IMSA: Nielsen aims to be first female to win international sports car championship

At the age of 23, TRG-AMR driver Christina Nielsen looks to become the first female driver to win a major international sports car racing championship. Nielsen is currently leading the GTD standings in the No. 007 Royal Purple/Orion Energy/LaSalle Solutions/PassTime USA Aston Martin Vantage by just a single point, 256-255. 

“Winning the championship would be a major accomplishment in my career and I believe it is a step in the right direction towards becoming a pro driver,” Nielsen said. “Also the fact that no other female has won it before makes it even more special.”

With four second-place finishes and one third-place finish to her name this season, Nielsen and co-drivers Kuno Wittmer and Brandon Davis may need that so-far elusive GTD victory in order to make history and hold off the hard-charging Paul Miller Racing duo Dion von Moltke and Christopher Haase in the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS. 

“I think we deserve a win and have the driver lineup, the car and the team to do it,” said Nielsen. “Honestly I'm going into the last round to have fun, enjoy it and win. I love Road Atlanta, it's my favorite track and it's such a cool event.”Von Moltke and Haase, who are joined by Bryce Miller at Road Atlanta, led for the majority of the 2015 TUDOR Championship season before falling behind Nielsen after the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America. However, they made up significant ground last time out at Circuit of The Americas, and the No. 48 team won at Petit Le Mans last year with Haase and Miller joined by Matt Bell.Nipping at the Audi drivers’ heels are Scuderia Corsa’s Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell in the No. 63 Robert Graham/Royal Purple Ferrari 458 Italia. The two currently trail von Moltke and Haase by three in the GTD standings, 255-252, and also are well within striking distance of the top spot in the class. Speaking of striking distance, Viper drivers Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen are standing in fourth, just 11 points behind leader Nielsen, 256-245. With two first-place finishes in the last three races, the No. 33 Riley Motorsports TI Automotive/Viper Exchange Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R drivers along with co-driver Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, shouldn’t been counted out of the title race just yet.Coverage of Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda will begin on FS2 (FOX Sports 2) at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, and will alternate throughout the day with IMSA.com. This includes the finish and post-race coverage on FOX Sports 2 beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.There will be a three-hour highlight show on Sunday on FS1 (FOX Sports 1), beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.