After a successful first full season in the Michelin Le Mans Cup Belén García will move up to the ELMS with 2021 LMP3 Team Champions DKR Engineering, beginning with her home race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the 14th April.
The former Spanish F4 race winner from L’Ametlla del Valles, just 15kms north of the circuit that will host the season opener, impressed with three top five finishes in the final three races of the 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup with 360 Racing.
So how important was that season for Garcia preparing her for the challenge in the ELMS this season? “To compete in such a difficult championship like Michelin Le Mans Cup has made me progress massively as a driver, both in race situation and pace,” she said. “I got to know the LMP3 in more depth and the season left me prepared for anything.”
“I am very proud of how we improved in the second half of the championship. We struggled a bit in the first few races and finding our feet later in the season meant a lot to me. I personally felt like I finished the season in really good form, and it is all 2023 season was about.”
Half of the 2024 grid will be LMP2 entries, so what new challenges does Belén García see ahead of the opening race of the season in Spain? “It will surely be different in many ways,” Garcia admitted.“First, it is multiclass racing so traffic management will be more important than in MLMC where most of the competitors were LMP3. Also race length changing from 1:50h to 4h opens the door to strategy differences between teams. It is one of the things that I loved the most back in Asian Le Mans Series last year. There are loads of possibilities. Anyway, on my side, I will continue to push the same as last year to learn and progress.”
DKR Engineering have tasted championship success in both the MLMC and ELMS, with five titles secured since 2017.So how is Belén García settling in with the team? “We are getting on very well! I tested with them on the Monday after the last race at Portimao last year and the test was very positive. Since then Ijumped in the car once again at Portimao in January and we are testing in Paul Ricard in March to officially start the season preps with the whole line up. I am really excited to get back to work soon!”
To race on their home track is a plus for any driver, so will making her ELMS debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya give her an advantage? “It is amazing to start the season at home like last year. I know the track quite well, even if it’s not the track I know the most. Staying home during a race weekend is a commodity that only few privileged drivers get to have, as well as having friends and family around to cheer and having my team from RACC and CAR of Sant Cugat close will give me a lot of strength as the help me daily. Anyway, everyone races to win and while this is comforting, what counts is the performance on track.
The LMP3 grid this season might only feature ten cars but there is a lot of experienced teams and drivers, so how does Belén García see it? “There are very good line ups on the grid like WTM by Rinaldi, the reigning champions Cool Racing or Inter Europol,” she said. “However, I believe ours is a good one to fight for very good things. This is endurance racing and anything can happen so you can’t rule anyone out!”
So what is Belén García’s personal goal for her first ELMS season? “My goal remains the same through the years, which is learning and becoming a better driver both in and out of the track. My focus is completely on the work I need to do to prepare, perform and give my best to the team. I believe this way results and wins will come, which is what we all race for.”
CLICK HERE to buy your tickets for the 4 Hours of Barcelona and see Belén make her ELMS debut in person. There are a limited number of tickets available at a discounted price using the promotional code BELEN4.
