Dietrich and Dacher claim maiden victories at Oschersleben
The opening day of the 2025 NXT Gen Cup at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben delivered two dramatic races and two first-time winners. Austrian Philipp Dietrich produced an emotional triumph in Race 1, while Germany’s Maxim Dacher executed a solid drive to victory in Race 2.
Friday’s free practice sessions were heavily interrupted by red-flag stoppages, but Saturday morning’s qualifying provided clear pace setters. Despite a late red flag cutting the session short, pre-season favorite Lukas Stiefelhagen secured pole position by under a tenth of a second, narrowly edging out Philipp Dietrich to complete the front row for Race 1.
Race 1 – Dietrich holds off Stalidzane for first win
At the start, Vivann Ehrl stalled on the grid from P16, triggering a collision when Linda Frey directly behind her had no time to react. The safety car was deployed to clear the incident, with Lukas Stiefelhagen leading Philipp Dietrich, Alex Gustafsson and Patricija Stalidzane in tow.
Racing resumed at the start of lap 4. On lap 5, Dietrich made his decisive move into turn 3—diving inside Stiefelhagen—to seize the lead. Stalidzane, who had already passed Gustafsson one lap earlier, followed through to claim second.
When the checkered flag fell on lap 7, Dietrich had managed to open a small gap to Stalidzane, while Stiefelhagen secured the final podium position. Gustafsson and Lennart Wolf completed the top five.
Philipp Dietrich, P1:
”I’m really happy. I was screaming in the car after the race, crying like a baby almost. A big thank you to all the support at home—now I look forward to the next race.”
Patricija Stalidzane, P2:
“The first race was satisfying. Of course, I always feel I can do better if I’m not winning, but overall, it was all good. I learned a lot and now I’m focused on putting everything together for qualifying tomorrow. All in all, the pace is strong, and I’m concentrating on my driving and collecting as many points as possible.”
Lukas Stiefelhagen, P3:
“It was difficult after the safety car; I don’t think my tires were fully up to temperature. I went a bit wide, and Philipp managed to get past, but I’m still happy with P3.”
Patricija Stalidzane, Philipp Dietrich, and Lukas Stiefelhagen (Photo: Alexander Trienitz/Motorsportbild.de)
Race 2 – A display of racecraft and strategy
For Race 2, the top eight finishers from Race 1 formed a reversed grid, putting Sweden’s Siri Hökfelt on pole alongside Czech driver Filip Bartoš.
The field launched cleanly and set about eight action-packed laps of hard racing. Hökfelt led into Turn 1, but Lennart Wolf—up from P4—closed in and capitalized on Hökfelt going wide at Turn 7 to take the lead.
Meanwhile, Race 1 podium trio Stiefelhagen, Stalidzane and Dietrich advanced to fourth, fifth and sixth respectively by the beginning of lap 2.
On lap 2, Alex Gustafsson surged past Wolf for the lead, only to be shadowed by Maxim Dacher. On lap 3, Dacher activated his push-to-pass to execute a decisive double-overtake on both Wolf and Gustafsson.
Lap 6 saw another spectacular double-pass as Stiefelhagen used his push-to-pass to sweep past Stalidzane and Gustafsson. By the penultimate lap, Dacher and Stiefelhagen had opened a small gap to the chasing pack of Stalidzane, Gustafsson and Race 1 winner Dietrich.
On the final lap, Dietrich made a move at Turn 1 to pass Gustafsson, then even used the grass on the back straight to edge Stalidzane for third.
After eight laps of intense combat, Maxim Dacher claimed his first victory, with Stiefelhagen second and Dietrich holding on to third. Stalidzane and Gustafsson completed the top five.
Maxim Dacher, P1:
“It feels amazing — second race and a win, it couldn’t be better! It was an exciting race; I started from P3 and used my push-to-pass at the right moment, so I’m really happy with the result.”
Lukas Stiefelhagen, P2:
“It was a really exciting race. I think I could have overtaken Maxim if I had had one more lap, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Still, P2 ahead of my rivals is a great result. I hope I can put it on pole again tomorrow, although the others are also really quick—but of course, I’ll give it my best!”
Philipp Dietrich, P3:
“My goal today was to secure another podium. I made the move on the last lap—even went onto the grass! I hope it looked spectacular, because that’s what I’m here for! I’m happy with third place, now focusing on qualifying tomorrow and aiming for another win.”
Lukas Stiefelhagen, Maxim Dacher, and Philipp Dietrich (Photo: Alexander Trienitz/Motorsportbild.de)
Racing resumes on Sunday morning at 08:45 CEST with a second qualifying session, followed by Races 3 and 4.
About NXT Gen Cup
The NXT Gen Cup is the world’s first 100% electric junior touring car cup where young female and male drivers race the LRT NXT1, a fully electric race car based on the MINI Cooper SE road car - engineered and built by Lestrup Racing Team. The series races together with DTM and is organised through an “arrive and drive” concept, enabling the junior drivers to focus on driving and creating the foundation for a professional racing career.
About DTM
DTM is Europe’s premier and best-known racing series and celebrated its 40th birthday in 2024. As one of the most competitive racing series, DTM features seven prestigious brands in its anniversary season. The DTM has a German core, but a strong international fan base. Races are broadcasted live in 150 territories. The series is also a leader in sustainable motorsport. For the second season, all cars are powered by a sustainable fuel made of 50% renewable components. Not only the cars racing in DTM are in the centre of sustainable projects. For the events itself the ADAC as promoter of the DTM offers innovations like an initiative to reduce plastic waste and a digital carpool solution, which has been recognised and awarded by the FIA.