Michel Nykjaer

Michel Nykjær
Michel Nykjær in 2011.
Nationality	Danish
Born	(1979-09-17) 17 September 1979 (age 37) Tappernøje (Denmark)
Car no.	17
Starts	38
Wins	3
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Previous series
2009–2013 2011–2012 2005–2011 2003–2009 1998–2002	World Touring Car Championship STCC ETCC Danish Touring Car Championship Danish Group N Championship
Championship titles
2007, 2009 2007–2008	Danish Touring Car Championship ETCC

Michel Nykjær (born 17 September 1979) is a Danish auto racing driver. Nykjær is a two-time European Touring Car Cup winner.

Between 1989 and 1993 he spent his early racing years in karting. After a break, he returned to motorsport in 1998, with saloon cars in the Danish Group N Championship. He stepped up to the Danish Touring Car Championship in 2003, and was crowned champion in 2007 for SEAT Racing Team, in a SEAT Leon. Also in 2007 he won the European Touring Car Cup for the GR Asia Team.

In 2008 he moved to the Poulsen Motorsport Team in a BMW for another season in the DTC. He defended his ETC Cup title in 2008 for Chevrolet Motorsport Denmark in a Chevrolet Lacetti.

For 2009 he was supposed to compete in the World Touring Car Championship for the Poulsen Motorsport Team in a BMW 320si but Poulsen chose to run his car for Engstler Motorsport and Nykjær was forced to remain in the DTC where he retained his title. However, he raced the WTCC round at Oschersleben for Perfection Racing. He attended the 2009 European Touring Car Cup, but lost his crown to James Thompson.

In 2010 Nykjær raced for SUNRED Engineering in the WTCC in a SEAT León 2.0 TDI. He made it into the second part of qualifying for the Race of Morocco when he crashed at turn ten and brought the session to a premature end, his best time put him sixth on the grid. In race one he was battling with Jordi Gené but ran wide and dropped down the field, finishing just outside the points in eleventh. He started on pole position for race two of the Race of Italy and was initially passed by Gabriele Tarquini who was then issued with a drive-through penalty. Before Tarquini could serve the penalty, Nykjær re-passed him and led until the final lap of the race he suffered a puncture and pulled off the track, handing the victory to Yvan Muller. In race one of the Race of Belgium he made contact with the bamboo-engineering car of Darryl O'Young which left O'Young in the gravel trap while Nykjær finished eighteenth. He failed to make it through to the second part of qualifying for the Race of Portugal and then ran wide when battling with Norbert Michelisz for seventh place in race one. Nykjær was bumped off the circuit by Tiago Monteiro in race two of the Race of Germany, Monteiro was penalised and Nykjær went on to finish fourth. He started on pole position for race two of the Race of Japan and led until lap nine when he slid off in the wet conditions, eventually finished seventh. He was caught up in a first lap incident at the Race of Macau which was originally between Andy Priaulx and André Couto, ending his race on the first lap. He finished the second race of the day in eleventh place and finished the season 12th in the drivers' championship.