“We are a racing family – even in difficult times!” This headline begins a statement by Dr. Alexandra Kohlmann, Managing Director of Rowe Mineralölwerk GmbH and co-owner of the Rowe Racing racing team, on Instagram. The daughter of Rowe founder Michael Zehe openly supported racing driver Alesia Kreutzpointner, who had her Nordschleife permit revoked following an accident with the #99 Rowe BMW at the 24h Nürburgring.
After the collision with the Rowe driver Sheldon van der Linde, who was the overall leader at the time, the 25-year-old was apparently exposed to some hostility on social media. The amount of the penalty – withdrawal of permit and a 1,500 euro fine – caused lively discussions in the paddock at the Nürburgring.
“Unbearable”: Support for racing driver
“Yes, our car is broken,” wrote Dr. Kohlmann in her public message. “But there are also consequences: Alesia is suddenly being treated with hostility and insults. The tone of many: “It was obvious, a woman.” Unbearable for me.” Alesia Kreutzpointner and her twin sister Jacqueline, with whom she shared the #420 Porsche Cayman from Four Motors, are “what we urgently need, and not just in racing: real role models for other young women.”
“The brief moment on the Nordschleife was an accident. Not intentional. It has happened to countless men. In motorsport, we are a large community, not opponents. That also applies in difficult times,” continued Dr. Kohlhaas, and her Instagram post received numerous positive comments from motorsport fans and racing drivers such as Nordschleife icon Christian Menzel.
“Oh, up until now I’ve only ever been pushed out by men. They can do that too!” wrote Menzel in his typically open manner. “Great gesture from her and from you! We are all not perfect, the important thing is to talk about it and do better in the future! And have the courage to admit a mistake, then you’ll usually be welcomed with open arms! A nice happy ending after all.”
After the accident on the 22nd lap of the race, racing driver’s daughter Kreutzpointner immediately apologized several times to the disappointed Rowe team. “She didn’t see me, I was in her blind spot,” said Sheldon van der Linde shortly after the premature retirement of the #99 BMW M4 GT3. “She said ‘sorry’ ten times, which is extremely nice of her. But that doesn’t save our race.”
Kelvin van der Linde: Congratulate for courage instead of spreading hate
Sheldon’s older brother, Kelvin van der Linde, backed the Kreutzpointner sister, who has been targeted by social media hate, on Monday. “Another case of how things can get completely out of control on social media,” wrote Kelvin, who himself had to endure disgusting hate tirades after the DTM finale at the Norisring in 2021, in an Instagram story on Monday. “Mistakes are made, we all learn from them.”
Van der Linde continued: “Alesia and her sister are two strong racing drivers who are flying the flag for gender equality in our sport. Instead of spreading hate, we should congratulate them for their courage to tackle the toughest and most frightening race track in the world.”
“99.9 percent of those who share their opinions on social media don’t know what we go through on this track. It’s a mental rollercoaster for all of us! And believe it or not, the challenges for the smaller classes are even greater in traffic than for the GT3 cars.”
“I ask you all to send a message of support to Alesia to wipe away all the ridiculous comments from people who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about!”
New video of the accident: Giti-BMW rolls over
On lap 22, former DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde was in first place when he tried to lap the Cayman Porsche and the #507 1 Series BMW from Giti Tire that was driving alongside it. The BMW works driver then lost control of the BMW M4 GT3 and crashed into the guard rails after he was apparently touched by Alesia Kreutzpointner in her Four Motors Porsche and the left side of the vehicle was pushed into the 1 Series BMW.
During the race, only onboard footage from the Rowe BMW was available of the accident. Fan videos published later showed how the Giti BMW hit the track barrier on the right, lifted off the asphalt, rolled over and came to a stop on the other side of the road. Fortunately, all drivers remained uninjured in this situation.
The stewards, who always have more camera perspectives at their disposal in race control than the public, assessed the penalty imposed on Kreutzpointner on Sunday morning as “sufficient, but necessary” in view of the overall situation.
Alesia Kreutzpointner, the daughter of former DTM driver and Le Mans starter Fritz Kreutzpointner, made her debut in motor racing in 2020 and initially competed in the ADAC GT4 Germany. In 2021 and 2022, she also competed in races at the Nürburgring as part of the NLS series and in the BMW M2 Cup. In 2023, she and her sister Jacqueline obtained their Nordschleife permit.