On the podium of the W Series race in Le Castellet, France, Belén García finished in second place, Jamie Chadwick was the race winner, and Nerea Marti in third. This exciting event took place on July 23, 2022.
Belén García had an impressive debut in the European Le Mans Series at the 4 Hours of Barcelona. Despite initial setbacks at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the former W Series driver worked well with her DKR Engineering teammates, Wyatt Brichacek and Alexander Mattschull.
García faced challenges during her debut weekend in the ELMS driving the #3 LM P3 car. She even had her first career puncture. However, she persevered and completed 55 laps of the team’s total 195 laps.
During Friday’s practice session, the #4 Duqueine M30 – D08 car, driven by another team, caught fire. Despite this setback, García and her teammates remained determined to fight for a good result.
García expressed pride in the team’s resilience and ability to recover after several setbacks. She especially praised Wyatt’s excellent qualifying, which helped the team secure fourth place on the grid, just 0.7 seconds behind the leader.
Currently, Belén García is in sixth place in the LMP3 class. You can watch her in action on YouTube.
In her debut weekend in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), García took over Mattschull’s #3 car after his difficult stint that secured a place in the top five.
García had an issue with the right rear wheel while using old tires provided by Brichacek during the fast qualifying session, entering the track in sixth place.
Involved in an intense battle for a podium spot, the Spanish driver climbed to fourth place and managed to fend off the LMP2 cars on her home turf.
After a 40-lap battle with #15 RLR M Sport and #88 Inter Europol Competition, García secured fourth place before handing over the wheel to his teammate Brichacek.
Despite Brichacek’s spin in the final sector, costing the team nine seconds, the Spaniard had an incredibly successful debut weekend, leaving a lasting impression.
García expressed: “The important lesson from this weekend is that I can build on the laps I completed this time and use them to start from a different position in our next race. This will be immensely beneficial and advantageous.”
“Scoring some points and finishing not far behind the leaders and podium drivers in our first race together is satisfying, but I always strive for more. It’s a solid result, but I am confident I can do even better, and we will work together to maximize our potential from the next round.”
Looking ahead to her next appearance in the ELMS, García aims to improve her performance in the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, scheduled for May 3-5, 2024, at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France.
