Belén García was in contention for the podium in her impressive European Le Mans Series debut at the 4 Hours of Barcelona.
The former W Series driver worked well with DKR Engineering teammates Wyatt Brichacek and Alexander Mattschull despite the early setbacks at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
García spent the first half of the week adjusting her seat in the cockpit, with the team requiring permission to install a second harness to lessen the physical differences between its drivers.
Experiencing her first-ever flat spot in her career, the Spanish driver faced challenges on her debut ELMS weekend driving the #3 LM P3.
The DKR Engineering trio completed 195 laps, with 55 for García, before the #4 Duqueine M30 – D08 caught fire during the Friday Practice session.
García told ELMS: “It felt like nothing was going our way at all, but there was still everything to fight for, and we all found a strong common ground in our mental approach: it’s not over until it’s over!
“I was proud of how we bounced back as a team after so many setbacks, and we gave it our all after Wyatt’s outstanding qualifying run to maximise our performance.”
With teammate Brichacek setting a new lap record for the team in Barcelona, DKR Engineering qualified fourth, just 0.7s off from the front-runner.
Onboard with Belén Garcia as the Spaniard currently sits P6 in LMP3 class.
— European Le Mans Series (@EuropeanLMS) April 14, 2024
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For her first ELMS race weekend, García inherited the #3 from Mattschull after his tough double stint earned them a place in the top five.
García suffered from a faulty right rear wheel using the old tyres operated by Brichacek in their speedy qualifying session, entering the track in sixth place.
Battling for a place on the podium, the Spaniard climbed into the top four and fought off the fast LMP2 cars on home soil.
Her 40-lap stint fighting the #15 RLR M Sport and #88 Inter Europol Competition put her in fourth place before passing the baton to teammate Brichacek.
With a hugely successful first weekend, the Spaniard impressed on her debut as the team settled for fifth place after Brichacek’s spin in the final set the trio back by nine seconds.
García continued: “The most important thing to remember from this weekend is I can take all the laps I did this time to start from a different place and it is going to be hugely helpful and useful for our next race.
“It is good to score some points and finish not far behind the frontrunners and podium finishers for our first race together, but everyone knows I always strive for more. It’s a solid result, but I know I can do better, and we will work to maximise our potential together beginning with the next round.”
Hoping to improve her performance in her next ELMS outing, García looks to the next round at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet scheduled for the 3-5 May 2024 at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France.
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