Olav Vaa debuterer i NXT Gen Cup på Norisring i Tyskland denne helgen, hvor også Emil Heyerdahl deltar i ADAC GT4. Les mer i denne pressemeldingen fra NXT Gen Cup på engelsk.
Norwegian racing talent Olav Vaa will make his NXT Gen Cup debut this weekend on the streets of Norisring. The 19-year-old joins the all-electric touring car series for its second race weekend of the 2025 season.
Despite his young age, Vaa has already built an impressive résumé. After debuting in formula cars in 2021, he made a name for himself in competitive series such as Formula Nordic (F4) and the Norwegian GT+ Championship. He dominated the 2024 Norwegian Formula Basic championship—winning all but one race—and was selected to represent Norway in the FIA Motorsport Games in Formula 4.
In 2025, he stepped up to international GT racing, joining Lema Racing to compete in the highly competitive Iberian Supercars series. Now, Vaa is ready for a new challenge: electric racing in the front-wheel-drive LRT NXT1 at one of Europe’s most iconic street circuits.
“This year I’m racing the Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the Iberian Championship, but when the chance came to drive in NXT Gen Cup, I had to say yes,” said Vaa. “It’s a strong series, and getting to race at a street circuit like Norisring—alongside DTM—is a childhood dream come true. I hope to be competitive and fight at the top.”
Vaa joins an 18-car grid for the weekend, which features three sprint races across Saturday and Sunday. NXT Gen Cup is the world’s leading all-electric touring car championship and serves as a support series to DTM. All drivers race identical cars based on the MINI Cooper SE, delivering up to 230 hp and equipped with push-to-pass functionality—designed to help develop the next generation of professional drivers.
NXT Gen Cup founder and Series Manager Fredrik Lestrup welcomed the Norwegian’s arrival:
“Olav and I have been in contact for a long time, and the timing is now perfect. We’ve followed him closely since his time racing in Sweden and Scandinavia. It will be exciting to see how he adapts to our electric, front-wheel-drive race car. He’s used to powerful cars, so this might be a bit of a transition—but we and our engineers are ready to support. We’re really looking forward to seeing him on track.”
Vaa is the latest in a growing number of international drivers joining the 2025 grid. With his single-seater pedigree, GT experience, and rapid rise through the Norwegian motorsport ranks, he is certainly one to watch at Norisring.