Julia Ponkratz is a German racing driver carving out a reputation on one of motorsport’s most demanding stages — the Nürburgring Nordschleife — with ambitions that reach all the way to the 24-hour race.

EARLY YEARS

Ponkratz began her motorsport journey in karting, competing in events including the RMC Clubsport series and the KCK Pure Racing Cup, building the foundational skills that would eventually take her to circuit racing. [1][2]

OTHER INTERESTS

Beyond the cockpit, she has taken an active role in growing her own racing programme — running a GoFundMe campaign aimed at funding her path toward the Nürburgring 24-hour race, a detail that speaks to the self-driven nature of many grassroots European motorsport careers. [3]

EARLY SUCCESS

Ponkratz made her entry into circuit racing when she joined JLC Racing for the NES500 in 2022, a move that marked her transition from karts to closed-cockpit competition. [4] That foundation set her on a path toward the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), the iconic endurance championship held on the Nordschleife — a circuit that demands a very different kind of commitment than a sprint kart track. Her team, Ponkratz Racing, became the vehicle through which she developed her programme on the Green Hell. [5]

She also accumulated results through WOIK Motorsport, with the team listing her among their drivers and noting achievements from their competitive programme. [6]

In 2025, she took part in NLS rounds at the Nürburgring, competing in GT3-class machinery as part of an increasingly serious assault on the Nordschleife. Race results from the 2025 season show her active presence in the series throughout the year. [7][8]

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2022: Entered circuit racing with JLC Racing in the NES500, marking her transition from karting to closed-cockpit competition. [4]
• 2025: Competed in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), including NLS9, as part of WS Racing’s “double Girl Power” entry. [9]
• 2025: Featured in the Girls Only Talent Pool programme, which supports female drivers competing in the NLS. [10][11]

INSPIRATIONS

The research does not specify particular individuals Julia Ponkratz has cited as personal inspirations.

REPUTATION

Ponkratz has become associated with the Girls Only initiative in German endurance motorsport — a talent pool programme that supports female drivers competing in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The programme debuted to considerable attention in the NLS community, and her inclusion in its follow-up lineup signals that she has earned her place in that ecosystem on merit. [10][11]

The motorsport-xl.de report on NLS9 in 2025 specifically highlighted the WS Racing entry featuring female drivers — with Ponkratz as part of what the outlet called “double Girl Power” — a framing that reflects both the novelty and the growing visibility of women competing seriously in this notoriously tough series. [9] The Nordschleife does not reward passengers; the fact that she is a repeat presence in NLS competition says something about the level she has reached.

Her self-funded approach to the sport, documented through her GoFundMe campaign, also points to a driver who has built her programme from the ground up rather than arriving with a fully backed seat — a common reality for many drivers in club-level endurance racing, and one that tends to produce a particular kind of determination. [3]

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

The stated aim behind her fundraising campaign is clear: reaching the Nürburgring 24-hour race. The 24h Nürburgring is the summit of amateur and semi-professional endurance racing in Germany — a 24-hour battle around the full combined Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit — and it represents the logical destination for any NLS regular with serious intentions. [3] Her continued participation in the 2025 NLS season, and her involvement with the Girls Only Talent Pool, suggests that trajectory remains very much on track. [7][10]

References:

Girls Only Talent Pool Follows Up on Its Successful Debut — Racers Behind the Helmet
RMC Clubsport Starter List — Motorsport Events SE
Junge Motorsportlerin auf dem Weg zum 24h-Rennen Nürburgring — GoFundMe
Julia Ponkratz steigt mit JLC Racing in die NES500 ein — Motorsport-XL
Das Team — Ponkratz Racing
Erfolge — WOIK Motorsport
Julia Ponkratz Race Results 2025 — 51GT3
2025 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie — Wikipedia
WS Racing mit doppelter Girl Power bei NLS9 — Motorsport-XL
Girls Only Debuts Talent Pool Line-Up — Racers Behind the Helmet
KCK Pure Racing Cup Senior Round 2 Results 2024 — Motorsport Events SE