast time in their SP8-T class early on in 2023. However, misfortune in the overnight hours led to the team losing a several-lap lead and being taken out of contention for the win. After hours of work, the car did return to finish the race, with the British racer setting a new fastest lap for the team and the class during the final stint to the checkered flag.

Leading up to the main event for the 2024 season, on April 6, Mann will compete at one of three NLS races that comprise the full-season Championship for Girls Only and the WS Racing teams. Mann will again compete alongside Beitske Visser, though their other teammates for NL2, and the 24 hour race have yet to be announced.

Mann is a seven-time Indianapolis 500 competitor, and a race winning coach and co-driver with clients in various sports car series across the US. When competing in Germany, Mann’s signature pink helmet will once again feature the blue “S” representing Shift Up Now, an organization Mann took over in 2020. As the CEO, she and her team are focused on the mission of providing more opportunity and funding for talented female racers.

The Girls Only team, founded and led by Nicole Willems within WS Racing, is also on a mission to prove that, with equal opportunity, men and women can perform and compete as equals at the highest levels of motorsport.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Girls Only team by WS Racing for my fourth 24 Hour race at the Ring this June,” said Mann. “This event has quickly become the highlight of my racing season each year, and I can’t thank Nicole Willems, the WS team, Giti Tire, and all their sponsors enough for inviting me back to be part of the program for another year.

“Last year, we had an amazing race car. Our Giti Tires BMW M4 GT4 was on rails, but lady luck was not on our side. This year, our goal is to show up just as fast, and see if we can bring home the win."

Practice and qualifying for the 24-hour race begin on Thursday, June 29, 2024.

 

 

 

 

Shift Up Now Foundation and Lucas Oil Launch “40 for 40 Campaign”

Indianapolis, IN - July 31, 2023 - The Shift Up Now Foundation is excited to announce the launch of its “40 for 40 Campaign,” aimed at raising $40,000 over 40 days, in celebration of Pippa Mann’s 40th birthday on August 11, 2023.

Mann is a trailblazer for gender equality in motorsports. In addition to seven starts at the Indianapolis 500 and winning an Indy Lights race, she was the first female to score points in the World Series by Renault and the first female to run a 230+ mph lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She has competed three times at the 24 Hour Nurburgring, with a win in class.

The British racer took over as CEO of Shift Up Now in 2020, when founder Lynn Kehoe was ready to give the wheel to a new generation of racers. With a goal of taking the organization to the next level, the 501c3 foundation was added in 2023 to live alongside the not-for-profit business.

As Shift Up Now continues to strive for gender equality for female athletes in motorsport, the foundation furthers the mission by accepting tax-deductible gifts, donations and grants. Funds raised from donations are used to award opportunities to racers believed to have the talent and aptitude to succeed in motorsports. This allows these racers access to more competitive equipment, seat time for testing and practice, and resources to help grow their careers.

To join the campaign, race fans and Shift Up Now supporters are invited to make a donation - in $40 increments - from August 1st through September 9th.

When leaders at Lucas Oil heard about the campaign, they got behind the cause as well. The company has been a long-time supporter of talented female athletes in motorsport, including Shift Up Now Athletes Shea Holbrook and Michele Abbate.

Lucas Oil has offered to match the first $5,000 in donations to advance the campaign to its first $10,000.

“I’m thrilled to use my birthday as the kick-off for our first Shift Up Now Foundation fundraising campaign,” said Mann. “I spent years at the Indy 500 competing on small budgets, and the more women I connect with in the motorsports industry, the more I realized that it was time to step up and work to help drive change. I’m passionate about our mission to fund talented female athletes in motorsport, and I’m thrilled that our first fundraising campaign should allow us to write our first sponsorship grants this fall.

“To have Lucas Oil matching the first $5,000 - and becoming the first corporate donor - as we kick off this first campaign is amazing. I want to personally thank Katie Lucas, and Lucas Oil, and I can’t wait to get this campaign started tomorrow on August 1st.”

