Iron Dames Sarah Bovy and Laura van den Hengel show podium potential on at Spa despite misfortunes, secure first top-5 in GT2 Europe
- RACERS
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The second round of the 2026 GT2 European Series at Spa-Francorchamps resulted in both promise and frustration for the Iron Dames pairing of Laura van den Hengel and Sarah Bovy. While the duo demonstrated genuine ProAm podium pace over the weekend, with incidents beyond their control ultimately denied them the results their speed deserved, the weekend nevertheless produced their first top-five ProAm finish.
The second round of the 2026 GT2 European Series at Spa-Francorchamps resulted in both promise and frustration for the Iron Dames pairing of Laura van den Hengel and Sarah Bovy.
Making an temporary switch from their usual Porsche 992 GT3 Cup to a Maserati GT2 for the Belgian weekend, the duo worked to adapt to the unfamiliar machinery and demonstrated genuine ProAm podium pace over the weekend. While a blocked pit lane in Race 1 and a late-race collision in Race 2 to no fault of their own ultimately denied them the results their speed deserved, the weekend nevertheless produced their first top-five ProAm finish.
The season opener at Monza had marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Iron Dames, who returned to international GT competitions with an all-female lineup in the GT2 European Series. Van den Hengel and Bovy competed in the ProAm class aboard the #85 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup run by SP Racing in partnership with Dinamic Motorsport, overcoming a performance deficit against the more powerful GT2-spec machinery to score valuable championship points at the Temple of Speed.
At Monza, reigning GT Cup Europe ProAm champion van den Hengel immediately impressed in her series debut, particularly during an outstanding opening stint in Race 1 where she gained several positions and raced well above expectations. Alongside her, experienced Iron Dames veteran Bovy expertly managed race situations and helped secure solid results, with a best finish of sixth in class.
With their Porsche committed to Italian GT Championship duties at Monza, the Iron Dames were forced to temporarily switch to a Maserati GT2, thanks to support from Dinamic Motorsport driver Roberto Pampanini. The Belgian round would therefore become both a big opportunity with faster GT2-spec machinery, as well as a learning exercise for the pair in completely unfamiliar car.
Friday's opening practice session represented the first opportunity for both drivers to experience the Maserati GT2. Fortunately, Spa-Francorchamps was a circuit both knew well, with Bovy racing on home soil and van den Hengel already having experience at the Belgian venue from GT Cup Europe.
Bovy took the wheel first and immediately looked competitive despite running on old tyres. The Belgian recorded a strong opening sector, but a transponder issue then prevented her lap times from being officially registered. The unrecorded times would nevertheless have placed her around fourth in the ProAm category.
The session was interrupted by a red flag when the #10 KTM crashed into the barriers at Turn 12. Van den Hengel took over during the second half, also on used tyres, concentrating solely on understanding the new car rather than chasing lap times.
The afternoon session brought mixed conditions as rain passed through Spa. The Iron Dames remained in the garage while the circuit dried before Bovy headed out with 25 minutes remaining. Her first timed lap of 2:23.9 placed her fourth in ProAm before she immediately improved to a 2:21.6, climbing to third in class and ending up less than a second from the overall pace-setter.
Another interruption followed when the #898 KTM crashed at Turn 7 with 22 minutes remaining, triggering a second red flag. The session resumed with only nine minutes left, severely limiting track time for van den Hengel. The Dutch driver completed only an out lap before returning to the pits and did not rejoin, leaving FP2 having completed no representative push laps in the Maserati.
Even so, the Iron Dames ended the day fourth overall and third in ProAm, an encouraging start to their first GT2-spec weekend.
Saturday morning brought ideal qualifying conditions, with sunshine and temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius.
Van den Hengel faced a particularly difficult task in Q1, having completed only five laps in the Maserati throughout Friday. Nevertheless, she immediately showed impressive adaptability: her first flying lap placed her third in ProAm and sixth overall. She then improved to a 2:24.617, her fastest time of the weekend at that stage, moving back into the overall top ten while retaining third in class.
A further improvement to 2:24.2 briefly moved her ahead of the #8 Maserati of Yu Lee. Despite encountering traffic during her final attempts and narrowly missing out on a sub-2:24 lap, van den Hengel secured fourth in ProAm and 12th overall in a highly commendable effort given her limited preparation.
Bovy continued the strong performance in Q2. Her first push lap of 2:22.0 briefly put her at the top of the timing screens before the rapid Ginettas moved ahead. The Belgian then produced a superb lap featuring a highly competitive 39.5-second first sector before breaking the 2:20 barrier with a 2:19.919.
The time secured fourth in ProAm and sixth overall. Although traffic prevented further gains on her final run, Bovy finished just one tenth of a second away from being the fastest Maserati driver in the session.
