Strong Nordic 4 season premiere for the STEP talents

There were podium placements and trophies for several of the STEP drivers in the weekend’s round of the Nordic 4 Championship at Padborg Park. After thorough preparations in the spring, it was finally time to hit the track and measure up against the competition. It quickly became clear that the preparations were well worth it. In Saturday’s qualifying session, Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen secured pole position, while Sebastian Bach was the best debutant with the fourth fastest lap time. Both Lærke Rønn Sørensen and Sebastian Schou managed to be among the top 10 fastest drivers.

The joy continued in the first heat, where Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen, despite an unfortunate rear-end collision in the first lap, didn’t let himself be pressured and took a stunning victory. Sebastian Bach also delivered an impressive performance, finishing in fourth place—right ahead of Lærke Rønn Sørensen—while Sebastian Schou crossed the line in eighth place. This meant that the STEP Motorsport junior driver started at the front of the grid for Sunday’s first race. However, Schou took the start calmly and focused on bringing the car home in one piece. Meanwhile, Lærke Rønn Sørensen surged ahead and took the lead, which, however, didn’t last all the way to the finish. She finished a strong second, followed by Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen, who moved up from eighth place. Sebastian Schou finished in sixth place, while Sebastian Bach ended up two places further down.

In the third and final heat, it seemed for a long time that the victory would go to STEP and Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen. With a great start, he surged ahead and took a comfortable lead, maintaining his position effortlessly throughout the heat. However, with just a few laps to go, a defect in the braking system forced Mathias to drive off the track to stop the car. A devastatingly disappointing end to what could have been Mathias’ best Formula race to date. Lærke Rønn Sørensen thus became the highest-placed STEP Motorsport driver in fourth place, just ahead of Sebastian Bach and Sebastian Schou.

Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen: “It’s great to be back on the track, and aside from the last heat, things went really well. I’ve found the speed, and I feel comfortable with STEP, so I’m confident we’ll be able to secure more victories in the remaining six race weekends.” Lærke Rønn Sørensen: “It went quite well this weekend, and although I missed out on a heat victory in the second heat, I’m pretty satisfied overall. Now we’re off to a good start, and I’m looking forward to being back in the car again in two weeks.” Morten Dons, Team Principal: “It’s a huge disappointment that Mathias had to retire from a secure lead due to a defect. That shouldn’t happen, so we need to look inward and ensure it never happens again. That said, I’m incredibly happy and proud of the results we’ve brought home this weekend. All four drivers delivered and met their own and shared goals, so I have no doubt that this will be a fantastic season!” In just two weeks, it’s time again, this time at FDM Jyllandsringen. Here, talent development continues at the highest level.