With two IMSA GTD class championships to her name, Christina Nielsen is killing it in the world of motorsports. In 2016 she became the first female racing driver to win a major series championship in North America. Following two successful years with Scuderia Corsa, in 2018 she joined Patrick Long at Wright Motorsports. With Porsche, Nielsen won the event at Road America in the latter half of the season. Christina Nielsen is also a member of another elusive club. The Dane is one of a small number of real people (as opposed to characters) to be rendered in Lego, alongside her 2016 Championship winning car.
Interestingly, former Porsche factory driver Mark Webber has also been honored with a Lego Minifigure in his likeness. The figure included with the Speed Champions 919 Hybrid set is not labeled as Webber, but as the only figure in the series with both facial hair and absurdly prominent cheekbones, he’s rather unmistakable.
As both a real-life racing driver and a Lego minifigure, who could be more qualified to explain the ins and outs of the Lego Technic 911 RSR? The RSR is Lego’s second large scale Porsche, the first being the not-so-crash-safe GT3 released a few years ago.
The new set, which is assembled more like the 42077 Rally Car set than its big brother, lovingly recreates the 911 RSR racing car. While details like a working engine and differential, and functional suspension are de rigeur for large-scale Lego these days, the attention lavished on what makes the RSR a race car is truly special.
Nielsen notes that the Lego model replicates not just big details, like the wing, diffuser, and 4-element headlights, but smaller items like the interior electronics and track map. For the Porsche fan, this set is truly a must-have.