Belén García
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
| Belén García | |
|---|---|
 García in 2023 | |
| Nationality |  Spanish |
| Full name | Belén García Espinar |
| Born | 26 July 1999 L'Ametlla del Vallès, Spain[1] |
| Formula Regional European Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2021 |
| Current team | G4 Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Silver |
| Car number | 72 |
| Starts | 8 (8 entries) |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 39th in 2021 |
| Previous series | |
| 2021–2022 2019 | W Series F4 Spanish Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2019 | F4 Spain - Female Trophy |
Belén García Espinar (born 26 July 1999 in L'Ametlla del Vallès) is a Spanish female racing driver and pole vaulter.[2] She is a Spanish F4 and LMP3 race winner, and came fifth in the W Series in 2022. She currently competes in the European Le Mans Series for DKR Engineering.
She is not related to Marta García.
Biography[edit]
Belén García was born and raised in L'Ametlla del Vallès, a small village near the city of Barcelona. Her parents José Luis and Pilar run motorsport timing company Al Kamel Systems, her father also being a professional rally driver.[1]
In conjunction with her racing, García is also a competitively-registered pole vaulter with Club Atlètic Granollers.[3]
Career[edit]
Karting[edit]
García began karting in 2015 in the Spanish Karting Championship, where she finished 10th in 2018 in the Senior-KZ2 class.[4]
Lower formulae[edit]
She made her professional single-seater debut a year later, competing in the 2019 F4 Spanish Championship for Global Racing Service. She became the first woman to win a Formula 4 race in Europe at just her second attempt at the Circuito de Navarra, but only managed a best result of seventh after that. She eventually finished the season 15th overall on equal points with Nerea Martí, thus beating her to the female trophy on countback.[5] She also received a call-up to race for Team Spain at the 2019 FIA Motorsport Games, as their representative in the Formula 4 Cup, where she finished 6th, from 12th on the grid.[6]
W Series[edit]
The Catalan driver qualified for the W Series, a Formula 3 championship for women, in 2020.[7][8][9] She was set to twin this with participation in selected rounds of another Formula 3 championship, the Formula Renault Eurocup.[10] However, following the cancellation of the 2020 W Series and the withdrawal of Global Racing Service from the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was left without a drive for the season.[11] She then opted for a temporary return to karting, finishing 7th overall in the KZ category of the Spanish Karting Championship, ahead of former Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi.[12] García also raced in the final round of the Spanish Endurance Championship at Ciudad del Motor de Aragón, driving for NM Racing Team along with her father, in a Ginetta G55 GT4. They finished 6th in race 1 and 10th in race 2 overall but were ineligible for championship points.
In 2021, García made her debut in the W Series, while also racing part-time in the Formula Regional European Championship with G4 Racing as preparation.[13] She starred in the W Series season-opening round at the Red Bull Ring, where she qualified 3rd, dropped to 9th after running wide at turn 6, and then climbed back up to finish the race 4th.[14] However, she was unable to replicate such performance in the remainder of the year, eventually finishing 10th in the standings with 28 points.
García continued racing in the W Series for 2022. Paired with fellow Spanish driver Nerea Martí at the Quantfury team,[15] García proved a much more consistent force, as she scored points in six of the seven rounds that took place before the season was called off in October due to financial issues.[16] She secured her first series podium at Le Castellet in July with 2nd place,[17] and finished the season fifth in the standings, ahead of Martí.
Endurance racing[edit]
After the cancellation of the remaining 2022 W Series rounds, García switched to endurance racing. She made her LMP3 debut at the Le Mans Cup season finale at Portimão in October, racing for CD Sport alongside Chinese gentleman driver Huilin Han. A lengthy red flag period meant she effectively had little more than 20 minutes of driving in the race, where they finished 17th, but she later described the experience as "a lot of fun" and said she was "looking forward to driving a car like that again".[18] She had her second LMP3 experience four weeks later, racing for Graff in the Ultimate Cup Series season-ending four-hour race at Paul Ricard. García proved to be quick from the start, as she led the first practice session by more than a second over newly-crowned champion Lucca Allen.[19][20] Issues in qualifying meant she —along with bronze-rated teammates Eric Trouillet and Sébastien Page— had to start from tenth place, but by the end of the first hour they were already in the lead, and the trio ended up taking the win with a healthy 76-second margin. García set the second fastest lap of the race, a mere tenth of a second slower than LMP3 veteran Matt Bell.[21]
García remained with Trouillet and Page for her first full-time campaign in endurance racing, as she is set to tackle the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series in one of Graff's Ligier JS P320 LMP3 cars.[22]
Karting record[edit]
Karting career summary[edit]
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Spanish Karting Championship — Senior | NM CA Performance | ? |
| 2016 | Spanish Karting Championship — Senior | NM CA Performance | ? |
| 2017 | Spanish Karting Championship — Senior | NM Racing Team | 16th |
| 2018 | Spanish Karting Championship — Senior-KZ2 | NM Racing Team | 10th |
| 2020 | Spanish Karting Championship — KZ | Belén García Espinar | 7th |
| FIA Karting World Championship — KZ2 | CRG Srl | 91st |
Racing record[edit]
Racing career summary[edit]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | F4 Spanish Championship | Global Racing Service | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 15th |
| FIA Motorsport Games Formula 4 Cup | Team Spain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | |
| 2020 | Campeonato de España de Resistencia - GT | NM Racing Team | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2021 | W Series | Scuderia W | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 10th |
| Formula Regional European Championship | G4 Racing | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39th | |
| 2022 | W Series | Quantfury W Series Team | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 5th |
| Le Mans Cup - LMP3 | CD Sport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49th | |
| Ultimate Cup Series - Proto P3 | Graff | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 5th | |
| 2023 | Asian Le Mans Series - LMP3 | Graff | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 11th |
| Le Mans Cup - LMP3 | 360 Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 10th | |
| Prototype Cup Germany | Van Ommen Racing by DataLab | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 20th | |
| 2024 | European Le Mans Series - LMP3 | DKR Engineering |
† As García was a guest driver, she was ineligible to score points.
