Brake issues deny Belén García a podium after strong run at Motorland Aragón
- RACERS
- Sep 10
- 5 min read
The fourth round of the 2025 European Endurance Prototype Cup proved a bittersweet outing for Belén García and her ANS Motorsport teammates, who were in contention for an overall podium—and possibly a win—thanks to strong strategy and great stints, before a braking issue eventually forced the team’s retirement in the closing stages of the four-hour race at Motorland Aragón.
The fourth round of the 2025 European Endurance Prototype Cup proved a bittersweet outing for Belén García and her ANS Motorsport teammates, who were in contention for an overall podium—and possibly a win—thanks to strong strategy and great stints, before a braking issue eventually forced the team’s retirement in the closing stages of the four-hour race at Motorland Aragón.
García had returned to the Ultimate Cup–run championship in 2025 after competing in the LMP3 class of the European Le Mans Series, and was immediately competitive aboard the #71 NP02 prototype operated by ANS Motorsport shared with Adrien Chila and Paul Trojani.
Despite joining the program at short notice before the start of the season, García was straight back at the sharp end of the highly competitive field: at the season opener in Le Castellet—where she had previously celebrated her first endurance win—she showcased her pace and racecraft, fighting for victory before ultimately finishing third overall and securing a podium on her debut with the team.
She carried that momentum into Mugello, a completely new circuit for her, where she quickly adapted to the technical and challenging layout. With a solid strategy, the trio came within a lap of victory and finished second overall. Heading into the third round at Portimão—a track where García had made her LMP3 debut in the Michelin Le Mans Cup back in 2022—the Catalan racer and her teammates aimed to extend their podium streak. The demanding six-hour race, however, forced the trio into recovery mode, and García still managed to bring home an eighth-place finish and valuable championship points.
The fourth round at Motorland Aragón marked another opportunity to fight at the front for the crew of the #71 machine, following an almost three-month summer break. That meant drivers had to regain their rhythm despite hours of preparation through fitness training and simulator work.
García and her teammates worked to quickly return to the front, focusing on setup in pre-event testing. They placed P12 in the first official practice on Thursday, before making progress in FP2 on Friday with a 1:51.986—just eight tenths from the top of the timing sheets.
Qualifying followed, with the three segments combined to form the starting grid for the four-hour race. García contested the first session and clocked a 1:53.383, placing her seventh fastest overall. Adrien Chila was up next, setting a 1:53.734 to go P11, before Paul Trojani closed the session with a 1:51.870 that resulted in seventh place overall in the average combined times.
Chila took the start in the #71 ANS Motorsport entry from seventh overall, as the 26-car field roared into action for the four-hour race. He made a great start, was immediately on the move and climbing into fourth place. By lap 8, Chila was pressuring the #66 of Decurtins and successfully passed to secure P4.
Running consistently in the 1:53s, he closed in on Simonet, though was also under pressure from Enzo Richer in the #17. Richer eventually got past on lap 15, with Alister Yoong following through a lap later. Chila, however, remained competitive and on lap 23 overtook Simonet to reclaim fourth. At the one-hour mark, he broke into the 1:52s and maintained P4.
Chila pitted for the first time and stayed in the car, rejoining P2 after the opening cycle of stops. He held second solidly in the next stint, around ten seconds behind leader Kyburz but opening a five-second margin on Creed. After a 1h40 stint, Chila handed over to García on lap 50.
Belén immediately climbed back up the order, setting purple sectors and rejoining the top ten. On lap 58 she passed Thirion’s #555 for ninth, lapping nearly two seconds faster, before reeling in Adcock. By lap 60, with others ahead pitting, she was up to P7, and a couple of laps later re-entered the top five.
García improved her personal best to a 1:52.125, moving further forward as Hernandez pitted.
On lap 64 García pitted for the team’s third stop but remained in the car. She delivered another strong stint with consistent laps in the 1:52s, closing in quickly on those ahead. As Caillon, Winslow, and Heriau pitted, she climbed to seventh and then passed Muston. With another move on Morel’s #17, García reclaimed fifth on lap 74 and cycled back up into third as the pit cycle unfolded.
Now virtually in podium contention, García fought hard in the mid-race stages. Winslow closed in and passed on lap 81, followed by Hernandez—one of the few drivers running 1:51s pace. Still in the fight, García pitted for the fourth time on lap 85 after a strong run, but her car had now developed braking issues in her final laps. She nursed the car back to the pits, managing to hand over to Trojani despite the worsening problem.
A long stop followed before Trojani rejoined for the final stint. The race’s first Full Course Yellow came with an hour remaining, further complicating ANS Motorsport’s strategy. Trojani resumed in P16, then fell back into the top 20 as the brake issues persisted. He cycled to P18 but eventually had to pit again on lap 108, ultimately retiring the car.
A final Full Course Yellow on the last lap meant the race ended under caution, with Trojani classified P20.
It was a heartbreaking finish for the team, though there were still positives to take away. The car had been competitive in the first half of the race, and García’s stint—before the braking troubles—was one of her strongest of the season, running firmly in podium contention.
"Difficult one to swallow", commented Belén Garcia. "Struggled all weekend to get the pace after a long break but finally got there in the race. I was enjoying so much my stint running P2/P3 with eyes on the win until brake failure struck us. I tried to hold up for 10 laps to finish my stint but we couldn’t remedy the problem. In the end, Paul had to retire the car."
"It’s difficult to see the positives after a heartbreak but there are good improvements after Portimao and we are back fighting at the top. Head down and already looking forward to the two last races of the season."
The European Endurance Prototype Cup will now head to Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours, France, for the fifth round of the season on 10–12 October, where García will aim to return to the podium.