“We are delighted to be able to support talented female athletes in motorsport like Pippa Mann and the new generation of racers backed by the Shift Up Now Foundation,” said Katie Lucas, Chief Administrative Officer at Lucas Oil. “The campaign aligns with Lucas Oil's deep- rooted commitment to supporting motorsports, which has been such an integral part of our company's history, and Pippa's remarkable journey in advancing gender equality in motorsports is truly inspiring. We feel privileged to contribute to such a meaningful cause and believe in the organization’s mission to provide opportunities and make a lasting impact in the lives of aspiring female racers. We can't wait to kick off this campaign!”

Donations can be made to the Shift Up Now Foundation Inc via the “make a gift” page of the website, www.shiftupnow.com. To pay via check, please contact us at info@shiftupnow.com.

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About Shift Up Now

Founded in 2016 by Lynn Kehoe, Shift Up Now is a collective of female racers working together to provide more opportunity for the industry’s trailblazers. After relaunching in 2020, Shift Up Now operates through a membership format to unite racers and race fans in their support of the mission. Members have access to fan forums, webinars, driver meet-and-greets, garage tours and premiere access to limited-edition merchandise. The organization is currently managed by Pippa Mann, Erin Vogel and Shea Holbrook.

About Lucas Oil

Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products was created with the simple philosophy of producing the best lubricants and additives available anywhere. Lucas Oil offers the most diversified range of innovative engine oil, gear oil and additive products refined by years of specialized research, development and testing. The company’s high performance engine oils and gear oils are widely recognized as best-in-class in the automotive, powersports, marine, industrial, outdoor, and motorsports marketplaces. In total, Lucas Oil boasts more than 300 premium products, representing the largest variety of shelf products of any oil company in the United States with a distribution network across 48 different countries.

Lucas Oil’s commitment to motorsports includes long standing support for high profile regional and national racing series, and the distribution of exclusive motorsports content from across the globe via MAVTV, a Lucas Oil owned and operated television network. The company also serves as the exclusive oil and lubricant partner of Monster Jam®, The Dallas Cowboys, the Indianapolis Colts and Lucas Oil Stadium. For more information please visit www.LucasOil.com.

Mann, Girls Only Team, Fight Through Adversity at ADAC Total 24 Hour Race

Shift Up Now Athlete Pippa Mann and her  WS Racing “Girls Only”  teammates Celia Martin, Fabienne Wohlwend and Beitske Visser competed in the 51st running of the ADAC Total 24 Hour Race at the Nurburgring on May 21, 2023.

The event would mark Mann’s third year competing with the team in a GT4 car. After winning an NLS endurance series race in class as a warm-up race before the 24 Hour, and the qualifying race, the "Girls Only" team was ready for the 24 Hour race around the infamous, 15.7-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit.

Mann and teammates had goals of winning their class, being in the top one-third of the entire GT4 field (including the SRO spec SP10 class) and in the top one-third of the 130 competitors overall.

On Thursday, practice and qualifying began under clear blue skies. Mann and Wohlwend would be the first drivers from the team to drive the Giti Tire BMW M4 GT4.

The teammates immediately set the bar for the pace in their class. Both had times fast enough for P1 over the nine-minute lap, and the sixth-fastest GT4 time from the session. This confirmed their intention of being able to compete with the SRO GT4 cars.

Night practice on Thursday evening was also dry, but with cold ambient and track temperatures. Martin was the first driver in the car and immediately matched her teammates’ pace from the earlier session. However, she had to pull off the track on her second lap. When the car wasn’t returned to the team until after the session, Visser was left without completing any laps since the qualifying race.

On Friday morning, the final practice and qualifying session was dry and sunny. Martin completed her mandatory two laps on the Nordschleife in qualifying. Then Visser drove the rest of the session, taking her first laps of the event, and completing her mandatory laps. For the third consecutive session, the Giti Tire “Girls Only” BMW M4 GT4 was the fastest car in the SP8T class.