Complete F4 Spanish Championship results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Global Racing Service | NAV 1 15 | NAV 2 1 | NAV 3 7 | LEC 1 10 | LEC 2 15 | LEC 3 13 | ARA 1 15 | ARA 2 13 | ARA 3 10 | CRT 1 14 | CRT 2 11 | CRT 3 10 | JER 1 8 | JER 2 12 | JER 3 10 | ALG 1 7 | ALG 2 13 | ALG 3 8 | CAT 1 18 | CAT 2 12 | CAT 3 14 | 15th | 35 |
Complete FIA Motorsport Games results[edit]
| Year | Entrant | Cup | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Team Spain | Formula 4 | 12th | 12th | 6th |
Complete Formula Regional European Championship results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | G4 Racing | IMO 1 23 | IMO 2 22 | CAT 1 27 | CAT 2 29 | MCO 1 | MCO 2 | LEC 1 30 | LEC 2 24 | ZAN 1 | ZAN 2 | SPA 1 | SPA 2 | RBR 1 | RBR 2 | VAL 1 29 | VAL 2 27 | MUG 1 | MUG 2 | MNZ 1 | MNZ 2 | 39th | 0 |
Complete W Series results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Scuderia W | RBR1 4 | RBR2 9 | SIL 17† | HUN 8 | SPA 14 | ZAN 8 | COA1 12 | COA2 7 | 10th | 28 |
| 2022 | Quantfury W Series Team | MIA1 7 | MIA2 4 | CAT 7 | SIL 8 | LEC 2 | HUN 13 | SIN 4 | 5th | 58 |
† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Complete Le Mans Cup results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | CD Sport | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | LEC | IMO | LMS 1 | LMS 2 | MNZ | SPA | ALG 17 | 49th | 0 |
| 2023 | 360 Racing | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | CAT 15 | IMO 17 | LMS 1 13 | LMS 2 13 | LEC 5 | SPA 5 | ALG 5 | 10th | 30 |
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Graff Racing | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | DUB 1 8 | DUB 2 8 | ABU 1 7 | ABU 2 Ret | 14th | 11 |
Complete European Le Mans Series results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DKR Engineering | LMP3 | Duqueine M30 - D08 | Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8 | CAT | LEC | IMO | SPA | MUG | ALG |
* Season still in progress.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Pertiguista y campeona de España de Fórmula 4" (in Spanish). Superdeporte. 20 November 2019.
- ^ "Belén García Espinar DATOS DEL ATLETA. - Real Federación Española de Atletismo - RFEA.es" (in European Spanish). Real Federación Española de Atletismo. 20 December 2014.
- ^ "Pole Vault & Racing". Belén García Espinar on YouTube. 22 November 2019.
- ^ "Resultados - Campeonato SR-KZ2 - CEK 2018" (PDF). Karting - RFEDA (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Belén García, la primera mujer que vence en la F4: "Hay hombres que no les gusta competir ante nosotras"" (in Spanish). El Español. 12 April 2019.
- ^ "Belén García acaba sexta en la final de Fórmula 4, a tan sólo dos segundos del bronce" (in Spanish). Marca. 5 November 2019.
- ^ "W Series announces 18 drivers for 2020 season". W Series. 19 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "Tres pilotos españolas en las W Series 2020: Belén Garcia y Nerea Martí, junto a Marta García" (in Spanish). The Champions Voice. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "Belén García Espinar: entrevista exclusiva a la piloto" (in Spanish). Actualidad Motor. 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Belen Garcia to race in F.Renault Eurocup as W Series preparation". Racers – Behind the Helmet. 11 March 2020.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (3 July 2020). "Global Racing Service drops out of Formula Renault Eurocup". Formula Scout.
- ^ "Resultados - Campeonato KZ - CEK 2020" (PDF). Karting - RFEDA (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Belen Garcia adds part-time FREC campaign alongside W Series". Formula Scout. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Alice Powell takes back-to-back W Series wins 685 days apart". Formula Scout. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ "NEREA MARTI AND BELEN GARCIA TO RACE FOR QUANTFURY TEAM". W Series. 23 March 2022. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ "W Series cancels rest of 2022 season, aims for 2023 revival". The Race. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ "W Series Paul Ricard: Chadwick holds off Visser to take seventh consecutive win". Autosport. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "Positivo debut de Belén García en la cita de la Michelin Le Mans Club de Portimão". logicmailing.com (in Spanish). Mediagé Comunicación. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "Belén García competirá en la Ultimate Cup en Paul Ricard". SoyMotor (in Spanish). 10 November 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "Le Castellet 2 - Proto - Private practice 1 - Final ranking" (PDF). its-results.com. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "Belén García logra su primera victoria en el mundo de la resistencia". Marca (in Spanish). 14 November 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (23 December 2022). "Graff Confirm Two-Car Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 Roster". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
External links[edit]
- Belén García career summary at DriverDB.com