DRIVER NEWS: The Michelin Le Mans Cup season finale ran in torrential showers and saw Belén García confirm all the extent of her talent despite a pitstop miscue by her team.
The Spanish driver and teammate Mark Richards brilliantly defied the challenges of Portimão and they were in contention for a podium finish before settling for fifth place versus some of the category's leading contenders at the end of a race cut short by the daunting conditions. The only crew in the field to score three consecutive top-five finishes, the 360 Racing Team duo demonstrated their progress by finishing virtually second in the second half of the season.
Determined to end her first full European endurance season on a high, Belén García returned to the track where she debuted in Michelin Le Mans Cup. Returning to Portimão a year after her first runs in a prototype, the Spaniard was keen to build on the momentum generated by her two post-summer break top-five finishes.
Though the competitors were welcomed by mixed weather conditions on the technical and undulating Algarve track, the Catalan took advantage of Wednesday's first tests to find her bearings back. Immediately among the ten fastest drivers in LMP3, Bélen confirmed her solid form by gradually picking up the pace. Meanwhile, her teammate continued to learn the track before the pair fine-tuned their set-up by carefully studying the data gathered. The Briton tackled qualifying following the final practice session as the rain returned and Mark Richards was up to the task, mixing it up with the leaders. After shrugging off a spin, he lowered his best time several times to qualify seventh in the 15-minute session.
“The weekend got off to a positive start”, sums up Belén. "The car felt good, especially in the wet. But most of all, we were quick in every condition. We did not want to get carried away, as anything can happen when you have such changing conditions, but it was a strong start, and Mark was pretty fast for his first time on this track, as he proved it in qualifying.”