When the pre-race warm-up session began on Saturday, Mann and Wohlwend had not driven since Thursday. So the team decided to bed one more set of Endless brake pads, and give both drivers one more lap before the race. The session passed without incident, and marked the fourth session where the team was at the top of the timesheets.

Unfortunately, instead of taking their starting-grid position based on lap time, a penalty meant that they would have to start at the back of the second run group. Visser was the starting driver and set first-stint goals of getting to the lead in the class, and through traffic into the SRO GT4 cars.

On Saturday afternoon, the green flag flew at 4:00pm Central European time under warm sunshine. Visser immediately got to work and went to the lead of the class by the end of the first lap. She then made steady progress forward through traffic while setting fast times.

However, it became clear early on that there was an unprecedented issue with the car’s transponder. The GPS was functioning and recording lap times, however the transponder issue was interfering with timing and scoring data. As a result, Visser’s car position was fluctuating wildly on timing and scoring screens as the transponder failed.

With a goal of not losing laps or taking the car to the garage, the team tried to fix the issue during the first pit stop, as Visser handed the wheel over to Wohlwend. However, once Wohlwend was back on track, it became clear a new transponder would have to be fitted to the car during the second pit stop.

While the timing and scoring continued to fluctuate, Wohlwend continued picking off cars and moving up the field. On lap six of her seven-lap stint, the car suffered a puncture from debris on the track, but she managed to make it back to the pits without further damage.

Martin was behind the wheel for the third stint of the race. When she left the pit box, the team was two laps down on the GT4 leaders, and the leaders in class, due to the transponder issues. The new transponder started working reliably and Martin was a woman on a mission. She ran the fastest time for the car so far in the race, and moved herself up the overall field as the laps ticked by.

Mann was the fourth driver into the car, driving the sunset stint. She picked up where her teammates left off. Her continued fast times moved the Giti Tire BMW M4 GT4 up the order.

As night fell and the temperatures cooled, the team moved to double stints, giving rest between stints to the drivers not in the car. In the dark and difficult conditions, the team continued their climb, taking back the lead in the class. They climbed back into the top 10 overall of all the GT4 cars, and inside the top 60 of the 135 race starters.

One hour before dawn, a slower-class car made a mistake while being lapped and hit the rear corner of the Giti Tire BMW M4 GT4. Onboard video showed there was nothing Martin could’ve done and the contact was hard enough to break the rear axle. It appeared that the severity of the damage, and time needed to make the repair, meant the team was likely out of the race.

However the WS Racing “Girls Only” team and management decided that, even though they would be many laps down and out of contention, they wanted to get the car back on track. In addition, they wanted to make sure they took enough laps, compared to the overall GT3 leaders, to be classified in the results.

The mechanics worked tirelessly after 13 hours of racing and 24 hours of being awake. Right around 10:00am local time, the car rejoined the race. Visser, as the most rested driver, was back behind the wheel. As a thank you to the team, she immediately set the fastest lap of the race for the car so far, then handed the wheel to Wolhwend, and then Martin.

Mann was back in the Giti Tire BMW M4 GT4 for a double stint to finish the race. After the pit stop in her second stint, Mann had what she described as “the luckiest lap I’ve ever had with traffic at the Ring.”

She set the new, fastest lap for the team by a couple of tenths from Visser, giving the the girls the sixth-fastest GT4 lap time in the race. She then slowed her pace to run with team’s sister BMW M4 GT4. The two cars also found one of the team’s other cars to set up a checkered-flag photograph, showcasing three of the 2023 Giti Tire WS Racing entries coming across the line together.

“We got so unlucky this weekend at times we couldn’t believe it,” said Mann. “But the determination and resilience of this team, and our girls was incredible. We were so fast all weekend, and to have all four drivers within two seconds on a nine-minute lap is incredible.

“Our engineer Tamires Lustosa gave us a strong car, and we were not only fastest in SP8T in every session, but also able to compete with the front portion of the SRO GT4 cars in SP10. We may not have gotten the reward we wanted in terms of the race result, but ultimately we executed another strong race, despite the adversity, and we showed our pace and potential every single session the car was on track.