Van den Hengel started Race 1 from twelfth overall and fourth in ProAm and immediately faced adversity. A spinning car directly ahead at La Source forced her to take evasive action through the gravel trap, left with nowhere to go, costing several positions. By the end of the opening lap she had dropped to sixteenth overall and sixth in ProAm, though she quickly began fighting back.
She passed Simon Birch's KTM to move into fifth in class while damage forced Yu Lee's Maserati into the pits. Van den Hengel climbed to P14 overall and then overtook Berthet's Lamborghini before settling into pursuit of the group ahead.
Showing increasingly strong pace, she targeted Marius Aigner's #119 KTM. After being squeezed again at Turn 1 on lap three, she nevertheless managed to clear Mraz's KTM and move up to P11 overall before immediately attacking Aigner. She almost completed a pass at Stavelot but had to slot back into line.
The slowing Mercedes driven by De Martin at Eau Rouge created another tense moment, though van den Hengel safely negotiated the situation and continued applying pressure. Running consistent 2:27.0 laps, she remained faster than the bronze-rated drivers around her but struggled to find a clean opportunity.
Another dramatic moment came when Rokos and Prette collided on the run to Eau Rouge, sending the #294 Mercedes into the pit wall. Van den Hengel again avoided the incident and resumed her attack on Aigner, even attempting a move at the Bus Stop chicane.
Then disaster struck; as the pit window opened, Rosina's Audi stopped in pit lane, blocking four cars behind, including van den Hengel as she entered for her mandatory stop. The Iron Dames Maserati was trapped and lost an entire lap through no fault of its own.
The setback ruined what had been another very solid stint from the Dutchwoman. Bovy took over and rejoined sixth in ProAm. Although the podium fight was effectively over, she immediately demonstrated remarkable pace. Running consistent low-2:22 laps, she rapidly closed on Kofler and Birch.
A decisive move around the outside of Les Combes on lap 15 earned her fifth in ProAm, after which she immediately pulled away. Although Simon Birch had already built a five-second cushion ahead, Bovy continued to gain several tenths per lap and was the second-fastest driver on track.
She gained two seconds on Birch during lap 18 but ultimately ran out of time, finishing fifth in ProAm. The result represented nevertheless the team's best GT2 European Series finish to date and improved upon the sixth place achieved at Monza.
The final result did not reflect the pace shown by either driver, with a class podium appearing entirely realistic before the unfortunate pit lane incident.
Sunday morning brought sunshine after overnight rain, with only a few damp patches remaining around the circuit.
Starting sixth overall and fourth in ProAm, Bovy adopted a cautious approach into La Source as she tried to take the inside line. Despite a busy opening lap and some scrambling through Raidillon, she emerged cleanly in tenth overall and seventh in class.
The leading Ginetta suffered problems at the end of the opening lap, while Bovy immediately began attacking Reinhard Kofler's KTM. Before she could complete the move, however, a massive crash for Niccolo Pirri's #8 Maserati at Eau Rouge brought out the safety car at the end of lap two - which effectively hampered the Iron Dames' chances during Bovy's stint.
Following the cleanup operation, racing resumed with 37 minutes remaining.
Bovy wasted no time. She decisively passed Kofler at the end of the Kemmel Straight before also clearing Njor's Silver-class Ginetta. Free from traffic, she immediately began lapping in the low 2:22 range and hunted down Wiskirchen's Mercedes.
When the Mercedes pitted on lap nine, Bovy moved ahead and remained on track for an extra lap before stopping from fifth overall and fourth in ProAm. Van den Hengel took over for the second stint.
The Dutch driver immediately found herself in heavy traffic; she quickly closed on Marius Aigner and produced a brilliant move at Les Combes to take fifth in class.
Although Aigner reclaimed the position at La Source one lap later, van den Hengel remained quicker. Her laps of 2:25.8 and 2:25.6 were highly competitive considering the tyre degradation affecting the entire field, and within one second to the top-placed Silver cars.
Then, with only four minutes remaining, heartbreak struck again. Caught in a multi-car incident involving the Lamborghini of Shota Abkhazava from a different class, van den Hengel's Maserati was hit and spun at the final chicane while running fifth in class. Abkhazava was subsequently handed a drive-through penalty for causing the collision.
Although van den Hengel managed to return to the pits, the team opted to retire the car with two laps to go.
It was a cruel ending to an otherwise encouraging weekend: despite limited preparation, a completely new car and multiple incidents beyond their control, van den Hengel and Bovy consistently demonstrated the pace required to fight for a ProAm podium.
The first top-five finish in GT2 European Series nevertheless represented a step forward for the Iron Dames line-up; more importantly, their performance throughout the Spa weekend showed that the all-female pairing of Bovy and van den Hengel can challenge near the front of the field with competitive machinery.
The championship will now move to Misano on 18-19 July, where the Iron Dames are expected to return to their familiar Porsche 992 GT3 Cup and continue building on the promise shown at the first two rounds of the championship.