From last to podium: Laura van den Hengel charges to second in class in Hockenheim
- RACERS
- Jun 10
- 7 min read
"I'm incredibly proud of how we fought" - Laura van den Hengel returned to the GT Cup Europe podium with an outstanding second race in Hockenheim, as the Burgers Motorsport by HWM team charged through the field from last on the starting grid to finish second in Pro-Am – in a brilliant showing from both drivers.
Laura van den Hengel returned to the GT Cup Europe podium with an outstanding second race in Hockenheim, as the Burgers Motorsport by HWM team charged through the field from last on the starting grid to finish second in Pro-Am – in a brilliant showing from both drivers.
The recovery drive once again proved how van den Hengel and Paul Meijer have become the benchmark in the series; after an unfortunate crash in Saturday’s Race 1, the duo had to skip qualifying on Sunday but delivered a spectacular comeback, recovering 16 positions to once again step on the podium for the fourth time in three rounds, reclaiming the top spot in the Pro-Am championship standings.
Van den Hengel and Meijer have firmly established themselves as the duo to beat in Pro-Am, with three class wins: one at the Portimão season opener and a clean sweep at Spa-Francorchamps, where the Burgers Motorsport team dominated the second round. Remarkably, they’ve also been in contention for the overall win on two occasions—falling just one lap short at both Portimão and Spa.
The main challenge at Hockenheim, however, would be overcoming a 20-second pit stop handicap—an extra burden imposed due to their previous success. A tough task for any team, the handicap would demand both exceptional driving and a bit of luck.
Free Practice 1 started on a damp and cloudy Friday morning. Meijer took to the track first and immediately went to the top of the leaderboard. After a pit stop, he returned to set fastest sectors and recorded a 1:54.231. Van den Hengel then took over and quickly improved. As the track evolved, the team posted a 1:45.212 on the last lap, going second fastest overall.
In FP2, Meijer immediately set a strong benchmark of 1:45.0, though several laps were deleted for track limits. He went fastest with a 1:44.105—again deleted—but eventually became the first driver to dip below the 1:44 barrier, clocking a 1:43.5. Van den Hengel jumped in and was immediately quicker than her FP1 times, running consistent 1:44.9s in an extremely positive progression.
Meijer recorded a 1:42.172 and then a 1:41.906—becoming the only driver to go below the 1:42 mark. Van den Hengel closed out the session with another personal best, and was the fastest of the bronze-rated drivers in ProAm.
The Bronze drivers’ FP3 session followed in the late afternoon. Van den Hengel consistently topped the timing charts with impressive pace, though all her laps were deleted for track limits. Even on used tyres, she managed to lap consistently in 1:43—an indication that she would again run at the top of the class in her stints.
"The weekend started with a challenge as the 20 second pit handicap was always going to be difficult to overcome", she said. "However practice showed that we again had a great pace - and with some caution to track limits we would be up front once again."
Qualifying 1 took place on a dry but cloudy morning. Paul Meijer, tasked with setting the grid position for Race 1, entered the track with 13 minutes to go. After a banker lap, he immediately set the fastest first sector and a provisional pole time—which was however deleted for track limits. He responded with an even faster 1:40.887, becoming the first driver under 1:41 and securing provisional pole by three tenths from Berberich-Martini in the #1 Mertel Ferrari.
Meijer continued to push and lowered the benchmark to 1:40.795 before pitting with a solid margin. He secured his third consecutive pole position in GT Cup Europe, placing the #7 Burgers Motorsport Porsche in prime position.
Race 1 began under cloudy skies, with paul Meijer on overall and Pro-Am pole. Berberich-Martini lined up alongside, with Pro-Am rival Stienes Longin in P4. At lights out, Meijer had a perfect launch and led into Turn 1; chaos however unfolded behind, as Longin was spun from the second row, involving a few others. The safety car was deployed for Longin's stricken Q1 Trackracing Porsche, which had received contact from the #80 Ferrari of Luca Demarchi.
Racing resumed at the end of Lap 3. Meijer executed a clean restart, with Ian Rodriguez chasing. A collision for Ludovico Longoni—second in the standings—damaged his #22 Porsche, though the race remained green.
By Lap 5, Meijer was pulling a gap on Rodriguez, with both drivers the only ones lapping in the 1:42s. Meijer extended his lead to four seconds by Lap 10; he pitted on Lap 14 with a 14-second cushion, handing over to Laura van den Hengel and serving the 20-second success handicap.