"I want to thank Giti Tires, WS Racing, and Thorsten and Nicole Willems for inviting me back again this year, and also Bell Techlogix for their partnership with Shift Up Now which helped me cover the cost of travel to compete here. This event has quickly become one of my favorite races, and for me it ranks up there with the years I got to compete at the Indy 500.”

Mann will be returning to American soil this week. Alongside Loni Unser, she’ll be hosting guests from Bell Techlogix at the 2023 Indianapolis 500 this weekend.

The 52nd running of the ADAC Total 24 Hour Race is scheduled for May 9-12, 2024.

Victory for Mann, Teammates, "Girls Only" Team at the Nurburgring

Shift Up Now Athlete Pippa Mann, along with teammates Celia Martin and Carrie Schreiner, won in the SP8T GT4 class - and finished 4th overall out of the 14 GT4 cars entered - on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at the Nurburgring.

The trio, along with their all-female team of mechanics, engineers and crew, brought home the first win of the season in the Giti Tires “Girls Only” BMW M4 GT4. 

The race was the second round of the German NLS series, which takes place on the Nurburgring Nordschleife race track, on a slightly shorter loop than the ADAC Total 24 Hour race. The four-hour endurance race on the 24.4km course featured 132 cars entered across various classes. These included GT3 cars, Porsche Cup cars, touring cars and 14 GT4 cars split across the two GT4 classes that run at the Nurburgring for the NLS events, and the ADAC Total 24 Hour race.

Practice for the event on Friday featured the region's notorious “Eifel Weather,” a mix of fog and rain that gives the Nordschleife it’s nickname, “The Green Hell.”

During those conditions on Friday, Mann, Martin and Schreiner focused on turning as many laps as possible and getting comfortable in the team's new BMW M4 GT4 on the wet racetrack. 

Mann was second in the car, turning three laps on the Giti Tires wet-weather tire. She then returned for another run later in the session as the track started to dry. Mann made it through two third of a lap on the Nordschleife before heavy rain aborted the run.

Qualifying on Saturday morning featured similar conditions as all three drivers took to the track. Martin was the last driver in the car, setting the fast time and qualifying the team in the middle of the GT4 field.

As the noon race start time drew near, the forecasted heavy rain never came and the track continued to dry. Martin was the starting driver, and made the brave, but ultimately correct decision to start the race on “cut slick tires” instead of wet-weather tires. As the green flag dropped, she took the car to P1 in the class. During the first stint of the race, she was P2 overall of the GT4 cars.

Outside of the racing line, the racetrack was greasy and slippery. Several accidents caused various areas of the race track to be under speed-limited conditions. In these areas, drivers were not to exceed specific kph and were not allowed to overtake another vehicle. A mistake in one of these zones cost the team some time when they were forced to serve a 45-second penalty.

Mann was the final driver in the Giti Tires BMW M4 GT4, running the 90 minutes to the end of the race. The entire field stayed on slick tires throughout, despite several small showers on parts of the race track, and occasional sleet. Mann set the second fastest lap of the race for the team, and brought the car home with the first win of the season.

“I’m so thankful to WS Racing and Giti Tire for allowing me to come over for this race as a warm-up for the 24 Hour Race this May,” said Mann. “I also want to thank Bell Techlogix for their support of Shift Up Now, which helps pay for my travel for these events.

“The mixed conditions this weekend threw a lot at me, but I’m so much better prepared for the 24 Hour Race now, having gotten to compete this weekend in NLS2. The new BMW M4 GT4 is by far my favorite GT4 car I’ve ever driven, and I’m pretty pleased with getting below the nine-minute mark on this layout in the race today. I can’t wait to come back and do this again in May.”

Qualifying for this year’s ADAC Total 24 Hour Race will take place on May 18-19, 2023, followed by the race on the 25.3km track layout on May 20-21, 2023.

Pippa Mann returns to Nurburgring in 2023 with WS Racing

For the third consecutive year, Pippa Mann will compete in the Girls Only program with WS Racing on the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit on May 20-21, 2023.

