It was a good weekend, both on and off the track, as STEP Motorsport participated in the third round of the Danish Formula 4 Championship at Jyllandsringen.
Julius Dinesen arrived at the track as the leading driver in the Formula 4 Championship after a great weekend at Sturup Raceway, and Victor T. Nielsen was highly motivated to bring home good results. The two regular drivers were joined by Belgian Aurelia Nobels, who swapped the Brazilian championship for the Danish for a weekend to gain extra racing experience.
Whether it was a good night’s sleep or just raw talent is unknown, but during qualifying, it was Victor T. Nielsen who was the fastest driver in the field. With almost three-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Dinesen, Victor secured his first pole position. Aurelia Nobels was also doing well and improved her lap times but was relegated to the back of the grid due to a mistake with her racing equipment during technical inspection.
From STEP’s perspective, the start of the first race looked promising. Two green race cars on the front row is a lovely sight, but it didn’t last long. Victor was a bit too quick on the trigger when the start lights went out, resulting in a penalty that cost him several positions. Meanwhile, Julius managed to secure a victory in style, while Victor fought his way back into the top three, chasing second place right up to the finish line.
Aurelia Nobels advanced from 14th to 8th place, meaning she started the second race from pole position, while Victor and Julius started from 6th and 8th places, respectively.
However, it wasn’t a joyful scene for Aurelia, who, like Victor, had a rough start to the race just before the red lights went out. She didn’t manage to serve the penalty for her infraction before ending up in the gravel trap off the track mid-way through the first lap.
The middle race is always the toughest in a Formula 4 weekend due to the reverse grid order. This was also the case at Jyllandsringen, where Julius and Victor finished 3rd and 5th in a tight field.
Sunday offered more than just adrenaline-fueled racing. The team had expanded for the weekend with a VIP section that was filled with happy guests for a day of racing and good spirits. There was grilling, laughter, and racing to the highest degree.
The final race marked the conclusion of this year’s largest racing weekend at Jyllandsringen, with Julius, Victor, and Aurelia starting from 2nd, 4th, and 11th positions on the grid, setting the stage for an exciting finish.
After a small collision with a competitor, Julius took the lead in the field and maintained it until the finish with a comfortable gap to the nearest competitor. Victor wasn’t lucky at the start of the race but was the fastest driver on the track, setting the fastest lap time nearly a second ahead of the next fastest lap. Aurelia had another strong race, finishing in 7th place, just behind Victor.
Julius Dinesen can head into the summer break with a solid lead in the championship after three out of six rounds:
-It has been a great weekend. The pace has been good, and I felt like I had everything under control. Racing has been a bit tough this weekend, but I think it has been fair and proper, so I am most pleased to have scored good points in the championship, says Julius.
Victor Nielsen achieved a single podium finish, but nobody can take away his speed:
-I’m really happy to have had so much speed in the car because I’ve struggled a bit with that. If I hadn’t had the jump start from pole position, I think my weekend would have looked different, but that’s okay—I’m here to develop as a racing driver, and now I’ve learned not to jump the start, laughs the northern Jutland driver.
Aurelia Nobels had an educational weekend in great surroundings:
-I learned a lot this weekend! It has been fun getting to know Jyllandsringen and racing against the Danish drivers, and I felt that I quickly picked up speed. Jyllandsringen is very similar to the tracks I race on in Brazil, so I’m sure I’ll return there stronger, she says.
For the team principal, the weekend was a good demonstration that with the right team behind you, great things can be achieved:
-We were quite busy leading up to the weekend, to put it mildly. Preparing a third car in a week and a whole VIP section that had to shine as bright as the sun. Since we arrived at the track, everything has gone really well, so I’m deeply grateful to have such talented people on the team—both for working on the cars and for hosting the guests.
-Victor and Julius continue to develop every time they’re on the track, and this time we also had the pleasure of Aurelia, who brought great energy to the team while also working hard and making significant strides each time she was on the track, says Morten Dons.
Julius Dinesen continues to lead the Formula 4 Championship, while Victor is in 5th place. Now, it’s time for a summer break of a month and a half before the season resumes at Ring Djursland in mid-August.