After the stops, Vandierendonck led overall due to no handicap to serve, ahead of Luca Franca and van den Hengel—who retained the Pro-Am lead, with Peter Ferter seven seconds behind in sixth overall.
Laura defended well from Silver driver Gonçalo Fernandes, and she settled into 1:44s, still among the fastest in Pro-Am, with Babini only marginally quicker but further down the order.
Fernandes eventually found a way past for overall position on Lap 18, but van den Hengel was now significantly gaining on Vandierendonck. Two seconds per lap quicker, she attempted a move at the hairpin but went deep and made contact with Fernandes, in an unfortunate accident that saw both cars out of the race.
Sunday, however, was time for a spectacular comeback.
After significant overnight repairs, the team managed to get the car ready for Race 2. Van den Hengel wouldn't participate in qualifying, and with a 10-place grid penalty, would start Race 2 from the very back.
After earlier rain, the track dried by race time; Van den Hengel lined up P22 and prepared for what would be a memorable recovery drive. At Turn 1, chaos again struck as several cars spun on the wet outer line. Van den Hengel avoided it all and climbed to P17 by the end of the first lap.
She immediately cleared most AM-class cars and closed on the Pro-Am Porsche of Romagnoli. Running in the 1:46s—faster than most ahead—Laura passed Saelens and reached P6 in Pro-Am by Lap 3.
Van den Hengel then pressured Romagnoli and attempted a move on Lap 4, almost squeezed onto the grass ahead of Turn 2 and had to slot back in, avoiding unnecessary risks. Stuck behind Trentin and Romagnoli for a few laps, she finally passed both on Lap 6 to move up to fourth in class with a great move.
Laura closed the gap to more AM-class entries and continued to lap among the fastest in class before pitting on Lap 12. After serving an additional 10s handicap, Meijer rejoined in sixth in class but quickly gained positions, moving to P5 and setting purple sectors in pursuit of Stienes Longin.
He cleared Canizares—who were fighting for the Pro-Am podium—and then passed Leandro Martins to run fourth in class, 12th overall, consistently lapping in the 1:42s.
Meijer passed Longin on Lap 20 to take third in Pro-Am; ahead was Scannicchio, 10 seconds up the road. But first, Meijer would have to battle with Ian Rodriguez’s Silver-class Porsche, the overall championship leader and one of the top drivers in the series.
The two battled fiercely, catching and overtaking Scannicchio in the process. Meijer therefore took second place in class, then surprised Rodriguez with a stunning pass in the final corner for sixth overall.
Pro-Am leader Diego Nunes was too far ahead to catch, but it was still a sensational drive.
From last on the grid to sixth overall, van den Hengel and Meijer claimed second place in Pro-Am—their fourth podium of the season—and thus returned to the top of the Pro-Am standings, one point ahead of Scannicchio/Babini.
"After Saturday, it was all about finding the right mindset", Van den Hengel reflected. "With a penalty, and another great effort from the team to make the grid, skipping qualifying meant that we would start from the very back of the grid, in P22. Our race was going to be about driving smart through the field."
"The goal was to stay clean but with a good start I soon drove forward and battled with other cars in class without taking unnecessary risks."
"We made it up to P13 overall and fourth in class before the driver change, and although a pit penalty ruled out a shot at the win, Paul delivered yet another incredible drive that brought us back into contention", she continued.
"Finishing P2 in Pro-Am and P6 overall from last on the grid really shows the strength of this team. Not the outcome we were aiming for, but I'm incredibly proud of how we fought and grateful to have such a fast teammate and mentor in Paul."
Sometimes, a second place is just as valuable as a win: the resilience shown by the Iron Dames-supported driver perfectly exemplified the 'it’s not how you fall, but how you get back up' mindset.
Looking at the bigger picture, van den Hengel has made remarkable progress from the past season, when she was closing in on a AM-class podium. The Dutch racer, now consistently one of the fastest bronzes, has found herself in the fight for the overall win at every round now, while still effectively in her second full-time season in car racing.
Next up will be Circuit Paul Ricard, where van den Hengel has raced for the past two seasons and shown strong pace—especially with a standout qualifying performance in 2024. She will aim to continue the podium streak and return to the top step.