In 2022, the team completed a successful ADAC Total Energies 24 Hour race, culminating in a podium finish. As a result, WS Racing announced an unchanged lineup for the 2023 race on the infamous, 20.8k German track.

Mann is a seven-time Indianapolis 500 competitor, and a race winning coach and co- driver with clients in various sports car series across America. In 2023, she will be returning to both the International GT Championship, and to the FARA Racing USA Championship.

WS Racing, founded and led by Nicole Willems, is on also a mission to prove that with equal opportunity, men and women can perform and compete as equals at the highest levels of motorsport.

This will mark the second year that Mann teams up with Carrie Schreiner, Celia Martin and Fabienne Wohlwend. The all-female Girls Only driving lineup will be competing with a brand new BMW M4 GT4, with continued sponsorship from Giti Tire.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to the Ring again for the third year running,” said Mann. “I can’t wait to see my team-mates again, and I’m so excited to get behind the wheel of the brand new BMW M4 GT4!”

“I want to thank the team, and all of their partners for welcoming me back for another year. And Bell Techlogix for their support of Shift Up Now, which is once again covering my travel costs to allow me to travel to Germany to compete, and be part of this amazing program.”

"We are very happy that Pippa completes our line up again this season and supports us with her experience and speed," said Nicole Willems. "Our goal is to continue the success of the past years. Pippa fits perfectly to our team and our visions."

Originally opened in 1927, and nicknamed “The Green Hell,” the 70-turn Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit winds its way through the forests and hills in the Eifel region of Germany.

Mann will be joining the WS Racing / Girls Only squad for one of the three warm-up races. She’ll then return to Germany for the 51st edition of the ADAC Total Energies 24 Hour race in May. Practice and qualifying begins on Thursday May 18, 2023.

Third-Place Finish for Mann and ‘Girls Only’ Team at Nurburgring 24 Hours

Pippa Mann and her WS Racing ‘Girls Only’ Giti Tire team earned a third-place finish in their class on Sunday, May 29, 2022 in the ADAC Total Energies 24 Hour race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. 

Driving a BMW M4 GT4, Mann and teammates Carrie Schreiner, Fabienne Wohlwend and Celia Martin, the event schedule meant there were no practice sessions outside of the official qualifying sessions to set the grid.

The weather was sunny and dry for the first, 90-minute qualifying session on Thursday morning, however the team encountered an electronic fuel pump issue, and were unable to run laps. The second session was three hours in length on Thursday evening, into the night and track conditions cooled considerably as the sun set. All drivers completed two laps while it was still light out, then one once darkness fell.

For Mann, these laps were her first on the Nordschleife in 2022, her first ever in the BMW M4 GT4 and after the red flag stoppage for fog overnight in 2021, her first ever lap on the track in complete darkness.

After using the final short 45 minute qualifying session on Friday morning to bed in brakes for the race, Mann took 5 laps on the Nurburgring Grand Prix of the Nurburgring during morning warm-up on Saturday morning to continue to learn the car before the start of the race.

Saturday’s 24-hour race began at 4:00 p.m. and welcomed back fans for the first time since 2019. An estimated 250,000 race fans were in attendance around the 15.8-mile racetrack and more than 130 cars participated, including 38 GT3 cars.

It was dry and cool for the race start. Martin was behind the wheel first, starting from P4 in class. The formation lap left at 3.40 for the long lap around the Nordschleife before the green flag. Martin advanced to P3 during her stint and handed the wheel to Wohlwend for her seven-lap stint.

Mann took the wheel third for seven dry laps in the daylight. Then Schreiner was the first to drive a double stint just before nightfall, followed by double stints from Martin, Wohlwend and Mann, running flawless laps and carrying them through the night. As dawn broke, the WS ‘Girls Only’ Giti Tire team was running second in their class, but dropped back to third once the sun rose, and their closest competitors found their pace again in the day-light.

With approximately four hours to go, as the “Eiffel weather” the region is known for started to play a part in the race. Conditions were extremely wet in parts of the race track, almost dry in others, and constantly changing with the rain fall moving weather across different areas of the race track at different times. Mann and Schreiner handled the two difficult stints of the race with the constantly changing conditions on slicks, and “cut slick” tires, and kept the car in third place, with no mistakes, for Martin to take over for the final stint. 

The team took the checkered flag in third place in their class, and 35th overall.

“I was thrilled to be asked to rejoin the WS Racing ‘Girls Only’ team for this event, and to have the opportunity to return to the Nordschleife for the 50th anniversary of their first 24 Hour race,” said Mann. “After the weather impacted the race so severely the past couple of years with long red flags, we were all hoping for a full 24 hour race this year, and our wish was granted.

“This is definitely a tough event to turn up to with no seat time at the track since the race the previous year, and no experience previously driving an M4 GT4, but the ‘Girls Only’ crew and engineering team worked with me to help me get comfortable in the car. Overall I’m very happy with how I drove in the race, especially in the extremely tricky wet/dry stint I had on Sunday. 

“The night laps here were also a real experience. This track is so very dark at night, and the headlights of the GT3 cars coming up fast are extreme. There was also a lot of code 60 and code 120 during my first stint at night, but during the second stint I was able to really find the rhythm and run comparable lap times to daylight." 

She added, “Overall, our entire driving lineup was strong and we all contributed to this result. The WS Racing ‘Girls Only’ pit crew was amazing. As a team, we ran a great 24 Hour race and maximized our result. We worked hard, made no mistakes and were rewarded with a result that we can be proud of.”

Mann plans to return to action on June 10-11, 2022 at the Daytona 14-Hour endurance race with TLM Racing in the World Racing League, driving the Monoflo Porsche Cayman GT4.

Pippa Mann to join OGH Motorsports with Nolasport for the Indianapolis 8 Hour

Seven-time Indianapolis 500 competitor Pippa Mann will join OGH Motorsports with Nolasport to compete in the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour race this October at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

OGH Motorsports with Nolasport are currently campaigning their Valkyrie Porsche Cayman GT4 in the SRO GT4 America SprintX Championship with drivers Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen. Mann will team up with the season-long driving duo as their third driver for the blue riband event of the SRO America season, and the second event of the Intercontinental GT Challenge season.

The event will mark Mann’s debut in SRO American competition, and her second International GT4 appearance of the season, after a successful ADAC Total 24 hour race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in June.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join Sean and Sam in their car for this event, and to be returning to action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Mann. “While traveling the opposite direction down the front straight might take a little getting used to, I’m stoked to be back on the track for another major sports car event this season, this time in my adopted home town.”

Race fans that followed Mann at the Indianapolis 500 will also see a familiar logo on the OGH Motorsports with Nolasport Valkyrie Porsche Cayman GT4 at this event.

“The Indianapolis 8 Hour has also provided a fantastic opportunity for my friends at Bell Techlogix to step into the GT Racing world. Several years ago, we introduced them to the Indy 500, and now I can’t wait to introduce them to sports car racing.”

“I am looking forward to racing the Indianapolis 8 Hour with Pippa and Sam,” said Gibbons. “The first time I raced in a GT Intercontinental Challenge was at Laguna Seca in 2018 where we finished second. Our goal is one step higher on the podium.”

Owens added, “To have the opportunity to finish the season at such an iconic track and to race with Pippa and Sean is somewhat surreal. Pippa has been such a great ambassador and competitor in motorsports. Sean and I are honored to have her team with OGH in the Indianapolis 8 Hour.”

The Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour race will take place on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 17th, 2021.

For more information about the event, please visit www.IntercontinentalGTchallenge.com.

For more information about OGH Motorsports please visit www.OGHmotorsports.com.

Mann, Martin, Schreiner and Nielsen Win Their Class in ADAC Total 24 Hour Race

On June 6th, 2021, Pippa Mann was one of the driving quartet for the Giti Tire WS Racing Girls’s Only team who won the SP8 Class at the 49th  ADAC Total 24 Hour race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Competing for the first time in the Audi GT4 at the Nurburgring, Mann and Christina Nielsen joined the NLS diver line-up of Celia Martin, Carrie Schreiner, and the all female crew, for the infamous 24 hour race which took place on the notorious 13 mile race track, nick-named The Green Hell.

With limited testing ahead of the event, both Mann and Nielsen completed roughly six laps each before the green flag flew at 3:30 on Saturday June 5th, while Schreiner made the most of one almost completely dry lap during qualifying to put the Giti Tire Audi on the pole in the SP8 class. However the Eifel Weather, as infamous as the track itself for difficult driving conditions, played a role from the very first laps of the race, with rain falling on parts of the circuit, while other areas remained dry, even on the formation lap.

Schreiner and Martin took the first two stints of the race, dealing with almost deluge-like conditions in certain areas of the race track, and then just lightly damp pavement in others. Mann took over in the third stint, on a drying race track on cut slicks rather than wet tires, as the fog started to roll in. Nielsen took over the car on full slick tires for the fourth stint as the surface dried, but the fog worsened.

Due to the ever changing, exceedingly difficult and slippery track conditions, all of the drivers experienced many “Code 60” zones during their laps; where the pace was controlled to 60kph through certain areas of the race track to clear cars that had been involved in accidents and to repair barriers. As the driver rotation returned to Schreiner, the fog continued to worsen, and the race was red-flagged due to bad visibility at 10:30pm on Saturday evening.

Hopes for a re-start were continually rebuffed by the incredibly thick fog that coated areas of the circuit, and even after the light at the end of pit-lane turned green to allow cars to head to the grid, the thick fog remained as everyone waited for the visibility to improve enough to allow the medical helicopter to fly, and for the marshals to see from one post to the next.

The race was finally re-started at 12:00 noon on Sunday afternoon, making it a three-and-a-half hour sprint race to the finish. Martin would take the re-start for a short stint as refueling was not allowed during the red flag. She then moved the Audi GT4 back to the lead of the class on her first lap and then proceeded to set an impressive gap with her first dry, daylight running of the entire event. Schreiner followed Martin, and had to deal with rain on half of the track while on slick tires, and the decision was made to follow Schreiner again with Martin to the end. With the weight of the race on her shoulders, Martin buckled back into the Giti Tire Audi GT4, and proceeded to put down a dominating performance where after six lead changes throughout the race, she increased the gap to over five minutes by the time she took the checkered flag.

“Our entire crew, and my co-drivers were fantastic over the past 24 hours”, said Mann. “I know it was a shortened race, but the Eifel certainly threw some of it’s trickiest conditions at us, and we never had a bad tire choice, or a bad pit-stop. Then, at the end when we needed to lock down the victory, Celia was incredible. I was only here for this year, but this win was three years in the making, and three years of hard work by the Giti Tire WS Racing Girls Only team, and I’m very thankful I had the opportunity to be part of it. I’m so proud of all of my team-mates—not just my driving team-mates, but also of all the women who worked together this weekend to take our all female entry to Victory Lane.”

"We are so proud of winning that legendary race in our class,” said team owner Nicole Willems. "It was a great work of the whole team and the drivers. Well done. Since 2019 we tried to win that race but now we finally did it. Thanks to all fans, partners and Audi Customer Racing for their support. Now we will initiate the next steps with the Girls Only Team."

As part of a special promotion with watch maker Omologato, five LM Black Edition watches also rode in the car with Mann, and her team-mates as they drove to victory.

“This was a cool promotion from the very beginning, but everyone, including myself, was a little nervous about the reality of having the five watches race with us in the car in case we somehow damaged them! However now we have five watches which WON the race with us, and that’s even cooler. We’ll be creating the certificates of authenticity, and sending the watches out to the five race fans who purchased them this week.”

Race fans in Indianapolis can also find a line of (non-raced!) Omologato watches at Master Jewelers in Indianapolis, and on their website at www.masterjewelersin.com